Gospel Megaphone

Gospel Megaphone

For as long as 3000 years, there has been a caste system in India. The word is derived from the Portuguese word “casta” which means “race, breed, or lineage.” That was derived from an earlier concept meaning “pure” or “unmixed.” The actual words used to describe the caste system are Varna and Jati (Jaytee). Varna means “color” and is used as a framework for grouping people into classes. Jati means “birth” which is considered to have its basis in religion. In the end, this is not uncommon in the world. Religion often finds ways of oppressing people. In the case of the Indian castes, there are five major groups. At the top are the Brahmins, and at the bottom are the Dalits. None of the castes are to intermarry, but the poor Dalits, or untouchables, aren’t even to be spoken to or looked at for the most part. As a caste, they are considered so low that they aren’t even considered a caste. Although there are high-ranking and low-ranking people within Hebrew society, there is the underlying truth that all humans are created in God’s image and are of equal worth. But this may not always be the reality. Some of the Jewish religious sects look at the Gentile world as “far below them.” They are the righteous and favored and the Gentiles are the dogs. Such is life for those who reject the truths of the Bible, or who selectively pick and choose certain verses to merge with a presupposition about others. Even in Christianity, there have been those who have used the Scriptures to justify the notion that one group of people is less valuable than another. Slavery, subjugation of other people groups, and a diminishing of the value of life grow naturally out of a liberal view on humanity.

However, the more biblically fundamental a person is, the more a true sense of value for human life is realized. The notion of abortion becomes abhorrent, the concept of euthanasia is seen for the evil that it truly is, and the equality of all men is brought into its highest place. Why is this? It is because the ground is level at the foot of the cross. There is but one offering by which all must come to God the Father. The richest person can offer no more, and the poorest person can come with no less. The cross is, above all, the great equalizer. The Old Testament focuses almost solely on the Hebrew people and their relationship with God, with but a few exceptions. The outside nations did their own thing, and they were, for the most part, regarded in a negative light, but the value of the individual – whether Hebrew or Gentile – is actually quite prominently on display. If we were to just look at the dealings within the Hebrew society, and nowhere else, we would note that there is no such thing as a caste system. There were Hebrew slaves, but they became that way for a reason, and they were to be given their freedom after certain intervals of time, or if certain other occasions required it by law. There were also nobles within society, but they were bound under the exact same laws as everyone else. In the end, one cannot find a system where the poor, or certain other groups, were intentionally kept subjugated by the framework for society, which is the Law of Moses. In fact, just the opposite is true.

The sin offerings of Israel highlight the fact that all were bound under the law, all had to come to God for forgiveness when they transgressed the law, and all were given equal forgiveness when they came forward for it. But within the sin offerings, there are clues that God actually exalted the lowly. The terminology used in the verses today highlights the offerings of the poor people in a way that is not highlighted for the high priest or the ruler who sinned. These things need to be highlighted, because they show that God looks on the poor and lowly and regards them. He doesn’t look more favorably on some and less on others just because of their looks, the size of their pocketbook, or the type of car they drive. Instead, he looks on the heart and determines the value of the person. Again, at the foot of the cross, the ground is level and our wonderful God allows all who will come, to come. If you have called on Christ, you are well-loved and highly favored. Acts 10:34-35 says, Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” God desires to forgive all people, no matter their race, status or background. All they need to do is come in true confession and repentance and he will forgive them. This is what we will see as we study the rest of chapter four. That brings us to our big idea that God desires to forgive all people who come to Him in repentance.

