Aaron was a young man who had been praying that God would open up an opportunity for him to be involved in some church-related work in the following summer. He prayed, but nothing happened. Summer arrived, and still nothing. He finally decided he'd better get a job. He checked the want ads and the only thing that seemed a possibility was driving a bus in Southside Chicago. It wasn't a great job being a driver in a dangerous section of the city, but at least it would help with tuition in the fall. It wasn't long before Aaron discovered just how dangerous a job it really was. A small gang of tough kids spotted the young driver and began to take advantage of him. For several mornings in a row, they got on the bus without paying. They ignored his warnings and rode until they decided to get off, all the while making smart remarks to him and others on the bus. Finally, Aaron decided it was enough. The next morning, after the gang got on the bus, Aaron saw a police officer, pulled over, and reported the offense. The officer told them to pay or get off. They paid, but unfortunately the policemen got off and they stayed on. A few blocks later, the gang assaulted the young driver. When he came to, his shirt was covered in blood, two teeth were missing, both eyes were swollen, his money was gone, and the bus was empty. That night, as he sank into bed, he was confused and disillusioned. Where is God in all of this? I genuinely want to serve him. I prayed that I might serve with a Christian organization. Why this? Aaron decided to press charges. With the help of the police officer who had encountered the gang and several witnesses, the gang was rounded up and brought before a judge. But when Aaron saw the group in the courtroom, his heart went out to them. He no longer hated them. He pitied them. They needed help. After there was a plea of guilty, Aaron stood up and requested permission to speak. Your Honor, I would like you to total up all the days of punishment against these men. And I request that you allow me to go to jail in their place. The judge and both attorneys were stunned. Aaron looked over at the gang members and he said quietly, it's because I forgive you. The dumbfounded judge said, young man, you're out of order. This sort of thing has never been done before. To which the young man replied, oh yes, it has, your honor. Yes, it has. It happened over 19 centuries ago when a man from Galilee paid the penalty that all mankind deserved. And then for the next three or four minutes, without interruption, Aaron explained how Jesus Christ died on our behalf, thereby proving God's love and faithfulness. Although Aaron was not granted his request, he was able to visit the gang members in jail, and by God's grace, he led most of them to faith in Jesus Christ. Consequently, he began a significant outreach to many others in Southside, Chicago. Congregation, whatever you may think of Aaron's offer in the courtroom, the mystery of the Christian gospel is that Jesus, the sinless one, took the punishment that our sins deserve. Jesus said, I will bear their sin and suffer the curse that they deserve. I will endure the prison of hell so that my people may be acquitted. All charges dropped, declared not guilty. This afternoon from Leviticus 16, we want to consider Yom Kippur and your justification. Yom Kippur and your justification. First, the need of justification. Second, the provision of justification. And third, the result of justification. We begin with the need. The doctrine of justification by faith is central to the gospel. It is considered to be the foundational doctrine of the Reformation. Martin Luther called it the chief article of Christian theology, the article upon which the church stands or falls. John Calvin said, justification is the main hinge on which religion turns. The Dutch theologian Herman Witzius said, justification concerns nearly the whole of religion. It spreads itself through the whole body of divinity so that if the foundation is laid well here, the whole building of truth will be the most solid and grand. It is not an exaggeration to say that justification is at the very heart of the Christian faith. The Reformers believe that the test of authentic Christianity is the doctrine of justification by faith alone. And yet there are many professing Christians today who have a hard time defining the very meaning of justification. What is it? What is it? Well before we define it, let's consider man's need and the character of God. Leviticus 16 describes for us the Old Testament day of atonement, Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur was Israel's most holy day. It was the day that involved sacrifice and the shedding of blood. It was that one day of the year when the high priest would pass through the veil into the holy of holies. You'll recall that Israel's tabernacle and temple had a sanctuary that was made up of two parts, right? The holy place and the holy of holies. No one could enter the holy of holies except for the high priest, and even a high priest could only enter once a year. The annual day of atonement was a powerful reminder to Israel that the wages of sin is death The sacrifices reminded them that they were sinners and that God is holy. The fundamental question is, how are these two parties going to relate? That is the very question that Job had asked so many years ago, do you remember? How could a man be righteous before God? Or how could he be pure who was born of a woman? Those are very important questions. On the Day of