Leviticus 4: 27-31
Acts 2: 32, 33
We have read of the sin-offering. I should say at the outset that what we have in these verses is a picture. The New Testament gives us the teaching; the Old Testament gives us the pictures which illustrate that teaching. I hope that, as we go through these verses together, we shall see that they point to something. I should say that they point to Someone, our Lord Jesus, and they point to the great and glorious work that He has done by which guilty sinners can be forgiven.
The first thing to notice is that this was the instruction that God gave for whenever an Israelite sinned. This is what he had to do. The very first thing it says is, “And if any one of the people of the land sin ... and be guilty”. When we sin we become guilty in the sight of God. Someone might say, ’Is that serious? Does it matter that I have sinned?’. Men and women say that. But each of us needs to understand that if we have sinned, and we all have, we are guilty in the sight of God. What does it mean to be guilty? It means that God has something against us. It means there is something which we can be held accountable for. One of the most serious things about being a guilty sinner is that it brings in distance between us and God, and it makes us unfit for the presence of God. As guilty sinners we cannot come into God’s presence, and the reason why that is so solemn is that if we die in that state, that position becomes fixed, and that means that we shall be shut out of the presence of God for ever. How solemn that is! As guilty sinners our sins stand between us and God. It does matter when we sin, because God has a holy nature that is offended by our sins.
The next thing to notice is that once an Israelite had sinned the only way in which that sin could be dealt with in a way that satisfied God, was by him bringing a sin-offering. It was no good if he were to say, ‘I promise never to commit that sin again’. It was no good if he were to say, ‘I am going to try and be good for the rest of my life’, because even if he succeeded in not sinning for the rest of his life (which we know is not possible), it still would not take away, in the sight of God, the sins that he had already committed. We too need to understand that it does not matter whether you committed a particular sin yesterday, or whether the sin was committed last year, or whether it was fifty years ago, the passing of time can never wipe it out in the sight of God. It is important to understand that the only way this Israelite could be right with God was by bringing the sin-offering that God instructed was to be brought. It was the only way. There was absolutely nothing else he could do to remove that sin other than to bring to God a sin-offering. So we need to understand that God has provided a way for us. He has provided a means through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ whereby our sins can be removed from His sight in a way that satisfies Him. The first thing I want you to understand, dear friend, is that nothing else will do. Nothing else will do but the way of salvation that God presents to you in the gospel today, in the Person and through the work of His beloved Son.
So God says, “And if any one of the people of the land sin through inadvertence”. Inadvertence refers to something that was done carelessly, or something that was done in ignorance. It was a feature of the law that if someone sinned wilfully - that is the opposite to “inadvertence” - there was no forgiveness. It is solemn to think of it. There was no sin-offering for that man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath: he had to die, Num 15: 32-36. There was no sin-offering for the man who blasphemed the Name: he had to die, Lev 24: 11-14. If men or women sinned wilfully under the law, if they sinned with a high hand, there was no forgiveness. Now you think of our position. We have sinned carelessly. We have sinned in ignorance. There have been instances when we were ignorant of the fact that we were sinning. But we have done more than that, have we not? We have done things which we knew were not pleasing to God. We have sinned in defiance of Him. If we had been under the law there would have been no hope for us. The wonder of the glad tidings is that God is forgiving sins like that too. Sins that were committed carelessly - Jesus died for those ones; sins that were committed in ignorance - Jesus suffered for those ones too; but even those sins that we have committed in defiance of God - Jesus has suffered for those ones as well. Oh, the grace and mercy of God that He is offering forgiveness, free forgiveness, to persons who had no thought for Him, who had no interest in Him at all, and no consideration for His rights or for His holiness. God is offering free forgiveness today through the work of one blessed Man. I say again, oh, the mercy of God, how great it is!
