In the Old Testament God gave amazing pictures of what the Messiah would do?

And God gave an amazing picture of Option #2.

Passover Lamb

What should God do about sins until the Messiah came?

God gave a a temporary solution.

Then God made Option #1 very specific/detailed/precise.

Option #1 was still  based on "mastering" sin and always doing what was right –

But now God told Israel precisely what he wanted them to do.

 

In about 1400 B.C. when Abraham's descendants had finally become a nation, God gave them very detailed rules for living:

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Though the general version of Option #1 (to "master" sin) had failed, God had a special purpose for this detailed version of Option #1. 

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[Creator God said:] “Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.” 

Leviticus 18:5

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God told people exactly what he wanted them to do.

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​(It is said that God gave as many as 600 commands in the Old Testament!)​

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The...commandment...was intended to bring life.

Romans 7:10

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Keeping God's Law perfectly results in eternal life!

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​That was the original purpose of the Law.

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The purpose of Option #1 was to gain eternal life:

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Trying with all our power we must never do wrong and always do right.

We must obey everything God tells us to do.

We must be a perfect person.

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So, we are judged for what we do:

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In the Old Testament it says:

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Ah, Sovereign Lord, ...your eyes are open to all the ways of men; you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve.

Jeremiah 32:17, 19

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Finally, at the end of the Bible it says:

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The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in [God's]...books.

Revelation 20:12

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And we are even judged for our motives, thoughts and words!

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[God says:] "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."

Jeremiah 17:10

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Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

I Samuel 16:7

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By taking even our motives into consideration, God judges our actions very fairly.

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[Jesus said:] "I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Matthew 12:36-37

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It is the Lord who judges me. ...He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts.

I Corinthians 4:4-5

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The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 16:5

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The cowardly...their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Revelation 21:8

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So we get from God exactly what we deserve.

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God is so just that he even takes our thoughts and motives and words into consideration.

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But is it good news that God is so just and fair?

Do you really want to get what you deserve?

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CAN WE REALLY OVERCOME SIN?

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But, do they realize that God even judges motives, thoughts and words?

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The Lord saw…that every inclination of the thoughts of his [man's] heart was only evil all the time.

Genesis 6:5

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And, do they realize that God's heart is grieved?

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The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.

Genesis 6:6

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Can we accuse God of being unfair in sending the Great Flood?

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Actually, whose responsibility is it to "master sin?"

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The Lord said… "Sin…desires to have you, but you must master it.”

Genesis 4:6-7

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So the problem of sin belongs to us.

 

Sin is not God's responsibility. He has no obligation to solve our sin problem.

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We know the consequences of not "mastering sin:"

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The wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23

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Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:32

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So, even today, people do not take sin seriously.

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There is no one who understands. There is...no one who seeks God. All have turned away.

Romans 3:10-12

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During the time of Noah, people did not take sin seriously either:

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In those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away.

Matthew 24:38-39 (New American Standard)

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JESUS BELIEVED THE ACCOUNT OF THE FLOOD – AND OF CREATION (MARRIAGE).

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But didn't God care?

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Of course, he did!

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The Lord was grieved…, and his heart was filled with pain.

Genesis 6:6

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How did God show that he cared for the people?

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Noah [was] a preacher of righteousness.

2 Peter 2:5

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So, through Noah, people had the opportunity to turn from their evil ways.

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God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.

1 Peter 3:20

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(God waited a long time. The ark likely took 60 to 80 years to build.)

(Genesis 5:32; 6:18; 7:6)

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Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation.

2 Peter 3:15

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He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

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Even more amazingly . . .

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Christ…went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.

1 Peter 3:18-20

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This is a mysterious statement – but one important point is very clear:

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God provided clear opportunities for everyone living before the Flood to turn from evil and seek him.

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Because of his great love, God went far beyond anything he was obligated to do.

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Even so, do you think that God is serious about getting rid of sin?

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You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors.

Psalm 5:4-6

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And God's Law ...

• May pressure us to do good and avoid evil.

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But neither great punishment nor God's Law:

1. Can change who we are inside – can change our identity.

2. Can give us the power that we need:

To always do right.

To never do wrong.

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The Law was powerless to do [it] in that it was weakened by [our]…Flesh.

Romans 8:4

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But, don't we get credit for doing some good things?

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Whoever keeps the whole Law [of God] and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

James 2:10      

 

Illustration:

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God’s Law is like a priceless vase: If you drop it once, you completely shatter it.