Atonement, Israel knew that God is holy. How can an unjust person stand in the presence of a just God? God is too holy to even look at iniquity. The Israelites could not just march into the holy of holies. Even Aaron, the high priest, had to approach the presence of God with great care. Look with me please in your Bibles to chapter 16 and verse 2. Verse 2, 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, lest he die. If you go back to verse 1, you read of how the two sons of Aaron died when they offered profane fire before the Lord. That story is recorded in Leviticus chapter 10. We are not exactly sure what the profane fire was, but we do know that Nadab and Abihu had not followed God's instructions regarding worship. Just think about this. What a terrifying moment it must have been for Aaron when a stream of fire shot out from the Holy of Holies and devoured his sons so that they died before the Lord. Aaron saw their scorched, burned, charred bodies lying there on the ground for one transgression at the altar. God wiped them out. They were summarily executed. No second chance. No opportunity to try again. Immediate death. God reacted swiftly and decisively. The deaths of Nadab and Abihu taught Aaron and all Israel that God must be regarded as holy. Aaron must have been in shock as he saw the bodies of his two sons lying on the ground smitten by the fire of divine wrath. But Moses immediately told Aaron in Leviticus 10 that God was not to blame. God's verdict was not unjust. His sons had violated God's holiness with their disobedience. And so as you read through Leviticus 16, you have these reminders that God is just and man is unjust. God is holy and Israel is unholy. The same is true of us today. The Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 3, quoting Psalm 14 and Psalm 53, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is none who does good, no, not one. That sounds like a radical statement, doesn't it? Paul, do you really mean to say that fallen sinners are entirely without righteousness, without understanding, without goodness, without any desire for God? Really, Paul? Yes, really. The term that we use to describe man and his fallen state is total depravity. Total depravity does not mean that fallen man is as bad and corrupt as he possibly could be. Rather, it means that sin has affected the whole man so that our bodies are fallen, our minds are fallen, our hearts are fallen, our emotions are fallen. There is no part of us that escapes the ravages of our sinful human nature. The Canons of Dort state it like this. Listen closely. Man was originally created in the image of God. and was furnished in his mind with a true and wholesome knowledge of his creator and of spiritual things. His heart and will were upright, all his affections pure, and the whole man was holy. However, rebelling against God by the instigation of the devil and by his own free will, he deprived himself of these outstanding gifts. Rather, in their place he brought upon himself blindness, terrible darkness, futility, and distortion of judgment in his mind, perversity, defiance, and hardness in his heart and will, and finally impurity in all his emotions. Congregation, that is an accurate summary of the effect of the fall on human nature. While human beings may do some things that appear to be good deeds, acts of kindness, charity, and self-sacrificial heroism, they are not good in the sight of God. The reason they are not good in the sight of God is because God not only sees our external performance, but also the internal motivation of our behavior. From God's perspective, good deeds are those that are done out of true faith, that proceed from a heart that loves God in accordance with the law of God, and done for the glory of God. Scripture requires that we love the Lord our God with all our heart. Let me ask you, let me ask you, do you think there is anyone here in this auditorium who has loved God with all his heart since he or she woke up this morning? Is there anyone here who has loved God with all his heart for the last five minutes? What about with all your soul and all your mind? I submit to you that even our worship here this day has been tainted with sin. Have we applied our hearts and minds in the fullest possible measure to know and love God in worship? Have there not been moments of laziness and slothfulness in worship? Have there not been moments of inattentiveness and perhaps even boredom? Maybe you've looked at your watch wondering if this service is almost over because you have something more interesting to do after the service. Do you see, congregation, how Paul came to the seemingly radical conclusion that there is none righteous, there is none who does good. Even our best activities are tainted with sin. There is no goodness in the full sense of the word found among men. This was true of Israel in the wilderness, and it is true of us as well in our natural state. Therefore, how can I stand in the presence of God? How can unjust people be declared just? God cannot overlook our sin, for that would mean sacrificing His justice. How then can I enter the Holy of Holies? I need to be justified, but how? Notice, secondly, the provision of justification. the provision of justification. In the Old Testament, God instituted an elaborate sacrificial system through which he demonstrated his mercy and love. Guilty Israelites who deserved death could know God's forgiving grace and receive the assurance of life. Atonement was pictured by means of animal sacrifices. The