Entering the Presence of God

Introduction

Open your Bibles to the book of Leviticus.

Leviticus gets kind of a bad rap in the church.

There are, I’m sure, numerous other books in the Bible that Christians might think would be more profitable to read and study than Leviticus.

On the surface, very little of it appears to fit the 21st century life of a NT Christian.

Even for a believer intent on reading through their Bible, their endeavor is often abandoned or at least heavily slowed once they weigh into the thick of the sacrificial system, the priesthood, the copious laws about skin diseases, bodily discharges, and dietary laws.

There’s nothing new about this. Leviticus has been called by one writer “the most neglected of the neglected biblical books” (Balentine).

But I think that’s a very unfortunate plight for this book. In fact, I think if you haven’t read Leviticus or care about what it says, you really are missing out on one of the true gems of the canon of Scripture.

I’ve been teaching through Leviticus now in my Equipping class for 10 months, and I and all those who are in that class can tell you, the book of Leviticus is a deep well of spiritual truth that we will not be able to exhaust no matter how deep we study.

Just consider some of the accolades given to for this book:

Mark Rooker: “At no point, for many Christians, does the Bible appear more mysterious and seemingly irrelevant than when it focuses on the temple and the sacrificial system. But the truths found in these texts and what they foreshadow must be grasped if the New Testament teaching is to be understood. According to Knight, this temptation to ignore Leviticus was even true of our Savior’s experience: ‘One of the satanic temptations Jesus underwent at the beginning of his ministry was to accept the innuendo that his task was merely to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, feed the hungry, but at the same time to turn his back on the book of Leviticus.’ It behooves the New Testament believer to give more attention to this book, for we base our eternal destinies on the one of whom Leviticus loudly speaks.”

R.K. Harrison: “Leviticus is thus a work of towering spirituality, which through the various sacrificial rituals points the reader unerringly to the atoning death of Jesus, our great High Priest. An imminent nineteenth-century writer once described Leviticus quite correctly as the seed-bed of New Testament theology, for in this book is to be found the basis of Christian faith and doctrine. The Epistle to the Hebrews expounds Leviticus in this connection, and therefore merits careful study in its own right, since in the view of the present writer it is preeminent as a commentary on Leviticus.”

What both these writers reveal is that you cannot truly understand the message of the NT without a proper understanding of the book of Leviticus.

And particularly for our present sermon series in Hebrews, so much of what the writer to the Hebrews has to say stems from Leviticus.

A lot of NT believers and even preachers balk at the idea of spending much time in the OT, especially a book like Leviticus, because they feel like it is a waste of time. So much has changed from the OT to the NT, that it’s like we’re moving backwards.

A few months ago, Andy Stanly caused quite a controversy when he made the assertion that the Christian faith must be “unhitched” from the OT.

I won’t go into all the detail on what he said, but I think that sentiment is appealing to a lot of us, first because it makes our lives easier—less to study, less to understand—and second, because we really don’t see the relevance of the OT in the Christian life anymore.

The apostle Paul didn’t see it that way, though. He wrote to his protégé Timothy, these words:

2 Timothy 3:16 aAll Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that athe man of God1 may be complete, bequipped cfor every good work.

The “all Scripture” Paul refers to is none other than the OT canon, which Paul says was “breathed out by God.” And it is profitable:

· Doctrine – that’s the understanding of truth about God, man, sin, and salvation

· Reproof – it convicts us of sin

· Correction – it restores and reorients us after sinning

· Training in righteousness – it shows us how to live a life pleasing to God

And the end result of all that is that the believer is “complete” and “fully equipped for every good work.”

Do you want to be a fully equipped Christian? Do you want to be ready for everygood work? Then you need to understand the book of Leviticus!

Context

Leviticus falls in the center of the 5 books of Moses—the Pentateuch.

And it has a rather straightforward message:

God is absolutely holy. And in order for God to dwell among his people, and in order for his people to live out the purpose that he has for them, then they must also be holy.

So the book of Leviticus sets out the practices, the procedures, and the attitudes necessary to ensure that God’s people remain distinct from the world and loyal to him.

In chapters 1-7 we see the sacrificial system, which was given to enable God’s people to maintain their everyday relationship with God.

In chapters 8-10, we see the inauguration of the priesthood. The priesthood made the sacrificial system possible. Although the worshiper was heavily involved in the sacrificial process—they selected the animal, slaughtered it, and skinned it, and dressed it out—no lay person could offer their sacrifice without the mediating work of the priesthood.

In chapters 11-15, we find the purity laws, which outlined how an Israelite was to remain ritually pure so they could participate in the corporate worship of God. It oriented everyday life so that believers were consciously aware of the decisions they made and how it would affect their ability to live out their role in the covenant people of God.

In chapters 17-27, we find the holiness laws. These laws spelled out how Israel was to live so that they could be a holy people, different from the world, characterized by loyalty to God and love for one another.

But at the center of this book—really, the hinge pin that holds the whole book together—is the 16th chapter which outlines what is known as the Day of Atonement.

