The Value of Our Atonement
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 9:6-28
6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of
the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone
once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed
in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet
made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present
time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the
service perfect in regard to the conscience— 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various
washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.
11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect
tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and
calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained
eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the
unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new
covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant,
that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17
For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator
lives. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses
had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and
goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” 21 Then likewise
he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according
to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no
remission.
23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified
with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ
has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as
the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would
have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages,
He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to
die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To
those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
This evening begins the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. As this day has been
approaching, I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching. As most of you know, this year
will be the first year that we have observed the feasts the LORD lays out for us in
Leviticus 23. We have never observed Yom Kippur before this year. One thing I have
found in the few years we have observed Passover is that being biblical and being
traditional are often two very different things. Because I’ve been aware of this, it’s
been very important to me approach this day from a biblically accurate position. Not
just looking at Hebrew traditions, but looking and understanding what the Father
intended the day to be.
The first part of our scripture reading today has the writer of Hebrews referencing this
day. Once a year only the High Priest would go into the Holy Place in the temple. He
would offer the blood of the sacrifice, first for his own sin and then for the sin of the
nation, but there’s something key here that I want to make sure you see. This
atonement was only for sins committed in ignorance. I don’t know if you’re aware of
this but biblically, there is no payment for willing sins. That’s important to know
because there are so many that will say they know they are sinning but…. I don’t
believe that’s the heart God wants us to have as His children. Knowing that I wouldn’t
want to get legalistic because, in essence, the people who say those things are doing
so because they are ignorant of God’s Word and His will for their lives. They have an
excuse because they don’t know. We know. Hebrews 10:26, For if we sin willfully after
we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. So,
the High Priest takes the blood into the Holy Place and atones for his sin and the sin of
the nation for the year. But wait! I know my sin has been atoned for by the blood of
Yeshua, once for all.
Revelation 1:5, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the
ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own
blood . Ephesians 1:7, In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace.
So, what should this day mean for me on this side of the cross? That was the
question that kept coming to me. As we read in the reading today, Christ has come to
be our High Priest who is able to not only go into the Holy Place but to go behind the
veil to the Holy of Holies. Not to offer the blood of some animal that will atone for a
season but to offer His own blood that has eternally atoned for our sin, once for all.
Not only does His sacrifice cleanse sin from our flesh but from our very conscience.
So, what significance would this day have for us now? It was merely a shadow of
things to come; a foreshadow of Messiah’s sacrifice, right? Well, absolutely, but what
else? Let’s go back to Leviticus to find out.
Leviticus 23:26-27, 26 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 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.
As we discussed last week, God’s Word never contradicts itself. Verse 31 tells us that
we are to observe this feast day throughout our generations. That means forever,
which includes today. So, again, what does it mean for us today? We are to make an
offering to the LORD by fire. We know that He wants us, our whole self, as our
offering. The Holy Spirit came down like tongues of fire. Our God is a consuming fire.
We need to be ‘on fire’ for Yahweh. But what does it mean to afflict our souls?
Traditionally, everyone ten and over fast and prays. According to tradition, you don’t
bathe or put on clean clothes. I’ve heard that some people don’t sleep in their beds
but sleep on the floor. Is this what it means to afflict our souls? I don’t know. It seems
to me that it’s more like afflicting our flesh. You know, like the men in the Philippines
who beat their own backs bloody with whips and even crucify themselves on wooden
crosses. I’ve read the phrase over and over, ‘afflict your souls’, and don’t think it’s
about hurting our flesh. I think it goes much deeper than that.
Here’s an example. A sixteen year-old child of wealth is given a brand new Chevy
Corvette; this kid has never worked, never earned a dollar and feels entitled to this
car. Compare that to a forty year-old, working class person who has worked their
whole life and always wanted a new Corvette but never been able to afford it.
Someone, anyone, comes up to them and gives them a brand new Chevy Corvette.
The cost of the cars, in both cases, is exactly the same. Is the value the same in both
cases? Which one of the two will appreciate the gift more? Which one of them will
understand the value of the gift more? I think the answer is obvious. In the same way,
it is important for us to understand the value of the gift we have been given. Let’s take
a look at a passage from the prophet Zechariah that really put things into perspective
for me.
Zechariah 12:10-14, 10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of
Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced.
Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves
for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at
Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the
family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of
Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and
their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all
the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
I think that this is what it means to afflict our souls. I don’t think it’s about fasting or
sleeping on the floor. I think it’s about pouring out our souls as an offering to God. It’s
about recognizing the value of the payment required to pay for each of our sins; to
look on Him whom we pierced by our sin; to grieve and mourn for Him as we would for
our firstborn. This we must do by ourselves, not as a congregation which in many
ways is how we gain strength together as a unit. This is something each of us has to
do on our own; just us and our God and Father; deep contemplation. The afflicting of
our souls has never been about the atonement itself; even with the blood of bulls the
nation never atoned for itself. We are not afflicting our souls as payment for the
atonement. That has never been possible. We don’t pay for our salvation through
our suffering any more than they did. But as the Corvette example shows us, it is
possible for two people to be given the exact same gift, yet they value that gift
differently.
All of us who have been saved, know the cost of our salvation; the atonement for our
sin. The cost is death; even death on a cross; the blood of Messiah. The cost is the
same for everyone, no exceptions. But do we know the value of that atonement?
Whether we were able to get the day off or not, let us spend this Day of Atonement
with God appreciating the gift we have been given. Even more so, let us recognize the
value of the sacrifice that was made. That the Creator of the universe would allow
Himself to be born a man was miracle enough. That He would make the sacrifice He
made for us is more than a miracle; it is incredible. May we spend the day being
aware of that amazing fact, and may our souls be afflicted as we attempt to really
understand the atonement that has been made for us.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: October 1, 2006
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 9:6-28
6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of
the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone
once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed
in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet
made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present
time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the
service perfect in regard to the conscience— 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various
washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.
