I invite you to turn again this evening in your Bibles to Leviticus chapter 16. Page 95 if you're using the Bibles in the seats, Leviticus chapter 16. We'll be looking this evening just at the end of this text, not the very end, but verses 29 through 31. We're looking for Christ. We're looking for Christ because He says that He's there. And I've suggested, and I'll probably repeat each time just because I think it's helpful for me to hear them again and again. We're using two Ps, two Ts, and two Cs to look for Christ. The two Ps are progress and promises. The two Ts are types and themes. And the two Cs are compare and contrast. We're looking for Christ because he says that he's in the Old Testament. In fact, he says that it's all about him. And so we believe him and we look for him. As we saw this morning, the day of atonement was a day for the faithful Israelite to be confronted with the weight of their sin, but also to see God's provision of a substitute. But as we'll see in the text that we're focusing on this evening, it was also for the faithful Israelite a day to humble yourself. So let's hear from God and then consider His word together. Leviticus chapter 16, verses 29 through 31. And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord for all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves. It is a statute forever. Let's ask God in prayer to teach us from his word. Please join me in your hearts. Our Father in heaven, might we continue to learn from your day of atonement about ourselves and about you and about Christ. Would you open our eyes that we would behold wonderful things from your law, we ask in Jesus' name, amen. This day was given to the Israelites, a day to be continued year after year. And in these particular verses, there is a focus that it was a day to humble yourselves, or a day to afflict yourselves, or a day to deny yourselves. All of those ideas are carried in that word. And this is a response to God's atonement. It's a response to God's atonement. In many ways, it's like Ephesians 2.10, which follows Ephesians 2.8.9. Many of us know Ephesians 2.8.9, for it is by grace that you are saved through faith. And this, not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Because God has saved us by faith, we are called to respond with good works. And for the faithful Israelite, and I believe by application for us as Christians today, because God has provided atonement, On this day that God was providing atonement, the faithful Israelite was to afflict themselves, to deny themselves, to humble themselves. It was not a day, it was not a means to find atonement. It wasn't that if they afflicted themselves enough, if they denied themselves enough, if they humbled themselves enough, that God would accept them. Just as it is not, if we have enough faith, if the faith comes from us, then we'll be saved. No, it's a gift from God, not of works, so that no one can boast. And throughout the ages, God's people and those now who continue to practice Old Testament Judaism get confused about this. Looking up two different modern day Jewish websites, they say this. The rabbis declared prayer, repentance, and charity avert the evil decree. That's salvation by works. If you have an evil decree from God because of your sin, but you can overcome that by prayer and repentance and charity are good works. And then they also say, suffering is also regarded as a means of atonement and is considered more effective than sacrifice to win God's favor. Now that's not a particularly Jewish idea. I've talked to people and sometimes as I'm talking to non-Christians, I'll ask the question, why should God let you into heaven? And I've actually been surprised at how often people have said to me, well, I've had a hard life. And because I've had a hard life, God owes me heaven. That's the same idea that the rabbis are saying. Suffering is a means of atonement? No, it's not. And another site says this, the act of atonement, this was the annual atonement, makes the claim that as human beings we are able to change and improve ourselves. Thus we ask for one more year in which to continue this journey of change and improvement. This is a Jewish person saying this is what we believe about the day of atonement. We contain within ourselves the potential for righteousness and need time to actualize this potential. In other words, God, I'm getting better, but I'm not there yet. I need another year. And if you give me another year, I'll be good enough. Or maybe another 10 years or 20 years. Humbling yourself is a response to atonement, not a means of atonement. The high priest, as we saw this morning, makes atonement for himself, for the tabernacle, for the altar, for the people. No one satisfies God on his own, by his own effort. Even the priest atoning for himself was directly according to the command of God. and only in the way that God commanded. And so what is this response that God's people were called to? A response to God's atonement. To deny, to humble, to afflict oneself. And I use those three words because those are the three English words that this word in Hebrew is most often translated. depending on your English translation, the ESV, it says you shall afflict yourselves. The Christian Standard Bible says it's a day for self-denial. And others will use generally one of those three words. It's not that they're three different things, just three different ways of saying essentially the same thing. But sometimes if we think of afflicting ourselves, we might be We might at least think of something that we probably understand is not what this is about. It's not some kind of self-harm, hoping that God will see that and be appeased. That was the action of the prophets of Baal. As Elijah and the prophets