Let’s pray: Lord, as we study Your Word, grant us discernment and to understand its power. Help us apply these truths to our lives and grow in knowledge of You. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us so we can grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is for us. Reveal your wisdom to us through your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Our first point, Remedy, is found in Leviticus 4:13-26. I am not going to read every single verse because there will be a lot of repetition, but I will read what is new in each section and refer to what is repeated. Today’s study is a continuation of the sin offering started last week. The sin or the purification offering is the fourth offering that God commanded Moses to teach to the Israelites. This was the first mandatory offering after instructing the people on three free-will offerings, the burnt, the grain and the peace or fellowship offerings. The burnt offering signified the complete love and devotion of the worshipper for God for their atonement and access to His presence. The grain offering signified the joy and celebration of the worshipper for God’s faithful provision and covenant saving relationship. The fellowship offering signified the reconciliation and peace meaning the wholeness, harmony, and well-being that the worshipper could now have with God in celebration of His grace and covenant. The sin offering signified cleansing and purification for the sin that polluted both people and the Holy Place. It also signified that it required blood to fully remove sin's penalty and pollution, allowing renewed access to God's presence. As God continues to instruct the people on the sin offering, we notice a descending order of importance in who has sinned and the sacrifice they were to bring for their atonement. Last week, we started with the sin of the High Priest, and the ritual God instructed Him to perform to deal with his sin. This morning, we pick up in Leviticus 4:13 talking about the next category, the whole Israelite community, and what had to be done when their unintentional sins came to light.

Follow along as I read verses 13-21. This is what God’s Word says, “‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the tent of meeting. The elders of the community lay their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord. Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood into the tent of meeting. He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it before the Lord seven times in front of the curtain. He is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He shall remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the community, and they will be forgiven. Then he shall take the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the community.”

First, this does not mean that one hundred percent of the congregation was guilty of sin but that at least one or more persons had sinned against the Lord’s covenant and brought guilt upon the whole community. The community as a whole had to be atoned for before they could have a proper relationship with the Lord again. The sin has an unintentional meaning, either the sinfulness was called out, the sinful act was not known to be sinful until the law that was violated was explained, or the people became aware of their sin because they suffered consequences of their guilt and were prompted to discover whether sin was the cause. In some cases, they might simply have thought back over the past several days or weeks to see how they might have sinned. In others they might have sought an answer directly from the Lord. Either way, when the sin became known, the congregation needed to present a bull as a purification offering. We may wonder why, if the sin is unintentional, does God bring discipline? You’ve probably heard the phrase “ignorance is no excuse.” Well, that is played out in the sin offering. Today, we may break the speed limit or commit some other traffic violation unknowingly, but if stopped we could still get ticketed. Demanding a penalty to be paid even for unintentional violations is not unjust or harsh. Also, this type of discipline from the Lord was actually an act of ​​ mercy. The goal of discipline is to alert us to our sin so we can properly repent and not incur other consequences.

When the entire community sinned unintentionally and or in ignorance, they bore the guilt and atonement had to be made. What is interesting is that on the Day of Atonement, the one day the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies, he was to make atonement before God for the unintentional sins of the people throughout the previous year. But if a congregation’s sin became known it could not wait till the Day of Atonement to be dealt with. As soon as it was known the offering had to be brought or the sin became intentional. If they were to refuse to bring the sin offering it became a high-handed sin. I mentioned last week there was no offering that could be brought to atone for a high-handed sin; immediate repentance and sacrifice was the only way.

One example of the entire Israelite community experiencing the consequences of their guilt is found in Joshua 7. Before conquering Jericho, God commanded that everything in the city be "devoted to destruction", meaning it had to be destroyed or given to the tabernacle, as a sign of total dependance on God and prohibiting any personal profit. Achan sinned by stealing some of the "devoted things", including a beautiful Babylonian robe, silver, and gold, and hid them in his tent. By taking these items, Achan wasn't just stealing from the spoils; he was stealing from God, robbing Him of what was dedicated to Him. This hidden sin brought God's anger, and the consequences were that Israel lost their battle at Ai, resulting in death and national shame. Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the Lord asking God why they were defeated. And the Lord revealed that someone had stolen some of the devoted things. When identified by lot, Achan confessed, and he, his family, livestock, and possessions were taken to the Valley of Achor and destroyed by stoning and burning, removing the sin from Israel.

This can be a lesson for us today as well. If we are dealing with unique or severe suffering in our lives, we may want to examine ourselves to see whether God is warning us about sin or disciplining us for sin. Sklar says, “If loving earthly parents bring discipline, even strong discipline, into our lives in the face of sin, we should expect our loving heavenly father to do the same.” Hebrews 12:5-6 says, “And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” So how can we keep from suffering the consequences of our guilt? First, we need to realize that God will discipline us to warn us from sinning or discipline us for our sin. Second, by confessing and repenting daily, we can hopefully keep from suffering the consequences of guilt because our unintentional sins have been confessed and repented of. ​​ That brings us to our first next step which is I will take responsibility for my sin daily by confessing and repenting of it.