11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect
tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and
calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained
eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the
unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new
covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant,
that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17
For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator
lives. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses
had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and
goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” 21 Then likewise
he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according
to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no
remission.
23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified
with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ
has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as
the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would
have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages,
He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to
die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To
those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
This evening begins the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. As this day has been
approaching, I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching. As most of you know, this year
will be the first year that we have observed the feasts the LORD lays out for us in
Leviticus 23. We have never observed Yom Kippur before this year. One thing I have
found in the few years we have observed Passover is that being biblical and being
traditional are often two very different things. Because I’ve been aware of this, it’s
been very important to me approach this day from a biblically accurate position. Not
just looking at Hebrew traditions, but looking and understanding what the Father
intended the day to be.
The first part of our scripture reading today has the writer of Hebrews referencing this
day. Once a year only the High Priest would go into the Holy Place in the temple. He
would offer the blood of the sacrifice, first for his own sin and then for the sin of the
nation, but there’s something key here that I want to make sure you see. This
atonement was only for sins committed in ignorance. I don’t know if you’re aware of
this but biblically, there is no payment for willing sins. That’s important to know
because there are so many that will say they know they are sinning but…. I don’t
believe that’s the heart God wants us to have as His children. Knowing that I wouldn’t
want to get legalistic because, in essence, the people who say those things are doing
so because they are ignorant of God’s Word and His will for their lives. They have an
excuse because they don’t know. We know. Hebrews 10:26, For if we sin willfully after
we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. So,
the High Priest takes the blood into the Holy Place and atones for his sin and the sin of
the nation for the year. But wait! I know my sin has been atoned for by the blood of
Yeshua, once for all.
Revelation 1:5, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the
ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own
blood . Ephesians 1:7, In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace.
So, what should this day mean for me on this side of the cross? That was the
question that kept coming to me. As we read in the reading today, Christ has come to
be our High Priest who is able to not only go into the Holy Place but to go behind the
veil to the Holy of Holies. Not to offer the blood of some animal that will atone for a
season but to offer His own blood that has eternally atoned for our sin, once for all.
Not only does His sacrifice cleanse sin from our flesh but from our very conscience.
So, what significance would this day have for us now? It was merely a shadow of
things to come; a foreshadow of Messiah’s sacrifice, right? Well, absolutely, but what
else? Let’s go back to Leviticus to find out.
Leviticus 23:26-27, 26 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 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.
As we discussed last week, God’s Word never contradicts itself. Verse 31 tells us that
we are to observe this feast day throughout our generations. That means forever,
which includes today. So, again, what does it mean for us today? We are to make an
offering to the LORD by fire. We know that He wants us, our whole self, as our
offering. The Holy Spirit came down like tongues of fire. Our God is a consuming fire.
We need to be ‘on fire’ for Yahweh. But what does it mean to afflict our souls?
Traditionally, everyone ten and over fast and prays. According to tradition, you don’t
bathe or put on clean clothes. I’ve heard that some people don’t sleep in their beds
but sleep on the floor. Is this what it means to afflict our souls? I don’t know. It seems
to me that it’s more like afflicting our flesh. You know, like the men in the Philippines
who beat their own backs bloody with whips and even crucify themselves on wooden
crosses. I’ve read the phrase over and over, ‘afflict your souls’, and don’t think it’s
about hurting our flesh. I think it goes much deeper than that.
Here’s an example. A sixteen year-old child of wealth is given a brand new Chevy
Corvette; this kid has never worked, never earned a dollar and feels entitled to this
car. Compare that to a forty year-old, working class person who has worked their
whole life and always wanted a new Corvette but never been able to afford it.
Someone, anyone, comes up to them and gives them a brand new Chevy Corvette.
The cost of the cars, in both cases, is exactly the same. Is the value the same in both
cases? Which one of the two will appreciate the gift more? Which one of them will
understand the value of the gift more? I think the answer is obvious. In the same way,
it is important for us to understand the value of the gift we have been given. Let’s take
a look at a passage from the prophet Zechariah that really put things into perspective
for me.
Zechariah 12:10-14, 10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of
Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced.
Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves
for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at
Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the
family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of
Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and
their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all
the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
I think that this is what it means to afflict our souls. I don’t think it’s about fasting or
sleeping on the floor. I think it’s about pouring out our souls as an offering to God. It’s
about recognizing the value of the payment required to pay for each of our sins; to
look on Him whom we pierced by our sin; to grieve and mourn for Him as we would for
our firstborn. This we must do by ourselves, not as a congregation which in many
ways is how we gain strength together as a unit. This is something each of us has to
do on our own; just us and our God and Father; deep contemplation. The afflicting of
our souls has never been about the atonement itself; even with the blood of bulls the
nation never atoned for itself. We are not afflicting our souls as payment for the
atonement. That has never been possible. We don’t pay for our salvation through
our suffering any more than they did. But as the Corvette example shows us, it is
possible for two people to be given the exact same gift, yet they value that gift
differently.
All of us who have been saved, know the cost of our salvation; the atonement for our
sin. The cost is death; even death on a cross; the blood of Messiah. The cost is the
same for everyone, no exceptions. But do we know the value of that atonement?
Whether we were able to get the day off or not, let us spend this Day of Atonement
with God appreciating the gift we have been given. Even more so, let us recognize the
value of the sacrifice that was made. That the Creator of the universe would allow
Himself to be born a man was miracle enough. That He would make the sacrifice He
made for us is more than a miracle; it is incredible. May we spend the day being
aware of that amazing fact, and may our souls be afflicted as we attempt to really
understand the atonement that has been made for us.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: October 1, 2006
