The Better High Priest
Pastor Matt Bell
Sermon Summary
In this exposition of Leviticus 16, Pastor Abraham demonstrates how the Old Testament Day of Atonement serves as a profound shadow pointing directly to the finished work of Jesus Christ. He highlights the absolute holiness of God in contrast to the deep, pervasive sinfulness of humanity, explaining that a holy God dwelling with a sinful people requires a blood atonement. By examining the high priest’s restricted access to the Holy of Holies, the sprinkling of atoning blood over the Ark of the Covenant, and the release of the scapegoat bearing the people's sins, the sermon illustrates the comprehensive nature of God's forgiveness. Ultimately, Pastor Abraham calls the congregation to stop striving for self-justification, recognize Jesus as the perfect, once-and-for-all High Priest and sacrifice, and rest confidently in His eternal redemption.
Sermon Transcript
Introduction: Finding Jesus in Leviticus
So this morning, I'm tasked with a portion of Scripture in a book of the Bible that many people see their Bible reading plans die in, okay? In this book, there's a lot of death and animal sacrifice, and sometimes Bible plans end up going that way as well. We're actually this morning going to be in the book of Leviticus, specifically Leviticus chapter 16.
Now I want to preface it with this. I love what 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17 says. It says all Scripture is breathed out by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. And God's people said, amen.
As we're going through Leviticus 16, we are not going to go through an expositional way of verse 1 through 34. We'd be here until the Super Bowl starts. So we're definitely not doing that this morning. But really, my efforts this morning are to show you Jesus. To show you Jesus even here in Leviticus 16. How many of you know we need Jesus in our lives? We need Him for everything. I'm reminded on the road to Emmaus, Jesus talked to a couple of disciples, and He went through the Old Testament scriptures and pointed to Himself, and that's exactly what I endeavor to do this morning: to show you Jesus.
So this morning, why don't we stand and I'm going to read just the first six verses of Leviticus 16. Open your Bibles there to Leviticus 16.
"The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, and the Lord said to Moses, 'Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat and have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist and wear the linen turban. These are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house.'"
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we come before You, God, in Your house with reverence for Your Word. But also with hearts that are open and grateful for the Word of God. God, I pray that You would speak through this passage and You would speak through Your servant this morning. God, I yield my words, I yield all my faculties this morning to You, Holy Spirit. Lord, we can do nothing apart from You, God, and we want to hear from You. We want Your Word more than anything, Lord. So I pray that Your Word would go forth in power this morning to Your people, to pierce the hearts of Your people. And even so, Lord, draw those who are not in Christ this morning, draw them to Jesus, Lord. May we see Jesus here in these short verses. In Jesus' name, and everybody said, amen.
Well, you may be seated this morning.
The Problem: A Holy God and a Sinful People
So how did we get here? Israel, the people of God, have just been constantly in sin, in rebellion toward God's covenant that He had given them. If you remember, Pastor Matt talked about a verse where they said that all the Lord has spoken, we will do, back in Exodus. So they're like, "Lord, we're going to do everything You said. We're going to follow everything You have spoken." And not too long after that, they're worshiping a golden idol at the foot of the mountain while Moses was speaking with God. There's idolatry, there's sin, and rebellion already seen in the beginning pages of Scripture and in God's people.
But how many of you know God's a God of mercy? Amen. And you can see His mercy even here. You can see His grace, His provision, even here. Despite God's people's rebellion, God wanted to dwell with His people. God wanted to have a tabernacle set up where He would dwell with His chosen people. And at the end of Exodus chapter 40, it ends off saying that God's glory filled this tabernacle that was built because God is going to dwell with His people.
And you might wonder, how can this be? Our God who is holy, amongst people who are sinful? I've already shown how sinful they are. Leviticus starts off and you see, even in the first few chapters, this sacrificial system is already set up. They provided multiple different offerings, such as the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering. I encourage you to go back and read these and study these in depth. But it spoke to the brokenness of man and really the holiness of God. In these chapters, we're also seeing that sin requires death. It requires substitution, and it requires blood.
Then as we progress closer to where we're going to be at this morning, we see this priesthood is ordained, and this priesthood was in charge of the tabernacle. There were laws of cleanliness and uncleanliness, and that brings us to what's known sometimes as the heart of the first five books of the Bible. The heart of the Torah: the Day of Atonement here in Leviticus 16.