The offering for the sin of the whole community was the same as the High Priest, a young bull without defect. This is because if the entire community was guilty the high priest was also guilty. The ritual was also similar. The young bull was to be brought before the Lord at the tent of meeting and this time the elders of the community were to lay their hands on the bull’s head and slaughter it. The elders would have been respected, mature men—heads of families, tribes, and communities—chosen for their wisdom, integrity, and fear of God. God specifically instructed Moses to appoint seventy elders to share the burden of spiritual and judicial leadership and who were empowered by the Holy Spirit. The seventy elders were the ones who accompanied Moses and Joshua up the mountain to seal the covenant with God in Exodus 24. As the elders put their hands on the unblemished bull’s head, the high priest or possibly someone else from the tribe of Levi would have confessed the sin of the community before God.

The bull without defects reminds us of Jesus and the slaughtering of the bull reminds us again that there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood. The high priest would then bring some of the bull’s blood into the tabernacle, liberally dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the curtain or veil. He would then put some of the blood on the horns of the incense altar which was in the Holy Place before the Holy of Holies. These actions symbolized that atonement and purification of the tabernacle had taken place, the tabernacle was holy and set apart as God’s dwelling place, and that the blood sacrifice was accepted by God for the sins of the entire community. This needed to be done inside the tabernacle since the high priest would have been unqualified to mediate for the people before God and his prayers and repentance on behalf of the people would have been ineffective. Sprinkling the blood in front of the veil symbolized it was done before the Lord whose throne was behind the veil where the Ark of the Covenant resided. And sprinkling the blood seven times meant that there was complete atonement for the sins of the community. This foreshadowed that Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection would bring complete atonement for the sins of humanity.

Then the remaining blood was returned to God by pouring it out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. We continue to see similarities to the previous ritual as all the fat was to be taken from the bull and burnt on the burnt altar. We saw a lot of detail in the previous offering, but here the ritual is simplified as they have already been fully instructed in how to perform it. If the high priest performed the ritual properly before the Lord, the sin debt would be removed by the shedding of the bull’s blood, atonement would be made for the people, and they would be forgiven by God. Just like before the bull’s hide, flesh, head, legs, internal organs and intestines were to be taken outside the camp to the ceremonially clean place and burned just like the bull sacrifice for the high priest. Taking the rest of the bull outside the camp symbolized removing the people’s sin not only from their sight but from God’s sight as well. Psalms 103:12 says, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” This symbolizes God's complete and endless removal of our sins, our guilt and our condemnation, emphasizing that there's no limit or return. This sin offering is then confirmed to be for the community.

That brings us to the third specific category of people in the Israelite community who were to bring a sin offering when their sin became known, the ruler or leader. We see this in verses 22-26. The word translated “ruler” is a common word for “prince,” “chief,” or “leader” and is derived from the word meaning “to raise” or “to lift.” It denoted someone that was lifted up above others in honor, power, and authority, or that bore the weight of government. It was associated with the tribal organization of early Israel and was probably the leader of a family or tribe. We see the term, “of the Lord his God,” in verse 22 that we did not see in verses 2 or 13. This may be speaking about a ruler who was specifically appointed by God as the seventy elders were. Matthew Henry says, “Those who have power to call others to account, are themselves accountable to the Ruler of rulers; high as they are, there is a higher than they.”

