Exciting First Baptist Church, Jasper
"The Goat Has Left the Building" (Leviticus 16; John 9; Heb. 10)
When God wanted to teach Israel about sin, holiness, and forgiveness, He used living pictures, acting out the beauty of His forgiveness. But pictures are never the real thing; they only point to it. On this Palm Sunday, we'll see and celebrate Jesus, tracing how the ancient picture was fulfilled in Christ's crucifixion, and what that means for you and me!
Locations & Times
Jasper's First Baptist Church
1604 4th Ave, Jasper, AL 35501, USA
Sunday 10:15 AM
We'll be making three stops in this message: Leviticus 16, John 19, and Hebrews 10. We start in the amazing LEVITICUS 16, and the Day of Atonement.
In the Jewish calendar, there are seven major feasts—four in the spring, three in the fall. The fall feasts begin with the Feast of Trumpets, also called Rosh Hashanah. “Rosh” means “head” or “beginning,” and Hashanah means “the year.” So, the Feast of Trumpets marked the beginning of the Jewish New Year. The first ten days of Rosh Hashanah were called the “Days of Awe”--ten days of repentance, of soul searching, of confessing sin and seeking God’s grace and forgiveness.
The climactic day in the “Days of Awe” came on the 10th day, which was called Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur means “DAY OF ATONEMENT,” and it was the holiest day of all for the Hebrew people. There were some one-of-a kind things done on this day that could not and would not happen on any other day of the year. This is what Leviticus 16 describes.
Get the key parts of this important day in mind. Focus first on the HIGH PRIEST. Very particular instructions are given for every move the High Priest will make on the Day of Atonement. Notice Lev. 16:2-4.
In the Jewish calendar, there are seven major feasts—four in the spring, three in the fall. The fall feasts begin with the Feast of Trumpets, also called Rosh Hashanah. “Rosh” means “head” or “beginning,” and Hashanah means “the year.” So, the Feast of Trumpets marked the beginning of the Jewish New Year. The first ten days of Rosh Hashanah were called the “Days of Awe”--ten days of repentance, of soul searching, of confessing sin and seeking God’s grace and forgiveness.
The climactic day in the “Days of Awe” came on the 10th day, which was called Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur means “DAY OF ATONEMENT,” and it was the holiest day of all for the Hebrew people. There were some one-of-a kind things done on this day that could not and would not happen on any other day of the year. This is what Leviticus 16 describes.
Get the key parts of this important day in mind. Focus first on the HIGH PRIEST. Very particular instructions are given for every move the High Priest will make on the Day of Atonement. Notice Lev. 16:2-4.
Along with the enormous preparations for the High Priest, think about the dramatic experience he enters on the Day of Atonement. He must enter the Temple on behalf of the entire nation!! Think about what it was like for the High Priest to enter the TEMPLE. The lowest, most accessible level of the Temple area was called the Court of the Gentiles. It is was open to the public. But to approach to the Temple itself, you must climb a series of ascending stairs and pass through multiple gates that functioned almost like checkpoints, eliminating at each level those who were not qualified to get any closer to the Temple.
Fourteen steps up from the Court of the Gentiles you pass through a gate that only Jews could pass, on penalty of death. You are now in the Court of the Women, where the offerings to the Lord were given. Another set of stairs and a gate takes you into the Court of Israel—only men could enter this court. Rising up from there by yet another flight of stairs, you come to the Court of the Priests, where priests are exclusively allowed. Finally, twelve steps higher still, you enter the Temple itself. Inside is a room that could only be entered once a year—on the day about which we are speaking, the Day of Atonement! And it could only be entered by one man on earth: the High Priest.
On the Day of Atonement, all of the nation of Israel gathers to the Temple area to watch the High Priest enter the Temple for them and their sins. Here's what would happen.
Fourteen steps up from the Court of the Gentiles you pass through a gate that only Jews could pass, on penalty of death. You are now in the Court of the Women, where the offerings to the Lord were given. Another set of stairs and a gate takes you into the Court of Israel—only men could enter this court. Rising up from there by yet another flight of stairs, you come to the Court of the Priests, where priests are exclusively allowed. Finally, twelve steps higher still, you enter the Temple itself. Inside is a room that could only be entered once a year—on the day about which we are speaking, the Day of Atonement! And it could only be entered by one man on earth: the High Priest.
On the Day of Atonement, all of the nation of Israel gathers to the Temple area to watch the High Priest enter the Temple for them and their sins. Here's what would happen.
Hundreds of thousands of worshipers have come together to begin the year by having their sins atoned for, covered over, removed, cleansed; to be reminded of God’s grace and mercy. And the most dramatic picture of this comes when two goats are brought to the high priest—one of them is sacrificed for the sins of the entire nation; the other goat is brought to him alive. The first goat was offered to God in the strict privacy of the Holy of Holies. But the second goat paints a picture of God's forgiveness that's amazing!
Three key components of this holy moment are important.
The RED CORD.
Jewish tradition says that a red cord was used in this sacred confession of sins by the High Priest. He would take a red cord—red being symbolic of sin and judgment and punishment—and place it on the head of the goat. This pictured that the symbolic transfer of sins had occurred.