So it says “if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge”. Now you notice that it emphasises that it is “his sin” here. It is mentioned twice in verse 28. The Israelite would have to understand that nobody else could offer an offering for his sin, neither could he bring a sin-offering for anyone else’s. We should understand that when it comes to the gospel preaching, it is a question between you and God. It is a question between me and God. It is your sins and God; and it is my sins and God. Each of us stands in our own responsibility to God. Each of us must settle with God for himself in relation to the things that we have done. I can tell you, dear young people, that others have prayed for you; others long for the salvation of your soul. Who knows what godly fathers and mothers go through on behalf of their children? But ultimately it is a matter between you and God. What would parents not do for their children? Yet when it comes to the salvation of their souls it is a matter between them and God. You personally must come to God in the way that He has provided. It is “his sin”; it is your sins that need to be settled between you and God Himself.
It says, “if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge”. I wonder how it is between you and God. Let me ask you that simply. One of the purposes of the gospel is to exercise us about our relationship with God. Let me ask you, how is it between you and God? Is everything all right? I would plead with you to be honest about this. You cannot deceive God; but you can deceive yourself. Everything is “naked and laid bare to his eyes”, Heb 4: 13. He sees all. He knows what there is that may be lying upon your conscience. He knows what questions there may be going through your mind. But I can tell you that your soul is precious to Him. You may feel that your soul is not precious to anyone else. It may not be precious to you. But your soul is precious to God and He wants to save you. He wants to bless you. I ask you, how is it between you and God? There is no burden like a guilty conscience. God wants you to know that if there are sins upon your conscience, if there are matters that need to be settled, He has found a way. He is presenting you with a way through His beloved Son whereby you can not only be freely forgiven, but you can be established in a free and happy relationship with the blessed God Himself. I would urge you to consider the needs of your own soul. If God were to require your soul of you today, if you were to appear before God’s judgment throne today, how would it be between you and Him? If there is anything outstanding between you and God, now is the opportunity to be saved. There is no better opportunity than the present moment to have your sins forgiven and to have everything settled, blessedly settled, with a God who is holy and righteous.
So He says, “if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge, then he shall bring his offering, a goat”. Now, there is a very, very sweet and blessed principle that God brings out here. As guilty sinners we deserve His judgment. As guilty sinners we deserve to die for the things that we have done. But what God is showing in these verses is that He is prepared to accept a substitute. He is prepared to accept Another in your place. As guilty sinners, as I said, we deserve nothing but the severest of God’s judgment. And if God were to mete that out upon us you could not quarrel with it. But although that would be perfectly righteous, it would not be love. It would not be mercy. It would not satisfy the heart of the blessed God. On the other hand, if God were to say, ‘Let us forget what you have done’, that might be thought to be love, but it certainly would not be righteous. So the great question which the gospel addresses is, how is it that the righteousness of God can be satisfied in order that His mercy might flow freely towards the sinner? We stand as guilty before Him. There is no question about that. We deserve His judgment. There is no question about that. The question is how could God’s rights be fully met in order that the desires of His heart, the desires of blessing for persons like you and me, might freely flow forth? The judgment must fall. If the judgment were in any way evaded God would not be perfectly righteous. But the glory of the gospel is that He is prepared to accept a substitute in your place. And, think of the wonder of this, that not only is God prepared, as a matter of principle, to accept a substitute in your place, but He has provided the Victim Himself. How blessed! I say again, oh the grace of God!
