There Will Be Blood

Good morning Summit church this coming week is arguably the biggest most important week on the Christian calendar. We call it passion week, and their multiple things going on her the cemetery to help assist re-focus on what it meant for Jesus to die for us the greatest event in all history and the center of our lives. This week has a special significance for us to the summit church because we know that this is one of the two times of the year I would put this at number one, where we know the people who don't normally come to church. I would receive an invitation from one of us ought to come to be a part of our services.

I share this. I think last two or three years but every survey done in recent time yields the same result and that is that there is about a 75% chance, give or take, that a person who doesn't normally come to church, you knows you would receive your invitation for this weekend, which means that you got really good odds.

If you just asked the question to somebody and if you ask and they say no, just realize that your part of the statistical formula that enabled three people to Summit church to invite somebody you actually receive the imitation. So either way you went to the point is this week. I hope that you will come asked somebody maybe they don't believe in God at all.

Maybe they're the one who were sent out all the hateful emails that you know around your office about about things that you just say, come with me on this weekend. We try to do our best estimate the gospel very simple and to show what Jesus has done and why we believe that and so I hope nobody will come this weekend by themselves. Hope all of you will have somebody on your campus pastors until you other things are going on but I'm on the divorce next week and is going to be absolutely amazing. As we celebrate the resurrection of Christ together, well if you been reading your Bible through with us for the year you spent the last couple of weeks. In the book of Leviticus. My guess is that some of you stopped reading the Bible with us for the year then last couple weeks. I think as a kid when you line up on the shore, the beach and you're gonna racing with your friends in the water as fast as you can. It's a ghost written on the thing to get up to get the water and you're still running, but your steps, you fall face first. Always feel like that when I start to read to the Bible, Genesis acted as a man I had Leviticus and face person so metaphorically that's what happened to some of you this weekend or this couple weeks and my job is to pick you back up and get you started on so Leviticus seems like a strange book to be sure. First off, there is the name itself Leviticus. That just sounds daunting to me. It's not a cool name like Exodus or Romans Leviticus sounds like a disease or maybe a pair of jeans or something, but on second is filled with all kinds of rules and regulations about diet, dress, archaic religious rituals. Some of the rules to seem weird at best. They seem random eating locust is good but shrimp is bad. God loves sideburns. Leviticus 1927. Apparently, because you were not allowed to cut them Duck Dynasty was a permanent fashion fixture in ancient Israel, tattoos are not allowed.

Not even little ones on your ring finger to show how much you love your wife disallowed 1928, back talking your parents can get you stone and would not want us to bring that one back for my kids.

Absolutely you are not allowed to wear clothes of mixed fibers, which means that if you are wearing polyester this weekend.

Not only are you out of fashion. You are in sin. If we were in the days of Leviticus. If you are wearing spandex this weekend. You are in sin for multiple reasons that definitely translates into the new covenant, one of the laws states that if you guys are in a fight one of them reaches out grabs the other one in a particularly it's always a sensitive place, then he is to have his hand cut off and you think of all the rules that you felt compelled to include in the one code of conduct.

Why feel the need to include that went we have a code of conduct. We have a staff handbook. Here, the summit church. We have never felt compelled to spell out a regulation on that. I just never been necessary.

You say why not now.

I hope that you will hear any of what I just said is sacrilegious because I know the Lord is perfect.

I just want to acknowledge to you that when I read it I get the sense that it appear strange just like you do lot of people read this and they wonder why is it that we seem to follow some of the parts of Leviticus, but there's others.

We cannot opt out of love it when Leviticus talks about certain sexual behaviors of sin.

For example, we quote that when it says not to eat shellfish or eat a hamburger with me with cheese on it that's going to be a regulation therapy read it.

Your why don't a lot of us anymore and we just picking and choosing what part of Leviticus we want to follow that question.

I guess it got to me just couple weeks ago on the next mail plate.

Is that what you know with all the Bible either because you pick and choose what you want to listen to what you know, let me answer that last question really quickly before we jump in this weekend because it's such a huge question. I know that you get it, this real quick. Hope I don't go too fast it estimate basically on scholar sellers are three condo laws in the book of Leviticus there what we call civil laws and the laws that govern the behavior of the nation. Punishment for crimes and that kind of stuff.

Then there are ceremonial laws as category two.

These are the regulations are given about cleanliness about the sacrificial system on things like that.

Then there are moral laws and those of the laws and declare what God sees as immoral.