AZAZEL.
This is the Hebrew word for the scapegoat, the innocent animal who becomes the carrier of the sins of the people. The word literally means something being “taken away” or “completely removed.”
The MAN WHO IS IN READINESS.
Jewish tradition adds that they would seek a Gentile to do this work, if one could be found who was willing.
The RED CORD.
Jewish tradition says that a red cord was used in this sacred confession of sins by the High Priest. He would take a red cord—red being symbolic of sin and judgment and punishment—and place it on the head of the goat. This pictured that the symbolic transfer of sins had occurred.
AZAZEL.
This is the Hebrew word for the scapegoat, the innocent animal who becomes the carrier of the sins of the people. The word literally means something being “taken away” or “completely removed.”
The MAN WHO IS IN READINESS.
Jewish tradition adds that they would seek a Gentile to do this work, if one could be found who was willing.
Time for our next stop: JOHN 19. John reports that Jesus stands before Pilate, falsely accused by religious leadership who are pleading for His death. Verse 1-2: Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. Question: If a crown made of thorns is pressed into your scalp, what color will form a ring around your head? Red.
A little later in this chapter we’re told that Pilate, having found no truth in the accusations against Jesus, presented Him to the crowd. And in v. 15 they shout something. What do you think they shouted? Not “crucify him!” The first thing they shout is Take Him away. They shout, “Azazel!” Then they shout, “Crucify him!”
Now, if you’re familiar with the Day of Atonement and the Azazel, then you realize that John sees the symbolism of the Old Testament being directly fulfilled. Verse 16 tells us that Pilate delivered Him over to them to be crucified. Jesus is led outside of the city of Jerusalem. Is He led out by Jews or Gentiles? By Gentiles. Jesus has a red ring around his head, the crowd chanting, “Azazel, azazel,” and a Gentile leading Him outside of the city. Christ the Lord is our scapegoat, carrying our sins away.
A little later in this chapter we’re told that Pilate, having found no truth in the accusations against Jesus, presented Him to the crowd. And in v. 15 they shout something. What do you think they shouted? Not “crucify him!” The first thing they shout is Take Him away. They shout, “Azazel!” Then they shout, “Crucify him!”
Now, if you’re familiar with the Day of Atonement and the Azazel, then you realize that John sees the symbolism of the Old Testament being directly fulfilled. Verse 16 tells us that Pilate delivered Him over to them to be crucified. Jesus is led outside of the city of Jerusalem. Is He led out by Jews or Gentiles? By Gentiles. Jesus has a red ring around his head, the crowd chanting, “Azazel, azazel,” and a Gentile leading Him outside of the city. Christ the Lord is our scapegoat, carrying our sins away.
But there is one more stop in this journey: HEBREWS 10. Remember that the Day of Atonement was an annual holy day. The High Priest went through all these elaborate preparations, the nation stopped what it was doing to gather, and two goats were brought year after year. Why was it repeated? Because people kept sinning, and the removal of sin by the Azazel wasn't permanent. Hebrews 10: 4 tells us that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Wouldn't it be good news if a way was found for sins to be eternally forgiven?! Look at what Hebrews tells us.
Jesus did it! He was the ultimate sacrifice for sin (corresponding to the first goat), the scapegoat to carry our sin and guilt away, and our High Priest. And now that His work is done, He has sat down.
One of the messages to us from these ancient pictures, completed in Christ, is…”THE GOAT HAS LEFT THE BUILDING.” When we are reminded of our failures and of our darkness, when our enemy Satan accuses us, using the sins of our past to keep us under his thumb in the present, we need to say, “Hey, the goat has left the building.”
When you feel loaded down and ashamed because of sins that have already been taken away by Christ, in whom you have put your faith, then you need to say to yourself, “Hold it right there! I don’t see a goat in the room! It’s gone, taken away, completely removed.”
This is the message of Holy Week! When you really believe that Jesus alone can remove your sin from you and make you right with God; when you repent of your sins and trust Him, you are born from above, born again, remade! You are not who you were. You’re a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come. You have new identity. You were a sinner. And yes, you still stumble, but you are now fundamentally defined as a saint. The Bible says it this way: There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! (Rom. 8:1)
One of the messages to us from these ancient pictures, completed in Christ, is…”THE GOAT HAS LEFT THE BUILDING.” When we are reminded of our failures and of our darkness, when our enemy Satan accuses us, using the sins of our past to keep us under his thumb in the present, we need to say, “Hey, the goat has left the building.”
When you feel loaded down and ashamed because of sins that have already been taken away by Christ, in whom you have put your faith, then you need to say to yourself, “Hold it right there! I don’t see a goat in the room! It’s gone, taken away, completely removed.”
This is the message of Holy Week! When you really believe that Jesus alone can remove your sin from you and make you right with God; when you repent of your sins and trust Him, you are born from above, born again, remade! You are not who you were. You’re a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come. You have new identity. You were a sinner. And yes, you still stumble, but you are now fundamentally defined as a saint. The Bible says it this way: There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! (Rom. 8:1)