One thing that was to mark this goat was that it was to be “without blemish”. We can understand that. You could not just offer anything to God. But where would you find someone without blemish? Does anyone here know anyone without any sins? Have you ever met anyone like that, any men or women, or boys or girls, who have never sinned? You see, you could not offer anything to God; but, thank God, there is one blessed Man of whom scripture says, “in him sin is not”, 1 John 3: 5. He was the perfect Offering, and God is presenting Him to you tonight. Not only is God prepared, in principle, to accept another in your place, but He has provided the very One Himself: and that One is His beloved Son. “God will provide himself with the sheep for a burnt-offering”, Gen 22: 8. Oh the mercy of God, that He would deliver up Jesus to suffering and death in the place of guilty sinners like you and me! We were the ones who had offended Him. Jesus was always pleasing to Him. We were the ones who despised God, and sinned against Him, not once or twice, but time and time again. Jesus is the One who could say, “I have glorified thee on the earth”, John 17: 4. Yet the wonder of the gospel is that God would give Him up to die. God laid upon Him the sins of those who have put their faith in the Saviour in order that they might not perish, but that their sins might be forgiven. Well might we refer to Him as “our Saviour God”, 1 Tim 2: 3. Oh how much He wants you to be saved, dear friend! How much He desires your blessing! I can tell you that He is concerned about you. He is concerned that you have not entered into the blessing that He has in mind for you. He is concerned that you are still at a distance from Him, and He is appealing to you tonight. He has given His Son to die for you. He has given the Lord Jesus to die in the place of guilty sinners in order that our sins, those sins that have offended Him, might be forgiven.
So the scripture says so beautifully that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”, 1 Tim 1: 15. No other man has ever come into the world with a purpose, but Jesus did. And what was that purpose? It was “to save sinners”. You think of Him leaving His home of light and love and glory and coming into a wicked world, a sad, dark world, where He knew that only sorrow and suffering awaited Him. Yet still He came. He was found amongst men. He came in order that guilty sinners like you and me might be saved. I can say that He came for you because you are a sinner, and I can say that He came for me because I am a sinner. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. He had you in mind.
It is solemn to understand that it was not enough that He should come into the world if guilty sinners like you and I were to be saved. I say that with the greatest care and reverence. Men say that He was a good Man and He certainly was. Men say that He has left us an example, and He has certainly done that. But those things, blessed in their place, were not enough, if sinners like you and me were to be saved. What the scripture before us shows is this: if God is to be free to forgive the sinner, then another must bear the judgment. If Jesus was to be the Saviour of sinners, then He must die. How solemn that is! The hymn writer says:
No act of power could e’er atone,
No wonder-working word
Could, from the brightness of the throne,
Make love’s sweet voice be heard.
If sinners ever were to know
The depths of love divine,
All Calv’ry’s weakness and its woe,
Blest Saviour, must be Thine.
(Hymn 431)
You may ask, ’He who had performed so many miracles for the healing and blessing of others, was there no act of power that could have saved sinners like you and me? Was there nothing that He could have done on that line that would have effected our salvation?’. No. This very scripture before us brings out that if God is to be free righteously to forgive you your sins, then another must bear the judgment, and that is what Jesus did. The prophet says so feelingly that “Jehovah hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all”, Isa 53: 6.
So He went on to the cross to meet God, to meet God in your place and mine, that He might work out with God the eternal blessing of our souls. How great He is! What a blessed Saviour Jesus is! Oh that we were able to speak more worthily of Him. Men could say, “He saved others, himself he cannot save”, Matt 27: 42. He must go that way. Think of that longing prayer that went up to the Father, “My Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me”, Matt 26: 39. Do you think if it had been possible the Father would not have spared Jesus such terrible sufferings? Do you think if it had been possible God would not have found another way? The solemn fact, and it brings out how guilty we were, is that there was no other way. It was not possible but that Jesus should take the sinner’s place Himself, and should receive from God what we as guilty sinners deserved. Blessed be His Name, He has done it! Blessed be His Name, He has taken it all upon Himself! Blessed be His precious Name, He has exhausted the judgment of God so that we might be forgiven!
