Atoned For

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Hope your day started off good.

A healthy dose of 'HolyGhostmaquin' as my friend calls it every morning will set you on the right track for your day.

At least ten minutes spent in heartfelt worship and prayer can lift your Spirit up and get you charged for the day. Add this to your morning routine , your day will go easier than you planned and you'll be telling testimonies before the end of the week. God loves you.

Today we'll be talking about the best person in the world.

Jesus!

His work of atonement for our sins was symbolized in the old testament . All that He came to do and all that He represents.

Our anchor scripture today is Leviticus 1.

You'll be amazed.

Lev 1: 3  'If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting so that he may be accepted before the Lord. 4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering [transferring symbolically his guilt to the sacrifice], that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf."

From the beginning, even before the fall of man God had a plan. God always has a plan. He's always eternity ahead of you. He's the Alpha Omega.

Once Adam sinned he made provision for redemption.

Gen 3: 15
“And I will put enmity (open hostility)
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed;
He shall [fatally] bruise your head,
And you shall [only] bruise His heel."

Gen 3:21 "The Lord God made tunics of [animal] skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them." The first blood was shed for man."

So when Christ came he came in fulfilment of prophecy.

From the old testament way of making atonement (forgiveness of sin) I highlighted four important things.

1) Male without blemish: I'm sure God looked around but there was no one who could be found to fit this criteria. No one could take away your sin but Him.

Rom 3: 10 "as it is written,There is none righteous, no, not one"

Rom 3: 23 "for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"

So God had to bring someone from Himself. This is my 'begotten' son. To beget means to Father. He proceeded (came forth) from the bowels of God. The perfect son.

No iniquity was found in Jesus so He became the perfect lamb for the sacrifice.

1 peter 2: 21 "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. 22 who did not sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."

2) At the doorway of the Tent of Meeting: The Tent of Meeting was were God communed with His people through His priest. When Moses went in and came out He had to use a veil to cover His face for the glory that was upon Him. The tent of meeting was before the veil that covered the ark of testimony. No one could venture inside and live. We saw that veil being ripped in two from top to bottom creating access for you and I when Christ (the final sacrifice) was killed.

Mark 15: 38  "And the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." You have free access to God through the Blood!

3) He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering. Signifying acceptance. In those days once a burnt offering was brought for atonement, the person whose sin was to be atoned for would place his hand upon the head of the lamb, signifying his acceptance of his sin and identification with the lamb that took away his sin. He was also transferring his guilt to the lamb. And the blood of that lamb became a covering for the sin of that person.

When we say the sinners prayer we are identifying with Christ and what He did for us on the cross. Like that lamb, we place our hands on the 'head' of Christ admitting our wrongs and accepting his blood as an atonement for our sin once and for all. There is no other way.

4) To make atonement on his behalf.

Christ is the only way to the Father.

Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

His blood is the only way through which we can get access to the throne room.

In days gone by (old testament) the sins of men were temporarily atoned for by the blood of a lamb. That was not enough. So God sent His son. Through which all who believe may be saved.

God overlooked the sins of the whole world to an extent in the days gone by because He was just and he knew that Christ had not yet been given. So there was no basis of judgement against the world. He judged the Israelites then because they had the law but other nations he allowed  to do as they pleased pending the death and resurrection of His son. Now we are all without excuse. Christ has come to die and He has paid the final price for you and I.

Now you have to believe to be saved. There's no other way.