Let Us Go To Him

[00:00:00] All right, I want to say good morning. It's good to be here. I feel kind of frazzled a little bit. A week ago, not this past week, the week before, I went to Georgia and spent a little time with my mother and my brother, some of my family. This week I was out to Pennsylvania for a GTO board meeting, and so I kind of feel like I'm not quite fitting in, but it is good to be back. [00:00:34] The message that I have this morning has been on my heart for some time from the book of Hebrews, and I asked Tony's family to share a couple songs with us this morning before the message. Thank you. [00:01:21] I guess kind of my personal testimony and the first one is about the blood of Christ. You know, none of us would be here if it wasn't for the blood. And then the second one is about God's mercy and grace. I had no one to blame, how I longed to hide my face, I was so ashamed, of all the wrong I'd done, and I knew I had to pay [00:02:09] I was bound to paint a blank, I'd be there today My friend, but for the blood, but for the blood Shed on Calvary's tree, but for the blood There'd be no hope for you and me For all my righteousness is filthy rags and that's all I ever need [00:02:43] But for the blood that my hands set me free Even now I get so low and the devil lets me know I'm so undeserving I'm unworthy of God's love, and oh yes, I know it's true But here I stand with the chosen few, are you here today? [00:03:16] Yes, I'm saved just by the blood, but for the blood, shed on our shall be sweet But for the blood, there'd be no hope for you and me For all my righteousness is to be risen and so it'll ever be But for the blood, sexless and set me free [00:03:50] It was God's marvelous mercy and His infinite grace That saved this poor sinner from awful sin and such disgrace I was bound for destruction, but the spirit kept us safe Now I know it was God's mercy and His infinite grace [00:04:26] Feeling that I could be happy, I turned from God and went astray I felt sure that I could handle anything that came my way I enjoyed sin for a season, but my sin became a shame So I prayed to die in heaven, now I'm free, I'll praise his name [00:04:56] It was God's marvelous mercy, and his impotent face That saved this poor sinner from awful sins such as shame I was bound for instruction but the Spirit kept the pace Now I know it was God's mercy and His infinite grace [00:05:27] How I long to lack God's mercy and thank Him for His righteous grace For His Son of death and splendor came to take us in His place After Jesus' final ransom, He went back to His King Now he's building us a mansion, where the redeemed will shout and sing [00:05:58] It was God's marvelous mercy, and his infinite grace That saved this poor lost sinner, from awful sin and such disgrace I was bound for instruction, but the Spirit kept the faith. Now I know I was God's mercy, and His infinite grace. [00:06:28] Thank you. Well, you want to get me a glass of water? I appreciate that. Turn to Hebrews chapter 13 this morning. Why don't you give me a hand, Mike, Jonathan, this screen isn't working up here for some reason. [00:07:05] I'd like to read, first of all, Hebrews chapter 13, verses 8 through 15. We've been looking at, just a hand, Mike's fine. I've been looking at the let us verses through the book of Hebrews. This isn't the last one, but it's the last one we're looking at this morning. We had looked at the last one down in verse 13, excuse me, not verse 13, but on down in verse 15 earlier. [00:07:41] But we want to look at the one in verse 13 this morning. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever be not carried away with diverse and strange doctrines for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace not with meats which have not profited them which have been occupied therein now notice he says we have an altar [00:08:13] whereof they have no right to eat Which serve the tabernacle He's talking about the Old Testament priests For the bodies of those beasts All those bulls and goats and all those animals Whose blood is brought into the sanctuary By the high priest for sin Are burned without the camp Wherefore Jesus also That he might sanctify the people with his own blood Suffered without the gate Let us go forth therefore unto him [00:08:46] without the camp, bearing his reproach, for here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. Let's go back to the book of Leviticus, and I want us to read a chapter there that talks to us about the day of atonement. And I want you to think, as we're reading down through there, Leviticus chapter 16, I want you to think about how this relates to the passage in Hebrews and the word picture that it gives to us about the work of Jesus Christ. [00:09:25] Leviticus chapter 16, the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when they offered before the Lord and died. They had offered strange fire and they were killed before the altar. The Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark, that he die not. He couldn't just go in whenever he felt like it. For I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place, with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burn offering. [00:10:03] He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen britches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on. He shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goat for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. Now