So it says in verse 29 that the guilty Israelite “shall lay his hand on the head of the sin-offering”. What a moment this would have been as they entered into the court of the tabernacle and here was this goat. Leviticus 16: 21 shows that the laying on of the hands involved the confession of sins. Here, the guilty Israelite, in bringing sin-offering, would have to say what it was for. He would understand that as he held his hand there his guilt was transferred to that goat. He stood before God as the guilty one. He was the one who had offended God, but as he held his hand there, and as he confessed his sin, so his guilt was taken off him and it was laid upon that goat. Solemn moment! But what does this mean for us? Just as the guilty Israelite had to lay his hand on the head of the goat, so I would appeal to you today that you might reach out in simple faith and lay hold of the Saviour for yourself. You dear young people, I appeal to you especially, that you might reach out and, as it were, lay your hand upon the Saviour, that you might confess your sins, that you might speak to God about them, that you might tell Him what it is that you have done, that you might understand that as you do that, so God will lift off you the burden of your sins and place them upon the head of His beloved Son. I would urge you to do it. How important the confession of your sins is. How important it is that you speak to God about what you have done, because it is God that you have offended and it is only God that can forgive you. How important it is to lay hold of the precious Saviour for yourself in personal faith, and understand that all your guilt, all your responsibility, all your sins have been transferred to Him.
Now, think of what it means that Jesus should take the place of the guilty sinner before God. He now stands before God as the One who must answer to God for the sins that I have done. I am referring to what took place at the cross. With my sins upon Him, Jesus stands in the place of the sinner before God. As a consequence, there at the cross, God treated Him as if He were the sinner! He Himself was perfect. We would jealously guard the spotless character of our beloved Saviour. But, with my sins upon Him, He stood before God to answer to God for the things that I have done. And there at the cross Jesus bore every one of my sins as if they were His own! What matters these are! Think of the judgment of God falling upon Him! Think of God smiting Jesus! What for? For the things that I have done. "He was wounded for our transgressions”, Is 53: 5. Who wounded Him? It was God. And why? For the sins that I have done. He was “bruised”. Who bruised Him? It was God. And why? For my iniquities. Jesus received from God all that I as a guilty sinner deserved.
It says that, having laid his hand on the head of the sin-offering, he, the guilty Israelite, was to “slaughter the sin-offering”. He was to slaughter it. Did you notice that? It was not the priest who put the goat to death. It was the guilty Israelite himself. What feelings would go through his mind as he raised the knife to slaughter this goat, as he looked at this innocent creature before him, and as he understood that this creature which had never sinned against God as he had, was going to have to die for his sin. This creature, who had never offended God as he, the guilty Israelite, had, would nevertheless have to suffer and die for what he had done. As I look to the cross, as I see the precious sufferings of the Lord Jesus, I understand that it was because of what I have done that He suffered like that. It is for the things that I have done that Jesus suffered in such a terrible way upon the cross. Sins which, as I have said, we commit so carelessly, sins that we commit wilfully, how terrible do these sins look when I see them upon my beloved Saviour, and I see the holy wrath of God poured out upon His blessed head.
So it says that he had to “slaughter the sin-offering” - notice this lovely reference - “at the place of the burnt-offering”. The other side of it is that Jesus offered Himself willingly to God. That is the burnt-offering. Why did He do that? Because He was thinking for God. Jesus offered Himself to God because He knew what was in God’s heart; He knew the desires of blessing that God had; and He knew that unless another bore the judgment that we deserved, there could be no blessing for us. Jesus offered Himself willingly because He had you in mind. He offered Himself willingly because He knew that unless He did, you and I would have been lost for ever. Jesus offered Himself willingly because apart from His precious sacrifice we would have been without a spark of hope. Jesus offered Himself willingly because, having done so, in virtue of His precious sufferings and death, He has secured for us eternal blessing. What a Saviour! See how meekly He went to the cross! How patiently He bore all that was heaped upon Him. Blessed be His precious Name, through His mighty sacrifice He has exhausted the judgment of God so that there should be none left, not one bit left, for those who have put their trust in Him. How blessed that is! I appeal to everyone here: have you put your trust in the Saviour? Have you known what it is to confess your sins to God? Are you conscious that all is clear between you and God because of the work that Jesus has done?