And that’s what I want us to look at this morning.

Everything that precedes chapter 16—the sacrificial system, the priesthood, the purity laws—they all anticipate this chapter.

And all the chapters that follow it—the laws about holiness—find their motivation and enablement in light of it.

It was the most important day of the year in the life of Israel, because it outlined how God had graciously provided a way for his people to enjoy complete atonement for their sins and access to his presence.

To put it another way, without the Day of Atonement, God could not dwell among his people, and his people could never enjoy access to him—they could never enter into his presence.

Initial Application: This chapter has incredible implications for NT Christianity. In fact, I’ll assert that the Day of Atonement as outlined in Leviticus 16 provides for us a full-on picture of the gospel and how the life and death of Jesus Christ has gained us a kind of access to God that no OT saint ever enjoyed.

In fact, the book of Hebrews so recognizes the immense importance that Leviticus 16 holds that it devotes 4 whole chapters—chapters 7-10—to expounding how Christ accomplished forever what the Day of Atonement in Israel accomplished only once a year.

I’ve outlined our text in this way—I want to give you 4 truths revealed in Leviticus 16 about what it means to enter into the presence of God.

1. Entering God’s presence cannot be done lightly (vv. 1-2)

The historical setting: the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu (vv. 1)

· Recalls Lev 10:1-3 – they drew near to God and died

· Chapter 16 is there to guarantee that Aaron the high priest could enter God’s presence and not suffer the same fate as his sons

“Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy place inside the veil” (v. 2)

· “At any time” = whenever he wants

· Arrangement of tabernacle – Holy Place & Most Holy Place where ark sat

REASON: “For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat” (v. 2)

· God was manifestly present in that space

· If Aaron went into God’s presence uninvited, he would die

· Why? The holiness of God—no sinner can approach the holy God

Exodus 33:20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for aman shall not see me and live."

· Nadab and Abihu died because they did not treat God as holy

Leviticus 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD has said: 'Among athose who are near me bI will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.'"

Psalm 24:3 aWho shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his bholy place? 4 aHe who has bclean hands and ca pure heart, who does not dlift up his soul to ewhat is false and does not swear deceitfully.

Principle: Being in God’s presence can be a dangerous experience

2. Entering God’s presence requires careful preparation (vv. 3-5)

Because entering God’s presence is dangerous, then it takes careful preparation on the part of the individual to ensure that he treats the Lord in a way that treats God as holy.

· Aaron couldn’t just enter any time he wanted—only when God determined

· Aaron couldn’t just come as he was—he had to prepare accordingly

“But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place”—specific instructions are given

First, he had to deal with his own sin:

· Bull for a sin offering for himself—he had to account for his own uncleanness

· Ram for a burnt offering for himself—he had to make himself right with God

Second, he had to dress accordingly:

· Usually the high priest wore an elaborate set of garments that represented his status as the one mediator between God and the people (see Lev 8)

· Here his normal regal garments are replaced by modest linen garments

· In other words, his dress had to reflect the humility of his posture as a sinner

· He washed his body in water—signified he needed cleansing as well!

Third, he had to properly represent the people:

· Two goats for a sin offering

· A ram for a burnt offering

Principle: not just anyone could enter God’s presence—only a divinely ordained representative could act as a mediator between God and the people—the high priest

3. Entering God’s presence requires full atonement (vv. 6-28)

The Day of Atonement was a day in which God’s people witnessed and experienced the fact that God had graciously provided a way for his people to approach him.

But it reinforced the fact that that could only happen as long as full atonement was made to deal with their sin and uncleanness.

In vv. 6-28 we see the procedure that the high priest went through to accomplish that atonement.

It begins with a broad overview in vv. 6-10 followed by a more detailed account of how the ritual was to be executed by the high priest.

First the high priest had to offer sacrifices for himself (v. 6)

· The bull was offered as a sin offering—it dealt with uncleanness

· The ram was offered as a burnt offering—it was made to find acceptance before God

Then the high priest offered sacrifices for the people (vv. 7-10)

· Two goats were chosen by the people

· The high priest cast lots for these goats

· The first goat would be offered as a sin offering to God

· The second goat would kept alive and would led out to “Azazel” which probably refers to the place in the wilderness where the goat would be led and set free

· Then a ram would be offered for the people

Beginning in v. 11, the ritual is spelled out in more detail:

First, Aaron offered his sin offering (vv. 11-14)

· Aaron first slaughtered the bull for his sin offering (v. 11)

· He filled a censor with incense and coals from the altar in the courtyard (v. 12-13)

· He then entered with the censor and the blood from the bull into the Most Holy Place

· The smoke from the censor would obscure God’s presence and ensure he wouldn’t die

· He took the blood and sprinkled it 7x with his finger on the mercy seat of the ark (v. 14)

· This cleansed the Most Holy Place from his uncleanness

Next, Aaron offered the sin offering for the people (vv. 15-19)

· He slaughtered the first goat (v. 15)

· He went back into the Most Holy Place with its blood and his censor (vv. 15-16)

· The blood of the sin offering was meant to deal with the impurities of the people which had made the entire tabernacle unclean and threatened God’s presence among them

Leviticus 16:16 Thus he shall amake atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.