Not covers everything from murder and theft to ideals for sexuality when Jesus came he said two things about the law in Leviticus that can seem contradictory at first. The first thing he said is the laws absolutely perfect. Matthew 518 C Norwood heaven and earth pass away been one jot or tittle of the law will pass away, jot or tittle. By the way, is the Hebrew way of saying… I crossed the tea concert means not a single shred of it is untrue and it will never pass away.

But then he turned around and said that those of us who work born again by him are released from the law because he has fulfilled it for out for us and you say will not one jot or tittle pass away, but then were released from it because you fulfilled 1/4. What is it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law.

What it means is that all the laws pointed to Jesus and when he came he fulfilled everything that they were pointing to the civil laws set up the nation of Israel from which Jesus would emerge when Jesus came he started a new Israel, a spiritual Israel, so we are no longer bound by the civil codes of of Leviticus because God no longer has a nationstate on earth anymore like he did with ancient Israel. The ceremonial laws illustrate for us. God's holiness.

They point to our unholiness and they show us what God can do about it.

The world holiness or purities use in the book of Leviticus over 80 times all those laws and sacrifices are going to be fulfilled in Jesus's life and is now so the book of Hebrews makes clear that if we have accepted Christ the ultimate sacrifice that we don't need all these lesser sacrifices anymore when the real thing is there. You no longer leak need the shadows on the moral laws.

However, they reflect what God finds good and what he finds offensive. So those things still do apply to since the God behind them doesn't change what God found offensive 2000 years ago. He still finds offensive today. Jesus is going to reaffirm those moral laws to tell us that we should be like him and to love what he loved what he love was the morality that spelled out in the book of Leviticus. So when we say that the sexual ethics of Leviticus are still relevant, but the prohibitions against eating shellfish and wearing polyester are not. That's not an arbitrary distinction that we are making.

It's how the New Testament teaches us to interpret Leviticus. I know for what it's worth, the book of Leviticus appears to be one of Jesus is favorable to the Bible verse he quotes most often is from the book of Leviticus.

He appears to have the entire book memorized is a one program was a little more aggressive and rigorous than ours is on were going to look at just one chapter in the book of Leviticus today because scholars tell us that the entire book of Leviticus is shaped around this chapter. It's like I was a mountaintop everything before it is leading up to it and it's kind of the mountaintop at the summit. You know, if you will do it in there and everything after it is gonna flow down from its original look at Jed Leviticus 1600 in this chapter got him to give very important instructions about a very important date.

In fact, the most important day of the Jewish year a day called the Yom Kippur war you home day to pour covering literally the day of the covering this day became so central in Jewish life that it was simply called your mom or the day the day. Now as we get into this. Some of you are still to be tempted to think well this is all interesting history.

But it's not immediately relevant to my life. But think of it this way, this whole book deals with the problem that every single one of us face at some point in our lives and that his feelings of guilt we have about certain things that we've done are certain decisions that we made you can relate to that right.

I know a lot of you can. Many of you today walked in with some secret and it is eating you up on the inside. I knew I meant you had any idea you would not let me in your church that you might be right. Every time somebody says you we need to talk. You think you know how to they find out I know that they know now.

Maybe it's a sexual sin that you have committed.

Maybe you know that you been a bad parent or a bad sibling or a bad spouse and you feel guilty about how you behave toward someone in your life. Maybe that person is even around anymore for you to apologize to maybe reach parents and they they passed away and you like I can't even say I'm sorry and get absolution from them. A lot of times those feelings of guilt or lead us to shame the insane is that question were you asked what kind of person am I done something like that when people found out that I did this or that you are some sins that when you confess them. They get you sympathy right struggle with pride. You never canonize hospitalized all yeah yeah I just overwork too much. You know it. Oh yeah, and there's other sins that if you confess them. It makes people feel awkward right if you bring a familiar small group on Christian counselor David Tollison talked about it this way to something, however, do not elicit sympathetic nods is your adulteress and your family finds out there not to be nodding. Oh I understand. We struggled at two shameful sins received stairs not nods. Even when guilt is confess the sin remains miss some of you know what that feeling of shame is like and then there's this whole thing with some psychologist call covert guilt, secret guilt, which is this feeling we have that were guilty for something were not even sure why. A few weeks ago, goes back to Genesis 2, where the first effect of our sin was we felt naked when we send Adam and Eve send their nakedness was exposed previously that they been clothed in the love and the acceptance of God. But now they just felt naked and it it shows you how humanity goes through life feeling naked and exposed like were not approved like were going to be judged were not even sure exactly why, but it makes us ask this question. Am I going to be judged. Does whatever is out there does it approve of me immediately. Even if you don't believe in God this morning is still fertile lingers back there in your heart. I need some kind of atonement I need some kind of redemption. I need somebody important to tell me that I matter.