So it says, “And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt-offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar". This speaks of the blood of Jesus as satisfying the rights of God. It was poured out at the bottom of the altar. God looks upon that precious blood, and He says that the work has been done. The blood witnesses first of all to the fact that His life was truly given up, but it witnesses too to the fact that the work is completely finished. God says, ‘There is nothing now to hinder Me coming out in full blessing. There is nothing now to hinder Me coming out in full forgiveness to those who avail themselves of His mighty sacrifice’. The pouring out of the blood in that way involves that it is entirely reserved for God - it cannot be taken up or used by any other. Thankfully we can appropriate the result of the outpouring. The scripture says, "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin”, 1 John 1: 7. There is power, wondrous cleansing power, in that precious blood! We commend Him to you, the Saviour, and His precious blood.
Then we have the fat, and you will notice that the fat is burned in order that it might be “a sweet odour to Jehovah”. We have often been reminded that the fat speaks to us of the excellence of the offering. The fat is something which only comes to light when the animal dies. I speak carefully, I trust, in connection with the blessed, holy Person of our Lord Jesus, but just as there was something excellent about all His holy life, just as there was something morally excellent about His words, His ways and His precious walk, I think at the cross there was (words fail us) something superlatively excellent. I think it lies in this: all through His precious life He was wholly devoted to the will of God, but He was wholly devoted to the will of God during His life even while He was enjoying the sweetest of communion with His Father; but there upon the cross He was just as devoted to the will of God even while He was being forsaken by Him! I link that with the fat, the excellence of the offering. Think of the sweet odour that ascended to God as He looked down upon one blessed Man who was wholly for God, just as wholly for God even when God had forsaken Him. There has never been a Man like Him! The cross has been referred to as the moral wonder of the universe. Think of the sweet odour that ascended to God from the precious sacrifice of Jesus.
Then it says, “and the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him”. It is very lovely that forgiveness comes in immediately after the reference to the “sweet odour”. It reminds one of what John says, “your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake”, 1 John 2: 12. If you will come to Him through repentance and faith, God will forgive your sins, not because you deserve to be forgiven, but He will do it for Jesus’ sake. He will do it because there is one blessed Man who has so infinitely satisfied His heart in respect of the putting away of your sins. You say, ’I do not deserve to be forgiven’. That is true, dear friend. Many of us have wearied ourselves seeking something in ourselves that would merit God’s forgiveness. You will never find it. But God will forgive your sins tonight not because you deserve it, though you need it, but He will do it for Jesus’ sake. “I write to you, children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake”. You draw near to God tonight, you mention that precious Name, and you will find you have immediate access to God. You mention the precious Name of Jesus and you will find that God is ready to hear you. If you ask Him to forgive you for Jesus’ sake then God will do it. He will do it because He owes it to one blessed Man who “offered himself spotless to God”, Heb 9: 14. God is doing honour to one blessed Man through every sinner that He receives in Jesus’ Name. He is showing what He thinks of that blessed Man and of the work that He has done. And God is going to fill heaven with sinners saved by grace, for He will have an eternal witness to what His thoughts are of one blessed Man, and of His appreciation of His precious blood.
That is what led me to Acts 2. This is the answer on God’s part to the work that Jesus has done. Peter says, “This Jesus has God raised up”. You say, ’Which Jesus was that, Peter? Which Jesus is it that you are talking about?’. It is “this Jesus”. He refers earlier to “Jesus the Nazaraean”, v 22. The same blessed Man who was once here upon the earth, the same blessed Man who once took the sinner’s place, that is the Jesus that God has raised up. That is the Jesus, the very same, who is now “exalted by the right hand of God”. I know that you have heard the gospel before. I know that you are familiar with the terms of the gospel already, but think of the wonder of this, that there is a Man seated at the right hand of God tonight, and that that is the Man who was once “wounded for our transgressions”. Think of the glory of this, that there should be a Man seated at the right hand of God, a Man where no man has ever been before, but not any man, but the same blessed Man who was once “bruised for our iniquities”. You say, ’Where is He?’. There He is! Do you want to get God’s view of Him? Just look up, and see the place that God has given to Him! Do you want to know that His work has satisfied God? Look at the place that God has given to Him? Do you want to know whether your sins have been fully dealt with in the sight of God? God has “highly exalted him”, Phil 2: 9. He would not be there if anything had been left undone. He would not be there with your sins still upon Him. But the fact that God has raised Him from amongst the dead is the most powerful and outstanding testimony that you could have to God’s delight in Him as a Person and His satisfaction with the work that He has done.