The Law is not like an exam with a passing score of 51%.

The Law is not like a scale that balances the good against the bad.

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Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything [Option #1]  written in the Book of the Law [the Old Testament].

Galatians 3:10

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God's Law is based on a relationship:

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"I am the Lord your God. ...Obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God."

Leviticus 18:2, 4

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Whoever keeps the whole Law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder."

James 2:10-11     

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What matters is who said it!

Our Creator said it.

Our Father in Heaven said it.

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So our sin completely breaks our relationship with our Creator who made us –

it betrays our relationship with our Father who loves us.

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Even when we sin against other people, our debt is first and foremost to our Father who created us.

Notice this prayer of confession for sins committed against other people: 

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Have mercy on me, O God. ...Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

Psalm 51:1, 4

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Question:

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Since this is all true, do you really want to be judged by God, himself?

Do you want to be judged on the basis of what you have done to him?

Do you want to be judged on whether you kept his Law perfectly?

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So what is the end result?

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Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.

Hebrews 9:27

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We only get one chance at life.

​Please, don't waste it.

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The Bible has sobering prophecies about the judgment that will come at the end of the world:

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Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake...to shame and everlasting contempt.

Daniel 12:2

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The dead, great and small, [were] standing before the throne [of God], and books were opened. ...The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Revelation 20:12

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[Jesus said:] "At the end of the age...the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 13: 40-42

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First, God told us to "master" sin – but we couldn't do it.

Then, God told us to obey his specific Law – but we couldn't do that either.

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BUT WHAT ABOUT RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES & RITUALS?

Can't they restore our purity? Our relationship to God?

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Mastering sin is our responsibility – but we can't do it and only deserve death.

Yet even here God is loving and merciful to us.

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Creator God actually gave Israel a yearly purification ceremony.

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This happened in about 1440 BC during the time of the great leader Moses, and of Aaron the high priest.

It was about 1,400 years before the Messiah came to earth.

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This ceremony was an important part of Option #1.

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Option #1 is the great effort people must make – to always do right and to always keep all of God's Laws.

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But the people of Israel could not avoid sinning.

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So God put a temporary solution for sin into his Law.

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The Law…was added because of transgressions until the Seed [Messiah]...had come.

Galatians 3:19

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This solution was a crucial part of Option #1 – it covered people when they sinned.

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The Day of Atonement – God's temporary solution for sin.

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The Lord spoke to Moses…: "Atonement (payment) is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites."

Leviticus 16:2

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The Lord said to Moses: "Tell…Aaron [the High Priest] not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain [in God's sanctuary] …, or else he will die, because I appear [there]."

Leviticus 16:2

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Creator God is holy – so no one is worthy to come into his presence.

Even the High Priest could not come freely into God's presence.

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This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering. …Aaron is to offer the bull [on the altar] for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household.

Leviticus 2:3, 6

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Before going into Creator God's presence, even the High Priest's sins had to be paid for.

Something or someone must pay the penalty of death for sin.

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From the Israelite community he is to take two males goats for a sin offering. …Aaron shall bring the [one] goat…and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the [other] goat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert… . He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites––all their sins––and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert... . The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place.

Leviticus 2:5, 9-10, 21-22

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The first goat paid the penalty of death for all the people's sins.

The second goat carried all the people's sins far from them.

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This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.

Leviticus 16:34

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Why were animals sacrificed?

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Because –

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The wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23

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The soul who sins is the one who will die.

Ezekiel 18:20

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So, our life is on the line when we sin.

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Unless something dies in our place, we forfeit our life for all eternity.

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So God said to the Israelites:

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"The life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life."

Leviticus 17:11

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The animal that was sacrificed died in their place.

The animal's life becomes payment for their life – by shedding its life-blood.

 

So –

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Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Hebrews 9:22

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Is this not shocking?

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This ceremony is shocking because it makes very clear that:

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• Sin is a life and death matter for us.

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• In fact, the payment for sin is extremely costly – it demands the payment of a life. And it can only be eliminated in a very horrific manner.

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• So, the problem of sin cannot be dealt with lightly and casually.

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But even this ceremony had major weaknesses:

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This is also true of other ceremonies, sacrifices and gifts to God found in God's Law.

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In fact, these weaknesses apply to any religious ceremony meant for spiritual purification.