Let me ask you if you died today. Do you know absolutely for certain that you be good enough for God to let you into heaven, I asked a question for a long time is that what's a standard, how do you know I mean is it running the love God more, pray more, how do you know that you are you going to get the passing grade in to make the cut again in Leviticus, the book of Leviticus is relevant to us because all of us asked that question in some form universal experience.

Am I really guilty and if so why what can I do about it. So let's start our examination of this day and in chapter 16 with a very sobering incident in Leviticus 10 that that sets it out. You stay there. Leviticus 16 oh take what I want to see Leviticus 10, but I'm Leviticus 10 is a story of some, it happened that sets up chapter 16 and Mexicana make sense, made evident by who, chapter 10 of the sons of Aaron offer unauthorized fire before the Lord. In other words, a command and they make sacrifice that God has not prescribed, which he had not commanded in verse two would fire came out from before the Lord and consume them, and they died there before the Lord and the Lord then says that Moses jumped in chapter 16. Tell your brother Aaron that is not a come in whenever he chooses to the most holy place behind the curtain from the atonement cover the ark counseling 11 minute, or else he is going to die.

This is how Aaron is to enter the most holy play.

Don't just let them come in anyway want member made evident by who brought what happened. This is gonna tell you exactly how he has to come in nowadays you didn't grow up in Sunday school were in the arena of flannel grass theology. Let me cannot spell this out for you because it will help you see the picture of it.

I'm beginning parts of the temple was basically like this. Yet this area here only the priest could go when it was called the holy place and then behind that there was separated by this curtain here. This place called the holy of holies, or the most holy place in the most holy Place, there was essentially one piece of important furniture and that important piece of furniture called the ark of the covenant, the ark of the covenant was this gold box have an actual picture of it here. Here with ice is real and not really, but it it it is this golden kind of box that has this safe you sacred relics and it and it has nothing on the top of the mercy seat. Mercy does not see where you actually sat down but it was the seat of where God's presence dwelt on the mercy seat and then over top of that.

Are these two cherubim, or angels that are guarding in a sense the way into the presence of God.

Now if you remember back in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve and send God put an angel to flaming sword to guard entry into the presence of God.

And that's what this is trying to re-picture there is that the way has been barred the holy of holies was a place that you just didn't go into. Nobody went into it. It was only entered by one person, the most high priest on one day you won't get for the rest of the temples really busy every day people offering sacrifices, but not the holy of holies like it was separated. By this thing called the para-cat para-cat in Hebrew means literally shut off on it is a curtain.

It was 4 inches thick.

It was made up of 72 different strands of gold and you have a red and purple and blue. Each of the strands had 24 cords and it was really really thick and it made the whole place in total darkness. Like I said, it literally means shut off because that's what the holy of holies was it was shut off from all the people in only one priest, the high priest on one day going to pour was allowed to go in chapter 16 is going to spell out for you what that process look like it so it begins to give you the details. Let me just summarize the details here now. I'll pull a little bit of what we know from Jewish history on the process started a week beforehand, the high priest was put into seclusion didn't see anybody touch anybody talk to anybody because he didn't want to encounter something unclean you wanted to be totally pure when he went into the holy of holies the night before going to pour. He stayed up all night just praying and preparing reading the Bible and preparing his soul to go in before God. Get that. The next morning he would bathe meticulously clean every part of his body clean several times and he put on a white linen robe that had never been worn by anybody brand-new pure white linen go into the holy of holies he would offer a sacrifice on the mercy seat for his own sins, and he would come back out. He would bathe a second time and even throw away that white linen be put on another one, and he would go back in a second time and offer another sacrifice, this time for the sins of the priestly community come back out he bathe again and he put on another white linen 30 a little way back in the third time and offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people Old Testament scholar Ray Dillard says this wasn't this was all done in public. The temple was crowded. Those in attendance watch very closely. There was a thin screen for modesty sake that he would bathe behind, but the people were present for his every move. They watched him dress they saw him baby watched him go in and come back out he was a bear representative before God and they were cheering them on and making sure he didn't write because they were very concerned to make sure that everything was done properly and with purity because he was representing them before God, and he was obtaining forgiveness from God for their sin.

Chapter 16 explains that part of the sacrifice ritual was the choosing of two goats by one of the goats.