of Baal came together and called upon their God, and these false prophets of a false God cut themselves with knives and said, Oh, Baal, hear us. That's not what this is talking about. But it is a self-denial. And so Jewish people today on the Day of Atonement practice particular areas of self-denial. And those particular areas are not in themselves sinful, though they're not a means to accomplish God's atonement. They deny eating and drinking. They don't eat, they don't drink on the Day of Atonement. They don't wash. Some of you kids would be happy if you didn't have to wash before you went to church. They don't anoint themselves, and it's not a prophetic anointing, but applying oils or perfumes. Can't wear perfume on the Day of Atonement. They don't wear leather shoes. I guess you can wear other shoes, just not leather shoes. And they avoid marital intimacy. Those are the things that they deny on the Day of Atonement. And those things are not in and of themselves sinful unless they think that somehow in doing those things God will accept them. That's not what this is about. It's a response, not a means. Daniel, in chapter 10 of his prophecy, after hearing, in response to a vision from God, we're told that he set himself to humble himself. And in that humbling himself, We're told that he mourned for three weeks. He ate no rich food, no meat, no wine, and no oil on his body. That's the picture of this self-denial, this humility, this self-affliction. And I think it would help us, as I tried to encourage you this morning, to consider the Israelite mind. These faithful Israelites, not those who were just going through the motions, but those who truly desire to seek after God, were gathered around the tabernacle. Leviticus 23, telling us about the Day of Atonement, said that it was a sacred assembly. And so the people of God were gathered around the tabernacle. And they were commanded to rest. They were commanded to deny themselves. And they would have understood this is serious business. This is about me and my sin which offends God. And this is about God's means of dealing with my sin. My sin is great and my need is great to be made at one. That's what atonement is in the English language, to be made at one with God. And so there is this denying self, humbling self, even afflicting self. It may involve fasting. Fasting is not commanded here in Leviticus 13, but often fasting accompanies this word. Just because it accompanies doesn't mean that's always what's required and fasting is not commanded, but often this word of humbling is accompanied by fasting. So we read in Psalm 35. This is the psalmist talking about his enemies and how concerned he was even for his enemies. He said, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I humbled myself with fasting. That humbling or self-affliction, self-denial and fasting. The prophet Isaiah talks about this as well, but he talks about it in criticizing the people of God who thought somehow their fasting would earn them God's favor. He quoted them as saying this, Why have we fasted, but you have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but you have not noticed. In other words, hey God, are you paying attention? Are you looking at what good people we're being? We're humbling ourselves. We're fasting. Why aren't you paying attention, God? And the prophet said, you do as you please on the day of your fast. And you oppress your workers. And then a little bit later he said, will the fast I choose be like this? And again, this is spoken as a rebuke. A day for a person to deny himself. It's the same word. To bow his head like a reed and to spread out sackcloth and ashes. Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord? In other words, if you're going through the motions so that God will see you and accept you on the basis of what you've done, you've completely missed the point of the Day of Atonement. God needs to do what only God can do and the response of the faithful is to humble themselves and perhaps in that humbling to give up food now probably none of us like to give up food very long and of course you can't give it up for too long but sometimes you'll give up food for something more important it always surprises me a little bit when people say I was just too busy to eat That's not the way my system works. We want food, and so sometimes to give up food in response to what God has done in His grace is not a bad thing, as long as we're not sort of waving a flag. What is it Jesus said? When you fast, don't put on sackcloth. Put oil on your face, look good, so that God sees your fast, and God rewards you, not the people around you. So it's humbling, it's denying self. It may involve fasting. It's hating your sin and turning from it. That's the response that God asks from his people. Hate your sin and turn from it. We're gonna sing at the end from Psalm 38, I confess my iniquity, I am sorry for my sin. The psalmist speaks just a couple of psalms before that, Psalm 36. And here again it's in a negative sense. In other words, don't be flattered with yourself. and hate your iniquity, recognize your sin, acknowledge your sin before God, hate it, and turn from it. That's the image here. That's what the people of God were called to. Self-denial, perhaps fasting, but hating your sin, and turn it from it. And when were they to do this? Well, every July 10th. Well, not really. In our calendar, it would be July 10th. It's closer to October 10th in the Jewish calendar. on the tenth day of the seventh month every year they were to afflict themselves in this way, to deny themselves in this way. Now that doesn't mean they could never afflict themselves or deny themselves at other times. It doesn't mean that they could never deny themselves and fast as