Again, there's this tension: how can a holy God dwell with a sinful people? God is holy, man is sinful. Because of that, atonement is absolutely necessary. This wasn't just a problem for these Israelite people. This is a problem for all of mankind, for every single person. Atonement is the covering, removal, and cleansing of sin so that fellowship with God can be restored. That idea of covering sin is really seen here in Leviticus 16. But this idea that a price must be paid, blood must be shed, a life must be given in exchange for life—if God is going to dwell with His people, God provided in His grace this Day of Atonement. This day that was considered Israel's holiest day, this day of Sabbath.
Point One: Our God is Holy
When I started reading just this chapter alone, I could not get my mind away from the holiness of God. The songs we sang this morning testified of God's holiness. Our God is holy. There is nobody like our God. He is distinctly unique. He is in a category of His own. He is perfect in every single way. There is no fault in our God at all. There is no flaw in our God whatsoever.
Isaiah 6:3 says, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." Revelation 4:8, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty." Our God is holy. And His holiness defines everything about Him. His love is holy. His mercy is holy. His wrath is holy. His justice is holy. Everything about God is holy because He is holy. It's His otherness. He literally stands above it all, perfect, all by Himself. 1 Samuel 2:2 says, "There is none holy like the Lord." And God's holiness demands separation from sin. So this makes atonement necessary when a holy God and a sinful people are to be together.
Point Two: We Are Sinful
Point number two, we are sinful. This is an objective fact, y'all. Every single person here, you don't even have to go past yesterday. You could even think about maybe this morning, maybe getting the kids ready this morning, to see your need for God, your need for forgiveness of your sin. We are infected by sin, and man from his very birth is infected by sin. We are sinners literally by nature. It's not just that we choose to do sin—we do—but we're sinners by nature and by choice.
I like what Psalm 51:5 says. This is what David said: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 5:12, "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." Every single one of us is born a sinner. Nobody is excluded from this.
And the depths of our sin—I don't know if we have enough time to talk about that this morning. But it affects everything. We are corrupted to the very core of who we are: our minds, our consciences, our hearts, our motives, our desires. Everything is touched by sin. Romans 3 talks about how none is righteous, no, not even one. We stand therefore guilty before a holy God, and our sin brings separation from God.
So what do we do with this sin problem? The greatest issue humanity has ever had? We can't fix this on our own. The sin that enslaves, the sin that dominates, the sin that corrupts—we need atonement. We need God to fix this problem. Has God provided hope? Spoiler alert: He has. And I love what the Old Testament does in these shadows and these types. It's all pointing toward someone. It's all pointing toward Jesus.
Point Three: Sir, We Wish to See Jesus
Point number three is, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." In John 12:21, these people came to Philip and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." That's who we need more than anything in this life. As we go through Leviticus 16, have this in mind: we're going to see how Jesus is better in every single way.
In these first couple of verses, the tone is actually set by what happened six chapters ago when two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, go into the Most Holy Place, just flippant, not how God prescribed. They did it however they wanted to do it. It's never a good idea to go against God's way. Ever. It's always best to go God's way when God says we do. Period. End of story. But we need His help in this every day. So they get struck down because of this.
In verse two, God speaks to Moses: "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil." We can only approach God on His terms. We can only come at His invitation. There was an appointed time, an appointed way, and an appointed place.
Going into this Holy of Holies—just imagine what the tabernacle looks like. Inside this rectangular tent of meeting, the beginning part is the Holy Place. Then there's this big curtain that separates a back room, the Most Holy Place. It's where the Ark of the Covenant was laid. God's presence dwelt there on top of the mercy seat, the ornate lid on top of this rectangular box. On the mercy seat is where atoning blood was to be sprinkled. And God allowed only the high priest, one person, one time a year, to enter this place. That is restricted access.
But today, the access looks a little bit different. This access has been opened wide because of what Jesus did on the cross! What was once restricted has now been opened, and now as God's people, you have standing, unlimited access to God because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is nothing that we did; it's all because of what He did on the cross. Because of this, Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
We can come confidently because of what Jesus has done. We are a needy people. And the depths of our need we can't even explain, but Christ has it all. I don't know what need you've come in here with today, but Christ is your answer. If you're bearing sin that feels like this unbearable weight, give it to Jesus today. If you need healing today, Christ is your answer. Do we live in such a way that we go in prayer to our God, believing with confidence that He will provide for our needs? I pray that we do.
Aaron’s Offering and Our Greater High Priest
If you're reading Leviticus 16, Aaron's offering is seen in verses 6 and 11 through 14. Notice something: this high priest would have to make atonement for his sins first. Why? Because everybody is a sinner. That didn't exclude somebody with the title of high priest. Before he could come and minister to the people, before he could even come and atone for the sins of Israel, he had to first deal with his own sin and the sin of his house.
