Thanksgiving and Atonement Service

Last time - Trumpets

Trumpets is a call to Rest and Remember. It happens 10 days before the Day of Atonement, which is the Holiest day of the Year, coming on 3 October this year.

Rest like on Sabbath on the Day.

For the remaining 10 days

Remember that Jesus and Judgment are coming. When we have to account.

Reflect on our sins, where we missed the mark or hurt others.

Reconciliation requires us, so that we be forgiven, also forgive others.

To Repent of our sins and ask for forgiveness.

Apologise

Make Amends

Ask for Forgiveness.

Abstain, try Righteousness for the 10 days.

Reunion, and spend time with Family. Convocations.

Pray daily.

Leviticus 16:29–30 NKJV

29 “This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. 30 For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.

Highlight was the Day of Atonement

What happens on the Day of Atonement.

Practically for a member of the Church.

We Rest and Remember the Sacrifice Jesus made for us.

We Fast, Leviticus 23:27 “27 “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.”

We Repent

We Pray

We Offer

What Atonement Means.

At one Ment. Day of bringing us close to God,

Atonement shows us that Sin removes us from God to be cleansed to be at one with him. Reminds us that Light and Dark do not mix, that Good and Evil do not mix.

Plus, reminds us that we can chose to be Alone, or Atone.

If we are alone, we are All One. We are All that, we Are the only One there.

or We can atone, so that ever if we seem to be the Only One, we know God is Also there with us.

Atonement Before Christ

How it happened.

When: 1st, not any day. Just once a year. God would appear in person at the mercy Seat. Aaron could not enter any time, lest he die.

Where: In the Temple at the Ark of the Covenant. There was smoke above the Mercy seat because God was physically there with them. And if Arronn saw him, he would die.

Who: Not any one, just Aaron or his sons.

How:

First, He must cleans himself and his Family.

Physically, wash in the Holy Place, Wear special clothes,

Spiritually, sacrifice abull for him.

Second, he may make atonement for the People of Israel. He Sacrifices one Goat, the Unlucky one. He sprinkles it blood on the Ark of the Covenant. This is the fine/penalty for the Sins of Israel. one as a sin Offering which was killed and he sprinkled the blood in the holy place and then sent it out to be burnt.

Third, he comes out of the Holy Place and cleanse the Sanctuary they are in and the Altar on which Sacrifices were burnt. He makes atonement for it - Making them worthy to be brought into God’s Presence . All of this is to make us and the place clean for God.

Then we move to the scapegoat to carrry all the sins of the people away. He took all the sins of the people and placed it on the Goat. God then forgot all these Sins.

after this, he changed clothes, and the men who handled the goats, had to wash and clean themselves before returning to the Camp.

Lessons

We needed a High Priest and High Purity

Atonement needed Expiation and Propitiation

The Atonement was temporary. It required Annual Renewal.

High Priest and High Purity

Aaron, only the High Priest can come into the holy of Holies. The Mercy Seat.

Aaron cant come into the holy of holies whenever he likes. Only once a year

He had to wash himself in the holy place and then wear holy clothes. ANd after.

He had to sacrifice the Bull for him and his family.

Had to make atonement for himself and then his Family, before he went on to make atonement for the people.

BUT, BECAUSE OF CHRIST AS OUR HIGH PRIEST AND WITH THE LORD, ALL OF THIS RITUAL IS UNNECESSARY.

Hebrews 4:14–15 NKJV

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 7:26–27 NKJV

26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

SO JESUS IS OUR HIGH PRIEST, OUR AARON. But, much better becuase:

He is welcome in the Holy of Holies, anytime, not once a year.

The Father does not have to hide in smoke, He knows what he looks like, they are the same essence.

He does not need to purify himself, because he is already pure.

Does not need to make Atonement so that he can move closer to God, They are the same Spirit.

Expiation and Propition - Forgive and Forget

When you steal a car and give it back next month. You have made amends, but you are you are still a thief. You removed the action but you have not removed the anger and the punishment. You have made AMENDS, but You are still GUILTY and will be PUNISHED. You have the dirty Label and the dirty Penalty, you must remove both in order to be clean.

You wish that:

you are Forgiven so that the Punishement goes away.

the Sin is forgotten so that the Label goes away and you are in the Good books again.

Then you are cleansed and you can be close to God, At One with God. Because Sin takes us away from him.

Hence, there are 2 goats. For different purposes.

The First Goat is Propitation. You do it by offering a gift to appease him. Paying the Fine, instead of imrprisonment. Appeasing God to get into the good books again. FORGIVENESS, BUT YOU ARE STILL A THIEF.

The Second Goat is Expiation is removing the sin from you. Because it takes the sin away from the people and God. FORGETTING. WHAT THIEF? no record.

Jesus is the First Lamb (propitiating) and confirmed it when he took bread and wine, gave thanks and Jesus said it himself:

“This is my body which is broken for you.  This is my blood of the new covenant shed for many for the remission of sins. 

Jesus’ blood makes us clean and brings us closer to God. His death is a fine he paid instead of us suffering.

Some people would say the second Goat is the Devil who will be bound up for a thousand years and he has the since of the people on him. But, that is not true. They will say so because Jesus was Sacrificed, so he must be the lamb that was sacrificed. But, they forget the most important part of the Gospel.

After he was Sacrificed, He Rose again and is still alive to take our sins upon himself and expiating us.

Annual renewal

This was every year, because goats are being sacrified. Could not last. But Jesus’ Sacrifice is once brought and eternally valid. So we do not sacrifice animals. Hebrews 7:27

Hebrews 7:27 NKJV

27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

We are blessed to be born in this time after Jesus. GIVE THANKS

We all have a direct relationship with God the Son without ritual.

Jesus’ blood was sacrified for our sins. Paying the fine so that we do not have to pay the price.

Jesus, is alive and offers us forgiveness of sins if we repent.

Because Jesus is Alive and the Holy Spirit proceeds from him to us, we do not have to Al One, We can be At One with God.

Amen.