| (Copyright 2023) by Warren Zehrung (Little Rock, Arkansas) |
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| Bringing Gifts to God Let’s begin with God’s instructions for this day. There is one thing we must keep in mind on God’s Holy Days: Leviticus 23:4 These are the Feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. The Appointed festivals are about Jesus – because, unknown to the world, all the Feasts are about Jesus or have to do with Him and His work. The real object of the Holy Days is Jesus Christ. The Holy Days are not only intended to honor Jesus Christ, but they all point to Him or His work in some way. Leviticus 23:27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Today, in New Testament times we take up an offering to God – or our Gift if you prefer. Leviticus 23:28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God. Leviticus 23:29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. Leviticus 23:30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Leviticus 23:31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. We are to perform no manner of work to indicate to God our total dependence upon Him—and not depend on our own deeds. Leviticus 23:32 It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath. What is a proper way to greet a King? Because that is what we are doing… Greeting our King all glorious. Herbert W Armstrong brought gifts of Steuben Crystal to dignitaries around the world. In Matthew 2 we find a Biblical example of where, what, and how God is providing for His people – in this case, providing for His own Son, Jesus Christ’s material wellbeing. Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, These Magi were from the earlier captivities of Israel that were taken to Babylon – – 12 representatives of the tribes of Israel. Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. Matthew 2:11 And when these [12 representatives of the tribes of Israel] were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. Those were proper gifts – expensive gifts! The Bible is very silent about Jesus’ travels and training as a young man. – We believe that He traveled extensively – even to England. Perhaps these valuable gifts were used for Jesus’ schooling and travels. We’ll now have Offertory Music – – and take up our offerings – our gifts to our King all Glorious. King all Glorious by: The Young Ambassadors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xx7ikDwRh4 Alternative Special Music “O Lord thou art my God and King” p. 109 Atonement 101 – The Basics Today we will be speaking on the Basics of Atonement. Very, very few people know what the Biblical Atonement is all about. It is good that we add some perspective to the subject. It may surprise you, but… There was a time when man had no need of reconciliation with God. It was in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Man was created by God in His own image with the goal that he would become an integral part of God’s spiritual Family forever more. It was God Himself who declared that everything that He had createdwas very good. At that time, mankind was privileged to have unlimited and unfettered access to God because, though he was in the flesh, God had created him “very good.” Man had not sinned. Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: Genesis 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Man had at his disposal in the Garden absolutely everything he needed to become like God! I like to think of the Garden of Eden with all of its flowers, butterflies, birds, and tame animals… Fruit and vegetables – year round – in abundance… But it was much more than that. There was peace and safety there. There was balance in nature. This was an area of the earth that God had prepared specifically for them. Adam and Eve were most brilliant and intelligent – greatly talented … Adam and Eve were taught by God. At that point in God’s creation history there was no need of atonement or reconciliation because there had been no rejection of God and His ways! Even from before creation itself, God’s Plan had always been that man was to live forever with Him. God made that togetherness with man possible by providing the way to eternal life—represented by the Tree of Life in the Garden. God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the other tree. If they did – they would die. But we know the story. Man did not choose the Tree of Life. Our iniquity and sins have incurred the death penalty – because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Leaving God out of the equation, Adam and Eve determined that they would decide for themselves what was best for them by eating of the tree which God had commanded that they should not eat. That act of confrontation, rebellion, ungratefulness, and disobedience against God disrupted His Plan of bringing many sons and daughters to Glory (Hebrews 2:10). The LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live forever: Adam and Eve did not believe God’s Word. They thought they knew better. In the pride of their limited understanding, they declared their independence from God and exercised their free moral agency to sin against Him. God sent the couple out of the Garden – and placed guards at the entrance to keep them and their children from returning. God makes it clear that He alone is the sole arbiter of right and wrong. For man to take that prerogative of deciding good and evil to himself was sin. We cannot imagine how hurt God was. The only way to build righteous character is to eschew sin and obey God. Imagine if you had a benevolent provider and you ungratefully slapped his face and cursed him. That sin by our parents, Adam and Eve, created a horrific breach in the relationship between God and man. Paul tells us that man is composed of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3) – what happened? How could that separation from God be mended? That is what this Day of Atonement is all about! Sin had entered the world. Sin must be removed from the world. Somehow, God’s Plan of bringing many sons and daughters to Glory would have to be put back on track. How can those who have sinned – all of us – ever be back on good terms with God the Father. Answer: Someone has to pay for our sins by dying in our place. Man, certainly can’t repair