This morning, where do you stand with God? Are you right with God today? Is there unrepentant sin that you have in your life this morning? Give it to Jesus. Deal with your sin, lay it at the feet of Jesus. This also gave me a picture for the husbands. You are priests in your home, put in position there by God as representative heads of your home. Are you harboring secret sin today? Or is there sin in your household that's running rampant? Go to God on behalf of your family and ask Him to take care of that sin. Psalm 139:23-24 says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!"
We serve a greater High Priest than Aaron. Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, had no sin. He was the spotless, sinless Son of God. He didn't need to go and atone for His own sin, but He bore our sin upon Himself. Hebrews 4:14-15 says, "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." He is intimately acquainted with what you're going through.
Also, it says over twenty times, "Aaron" or "he shall," showing how only this one person would go in to do this work of atonement. He went in there alone. Similarly, Christ did it all on His own. No one helped Him. His work was perfect and sufficient once and for all time. Are you living this morning trying to earn your standing with God? Let me tell you right now, that is a fruitless endeavor. Stop it today and trust in Christ.
The Atoning Blood that Covers the Law
I want to point out something that happened when Aaron would go in. When he would sprinkle the atoning blood of that slain animal, he would sprinkle it on the Ark of the Covenant. What was inside that Ark? Inside was a representation of the sin of man. There was a jar of manna that represented Israel complaining against God. The tablets of the law were there, showing that the people of God were lawbreakers. And later on, there was this budding almond rod, which was a response to Israel's rebellion.
Picture this: God's presence is above this mercy seat, and underneath are these reminders of the rebellion of His people. "You broke my law. You complained about my manna. You resisted my authority." But this atoning blood would be sprinkled there. It would be this covering blood of another that would go between and cover the contents of what represented the sin of God's people.
In the same way, Jesus Christ has covered us in His blood. For 364 days out of the year, the law cries out, "You've broken my law! You've rejected my authority! Guilty!" But on the Day of Atonement, God saw the blood. Jesus offered us His perfect blood. Hebrews 9:12 says, "He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption." Have you been covered in the blood of Jesus this morning?
The Scapegoat and the Removal of Sin
Now we shift to the people's offering. We see this sin offering that was brought for them with two male goats. One would be sacrificed, and one was called the scapegoat—one literally escaping death that would be released out into the wilderness.
The first goat was slain for the sin of the people, making atonement for the Holy Place, the tent of meeting, and the altar. You see words like uncleanness, transgression, and sins, showing the depth of Israel's sinfulness. This should draw us to have more gratitude for what Christ has done for us. Don't become numb to the reality of the perfect sacrifice He offered for you.
Then the high priest would put his hands on the scapegoat. He would press down with pressure and confess all the iniquities, transgressions, and sins of the people onto the head of this animal. And then this goat was released into the wilderness. Charles Spurgeon talked about how they would let this goat wander, escorted out into the wilderness, until you could see it no more. The sin was gone. It is a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for us. I'm reminded of Psalm 103:12: "As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." He remembers our sin no more.
Resting in the Finished Work of Christ
During all this, the people were to afflict themselves, to humble oneself and even fast. It was a time of confession. Warren Wiersbe put it like this: "On that day, God called His people to get serious about sin." But they were doing no work, because atonement was being made for them. Salvation is entirely a work of God. It is not ours. We have a tendency to try to contribute to the work of Christ. We have to strive to enter the rest of God, to rest in the finished work of Jesus.
Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Are you resting fully in the finished work of Jesus Christ this morning? Charles Spurgeon said Christian believers should do three things as they appreciate this atonement: we should afflict our souls in humility and repentance, rest from our works of self-righteousness, and behold our High Priest in His glorious garments.
This Old Testament sacrificial system was repeated every single year. It was temporary. We know what it looks like when something is unfinished. But Jesus Christ provided a finished work, and He sat down because the work was complete. Hebrews 9:24 and 26 says, "For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly... for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."
Jesus is the better High Priest. Jesus is the better sacrifice. Jesus is the better scapegoat. Jesus has the better blood. These shadows were temporary, pointing to the eternal substance of what was accomplished in Jesus. Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
I plead with the unbeliever in this place today who does not know Jesus savingly—not just know about Him, but who doesn't know Christ as Lord and Savior. Turn to Jesus this morning. Forsake your sin, repent, and trust Him with all that you have. Jesus came from heaven to earth, offered this perfect sacrifice for our sin, died on the cross, and didn't stay dead. He rose on the third day in victory and power. He ascended to the right hand of the Father, and the work is finished.
I pray that we would take our sin seriously, that we would treasure the cross deeply, and that we would rest fully in Christ. Amen.