notice this, and Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself and for his house. [00:10:40] And he shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the Lord, the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. [00:11:15] Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself shall make an atonement for himself and for his house and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself and he shall take a censer full of the burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small and bring it within the veil and he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat He shall take of the blood of the bullock, sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward, and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times. [00:11:57] Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat. Before the mercy seat he shall make an atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, because of their transgressions and all their sins, and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall no man be in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place until he come out and have made an atonement for himself, for his household, for all the congregation of Israel. [00:12:40] And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it, shall take of the blood of the bullock and of the blood of the goat and put it upon the horns of the altar round about, and he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his fingers seven times, and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place and the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, he shall bring the live goat, and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat. [00:13:26] and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness. And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation and shall put off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place and he shall leave them there and he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place and put on his garments and come forth and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make an atonement for himself and for the people. And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar, and he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp. [00:14:05] And the bullock for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp, and they shall burn in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their dung. He that burneth them shall wash his clothes and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp. This shall be a statute unto you, forever unto you. In the seventh month, in the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country or of a stranger that sojourneth among you. [00:14:37] On that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It shall be a Sabbath of rest unto you. You shall afflict your souls by a statue forever. And the priest whom he shall anoint and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead shall make the atonement, shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments. He shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation [00:15:09] This shall be an everlasting statue unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year, and he did as the Lord commanded Moses Now, we want to ask ourselves some questions What sins did Jesus die for? Remember? I asked you that question a while back. What sins did Jesus die for? What do you think? [00:15:45] Okay, all sin. All sin what? Okay, the sin of the world. Is that right? Okay. Died for my sin. Sin of unbelief. Sin of unbelief. Isn't it possible that if a goat was able to carry the sins of the children of Israel away into the wilderness for a year, [00:16:29] that Jesus Christ would die for the sins of the whole world, past, present, and future? Does that make you uncomfortable? I believe that Jesus Christ died for all sin, the sin of the world, all sin. And I, we'll talk about that a little bit more. [00:17:02] Okay, if Jesus died for all sin, are all people saved? Why not? You're shaking your heads no. If He died for all the sin, why isn't everybody saved? We'll talk about that a little bit more. Now, what obligation do I have? If Jesus died for all of my sin, does that obligate me? Do I feel any compunction or anything that I need to respond? [00:17:39] In relation to that, in what way or what ways does my commitment to Christ affect my life? How does my commitment, the way that I serve Christ, the appreciation that I have for what He's done for me, and not only for me, but for all mankind, how does that really affect me? [00:18:16] Does it make me come to church on Sunday morning and sit through a long sermon? and go home and say, well, that was alright. That was good. Or does it affect me a lot more than that? Does it affect me when I'm working on my job? Does it affect me when I'm involved in leisure time activities? How does my commitment and my perception of what Christ has done for me affect my life? [00:18:49] Do I expect reproach to be a part of living for Christ? We heard about the Christians in Orissa and they've experienced some horrendous, very horrendous things over the last years. If you've followed any of that at all, you know that pictures can't do justice to what's going on in that part of the world. Is that something that we should expect? [00:19:21] Or is it something that we should think is strange and