that separation from God. (If you have killed someone, you cannot un-kill a person). No! Only God can heal the estrangement, the separation between Himself and mankind. Only God can restore a right relationship to Himself. Only God is able to reconcile this sinful world back to Himself. Atonement is the answer. In order that man could attain eternal life, God came up with a process whereby His relationship with mankind could be restored. That is Good News—that is, in fact, Fantastic News! Atonement with God is so important that an entire annual Holy Day is dedicated to the meaning of the Day. And yet, there are so few people who have a glimmer of understanding of what this Day means. Atonement means that we need to humble ourselves before our great and Sovereign God. Fasting today helps us realize that all good things originate with God. Even if it were only the water, soil, seed, and sun, He provides, we would not survive for an instant without God. We must realize that He alone possesses the Wisdom of what is good and right and choose His way over our own will. It is necessary that we yield to Him in all things. That is the First Commandment of the Ten Commandments. Nothing ever is to come ahead of God and His perfect way. No excuses. Deuteronomy 5:6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Deuteronomy 5:7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Brethren, until we come to realize that we have been separated from God’s presence because of our own iniquity and sin, we will remain literally detached from Him. Sin brought the separation between mankind and God. Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. We are told that our iniquities have separated us from our God, and our sins have hidden His face from us, that He will not hear us any longer. It is we who have severed the relationship with our Creator by our sins. Here’s the good thing… Here’s the great news! Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, atonement for sin can be made. This day is about the work of Jesus that God the Father did through Him. God the Father took the initiative to bring about reconciliation with mankind, and He did so by way of His Son’s death and resurrection. It is a most beautiful and loving story. Here it is in a nutshell. For the meaning of Atonement, let the words of the Scripture speak to you: At least once a year, God requires us to stop, and take a look at our spiritual journey back to Him. To get our full attention, He has us fast today from food and drink, and pay attention to the full message He is telling us. Atonement has to do with getting rid of this sinful body we find ourselves in so that we may indeed draw near to God. Impossible to do? No! God tells us what must take place. We literally need to be recreated. Let’s look at the larger picture of Atonement: The Day of Atonement is about the covering and removal of sin because of the sinfulness of the people. To atone is to resolve the penalty for sin, “death,” thereby removing the effects of sin from the repentant sinner and allowing him or her to be reconciled to God. It is possible, but it requires a lot of work on our part. Jesus Christ is the only one capable of carrying out the Atonement for all mankind. The Day of Atonement pictures two things Jesus does for us: He paid the price of sin for us; He removes the guilt of sin from us so that we can appear before His Father. God the Father then declares us legally innocent of all charges. We are completely innocent and exonerated before the High Court of heaven. That is how clean Passover leaves a Christian, and that is how clean the Day of Atonement will render mankind. Atonement pictures the complete cleansing of sin – making possible the reconciliation of all mankind to God. Its complete fulfillment, yet in the future, will be a very great day! Atonement will make an intimate and thorough relationship with God possible for mankind. 2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Spiritually, it is like the new creation relationship with God that Adam and Eve once enjoyed in the Garden of Eden. With Atonement, God is replacing our sinful flesh with a New Creation! That is great news. And God the Father accomplishes this new creation in us by way of His Son, Jesus Christ. 2Corinthians 5:18 All things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself [making Himself accessible to us] by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; The ‘ministry of reconciliation’ means that our reconciliation to the Father MUST extend to all the brethren as well. A lot of people do not understand this. This is the great sin of the Church of God today – the separation of corporate organizations and the people of God from one another. The “ministry of reconciliation;” or ministering of reconciliation, means that since God has been so gracious to restore a right relationship with us – it is incumbent that we restore right relationships with others – especially in the household of God. Our reconciliation with the brethren is so important that God says, “Do not bring me any offerings until you get straight with your brother—because I will not accept it until you have done so.” Matthew 5:23-24: “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, [you did something to him], leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” God is essentially saying, “First things first.” If a reconciliation does not take place, God has no obligation to accept the offering. It has been made based on a corrupt relationship with a brother, making the offering unacceptable. With reconciliation, God the Father no longer holds our sins against us – we are justified – made righteous in His sight – because our sins have been laid on Jesus Christ. It is Jesus who bears our sins. When God the Father looks upon us – He does not see our righteousness – but the righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ righteousness is imputed to us. Romans 4:24 But for us also [it was written], to whom [righteousness] shall be imputed, if we believe on Him [God the Father] that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Here is how it works… 2Corinthians 5:19 God [the Father] was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation. We have a big part in being reconciled to God the Father