They rolled the dice want to goats was going be sacrifice and is bloodily offered in there in the holy of holies the other one is going to be described in verse 10 we go, chosen by lot as the scapegoat will be presented alive before the Lord my soul and go get Stephen slaughter the other goat is kept alive and the priest is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over at all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites all their sins and supported him definitively speaking on the goats at nominal telescope never go they killed the second go.

They send them away into the wilderness in the care of somebody appointed for the task little humor in that because I Jewish historian say that they would put a person outside of the city gate so as soon as the goat you carry all their sins, wanted in the wilderness.

The person would take it and thought off a cliff because anyone that go just to kind of wander back into the camp because I will be like awkward like a theirs or Sam coming back to us at the betterment so they just make sure that it was properly disposed of, and you never saw it again. Okay, so the questions why details right. What is it that we learn about guilt and sin.

Our guilt and our sin.

From this chapter. There is number one we learned our sin is much worse than we imagined. Our sin is much worse and much deeper and much more pervasive than we imagine reading the book of Leviticus you get this sense over and over and over again that a great golf exist between us and God. We are literally para-cat. We are shut off the way it is guarded by mighty angels and swords at the beginning of this message, I asked you if you died today.

Do you know absolutely for certain that you be good enough for God let you into heaven, the question behind that question is, what's the standard that God uses to determine who gets in.

What is the passing grade. How good is good enough. Leviticus answers that question in a very clear way. Absolute perfection is what is required.

Absolute perfection is what is required. That's what a Davin made a habit of buying show you one false move one unauthorized movement and your dad.

We always talk about Stanley. It's not that bad with all mistakes noisy… I was confused on not as bad as other people and that's because we have a very man centered view of sin. Sin is sinful because of who it is against you very hard to describe why this if you will you know if you if you can frustration kick a wall that's not it maybe shouldn't lose your temper, but is not that bad. If you lose you get mad you kick a dog at Metz Michigan of a bad person if you get mad and you kick another human being, then here you might go to prison if you go in the present United States office and kicked him in the face coming just a lot more serious because your action gets more serious based on who it is against a sin against an infinite God is infinitely guilty and what Leviticus shows us is that we are filled with these kinds of sins this in everything we think it's in everything we say it's all that we know Leviticus even has this category for unknown sin, things we were simple to know about. Even our best actions.

There is sin present. I mean this morning I'm preaching to your hats. That's a good action going on called to do not got the word of God. Open before you that's good right I know that even in this preaching is all kinds of sin makes it, I might want to think about me now. Would you like me to become a good preacher, I would not die Garver there. I don't want to talk and damages. All the simple thoughts that are in my mind as I humbly sufficient as a speaker, I got a noun and I listened enough. I'm just all these things hospitality. That's a good action right everything about how much your hospitality is not done a lot for the person move it out of the desire to other people think that you're a good hospitable person in everything you do. There's the stuff that's mixed in there.

The Puritans used to say. Even our tears of repentance have to be washed in the blood of the Lamb. Even when I weep in repentance. There's going to be send mixed and that James 417 says that if I know to do good.

Don't do it that sin.

How many times the date I think that's a good thing that I should do to lazy. I'm not a good mood. I'll do it later on somebody else to do it right. Sin is much worse than we imagine is much worse to imagine inasmuch more pervasive in our lives than we realize, and tried to describe it to you like this. It's like if you were getting a blood transfusion, and you found out that this blood that you're getting this court of blood has two microbes of the AIDS virus and it right and in the US is a little tiny baby can even see it but it makes it totally defiled and you rip the vent out your already to get away from me little bit more earthy of an example I told you if you're drinking a glass of milk and you find out it's been caught with 2% human urine. You don't say hello 98%. That's awesome you know it's almost pure know you want to vomit.

You multiply that times of Bill and you got maybe the first inkling of how God feels when he sees sin are as stated in God's presence made Abbott a bike you with even the slightest mixture of sin, and he was like a piece of flax paper touching the surface of the sun were much more simple than we imagine our sin is much worse away.

Imagine Paul says it this way in Romans 323 all of us have sin and fall short of the glory of God. The standard were compared ourselves to is not a person sitting next to you stating your comparing yourself to is the glory of God and his light of the glory of God, you fall way short.

Leviticus tells you cover that describe like falling short in in swimming to Japan, the greatest swimmer I can swim. I mean that this probably is been generous. I might make it a mile and 1/2 if you let me do backstroke and flowed whatever you but if I mighty Omega non-ass that is not great right there's a guy in our church. I've heard has swamped swims when I whatever he swims in the past.

He him across the English Channel.