Then it says, “Having therefore been exalted by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which ye behold and hear”. Now here is something else which God has done to honour Jesus. He has not only given Him the highest place, He has not only put Him at His right hand - no other man could fill that place - but He has done more: He has made Jesus the Giver of the Holy Spirit. There is something else that God has in mind in the gospel, not only that your sins should be forgiven, but also that you might receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now the Holy Spirit has been referred to as the greatest gift which even God could give. Whom is God going to entrust with the distribution of this precious gift? God is very interested in who receives the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is freely given, but He is not given to just anyone and everyone. Whom could God entrust with the administration of this wonderful gift? He has bestowed it upon the Lord Jesus, a further honour, a further testimony, to God’s approbation of Him; that, having been “exalted by the right hand of God”, He has also “received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit”. And what is He doing? He is pouring it out. “He has poured out this which ye behold and hear.” I love some of these scripture expressions: “my blood, which is poured out for you”, Luke 22: 20. You get some sense of the depth and fulness of divine love. He has “poured out” the Holy Spirit.
Now, the question, of course, that must be raised with each one of us is, have we received the Holy Spirit? Perhaps I could raise that with every person in this room, every man and woman, and every boy and girl too. Have you received the gift of the Holy Spirit? God from His side is ready to give, but have you received? It is possible to be a believer on the Lord Jesus and not have received the Holy Spirit. I do not say that that is normal, but it is possible. The question was once raised with certain persons: “Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye had believed?” Acts 19: 2. Perhaps we could ask that of you, if you are a believer: did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed, or was it some time later, or are you perhaps not sure whether you have ever received the Holy Spirit? God would like to raise interest with you, and exercise, as to this wonderful gift that is available for every person who has had his sins forgiven. God desires that you might receive the Holy Spirit, and He would point you to the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus is the Giver of the Holy Spirit, the Giver of living water. God would point you to Him, and we would point you to Him, that if there be any doubt in your mind as to whether you have received the Holy Spirit, you might have to do with the Lord Jesus about it.
You will not get far without the Holy Spirit. Just to be very simple and plain about it, you will not even enjoy the forgiveness of your sins without the Holy Spirit, and you certainly cannot enjoy the love of God without the Holy Spirit. You have probably heard the brethren speaking about the assembly, and the Christian circle. Until you have received the Holy Spirit you remain outside the Christian circle as far as enjoyment is concerned. You can see how important it is that we should receive the Holy Spirit. Above all, the Holy Spirit links us with our beloved Saviour in the place where He is now. It is not only that He has been here and died for us, but He is now exalted. The Holy Spirit makes Him real to our souls, He brings His glory into our hearts and, especially, I think, He gives us some impression of God’s thoughts about Him.
Oh what a Saviour He is, the Lord Jesus! Think of what he has suffered for us! Dear friends and brethren, He is commended to you in the glad tidings today. There is no reason why anyone here should not have his sins forgiven. I go back to the sin-offering again. It was the only thing that could remove that sin from the sight of God. There was nothing else that could remove that guilty stain. And the only way to settle your sins with God tonight is through personal faith in the Saviour and in His precious blood. We commend Him to you on God’s behalf, and trust that God may bless the word to each of our souls.
Malvern
9th May 2010