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1. People still couldn't enter directly into God's presence.

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Only the High Priest entered the inner room [the Most Holy Place], and that only once a year. …The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been [made known].

Hebrews 9:7-8

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So people's relationship to God was not truly restored by this ceremony.

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2. People didn't feel cleansed from their sins.

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The gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings––external regulations.

Hebrews 9:9-10

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Religious ceremonies cannot purify us from our sins or change our hearts.

They are only external.

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3. The sacrifices themselves were inadequate.

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The Law…can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship… , because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Hebrews  10:1, 4

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Even the sacrifice of animals (though commanded in the Old Testament) cannot remove our sins and make us perfect.

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How do we know it is impossible?

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If it could [remove sins], would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.

Hebrews 10:2

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The Bible asks a brilliant question!

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If something has to be done again, it is proof that it was not effective in the first place.

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And if it has to be done repeatedly, it is proof that it will never be effective.

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Something to think about:

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If any religious ceremony, meant for our purification, has to be repeated, why do we rely on it?

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4. The High Priest was supposed to represent us to God – yet he was inadequate!

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Every High Priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

Hebrews 5:1

 

This is because we are incapable of going into God's presence on our own.

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Who can endure the day of his [the Lord"s] coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiners fire.

Malachi 3:2

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So we need an intermediary – someone who can go between us and God.

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• Yet even the High Priest, himself, lacks the status or ability to go directly into God's presence.

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The Lord said to Moses: "Tell…Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain …, or else he will die, because I appear [there]."

Leviticus 16:2

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• The High Priest, himself, is a sinner.

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Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself.

Leviticus 2:6

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• The High Priest can only go into God's presence because of the blood of another.

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The High Priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood.

Hebrews 9:7

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• The High Priest was powerless to bring us into God's presence.

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The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been [made known].

Hebrews 9:8

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• The High Priest cannot give us eternal life – because even he dies.

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There have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office.

Hebrews 7:23

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So, what do we need?

We need a High Priest who . . .

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…lives forever… and has a permanent priesthood. …He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Hebrews 24-25

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So, any priest who dies has no ability to purify us from our sins and give us eternal life.

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Question:

Are you depending on a priest who will die?

Are you depending on someone who will die, or has died, for your . . .

• cleansing from sin?

• spiritual purity?

• eternal life?

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So the Old Testament priesthood, itself, had to be changed.

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If perfection could have been attained through the [Old Testament]…priesthood…, why was there still need for another priest to come––…not in the order of Aaron?

Hebrews 7:11

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Those Old Testament priests were part of Option #1.

Option #1 cannot make us clean in God's sight.

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So perfection was impossible through those priests and through those sacrifices.

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The type of priesthood determines the type of law.

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On the basis of it [the Old Testament priesthood] the Law was given to the people.

Hebrews 7:11

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This Law was Option #1.

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But this Law and this priesthood were ineffective.

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The Law appoints as High Priest men who are weak.

Hebrews 7:28

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So . . .

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The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the Law made nothing perfect).

Hebrews 7:18

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So Option #1 was set aside.

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And a new High Priest was necessary.

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Such a High Priest meets our need––one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

Hebrews 7:26

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But a new kind of priest means a new law – a new way to God.

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When there is a change of the priesthood there must also be a change of the law.

Hebrews 7:12

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So Option #1 must be changed:

• Its High Priest must be changed.

• Its sacrifices must be changed.

• Its Law must be changed.

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What, then, is the benefit of the Day of Atonement?

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It causes us to see ourselves as we really are.

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Those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.

Hebrews 10:3

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The Day of Atonement, and all other purification ceremonies that must be repeated over and over, make one thing very clear:

We are sinners.

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This should cause us to seek another solution for purification from our sins.

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So, it points us to a permanent solution.

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A better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

Hebrews 7:19

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What is this better hope?

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The Law was put in charge to lead us to Christ [the Messiah] .

Galatians 3:24

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The Day of Atonement is one of the greatest symbols of what the Messiah will do.

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It points us to:

• a new High Priest.

• his new sacrifice.

• a new law.

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And it points us to a new solution for sin – Option #2.

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"This is the covenant [Option #2] I will make with them after that time," says the Lord. "I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."

Hebrews 10:16-17

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So the Day of Atonement was unsuccessful in removing our sins.

But the Messiah would come and do everything that the Day of Atonement could not do.