The MSO way is a 21. Some miles is all of 42 times longer than I can swim right that's awesome but you put both of us on the shore California and say head to Japan is 21 miles. Don't make my mom and I have really look that much different doesn't because both of us compared to the distance to Japan a fallen way short when it comes to the glory of God. You and I are so far short that we just fall on our faces and despair because I may dab in your body who can both of us are going to be destroyed in God's presence, which was also number two. Leviticus shows us a God's grace is greater than we dreamed this is also sales were so imagine that his grace is greater than we drift why God had been used to goats one go would make a point right it was to illustrate two different things God is doing with her sin and he wanted us to make sure that we saw both of them.

One go got slaughtered for our sins, showing that the price for sin to been paid was a theological concept called justification. Justification means there literally is no more claim against you if you reckon the somebodies car and they drag you into court and the insurance pays their claim that music can ever drag you into court again over that same thing they cannot, while really feel bad about it on the small car and I want your company somewhere that you can do that right that you can justify the debt has been settled. The other goat. The one that was sent into the wilderness illustrates for us the concept of cleansing. God not only pays for our sand seat removes them from us. Whereas the first goat that was slaughtered shows us that we are forgiven on the basis of a substitute. The second goat shows us that our sins are forgotten and removed for from us as far the psalmist says as the east is from the last part is that is not mathematical by the way of the concept east before you get that way West forging that way, they never touch. That's how far God has remove your transgressions from us. The psalmist says he's put them in the depths of the sea to sea for Corrie 10 boom luckily lastly used to say wherever that deepest part of the sea is a goblets. Our sins in little sign of this is no fishing allowed you not ever going to get to it when they baptized Sam Houston was the American who helped establish the nation of Texas is good for my uncle David Crockett, the pastor who baptized him said Sam sin, your sins are washed away and they are now in the deepest ocean.

Sam Houston replied God help the fish. God help the fish.

I thought you and I should feel about our sin or some fish somewhere really struggling with our sin, but you have to everything about it anymore because it's in the deepest part of the ocean, never to be dredged up again.

There are some people who say I thought my sins are probably too bad I don't think I can be forgiven.

I knew what I was doing. You don't understand how I've heard people. I'm not sure that I can be saved to receiver 16 whatever whatever their sins may have been you see any conditions in there at all.

I know people. He said well now that you have committed the sin against the Holy Spirit and I can't be forgiven. What Jesus said about the sin of the Holy Spirit in Luke 11 cannot contradict other things. The Bible says like this in the Bible says that whoever comes to Jesus will whatever sin can and will forgiven the sin against the Holy Spirit means that you no longer desire forgiveness if you desire forgiveness.

Whatever you Don you can receive that forgiveness and the fact that you desire that forgiveness means that you haven't committed the sin against the Holy Spirit when you say I cannot be forgiven. You are not exaggerating the size of your sin, you are slinking the forgiving power of God.

Your sin is great. I'm sure it is God's grace is greater, you say well maybe God can forgive me but I can't forgive myself. Now you're saying that your opinion matters more than God's who do you think you are III get that you thought your sin is that Babbitt don't add to another sin by shrinking the size of the power of God thing you can really do what you said you were going to do and of God promises to forgive you any promises to restore you.

Who are you to exalt your opinion of yourself above God's opinion of you. Do not try to out holy God that he never turn out well. Atonement literally means in English but were apart at one minute God has made us one with him on this day God made Israel, one with him by satisfying the penalty of their sin and by putting it away forever forwarded off a cliff put in the bottom of the sea, making as far as the east is from the last penny made us one with him on what God has joined together, no man can ever put us under number three. This is really important today was all about Jesus, hinted that the whole time of the day was all about Jesus. Did you see the vagrants of Jesus alter the sacrifice going into what we call passion week when you read through the last week of Jesus's life that we call the passion week and you do it after reading Leviticus. You will notice that Jesus seems to be going out of his way to stage his own day of atonement.

Listen to this.

Just like the high priest, Jesus began to prepare for a week beforehand.

That's what we call the passion week the night before, Jesus sacrifice, he stayed up all night just like the high priest, Jesus is not going to be clothed in rich garments like the Jewish high priest was he's going to be stripped of the only garment he has.

And instead of being cheered on by the people, like the high priest was he's going to be jeered by them and abandoned by nearly everyone he loves.

He wasn't bathed in a purifying pool. He was bathed in human spit. We came before God.

He didn't receive words of encouragement. The father turned his face away, silent as he stood accused, beaten, mocked and scorned, bowing to the father's will. He took my crown of thorns. He was struck dead in the presence of God.