and Jesus Christ. God’s churches refuse to reconcile with each other. Shame on us! When God the Father no longer counts people’s sins against them, (Atonement) how can we not do the same with all our brothers and sisters in Christ? God has given to us the ministering of reconciliation, and the word of reconciliation – and we had better be taking advantage of it. God the Father is sending to us the message that we are restored in good favor with Him. Hallelujah – praise God – what a joyful day! 2Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. Notice closely the meaning of this Day: 2Corinthians 5:21 For He [God the Father] has made Him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Man sinned – we know that. We need to ask ourselves, “When and how does the removal of sin take place?” When Jesus died, He paid the death penalty in our stead. Galatians 1:4 [Jesus] gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: Having our sins paid for by Jesus Christ does not automatically grant us eternal life – No it doesn’t. Eternal Life is a gift of God. Both the death, and then the resurrection to Life of Jesus are required for our reconciliation to God and man (2Corinthians 5:18). Paul reiterates that it is none other than Jesus by whom we receive the needed atonement or reconciliation. Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. By Jesus’ resurrection to Life. (That is why it is so important that the Azazel goat lives (Leviticus 16:10)). Through the Death and Life of Jesus we are ultimately saved! Continuing in … Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. That is the only occurrence of the word atonement in the New Testament. Another translation of Romans 5:11 reads… Romans 5:11 Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Christ’s sinless sacrifice resulted in our reconciliation with God. His sacrifice enabled God to justify us, that is, to consider us as sinless in a legal sense. We are still sinful, but because we accepted Christ’s sacrifice, His blood covers us. Thus, under His righteousness, we are allowed now to have access to God. Having access to God the Father, we can be forgiven by Him and be made clean. Because of that, we have the opportunity now to have eternal life, and we are saved, then, by His life being lived in us. John 14:23 …If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we [God the Father and Jesus Christ] will come unto him, and make our abode with him. I think that about half the people in the world know that Jesus died for our sins. And because of that – they think that they will go to heaven… Let’s get the picture straight in our minds. 1Thessalonians 4:14: tells us that Jesus died and rose again. 1Thessalonians 4:14 If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. I would like to harken back to Leviticus 16, in the Old Testament. In today’s sermon we are answering the question: Who Bears the sin of the World? — Satan or Jesus Christ To properly represent Jesus Christ, the Messiah, in Leviticus 16, in the Old Testament, it was necessary that an animal be sacrificed to represent Jesus Christ that could both die and then live again. The first goat in Leviticus 16 – selected by the LORD – represents Jesus Christ dying for our sins. This is very clear… Leviticus 16:9 And Aaron [the High Priest] shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. That first goat offered, represents Jesus Christ dying for our sins. Please remember that Jesus died and rose again. That is most important if we are going to see the picture God is presenting to us. The first goat being offered is only a part of the picture – the part the world understands – Jesus died for our sins. To properly represent Jesus Christ, the Messiah, in Leviticus 16, it was necessary that an animal be sacrificed to represent Jesus Christ that could both die and then live again. Where do you get an animal like that? The answer is, “You don’t.” Unfortunately, there is no animal that could meet those qualifications. The solution to this dilemma was to use two precisely similar goats for a single sin offering. Leviticus 16:5 [Aaron the High Priest] … shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a [single] sin offering… Now let’s take a look at the second goat. Leviticus 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the azazel, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for an azazel into the wilderness. The Wave Sheaf offering shows Jesus being presented alive before His Father in heaven (Leviticus 23:11). Please pick up on the fact that the second goat is presented alive. The wilderness by the way, is exactly where Israel was wandering for 40 years. Jesus is not the Atonement unless he both died and rose again. Jesus fulfilled both roles. The first goat which was sacrificed (died), was fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Jesus’ death paid for our sins. He died for our sins. The second goat, the azazel, is also none other than the resurrected Jesus who bears, expiates, takes away the sin of the world. No one else does that—only Jesus takes away the sin of the world. More on Jesus bearing, expiating, taking away the sin of the world in a moment. Leviticus 16 is about Christ’s fulfillment of both goats, as well as His work as High Priest. Now Brethren, here is a warning to us. For thousands of years Satan has been trying to hijack the Day of Atonement to be about himself, even as being the one who bears the sins of mankind. O yes, Satan brings harm, he brings temptation, he brings anguish, and he brings condemnation, but Satan does not bear our sins. Satan does not bear our sins. That is a carnal and false misconception. It is a huge lie—because Only the Messiah was prophesied to bear our sins, and only Jesus Christ did so (John 1:29, Isaiah 53:11-12). Paul says it so clearly: Romans 5:11… we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. We will turn to those prophecies of Isaiah in a moment. The Day of Atonement is just that—it is about the atonement we have because of Christ’s work. Atonement is not a Feast that focuses on Satan’s actions. Satan is not mentioned, referred to, or even alluded to in Leviticus 16! There are a few translations that are wrong and spurious, like The James Moffatt Translation—but they are not of God—and you need to