foreign? I want us to think a little bit about the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement involved a bull and two goats. The bullock for a sin offering, a goat for a sin offering, and the scapegoat. Those animals were part of the Day of Atonement. [00:19:57] The bullock for the sin offering was for the high priest. I find that interesting, that Aaron was to offer the bullock for a sin offering for his own sin first. Amazing. Amazing. Now, if you think preachers are sinless, just remember that. We have needs. [00:20:28] We need the cleansing of the blood of Christ in our lives every day. We don't get to the place where we're beyond and above sin. Don't even start going there. That's not the way it works. God had Aaron offer first of all that bullock for his own sin. Now why didn't he have him offer a goat for his sin and a bullock for the people? I don't know. I had to think about that. He had him offer a goat for the sin offering. [00:20:58] And if you read there through that passage, he specifically mentioned that that goat was for the atonement of the holy place, the tabernacle, and the altar. And we're not going to take time this morning, we're not going to look at all that, but if you look, the holy place was the main part of the tabernacle. It actually was in the tabernacle. So he offered for the holy place, he offered for the tabernacle which contained the holy place, and he offered for the altar. [00:21:32] And the altar that he's talking about there is the altar of incense. Incense. He's not talking about the altar outside where they killed the animals and offered the sacrifices. He's talking about that altar of incense. He was to sprinkle that altar and then he was to take from that altar, he was to take some coals and he was to put the incense on them and he was to take that into the most holy place and it would be a cloud of incense in there so that he couldn't even see. [00:22:03] It was just a small room, not even the size of this platform. And in there was the Ark of the Covenant, the mercy seat, the things that related to the presence of God. And he was to take and sprinkle blood upon them. He gave specific instructions in relation to that. But now we have the scapegoat for the people. You remember what we read about that scapegoat? There was to be lots cast. Both of those were for the people, the sin offering and the scapegoat. [00:22:38] But he mentioned specifically the things that were to be atoned by the goat of the sin offering. You remember he took the scapegoat and the high priest laid his hands on the head of that goat and confessed all the sin, the transgression of the children of Israel. All of it. And then that scapegoat was let go, let out into the wilderness and let go. [00:23:14] You see the scapegoat out there? Where is he? No, he's gone. I had to think about that. You know, just a, it says a kid of the goats. What had that goat done? What had he done to deserve that? Nothing. Absolutely nothing to deserve being taken out into the wilderness and let go in a place uninhabited, it says. [00:23:44] You know, we sing a song, and I just want to read the words of this song. It's 109 in the Christian hymnal. And I want us to think about how this relates to us. Not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away the stain. [00:24:22] Remember, how often was this Day of Atonement? Once a year. Every year. God said on a certain day, certain month, this is to happen every year, this Day of Atonement. So all those beasts, and this, by the way, the beasts that were slain on the Day of Atonement was a small thing Toward all the sin offerings that were offered by the children of Israel Now look what he says in this song Isaac Watts captures this whole picture in such a beautiful way [00:24:54] But Christ, the heavenly Lamb, takes all our sins away A sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they My faith would lay her hand on that dear head of thine While like a penitent I stand and there confess my sin That verse overwhelms me [00:25:30] To think of that, that I can lay my hand by faith on Jesus Christ and my sins are taken away, all my sins, into the sea of God's forgetfulness. A place where there is no habitation. My soul looks back to see the burdens thou didst bear [00:26:05] When hanging on the cruel tree and hopes her guilt was there Believing we rejoice to see the curse removed We bless the lamb with cheerful voice and sing his bleeding love What an awesome song. What an awesome message. Relating to our Lord Jesus Christ and the work that he has done. [00:26:41] Now, just real quickly there, the tabernacle was there in the middle. Whoops, sorry about that. The tabernacle was here in the middle and there's the altar. He was to take that blood and sprinkle it on there and then he was to take it into the most holy place there and sprinkle that blood upon the mercy seat for that day of atonement. Now, we saw the day of atonement, but we see Jesus sanctifying the people with his own blood like he says there in Hebrews. [00:27:19] And Hebrews brings this point out to us so strongly. Not all those animals, all of those animals together, all of the animals in the whole world put together could not offer for my sin. They could not cleanse my sin. All that we can bring before God is fruitless and worthless. All of our own righteousness, all of the things that we might do is worthless to sanctify us and cleanse us from our