DAY OF ATONEMENT

Heb.7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.
Heb.9:6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

Lesson: Leviticus, Chapter 16
Events which were to occur annually were types of those things which were to happen ONCE for all time.
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

In the events of this day, there are three types of Christ. They must work together to picture the complete act of atonement. These are the High Priest and the two goats.
'Atonement' = To cover; to plaster over. When Noah was instructed to build the ark, he was told to 'atone' it with pitch. Our atonement is complete when our sins are completely covered with the blood of Christ.

I. As the Day Begins.
A.The High priest lays aside his 'Robes of Beauty and Glory'.
Lev.16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
Phil.2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

B. The contrast: That high priest needed to offer for his own sins before he could offer for the people.
Lev.16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Christ needed no such offering.
Heb.7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

II. The Two Goats. One will live and the other will die. It took both to picture Christ who both died for our sins and yet lives for our justification.

A. Both must be presented before the Lord.
Lev.16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. In both his death and in his resurrection He must be pleasing to the Father.

1. Lev.16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.

2. The goat which was the sin offering for the people was to be treated as the bullock for the sin offering for the Priest.
Lev.16:15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:

3. This meant that:
a.The atonement shall be accompanied by Divine Prayer.
Lev.16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:
13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
Heb.9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

From the passion in the Garden to the 'Forgive them-' on the Cross, our atonement was surrounded by the wonderful incense of the prayers of our High Priest.

B. The same blood which makes the atonement for our souls, sanctifies the Lord's Church and everything in it as well as the very Throne of Grace to which we now have access in heaven!
Lev.16:15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Heb.4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

C. This is a job in which the High Priest must act alone. There can be no assistance or aid.
Lev.16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
John 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

D. The Altar is sanctified by the Blood of the Atonement offering.
Lev.16:18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

The instrument of death and torture has been changed into an instrument of Grace by the blood!
Gal.6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

III.The Scapegoat
Lev.16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
Lev.16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
II Cor.13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.

A. He bears the sins away!
Lev.16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live 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, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
Isa.38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
Isa.43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Heb.10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

IV. The High Priest puts on the Garments of Beauty and Glory.
Lev.16:23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:

A. Stephen saw him at the right hand of the throne of God and John saw him in his priestly robes on the Isle of Patmos. We shall see him someday AS HE IS.
I John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

The fact that he is now the glorified one is proof that the atonement is made and the job of putting away sin is OVER!