One Sacrifice For Our Sins Forever

This is a short message on youtube by a rabbi on “Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement” according to the Jewish laws (the old covenant).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rxzlKzIpDc

But we now have a new covenant in Christ as shown in Hebrew 10. I’d never thought the day I hear a rabbi speak but these days I am more bold to hear and rely on the holy spirit to discern with God’s words.

Based on Leviticus 16:21 and Hebrew 9: 1-7, you can read for yourself how under the old covenant, the high priest, only ONCE a year would enter the second room which is “the holy of holies” and never without blood which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. In the earlier blog, I had highlighted the significance of Jesus death on the cross how He was the perfect lamb – unblemished, the fourth cup that He did not drink until His death on the cross, the significance of the hyssop, the timing of His death – all fulfilled prophecies and the demand of a perfect holy God. For what? Why did Jesus have to pay the price for us? Hear how the rabbi describes sin and how God gave a way out for His people under the old covenant. But in Hebrews 10:1 says that the law is only a SHADOW of the good thing to come and in verse 4 it says “For it is impossible for the blood of the bulls and goats to take away sins”.

If the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins, the high priest would not have to do it every year, over and over again. In Hebrews 10 verse 2, it is written “Otherwise, wouldn’t they have stopped being offered, since the worshippers once purified, would no longer have any consciousness of sins. But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year”. Just like the celebration of Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement” every year.

Jesus said in verse 5 “You did not want sacrifice and offering..you did not delight in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings, (which are offered under the law). He says in verse 7 “See, I have come to do your will”. What was God’s will? In verse 9, he says Jesus came to take away the first to establish the second. Jesus came to take away the old covenant to establish the new covenant. God came to take away the old covenant of LAW and established the new covenant of GRACE.

Jesus paid the price to take away my guilt and to take the punishment of my sins ON Him. On the cross, God remembered my sins past present and future and being a Holy God, punished Jesus for my sins.

But the best part is in verse 17 where God says “I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts”. Wow! Being Holy, He acted and He punished Jesus for my sins and it is finished! He remembers no more. So, how is it that all along, I feel I have to search my heart for any sins, how is it I come to God unworthy of Him. How is it that I disagree with Him that I am made clean. That’s how most of us feel. How can we walk with God when we are not in agreement with Him.

How can we remind ourselves of our sin if God remembers our sins no more? We are still walking under the OLD covenant.

We are insulting God everytime we think His sacrifice for us is only good until our next sin. That we have to keep confessing. Have we forgotten what He has done for us? If only we really understand “JESUS PAID THE PRICE”. “ONE SACRIFICE FOR ALL MY SINS FOREVER”. That is GRACE. If we understand grace, we would cry buckets as I did yesterday, okay maybe some of you are not so melancholic..but we would fall in love with God all over again of how awesome He is. And if you don’t think that is awesome enough, here is what happened approximately the time Jesus died. This is the revelation of the day for me. J

During Yom kippur - Day of Atonement – the high priest takes 2 goats into the holy of holies (where the presence of God is), one goat representing the people of Israel. The goat is killed and blood is sprinkled on all the vessels of worship in the holy of holies for the forgiveness of sin. God examines the sacrificed goat. Everyone waits outside anticipatingly. Will God except the sacrifice? Will the high priest come out alive? If he does, the high priest comes out with hands lifted up with blessings to the people for the year ahead. But if he doesn’t come out, they will pull the dead high priest out with the rope tied round his leg and the people can expect curses and more curses for the year ahead. The high priest ties a red thread/sash round the scapegoat’s horn and goat is led through the people as far away from the temple signifying so far that the sin has been removed from them.

The scapegoat is led into the wilderness and if they look carefully, the red thread turns white as is written in Isaiah 1:18 “"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool”. Another red thread tied to the temple door also miraculously turns white. According to the Mishnah, even the rabbis and the sages admit that approximately when Jesus died this red thread STOPPED turning white. Their rabbi taught, during the last 40 years before the destruction of the temple the crimson colored strap stopped turning white. The temple was destroyed in 70 AD under the Roman empire. Even though it had stopped turning white, they had continued with the animal sacrifice till 70 AD until the temple was finally destroyed and animal sacrifices ceased then as well. Amazing fact right? And they should rightfully have ceased the sacrifices the moment it stopped turning white because that was when Jesus’ sacrifice was the perfect sacrifice for us.

So, let us stop insulting God when we keep burrowing in our sins as if we are not worthy for Him. If we do that it is good as saying our sin has GREATER power to offset the work that Jesus has done for us. But JESUS PAID THE PRICE. And He remembers our sins no more. That is how loving God is and that ought to make us fall in love with Him. Now, I also remember a verse from the bible that says, “If you love me, you will obey me”. That is obedience that naturally flows from grace. It’s not something we do but it’s something we are not aware we are doing. That is grace and obedience to a God who first loved us.

Every time we feel we have sinned let us say “ONE sacrifice for our sins forever” and lift our hands again and worship Him as He is worthy to be praised.