long as they weren't doing it so God would notice them or the people would notice them. If they were doing it in genuine sorrow over their sin, in genuine hatred for their sin, Then God was pleased with that. Not pleased in a saving way, but pleased in a response way. Once every year on the 10th day of the 7th month they were to do that. And we saw this morning in the Day of Atonement that this once a year ceremony was not enough. Self-affliction, self-humbling is not enough. And it will never be enough. And it's for that reason that we had to have Jesus humble himself for us. Jesus humbled himself for us. He was afflicted by men and by God. And you might think, well that's not self-affliction. but he was willing to undergo this affliction. There is a sense of self-denial in the work of Christ in humbling himself to be afflicted by men and by God. We read in the most Christ-centered, probably the most Christ-centered text in the Old Testament, Isaiah 53, He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. As one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised and we esteemed Him not. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. But we were told in the whole of the Scripture that Christ willingly undertook that affliction by men and by God against Himself. It goes on to tell us in verse 10 of Isaiah 53, it was the will of the Lord to crush Him, to put Him to grief. And Christ willingly accepted that affliction. He willingly accepted the abandonment of his father so that we could be saved. And even more significantly, he willingly humbled himself, humbled himself even unto death. Greg prayed that in his opening prayer, reminded us, or maybe it was in your comment about one of the Psalms. Greg said it. God said it. The fact that Greg thought it and I thought it in the context of God saying it is a great thing. He humbled himself unto death. And Paul tells the Philippians that as he's telling them how they should be. He says, adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who existing in the form of God did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped. Instead, he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taken on the likeness of humanity, and when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. As Jesus prepared to go to the cross, he told his disciples, I am deeply grieved to the point of death, remain here and stay awake with me. And they fell asleep every time. They could not stay awake with him. He had to bear this burden himself. But he willingly humbled himself unto death. You see, Jesus tells us that humble is his heart. Jesus has a heart of humility. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me because I am lowly and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. And so the faithful ones sees that Jesus humbled himself for us and respond to Christ's salvation. And our response to Christ's salvation is not much different from the faithful Israelites response to God's atonement. There's a response with joy, a response with gratitude, a response with humility and self-denial, but it's not for us a way to earn God's salvation. There are people who say, just be like Jesus. And if you could be like Jesus, that would be enough. If you could be perfect, that would be enough. You wouldn't need Christ's atoning work, but you can't. And you know that, and I know that. We can't get through a day without failing in our response to God. Is a Christian called to humble him or herself? I believe that the answer is yes. in response, in response to Christ's salvation. And so the Christian is invited to deny, to humble yourself, to accept affliction. Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus. Jesus told his disciples, it's repeated in Matthew and Mark and Luke's gospel, if anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Do you want to follow after Jesus? Do you want to be a disciple of Jesus? Jesus calls you to deny yourself, just as God called the believer in the Old Testament. Deny yourself and follow Christ. It's not just in response to Jesus though. We looked a number of weeks ago in Romans chapter 12. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud. Instead associate with the humble. Don't be wise in your own estimation. Consider others and their concerns as more important than your own. Humble yourself. That's the call of the Word of God to the believer. Paul writes to the Ephesians and he says, walk worthy of the calling that you have received with all humility. Now we dare not ever get to the point where we're proud of our humility. Look how humble I am. God, I hope you're noticing. We'd be just like those who fasted and said, God, I hope you're noticing, but the call. is to humble yourself. Humble yourself in response to Christ's salvation. We saw in the call to worship, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and let Him exalt you. Don't exalt yourself, humble yourself. And if God wants to exalt you, He will. And He will exalt you, maybe in this life, but certainly in the life to come. He will raise you up to that highest place. If you think somehow that you can earn God's favor by denying yourself, by humbling yourself, by accepting affliction, God, you should save me because I've had such a hard life. Or God, you have saved me and the affliction that I have, somehow that earns me some points, doesn't it? No, we stand empty before Christ, humbling ourselves, denying ourselves. For the Christian, as for the Old Testament saint, this humbling of self might involve fasting. As far as I understand in the study of the New Testament, fasting is never commanded for the Christian, but it is practiced and assumed. So Jesus told his disciples, when you fast, whenever you fast, The assumption is