Again, like the other people or groups, when a ruler or leader realized his guilt and his unintentional sin became known, he had to make atonement. His offering differed from the high priest and the entire congregation as verse 23 says, “He must bring as his offering a male goat without defect.” The male goat, which was less costly, contrasted with the bull, showed his lower rank below the high priest and the entire congregation. His sin, though worse than the common Israelite, was not as heinous, nor did it have the same harmful consequences, as the high priest or the community. This offering showed that God's law applied to everyone, even those who were "lifted up in honor." The ruler or leader was to lay his hand on the head of the goat signifying he was the guilty party, and this was his sin offering. The ruler or leader was requesting mercy from the Lord and was asking Him to accept this innocent substitute in his place. Again, this points us to Jesus Christ as our perfect substitute, who was to die in our place. The goat was to be killed at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord, referring to the north side of the altar. The blood of the goat was not to be sprinkled inside the tent of the meeting or the Holy Place but rather put on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. The blood symbolically washed away the "uncleanness" and defilement of the people's sins that had permeated the sacrificial altar and consecrated or made it holy again. It transformed it into a suitable place for continued mediation between God and the people. It covered or removed the sin from God’s sight, bridging the gap between sinful humanity and a holy God, allowing for atonement, reconciliation and forgiveness.

In the New Testament the apostle Paul identified Jesus Christ as the sin offering who brought reconciliation between God and man. 2 Corinthians 5:20–21 says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” While this passage is the most concentrated discussion of sin, it is also the most concentrated discussion of forgiveness in the Old Testament. Again, we see more similarities with the previous offerings in that the rest of the blood was poured out at the base of the Burnt Altar, returning the life blood to God the Creator. And the fat of the goat was burned on the altar as the fat of the fellowship offering had been done. Lastly, the carcass of the goat was not to be burned outside the camp, as was the case in the sin offerings for the high priest and the entire congregation. ​​ All the differences indicated that the sin of the leader, while certainly grievous, was not as serious as that of the high priest or the Israelite community at large.

I want to conclude today with our second point, Redeemer. The sacrificial system that God commanded the Israelites to follow was an act of perfect grace on God’s part to prepare the way for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. It pointed them to the sinfulness of their sin and the salvation promised through the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15. The slaying of the sacrificial animal should have made the Israelites deeply contemplate the pervasiveness of sin in their lives and that only an unblemished substitute could atone for them. Our perfect sin-offering, Jesus Christ, is our Redeemer and He alone is the remedy for all our sin. We must also purposefully contemplate our sin, even daily as I mentioned earlier, and realize that only the perfect substitute of Jesus Christ is sufficient for our atonement and forgiveness. We must be aware of the desperate condition of our soul. God says in Romans 1:20 that we are without excuse, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

God expected the Israelites to hear His voice and to hear His remedy for the pervasiveness of their sin and obey with the proper heart and ritual. The cross declares the same message today, only with a lot more decibels if we are willing to hear. God, through the cross, reveals that His love through His son, Jesus, is for all peoples on earth. God desires to forgive all people no matter their race, status or background (Big Idea). Van Meter says, “God used a microphone when He declared His offer of forgiveness through the sin offering, but at Calvary He used a megaphone to declare forgiveness through the Sin Offering,” Jesus Christ. God even now continues to use the megaphone of gospel proclamation to draw all people to Himself for atonement and forgiveness, through the sin sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. He will forgive and save all who declare that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

If you are not saved this morning, your unbelief is not unintentional anymore because salvation through Jesus has now been declared to you. If you are to be saved you must confess your ignorance and by God’s grace move from intentional or unintentional unbelief to intentional belief. The question is, will you continue to commit the sin that leads to death or will you repent and call upon the name of the Sin Offering, the Lord Jesus Christ. Will you “lean” on Jesus and “embrace” God’s remedy for your salvation and trust that your sins are transferred to Him on your behalf? If you will, then your Redeemer will pronounce that your sins are forgiven. Vasholz says, “Christ as the sin offering imputes His righteousness to the worshipper who leans on Him.” That brings us to our second and last next step in which I will embrace God’s remedy for my salvation by trusting in my Redeemer, Jesus Christ. If you are interested in accepting Jesus Christ for salvation and want to know more, please mark this next step on the back of your communication card.

As Gene & Roxey come to lead us in a final hymn and as the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offerings, let’s pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word and for the truths found in it. We thank you that you desire to forgive all people who come to Him in repentance. Help us by the power of your Holy Spirit to take responsibility for our sin daily by confessing and repenting of it. If there is someone here this morning who needs to know more about your salvation, help them to embrace your remedy for their salvation by trusting in our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.