Even though there was no defilement on him at all because he was wounded for my transgressions and bruised for your iniquities and the price that attain peace with God was put upon him on the cross when he died, he cried out as his last words did is finished in Greek literally to tell a sky to tell a style is a common phrase that just met it's been paid based archaeologists have found it inscribed on receipts after somebody paid it in. They would, right across the top to tell us die in Christ God has no more claim against our sin. We have been justified. It would be unjust for God to bring it back up because it's already been paid for the curtain that separated us from God was a symbol of Jesus is perfect flesh that was torn so that we could enter into God's presence during the crucifixion, the curtain was literally torn into sin, for the first time in history the way to God was wide open and whosoever will may come. Jesus body was the mercy seat, where his blood was sprinkled so that we could find forgiveness of sins and enter into God's presence without fear. By the way, your med is this. When the disciples first go to Jesus's tomb after he been resurrected with little detail in their it says that there were angels there. How many angels to where were they one of the head.

One of the foot. What is he trying to re-create the mercy seat. They're not there because they're tired there there saying this is the new Ark of the covenant, and if you come to this spot right here with the resurrected Jesus not physically, but if you come there and say I believe it was done for me than you will be given forgiveness of sins that Leviticus 16 says it when Aaron was done with this ritual. He would take all this linen and laid aside what was it that Peter and John found in the empty tomb that was only one thing it was that linen Jesus and take off and he was hot.

He took it all when he take it all. I took it all because he was trying to say it's time. This is whole day of atonement. I just finished it and as I can later decide on later decide it is never to have that happen again. Jesus was a scapegoat. He carried away our sins forever into his grave. Jesus went down into the depths of the grave. Our sin three days later he came out and he left our sins there at the bottom of the sea as far as the east is from the west are sins are not merely covered over, they are gone forever.

The Old Testament prophet Zechariah 500 years before Jesus was born. The book of Zacharias will run a vision that Zachariah has received a high priest whom he calls yes you go into the presence of God, but to Zacharias horror. It's as on the day of atonement. Zachariah was very familiar with all processes of this high priest about going to the presence of God in all we've always is not dressed in fine linen, he's covered in human excrement. This was disaster not only for yes you was certainly would die, it was disaster for all the people of Israel because this moment was the moment that they obtain forgiveness but just as Zachariah despairs he hears the voice of the Lord Zachariah three verse one hears the voice of the Lord say to Joshua yes you are, the high priest, Yeshua, take off your filthy close see I've taken away your sin and put rich garments on you. I will send my servant and remove the sin of this land in a single day. You will gotta given the Zachariah given Zachariah a vision of what Jesus was going to do one day you see your shoelaces. The Hebrew name for Jesus literally says Jesus, that one day Jesus is going to come and he is going to dawn our garments garments that are covered in the filthy human excrement of sin and he's no walk in the presence of the holy of holies, and he's going to be struck dead.

Anything to take it off anything to hand you would need a clean white linen garment of righteousness and say you wear this for the rest of eternity. That's why we say the gospel in four words, is Jesus in my place. Jesus did not really die for you as a statement of love for you. Jesus died instead of you. He took your sin he or your shame, he rose to life. He defeated your grave a love like that the world has never known people misread the book of Leviticus they read the book of Leviticus, missing all my comic anomaly laws. There are Leviticus was not written to tell you all that you need to do. Leviticus was written to show you all that God was going to do for you. The effect of reading Leviticus on you should not make you look up in despair and say oh my God, look at all the things I gotta do for you.

It's oh my god look at what you've done for me was the goal.

This physical of all Bible teaching all Bible teaching is not a fill up your notebook with new facts God wants you to know new things you need to do in five ways to be a better dad and in four ways in uncle JD's to give you how to handle your job, the Bible could advise the Bible is good news when you leave with a sense of all my God you are, look at what you've done the love that you've given to me, and in response to that, everything changes in your life is a gospel change happens not by given a list of things to do gospel change happens when you are overwhelmed with the beauty of what God has done enough with the book of Leviticus is about from verse one to the end of the book number four. It shows us always.

Do not lead to God always only to God. Jim still got to the whole thing up. Get this really terrible story.

I made out about who and God says hey tell your brother Aaron, and he's not just of walking anyway he chooses in the most holy place or else he's going to die is really popular for people today to say well you know it doesn't matter particularly try to get to God is like the most. Most believe American religious belief of all of the matter will he try to get the God as long as you're sincere as long as you goes on jalopy minority body made to have antibody who were sincere and if you want to save the people of Israel. Right after that's situation where they die. No open house would lead to the same God. I think Aaron would say we got to dead men here that would say the opposite always.