animal was offered and killed as a substitute in place of the sinner. Through the sacrificial process, defiled Israelites were reminded of what they would have to endure if the sacrifice had not intervened. The offender would have to die without any hope of restored fellowship with God. The animal represented the sinner. When the animal was consumed on the altar, the Israelite knew that he deserved to be consumed. The reason he was spared was because of the substitutionary value of the animal. On the Day of Atonement, there were a number of very significant things that took place. We can't consider them all in detail this afternoon, but allow me to point out just a few things. The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, has rightly been called The Good Friday of the Old Testament. The Good Friday of the Old Testament. It was a shadow pointing to a greater day and a superior sacrifice. The day of atonement found its fulfillment in Christ. On that solemn day, the high priest had to wash and dress himself in holy garments, verse He had to offer a bull as a sin offering to make atonement for himself and his family, verse 6. Then in verses 7 through 10, we read of how Aaron had to take two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Aaron had to cast lots for the two goats so that one would be used as an offering and the other for the scapegoat. The goat that was selected as a sin offering was killed. And the blood had to be brought inside the veil and sprinkled on and before the mercy seat. The mercy seat was that slab of gold that served as a lid for the Ark of the Covenant. The same thing had to be done with the blood of the bull. It had to be taken by Aaron into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the mercy seat. Verse 14. The sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat was a very important ritual on the Day of Atonement. When the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat, the sins of the people were symbolically covered. As you know, the Ark of the Covenant was a box made of wood, about a yard long, covered over with gold. Children, what was inside the box? You remember? Inside the Ark of the Covenant was the Law of God, the Ten Commandments. On top of the box on each end was a cherub, an angel with outstretched wings. And between the outstretched wings of the cherubim, God symbolically dwelt. On Yom Kippur, blood from the animals was sprinkled on the mercy seat so that the blood of the sacrificial animal came between God and the law which Israel had broken. God, who symbolically dwelt between the cherubim, saw the blood of the innocent victim. The punishment for sin had fallen upon the innocent animal, thereby propitiating the wrath of God. Now God can stretch out His arms in mercy and embrace the sinner who comes to Him through faith in the sacrifice, through faith in the blood. between a righteously angry God who is offended by sin, between Him and the sinner is the blood-stained mercy seat. Because of the blood, God is no longer angry. Sinners are justified by the blood of the sacrifice. Congregation, the high priest who passed through the veil with the blood on the day of atonement pointed to the true priest and the true sacrifice. Jesus is the great high priest who came to atone for man's sin. The Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat were only a picture of the supreme sacrifice for sin, the innocent victim, the blameless, spotless, unblemished Lamb of God whose blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat in the heavenly tabernacle, the heavenly temple. The writer of Hebrews said in chapter 9 verse 12, but Christ came as high priest, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood he entered the most holy place, once for all having obtained eternal redemption. Our Lord Jesus entered the holy of holies with his own blood. He sacrificed only once because his blood was sufficient for all time. His sacrifice never had to be repeated. He cleansed past, present, and future sins when he sprinkled his blood in the most holy place. Only on the basis of the blood of the sacrifice would God have fellowship with Israel. And only on the basis of the blood of Christ will God have fellowship with you and with Dear friends, to be right with God, you must believe that Jesus shed his blood for you. Have you recognized your need and have you embraced his provision? You cannot be saved without it. The fire that fell upon Nadab and Abihu offers a foretaste of what awaits you if you do not receive the message of Christ crucified. But then there's also the second goat called the scapegoat. What did Aaron do with the scapegoat? Well, look with me, please. Follow along at verse 20. Verse 20. When he has made an end of atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat, verse 21, and Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel and all their transgressions, all their sins, and he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. What's this all about? Picture children, picture in your mind Aaron with his hands on the head of this goat. He begins to recount the ugly list of Israel's sins. We have failed to fully love and trust you. We have failed to honor you. We have murmured against you and not given you the praise that you deserve. We have taken your name on our lips without reverence. We have not taken pleasure in the Sabbath as we ought. We have not honored those in authority over us. We are guilty of lust, greed, covetousness, and deceit." Congregation, as Aaron recounted their many failures, what was happening? He symbolically transferred the sins of the people to the animal. The concept that emerges here is that of what? Imputation. Imputation. The sins of God's people are imputed, transferred to the goat. He bears their sin. What a deep feeling of joy for the believing Israelite. My burden is taken away. My guilt has been transferred to another. I am blameless. What a blessing for the believing Israelite to see that goat driven away into the wilderness. Look at verse 22. Verse 22. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area. As the goat was released into the wilderness, the Israelites could say, God has carried my sins away. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Brothers and sisters, the scapegoat provides us with a wonderful picture of what Jesus has done for us. When a sinner is granted the gift of faith to believe on the Lord Jesus, he can know that all his sins are transferred to Christ. Jesus has willingly taken all your iniquities upon himself. The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21, for he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. I love that verse. Jesus knew no sin. That is to say Jesus never sinned. During his earthly ministry, he was tempted by Satan and surrounded by wicked men, yet he kept himself completely free from sin in thoughts, words, and actions. He knew no sin. But Paul says that Jesus. who is absolutely impeccable, morally pure and spotless, Him, God the Father, made to be sin. In other words, God the Father charged to Jesus' account the sins of all His people. Isaiah 53 states it like this, the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. What this means is that all the sins that you have ever committed since the moment you were conceived, and all the sins that you inherited from your father Adam, were all transferred to the account of Jesus. They were charged against Him as if He had personally committed them. By doing this. God the Father made the Son the object of His wrath and judgment, and He poured upon the Son the punishment for that sin. Our sin was reckoned to Christ, and He suffered the penalty for it. Jesus did not become a sinner. Jesus did not become a sinner. But he was made sin by imputation. And as the scapegoat, Jesus was driven outside the camp, there to perish. When God looked upon Jesus, he saw a mass of sinfulness. The congregation of the Apostle Paul teaches us that there is a double transfer. Not only is my sin imputed to Christ, but the righteousness of Christ is also imputed to me. Listen again to 2 Corinthians 5.21, for he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Do you hear that? Paul said there is a judicial exchange. What do I mean by a judicial exchange? Our sin is imputed to Christ and His righteousness is imputed to us. He bore our sins and we are clothed in His righteousness. A Christian writer of the early church said this. O sweet exchange, O inscrutable operation, O unexpected blessings, that the lawlessness of many should be hidden in the one righteous person, and the righteousness of one should justify the lawless many. O sweet exchange, O inscrutable operation, O unexpected blessings, that the lawlessness of many should be hidden in the one righteous person, and the righteousness of one should justify the lawless many." Corrugation, think about it. If your sin is imputed to Christ, and His righteousness is imputed to you, then God accepts you as if you had never sinned at all. Lord's Day 23 states it very well. God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, and as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me, if only I accept this gift with a believing heart." Isn't that excellent? Isn't that a fantastic summary? Martin Luther said, Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness. I am your sin. You took on you what was mine, yet set on me what was yours. You became what you were not that I might become what I was not. Congregation, the writers of our catechism recognize that there may be times when your conscience accuses you that you have grievously sinned against all God's commandments, that you have never kept any of them. Your conscience condemns you as guilty, filthy, disobedient, inclined toward all evil. And Satan may whisper, God will never accept you. You're not good enough. Look what you've done. Look what you have left undone. You're a miserable failure. You're a hypocrite, a phony. Surely you're not a Christian. What do you have to present to God? Nothing. Nothing. Brothers and sisters, when your conscience accuses you and Satan reviles you, You can say in your heart, in the words of our catechism, without any merit of my own, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner. I can enter the holy of holies, not because of my righteousness, but only by the righteousness of Christ which has become mine by faith. God has given me the gift of faith through which I am right with Him and an heir to life everlasting. I am justified, forgiven, acquitted, and have received the right to eternal life. I am holy only because of Christ who declared me holy on the grounds of His own meritorious work. My salvation is not grounded on anything in myself. When God looks upon me, He sees the perfect spotless robe of Christ's righteousness. My scapegoat has carried away all my sins so that they will never be held against me again. Brothers and sisters, what a privilege, what a privilege to know that the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Verse 