mark them as wrong. Properly understood, then, the Day of Atonement is about Jesus Christ. That is our sole focus on this Day of Atonement. Brethren, the Day of Atonement is about how every one of us was as good as dead because of our sins. Let me show you that. We were totally cut off from God the Father! Atonement shows how we are cleansed of our sins and restored to a right relationship with our Father. Paul wrote that it was by the grace of God that the Church brethren have been saved: Ephesians 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, God has made us alive together with Christ. [Christ is alive.] Paul says that over and over again in his letters. “Jesus died, and He is alive again!” There is however, a difference in the timing of atonement for Church brethren, and those in the world. Christians are atoned for at their baptism and the receiving of God’s Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. What about the rest of mankind in this miserable sinful world? The Day of Atonement is to the entire world what Passover is to faithful Christians. God in His perfect love will reconcile the entire world unto Himself. That is what the Day of Atonement is all about. When will the world’s salvation and reconciliation to God arise? The answer is the world has not permanently lost out on salvation because God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whomsoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life for God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:16-17). “Whomsoever believes in Him” will be living according to the very words and actions of Jesus, including those in the Old Testament (like keeping the Sabbath and the Holy Days of the Lord), and His words in the New Testament (Like keeping the Passover (1Corinthians 11:23-26)). That reconciliation for the world will begin to be made possible on a soon coming Day of Atonement. Atonement is a spiritual Feast Day, a Sabbath of rest without work – a day of fasting without food or water. The Day of Atonement pictures the complete cleansing from sin, and the reconciliation of all mankind to God the Father through the work of Jesus Christ alone. The Day of Atonement looks to the time of universal reconciliation of all who have ever lived. But, let me add a warning caveat here: There will be those recalcitrant souls who will never submit to God’s perfect way. Let’s look at the Bearing of Sins and Iniquities John the Baptist while preparing the way for the coming Messiah announced that Jesus Christ was the one who would bear the sin of the world in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies: John 1:29 The next day John [the Baptist] saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away (airo) the sin of the world. Because John the Baptist was paraphrasing Isaiah, this verse should have been translated this way… Behold the Lamb of God, who bears away (airo) the sin of the world. John 1:36 And looking upon Jesus as He walked, [John the Baptist] said, Behold the Lamb of God! Important Note: It is none other than Jesus who bears, expiates, takes away (airo), the sin of the world. The Messianic Prophecies attest to this: Isaiah 53:4 Surely [the Messiah] has borne our griefs, and carried (airo)our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Jesus Christ died while carrying our sins. A few more select verses: Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. “His own way,” alludes to the fact that we each have sinned on our own. “The LORD hasLaid on Him:” Brethren, you may wish to compare: Leviticus 16:21 And Aaron [the High Priest] shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live [azazel] goat and confess over Him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat. Isaiah 53:11 He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities. “He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied.” God the Father will see and accept the suffering of His Son, Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. As it says in: Leviticus 16:22, the azazel goat was to bear on itself all their iniquities. The azazel goat’s primary role was the bearing of sins – and that is solely Jesus’ role. When we understand Christ’s fulfillment of both goats, as wellasHis work as High Priest,theDay of Atonement is just that—it is about the atonement we have because of Christ’s work. What then, should be our focus? Properly understood, the Day of Atonement is about Jesus Christ. ———————————————————————————————————- See Warren Zehrung’s other articles at: Zehrung, Warren – Church of God, Bismarck (church-of-god-bismarck.org) Reprinted with permission from: Sabbath Church of God http://childrenofgod.net/ ———————————————————————————————————- |
| Iron Sharpening Iron In regard to: Atonement 101 (Day of Atonement 2023) Article by Warren Zehrung Comments by Laura Lee (Bismarck, North Dakota) |
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| I believe he is right about the two goats, but he is wrong about the Wave Sheaf: Warren states in his article: The Wave Sheaf offering shows Jesus being presented alive before His Father in heaven (Leviticus 23:11). Christ did not fulfill the wave sheaf offering because the wave sheaf offering does not represent Christ. The wave sheaf offering represents the ecclesia, the called-out ones. Read what Edersheim and others have to say about what happens with the wave sheaf. There is a certain amount of grain gathered for the wave sheaf and then it is put through the fire and then through many sieves for refining. Those who are called are put through the fire and refined many times. Then in the end only part of the grain gathered for this offering is used. Many are called but few are chosen. The wave sheaf offering in no way represents Christ. It represents the ecclesia, the called-out ones. Scripture backs this up: Lev 23:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: Lev 23:11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. In other words the wave sheaf is the firstfruits of the grain and it does not say it will be accepted for Christ. It says it will be accepted for you (the children of Isreal), the firstfruits. Christ has no need to be refined but those who are being call do have a need to be refined. |
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