Don't lead equally to God.

My sons were very sincere, but income in the way that was prescribed the whole chapter declares there's one way to come to God and God gives you that way.

And if you're going to come to him. Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father except by me. Do not try to enter the presence of God and the other way because it's not about how you reach out to God with whatever fire you want present before him.

Salvation is about God's reach to you when you receive it for what it is number five. It shows us that you have to accept the atonement for yourself. You have except for yourself is my favorite point out all of them, even though full atonement has been made by bye-bye Jesus even though full atonement was made by the high priests you had individually appropriated Michelle. You might have read over the chapter met initially this verse 29. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you on the 10th day of the 747 months you must deny yourselves not do any work set as we talk and I miss going to a Sabbath whether native born or whether you're a foreigner residing among you, because I'm best day, Yom Kippur atonement will be made for you to cleanse you then and only then before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins is such a beautiful picture to reap the benefits of the day of the atonement you had to do something. The benefits of the day of the atonement that the sacrifice, the high priest offer. The benefits were not conferred on you automatically get to do something. What was that something you had to do pay a lot of money saying our prayers. Hello this you observe the Sabbath was observing the Sabbath doing nothing. You had to consciously do nothing. The way that you receive the work of the atonement was by doing nothing and resting in what God had already done. That's what we call salvation by faith alone is the acknowledgment that Jesus has done it all and I cease trying to earn my way before God and I say you got it all and I rest of what you've done.

And God takes my rest. God takes my faith and he counts it as righteousness. You see, there is something you have to do to be saved, but it's not a religious thing that you gotta do it's not try harder, do better read your Bible more love God more.

It simply rest in what Jesus said he is gone because until you resting it it's benefits are not yours. Hey, I told you before about one of the most bizarre Supreme Court cases I've ever heard of United States first George Wesley Wilson 1833. The defendant, George Wilson, what pled guilty to several counts of robbery and for him for trying to kill a mailman right. It was apparently serious enough of a crime that they be given the death penalty, but his crimes have political overtones, and so Pres. Andrew Jackson, president time to shoot him apart Boulevard total you're forgiven George Wilson reject the part for reasons will never understand or need never explain that I reject the part that I cannot execute you. The president has pardoned you. George Wilson said. I refuse that part two George Wilson thought it in court fighting in court to be executed. The it gets appealed by the people in all the way up the delegates of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court in 1833 rules" apart is an act of grace is a contract and a contract is not complete unless both sides ratified if the partners rejected. We have no power in this court to force it on. I've no idea where this record of the reasoning like that is exactly what the Bible says about God's forgiveness of us.

Jesus has died and pay for all your sins. And there are some of you that are going to go to hell with your sins pay for is not that you were to guilty. It's not that you could be religious enough. It's not that you just won't cut off her spirituality is that you simply would not rest in what Jesus said he had done for you.

George Wilson was executed in 1834 with a pardon sitting on the warden's desk. There are many of us who are not walking we're not going to enter eternity not because were to guilty not because were not good enough simply because we simply refuse to believe simply refuse to believe Jesus did what he said he did and he paid it all.

Number six the rest of your life.

You can respond to this great sacrifice for the rest of your life. You can respond to this great sacrifice commentators point out that the order of events in this chapter is incredibly significant. It begins with what the high priest guys for the people. 28 versus him climbing this mountain make an atonement for the people and only then does it cross that crest and begin to show Israel how they are to live in response to all that is such a common pattern in the Bible, God's work of salvation comes first. Our obedience comes as a response.

In other words, it's not that we do good and serve God in order to be saved is that we do good and serve God because we have been saved good works.

Don't lead up to salvation. Good workflow from salvation and that makes all the difference. Martin Luther was the Catholic monk who rediscovered this truth and he began to say salvation is a free gift that God offers to those who will chose resting it to those you will receive it in the church of his face and Margie can't go around telling people you can go around telling people that that that that salvation is a free gift because the lose all their motivation to obey God and he said, quite the contrary. He said the only reason I obey God now is because you threatened him with hell is that's not obedience to God's fear of God. God wants people to obey him, not because they fear makeup because they love them is not just after obedience to several new kind of obedience and obedience that grows out of desire obedience were you seek God, not because you're afraid to help because you crave God and obedience where you love righteousness, and therefore you do righteousness and the church is back to Luther and I'm paraphrasing a lot here. This is what we gotta have either the care of the sick writer ^ that's you know which would you motivate to the care of the reward of the stick. We got a stick of hell on the ^ that's, you know, having to revisit neither because the gospel is that God took the stick and beat Jesus within any hand you the carefree and when you believe that a new understand that it will produce a whole new kind of desire in you is either says I just want to respond by John Bunyan. Gotta rebuild his progress. Same deal, the Anglican church in his day was like John, you got a put in prison you can't go around telling everybody that Jesus is given a free gift of salvation. If you tell them that do whatever they want what you said quite a contrary if you convince them that Jesus really has died for all their sin build on do whatever he wants because it will produce in them a desire. I desire that come from a love and a love that will not be able to be stopped by anything, not even prison. What if you saw your entire Christian life is a response to the gospel.