22, the goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, to an uninhabited solitary place. So, how do we define justification? Justification is an act of God whereby He declares unjust sinners to be just after He has imputed to them the righteousness of Christ. Because my sin is imputed to Christ and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to me, God declares me just. I can stand in the holy of holies, in the presence of a holy God. The supreme judge of heaven and earth has pronounced me just. Well then, what is the result of justification? Point number three, what is the result of justification? If the blood has been sprinkled on the mercy seat for you, and if the scapegoat has carried away your sins, and if your high priest has offered the ultimate sacrifice, then you have every reason to praise, worship, and serve the Lord. The Israelite worshiper who trusted the gospel as it was portrayed on the day of atonement could return to his home in peace. He was forgiven through the substitutionary sacrifice and having been justified by faith, he had peace with God. There was relief and rejoicing when the High Priest reappeared after entering the Holy of Holies. When he reappeared it signified that God accepted the sprinkled blood as atonement and His holy wrath has been turned aside. Brothers and sisters, today we have a much greater reason to rejoice. The bodily resurrection of Jesus signified that all was indeed finished. Jesus' resurrection is proof that satisfaction for sin was paid in full, divine wrath was turned aside, justice was fulfilled, forgiveness was granted, and fellowship was restored. The writer of Hebrews said, after making purification for sins, the son sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, Hebrews 1.3, where he continues to labor as our great high priest. Yom Kippur was the God-appointed means for restoring fellowship between sinners and the Almighty. The believing Israelite could be assured that his transgressions were forgiven and his sins were covered, as David celebrated in Psalm 32. And the Christian today can say, I was once distant and separated from the love of God, but now my sins are covered by the blood of Christ's great atonement. Ephesians 2.13, but now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. The blood of bulls and goats could not secure eternal atonement for sin. That's why the old covenant system of atonement required repetition of sacrifices again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again. Christ, on the other hand. by offering a better sacrifice, has taken away the sins of His people by a single act, His finished work on Calvary's cross. Listen to the words of Hebrews 7, 27. Jesus, the great High Priest, has no need like those High Priests who offer sacrifices daily, first for His own sins and then for those of the people, since He did this once for all when He offered Himself. The High Priests of Israel offered year after year. Their work was never done. But when Jesus completed his priestly work of atonement, he sat down at the right hand of the Father. His work finished forever. So what should be the result of all this? We should be a people filled with gratitude, adoration, and praise. When you die, and stand before Him who is holy and righteous, He will not condemn you. If you have trusted in Jesus, God will receive you as if you had never sinned." Isn't that reason for celebration? Doesn't that fill you with hope and peace? I want to conclude with a quote that summarizes the gospel so well. on the cross, God treated Jesus as if He had lived our lives with all our sin, so that God could then treat us as if we had lived Christ's life of pure holiness. Our iniquitous life was legally charged to Him on the cross as if He had lived it, so that His righteous life could be credited to us as if we had lived it. That is the doctrine of justification by imputation, the high point of the gospel. Dear friends, let me ask you again. Are you trusting in the One who entered the most holy place with His own blood? Have your sins been transferred to the scapegoat and carried away? Has God granted and credited to you the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ? Have you accepted this gift with a believing heart? When God looks upon those who have no true faith in Christ, He sees them as enemies, children of wrath, out of fellowship with Him, covenant breakers who cannot stand before His blazing holiness. God will not receive such into His eternal kingdom. Those who remain in their filthy garments cannot stand before Him. Therefore I say to each one of you, trust in God's provision. Thank Him for the great day of atonement. Yom Kippur, receive with a believing heart all that He has accomplished. And then be assured that He has clothed you with the garments of salvation. He has covered you with His robe of righteousness. You will not stand terrified and ashamed before the judge. You are justified through faith in the Lamb of God. Believe it. Believe it. And teach these things to your covenant children as well. to those who have received the sign of the covenant, impress these truths upon them. That they too, through the power of the Spirit, may be justified through faith in the Lamb of God. That Elodie and Carter may know that justifying grace. A hymn writer of the 1800s penned these now familiar words. Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned he stood. Sealed my pardon with his blood. Hallelujah. What a Savior. Amen? Let us pray.