· Then he did the same thing for the whole Tent of Meeting (v. 16)

· Then he did the same thing for the altar in the courtyard (v. 18-19)

While he was inside, no one was allowed to enter the Tent of Meeting (v. 17)

Leviticus 16:17 No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.

· This underscores the importance of the divinely-ordained mediator

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

· That principle was no different in the OT—only one person could represent man to God on this day

Principle: Atonement is only possible through the shedding of blood

After this, Aaron presented the live goat for the people (vv. 20-22)

· He laid both hands on the goat

· He confessed “all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins” over it (v. 21)

· This was a way of transferring everything onto the goat

· Then the goat was led into the wilderness and set free

· It was a visual way of reinforcing what the atonement ritual had accomplished

· No one had witnessed what occurred in the Tent—but they could see its affects

· When the goat left the camp, it reassured the people that the atonement was effective—all their sins had truly been removed!

Principle: Atonement is only possible through the removal of sin

Finally, Aaron had to wash himself

· Before he could exit the Tent of Meeting, he removed his garments

· He washed his body in water

· Then he put his garments back on

· Likewise, the man who led the goat into the wilderness did the same

· Then he was able to offer the ram as a burnt offering for the people

4. Entering the presence of God requires humility and penitence (vv. 29-37)

God established the Day of Atonement as a permanent statute in Israel’s calendar

· On the 10th day and the 7th month of every day they observed this ritual

· It was a Sabbath Day—they gave their full attention to it

· It was a day of solemn fasting—“afflict yourself” is connected with fasting

· This was the only required fast in Israel

· It was a day in which they reflected upon their sin and its consequences

· It called for solemnity and sobriety—this was not a joyous festival!

· Thus, it called for heartfelt introspection and humility as they saw their sin graciously atoned for and their uncleanness swept away

Principle: Atonement is based on the heart attitude of true humility and repentance

Tying it all together

Now let’s return to the categories of 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Where is the doctrine, the reproof, the correction, the training in righteousness?

1. God is holy and his holiness is dangerous

2. Sin defiles and makes impure

3. Sin isolates us from God

4. God has graciously provided access to himself

a. Access is only possible through a divinely ordained mediator

b. Access is only possible through full atonement

c. Atonement is only possible through the shedding of blood

5. No man is righteous

6. Real atonement and forgiveness is based on an attitude of humility and repentance

And what we see in the book of Hebrews is that all that the Day of Atonement signified in these principles were realized in the death of Jesus Christ.

· Jesus entered the heavenly tabernacle—the true tabernacle of which the earthly one is a mere copy—and he made eternal propitiation for sin (Heb 9:24)

· Jesus acted as our perfect high priest—he didn’t need to atone for his own sins, but was the perfect representative for his people (Heb 7:26-28)

· Jesus acted as our sin offering—he entered with his own blood, not the blood of bulls and goats, which can never take away sin (Heb 9:12-14)

· Jesus accomplished once for all time what Israel had to enact every year—his sacrifice was superior and it was totally sufficient. Thus, we will never have to observe another Day of Atonement—it is wholly a past-tense event for us (Heb 9:6-14, 25-28)

· Jesus secured for us eternal forgiveness, not just temporal fellowship with God (Heb 10:1-18).

But the book of Hebrews doesn’t stop there. Instead, it reveals that what Christ accomplished on the final and ultimate Day of Atonement at Golgotha 2000 years ago has direct implications for how we live our lives as Christians even today:

Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brothers,1 since we have confidence to enter bthe holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by athe new and living way that he opened for us through bthe curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have aa great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts asprinkled clean bfrom an evil conscience and our bodies cwashed with pure water. 23 aLet us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for bhe who promised is faithful. 24 And alet us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 anot neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and ball the more as you see cthe Day drawing near.

1. It gives us confidence approach God (v. 22)

2. It gives us endurance to perseverance (v. 23)

3. It gives us motivation to serve others (v. 24)

Conclusion

The sad truth the OT gives is that Israel failed to recognize the significance of the Day of Atonement:

· They failed to recognize the holiness of God

· They failed to recognize the effects of sin

· They failed to see their need for atonement

· They failed to see their need for humility and repentance

But worst of all...

They failed to see what Leviticus 16 pointed to…the need for a better sacrifice, a better high priest, a sufficient atonement…one that could only come through the work of Messiah.

And what does 1 Corinthians 10:6 say?

1 Corinthians 10:6 Now these things took place as examples for us…

Let’s not neglect the OT as Christians. Let’s treasure it as that which points to Christ, teaches us truth, reproves and corrects us, and trains us in righteousness.

Let’s never let our faith be unhitched from the OT.