What if you saw everything you did as a response to what Jesus had done for you on the day of atonement would your life look like because the book of Hebrews which is the book in the New Testament that explains pretty much every thing I been saying to you right now that that that all the sacrifices were about as one sacrifice, the book of Hebrews. In chapter 13. By suddenly switching and talking about sacrifices we offer to God is only sacrifices and realtors all done and it says you're an offer, regardless of it is a sacrifice of praise is incredibly important way to say that is not a sacrifice in order to please God in order to be saved is a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise, because I have been saved, and what he were the writer of Hebrews says is what comes out of your mouth and worship ought to be a reflection of the price Jesus paid for your sin. We ask you your worship this morning.

Was it a good reflection of the price Jesus paid to save your soul from hell undergoing tell you hands in your pocket. More look on your face. Not the right response registers me that you've never really understood how simple you were and how far Jesus reached to save you the right of Hebrews goes on to say, says is how you share your things. What you do with your money will audit the heiress that reflection out to be a statement about the price you realized Jesus pray for you. Why is it the people in this church sacrificially give their money. Is it because they think they give a little more money is gonna make God happy with them. Now God is doing is full and complete acceptance in Jesus.

It's because we realize where we were and how much Jesus gave to save us quite a people leave this church to live in places like the Sudan or Indonesia or India or Afghanistan because they don't like America is a because they want to be away from their parents is a because they get the sense of adventure and I just will have to live over there now. It's because they realize how far Jesus came to save them and there are people in Afghanistan and Sudan and Indonesia never answer they say if this is how far Jesus came to save me.

There's nowhere up R as I can go.

That is nearly as far as the price that he paid in the extent that he traveled to that he could save me and I just want to respond just one respondent say is you been to me.

I'll be to others. Why is it that some of us reach out to people that are around us and try to talk to him about Jesus's resurrection verse is a because we like religious controversy, and when I was looking to engage in debates in random places. That is not the reason that we do.

The reason we do it is because we know that Jesus died for that person. We know that we were wandering away from God. When Jesus got a hold of us and so we want to be other people the way that Jesus was. She said well I don't like it just makes you feel awkward. Of course it makes you feel awkward not only to be heavy-handed here and imagining strip naked and crucified the little awkward to but if that's what Jesus did to save me.

That means that I'm probably going to need to tell that person in my life that Jesus died for them and us. This was the price that was paid but not certainly a way that I can respond individually to questions of the book of Leviticus presents to you.

Here they are, that once you by your hedges by your heads is your two questions number one. Have you received the free salvation that God is offered to you is not automatically yours not automatically yours what you have to do to get it rest what Jesus said is done through the summer church. We compared sitting down in a chair with the chair represent the fact that Jesus paid for your sins to be around the chair you can know where the chair is but you have to transfer the way to your body out of the chair. Jesus died for your sins. That's true. Have you ever transferred your hope for eternity into what he has accomplished for you because of not you do it right now.

You say Jesus. I receive it.

I believe that I surrender to you is Lord and I receive you a Savior right now you can sit down, sit down you Sabbath rest Sabbath rest. What Jesus is done. If you never done that I would invite you to do it right now the second question. Leviticus presents to you is simply this. Are you responding appropriately to the gospel is how you spend your money.

Is it a good reflection of what Jesus did for you is the seal with which you live is the focus of your life. A good reflection of the price you believe Jesus paid for sin. I urge you therefore, brothers and sisters in view of the mercies of God, that you present your lives a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to God. This is your reasonable act of worship will be conformed to this world a listen to everybody saying it's all about the American dream. It's all about acquiring stuff. Not only that, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, and the message of what Jesus is done because then you begin to live out that perfect and acceptable will of God. When we leave you for a moment just to linger is often doing just the Holy Spirit is a minister. See you in our worship teams will come and delete this in a verbal response to the glory of God.

The price anything