This Week\’s Sunday School Lesson, \”Atonement, What Jesus Did For You\”, 2/21/2016

ATONEMENT, WHAT JESUS DID FOR YOU

 

Leviticus 16:11-19

 

After the Israelites were set free from Egypt, God gave Moses specific instructions for

a portable Tabernacle for worship and sacrifice. The Tabernacle represented the presence

of God while they wondered in the desert for forty years. The articles in the Tabernacle

represented Jesus Christ.

 

THE SCAPEGOAT

Leviticus 16:7-10

7 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

8 He is to cast lots for the two goats — one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.

9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering.

10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.

 

THE MISSION OF CHRIST

The scapegoat represents the mission of Jesus. He stepped down out of heaven to take

away the sins of the world. The sins of man are transferred to Jesus and taken out of the

the camp,  the body of Christ. The priest would place his hand on the goat, lead it out of the camp and push it backward over cliff to it\’s death. In Christ,  man dies to himself and is made alive in Christ.

 

The tabernacle consisted of a large rectangular  area fenced off with a entry gate facing east.  In side  the court yard from east to west was first a bronze Altar where the priest sacrificed the animals, followed by a bronze laver holding water for washing  followed by the Tabernacle tent.

1. The bronze altar was a symbol of the cross
2. Life is in the blood. Lev 17:11
3. Unblemished animals were sacrificed on the bronze altar.
4. The bronze laver or basin was fill with water for washing.
5. Washing was a symbol of the purity of man.
6. Believers are washed clean by the blood of Jesus.

 

The Tabernacle tent was  wood framed covered with animal skin.. The tent comprised

of two rooms from east to west separated by a veil from floor to ceiling. The first room

was the Holy place. In the Holy Place was a the lamp stand of seven lights, the table of

showbread and the Altar of Incense.

1. The lamp stand was the light for the room
2. Jesus is the light of the world.
3. Jesus is a lamp to our feet.
4. The table of showbread held 12 loves of bread representing the 12 tribes of Israel
5. Jesus is the bread of life
6. The bread could also represent His bruised body.
7. The twelve tribes were camped around the Tabernacle.
8. The Altar of Incense  was a symbol of our prayers.
9. The burning Incense was symbol of our prayers going up as a sweet fragrance to

the Lord.

 

GOD\’S SHEKINAH GLORY

The inner most room was the Holy of Holies which housed the Arc of the Covenant.

Inside the arc of the covenant was the stone tablets (10 commandments), Aaron\’s rod

and a bowl of manner. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a

year. In the Holy of Holies the Shekinah Glory of God appeared. The mercies of God

comes to us through Jesus Christ.

 

MERCY SEAT

The Arc of the Covenant was covered with gold. The wings of two angels , covered

with gold, span  the entire  Arc.  The top cover of the box was the mercy seat. The

mercy seat was the place of forgiveness. Jesus is our place of forgiveness.

 

THREE AGES, DISPOSITIONS

The Tabernacle represented three dispositions or ages. The Court yard represented the

age of the Law. The Holy place presented the age of Grace. The Holy of Holies

represented the New Kingdom when all believers are reconciled to Christ after His

second coming.

 

 

SELF REPENTANCE AND DEDICATION

V:11 \”Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12 He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain.\”

1. The sacrifice of the animals was done on the bronze altar in the court yard by the

priest.

1. The bronze altar is a symbol of the cross
2. Jesus, the perfect lamb died on the cross for our sins for all times. Heb 10:1-10
3. Aaron represents a type of Christ. He was the first High Priest.
4. Because he was born in sin, before He could make an acceptable offering, he had to

sacrifice a bull  for the atonement of his own sins.

1. Christ is the atonement for our sins.
2. Christ, the unblemished lamb   died for our sins.
3. We are now all priest before God.
4. Aaron, the High Priest was the intercessor between man and God.
5. Only the High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies.
6. The Veil separated the Shekinah Glory of God from the priest who

served in the Holy Room.