that they were going to fast, and yet we know that they weren't fasting during the time that Jesus was with them. Jesus' disciples weren't fasting, and John's disciples were, and the Pharisees and their disciples were, and they came and they said, why don't your disciples fast? And Jesus said, well, the bridegroom's with them. They're gathered for the wedding party. The bridegroom will leave them, and then they will fast. So I think fasting is assumed for the life of a Christian, though it's not commanded, that there may be times that in our humbling ourselves, we might give up food for a particular purpose, for prayer, for a focus on overcoming particular patterns of sin that we battle with, that we struggle with, even so that we can serve and help others. We see fasting practiced in the early church. They fasted and prayed, and the Holy Spirit told them to set apart Paul and Barnabas for the work that He had called them to do. trying to remember the particular circumstances, but it was in the early, it was in my early pastoral ministry, I think it was when I was to be ordained to pastoral ministry, that based on Acts 13, where Paul and Silas were set apart through fasting and prayer, I asked that we not have sort of the traditional meal before that service. Tell people they're welcome to eat ahead of time, but if people wanted to fast, That would be, it seemed, an appropriate time to do that. Not in any way of saying, God, will you, you know, do we get a little credit for this? So fasting may be involved in the life of the Christian who's seeking to humble themself in response to the saving work of Christ. And it certainly involves grieving over our sin. The Catechism for Young Children says, what is it to repent? It's to be sorry for sin, to hate it, and stop doing it because it's displeasing to God. Paul writes to the Corinthians about sorrow, and as he writes this, he makes a distinction between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow. This sorrow over our sin must be a godly sorrow. This is what Paul says, I rejoice not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so you didn't experience any loss from us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death. Godly grief is focused particularly on me. I'm sorry for me. In fact, sometimes when people, having done something wrong, say, I'm sorry, I think, well, so am I. You know, I am sorry, I'm sad about what happened, but that's not godly sorrow. Sometimes we're sorry that we got caught, or we're sorry that we have to give up a sin that we, I dare say, we've come to enjoy. That's worldly sorrow, and it leads to death. But godly sorrow is pained over the break with God, a recognition that my sin is a barrier between me and God. The focus in godly sorrow is God himself, and the response of godly sorrow produces real change. Often when there's sin in the church, when there's discipline following that sin, As best we can, we look for evidence of godly sorrow. Godly sorrow that leads to repentance, not worldly sorrow that leads to death. One writer on this topic said it this way, worldly sorrow happens when you feel the sting of sin, but still cherish a selfish love of sin in your heart. Godly sorrow happens when you are gripped by your sinful separation from God and desire to be restored to Him at all costs. So for the Christian, in response to Jesus' salvation, there can be a time to deny yourself, to humble yourself, to accept affliction. It may involve fasting. It certainly will involve a grieving over your sin. And when should you do it? Well, July 10th is probably a good day. There's no prescribed time for self-denial or fasting for Christians, yet we see the call for it in Christ. And so every time you sin, there should be a sorrow, a godly sorrow over your sin. When we come to the Lord's table, as I've mentioned before at the brief words that I often speak after partaking of the Lord's table, there's a bittersweetness. There's a sorrow that my sin caused the death of Christ, and yet there's a great rejoicing that Christ's death covered my sin. I think both are appropriate. I don't think it has to be a one or the other. I think both are there. So when we sin, when we commune, and in our daily interactions with one another, Whenever our sin hurts another, there needs to be a godly sorrow, a denying of self, a recognition that I have sinned against you and that I need your forgiveness. I'm sorry, I was wrong. Will you forgive me? And then that promise, yes, I forgive you. And as we saw in the call to worship, there may be a call to this in a time of suffering. That's when we're called to cast our care on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will lift you up. I believe we see in this text, I believe we see in the whole of Scripture that there is a call to Christians to humble ourselves. What day do we do that? Probably every day as long as it is called today. To one degree or another, in view of God's mercies in Christ Jesus, Humble yourself before Christ and before one another that he may be exalted. Please pray with me that God will make it so. Our Father in heaven, don't let us be proud of our humility, but don't let us be proud instead of being humble. Thank you for the saving work of Christ. A work that was pictured in the Old Testament on the Day of Atonement and that was made complete when He willingly went to the cross. Humbled Himself to the point of death for all who had put their trust in Him. And may it be that we put our trust in Him and then in response to that, we're sorry for our sin. We may deny ourselves so that we can better follow Him. We will deny ourselves so that we can better follow Him. And you, Lord, will receive the glory. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.