1. Jesus is our shield before the Lord.

 

 

THE ATONEMENT

V:13-14. \” He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die. 14 He is to take some of the bull\’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.\”

1. Aaron entered the Holy of Holies three times according to the Bible knowledge

Commentary.

1. The Altar of Incense was outside the veil.
2. The Altar of Incense represents our prayers before the Lord.
3. The first time the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, He took a pan full of

burning  coal from the Altar, sprinkled with incense to create a smoke screen

between him  and the Shekinah Glory of God.

1. To be exposed directed to God\’s Shekinah Glory was certain death.
2. Sinful man cannot be exposed to the Shekinah Glory of God.
3. No man has seen God at any time.
4. The second time Aaron went behind the Veil, he took the blood of the sacrificed bull

to atone for his own sins.

1. He sprinkled the blood before the mercy seat seven times.
2. Seven is the number of God\’s creative days.
3. The earth was made perfect in seven days.
4. Perhaps Aaron was commanded to sprinkle the blood, one time for each day.
5. Man\’s sin corrupted God\’s entire creation.
6. Man\’s sins are before God seven days a week.

 

THE ATONEMENT, THE POWER OF THE BLOOD

V:15-16. \”He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull\’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.\”

1. The third time Aaron entered the Holy of Holies. He brought the blood of bull

to atone for the sins of the nation of Israel before the mercy seat.

1. Israel was rebellious.
2. Israel was unclean.
3. Israel was disobedience.
4. Through the atonement by the blood of the sacrificed animals, God tolerated Israel.
5. Because of Jesus blood shed on the cross, God tolerates us.

 

HEAVEN CORRUPTED

1. The Holy of Holies represents Heaven.
2. Heaven was corrupted by Satan, whose name was Lucifer an Arch Angel

before his fall.

1. Lucifer\’s sin was his pride. He wanted to be God.
2. When he sinned, some say one third of all God\’s angels fell with him. Heb 12:22,

Rev 12:3-9

1. That is why the current heaven will be destroyed after the second coming of Christ.

God will create a New Heaven and New Earth.

1. Aaron was instructed to make atonement for the sin that was in the Holy of Holies.

 

TRANSFER OF SIN TO THE SCAPEGOAT

1. In the Tent of the Meeting before the people of Israel, the scapegoat was brought to

the priest.

1.He would lay hand on the head of the goat and confess the sins of Israel.

1. Ceremonially, the sins of Israel was transferred to the scapegoat.
2. The scapegoat was led out of the meeting to the wilderness.
3. Some commentary writers say that a scarlet cloth was tied around the horn of

the goat. If cloth turn from red to white while the scapegoat was led into the

wilderness, it was  accepted by God as atonement.

1. Others say the goat was pushed over a cliff to kill it. (Jamieson, Fausset and

Brown).

 

HOUSE OF GOD DEDICATED

V:17-19. \” No one is to be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel. 18 \”Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull\’s blood and some of the goat\’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. 19 He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites. \”

1. Once the ceremony was complete in the Holy of Holies, Aaron was instructed

to do the same outside of the Veil in the Holy place.

1. Where ever man is, there is sin.
2. Sin corrupts and makes the places where man goes unclean.
3. Atonement had to be made in both rooms of the Tabernacle.
4. The Bronze Altar outside the Tabernacle also was purified with the blood of

the bull and the blood of the goat using the same procedures as was used in the

Tabernacle.

1. The Tent Of Meeting was called after the atonement for sins of Aaron, the people

and The Tabernacle was completed.

1. Consecrating ourselves before God allows us to give Him our full attention.
2. The greatness of God is revealed in our lives when we show our love

by keeping His commands.

1. Jesus is our complete atonement for all times.
2. The Israelites were commanded to perform this ceremony each year.
3. Jesus death on the cross completed this ceremony for all times.
4. We are command to remember Jesus sacrificial death which

do with our communion services.

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS

 

Rev. M. Mitchell

 

Asst Pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 Sam Houston Parkway

Houston, Texas