sin. [00:27:54] He is our sin offering to the Lord. If you notice there in Leviticus, he said that one goat was a sin offering to the Lord. And Jesus Christ is our sin offering to God. He's our scapegoat for the people. You know what? The scapegoat wasn't for God. The scapegoat was for the people. And Jesus is for God and for the people. [00:28:25] He bridges that gap between God and man. He brings into the presence of the Lord the price of sin through His own blood which He shed on the tree. He brings to us peace within our hearts and cleansing within our hearts because He carries our sin away. He's our scapegoat. He's that one that brings to us the freedom from our sin. And so it's important for us to recognize that. [00:28:59] So first of all, we see the Day of Atonement. Secondly, we see Him sanctifying the people with His own blood. Now, what Hebrews says then is, Let us therefore go to Him outside the camp. Because of what He's done for us. Because of the fact that He suffered outside the camp. Because of the fact that he carried our sins outside the camp into the sea of God's forgetfulness, into the wilderness. Because of all that, he says, now let us go unto him outside the camp and bear his reproach. [00:29:37] Is there a reproach to the name of Christ? Maybe not here. Maybe not now. But there is. There's a lot. Now I want us to notice, inside the camp, there's acceptance. And I want us to think about this in relation to our world and where we're at. Because we need to make this practical. Outside the camp is rejection. [00:30:10] Inside the camp is acceptance. Outside the camp is rejection. Which one are you choosing? We all like acceptance, don't we? We don't like rejection. But you know what? When we identify with Christ, we are choosing rejection. We might as well face it. The multitudes cried away with Him, away with Him. And the multitudes today are still crying away with Him. [00:30:40] We need to realize that. Inside the camp, there's a lot of pleasures for me. You know, there's the comfort zone. Everything's just fine inside the camp. Outside the camp, there's the cross. There's self-denial. Inside the camp, there's no sin. There's no blood. And our world is full of that today. That there is no sin. There is nothing wrong. We have no need of blood. We don't need a bloody religion. We don't need that kind of thing in our world today. Outside the camp, there is sin, but there's cleansing from sin. There's the blood of cleansing that's offered. The day of atonement has come. [00:31:29] Now, inside the camp, there's independence. I'm able to make my own choices. I'm able to go my own way. I'm able to do my own thing. Outside the camp, there's faith. Have you ever thought about how faith is in competition with independence? Faith is dependence. Faith, stand, when we start talking about faith, we are standing in opposition to independence. [00:32:02] It's no longer I, but Christ, Paul said. It's no longer independence, it's faith. It's no longer trusting in myself, it's trusting in Him. It's no longer doing my own thing, it's doing what He wants me to do. Inside the camp there's ease and enjoyment. It's a comfortable place. It's an easy place to live. There's lots of good things going on there outside the camp. There's pain and reproach. You know what? That little goat that was the scapegoat, [00:32:36] you know what happened to it? It didn't last out there in the wilderness. There was pain, there was suffering, there was death for that little goat. We don't know what all happened, but we know that's the case. Inside the camp, though, there's a problem. There's bondage. There's the bondage of sin. There's the bondage of self. There's the bondage of all kinds of things that go along with all of that. [00:33:06] Outside the camp, with Jesus Christ, there's freedom. There's release. There's no longer the burden of sin that stands and hangs upon us that we carry through life. There's freedom. Inside the camp, the wages of sin is death. Outside the camp, Jesus said, I am come that you might have life. Life eternal. Inside the camp is the good life. Outside the camp is eternal life. [00:33:41] There's a big difference. There's a big difference. Which one will we choose? Inside the camp, it's all about me. All about me. Outside the camp, it's all about Him. Where are we living? Where are we at today? Are we inside the camp? Are we outside the camp? Are we choosing to bear the reproach of Jesus Christ in our world today? Jesus said, if they've hated me, they're going to hate you too. [00:34:17] In Mark chapter 13 and Luke chapter 21 verse 17 He said you're going to be hated of all men for my name's sake The reproach of Him is going to come upon you You as His people, you as those who have named His name Are going to suffer because of what He has done and who He is You're going to suffer in this world Therefore, is it any wonder that the disciples, the early apostles, the early church, looked at suffering as a mark of acceptance, as a mark of proof of their faith in Jesus Christ? [00:35:08] And so when the apostles were beaten and told not to speak in His name anymore They came together and they had a party They rejoiced, they got together and they were singing praises And worshipping God And they said they were so happy that they were counted worthy to suffer in His name Let us go forth, therefore, unto Him without the camp, bearing his reproach, for here we have no continuing city. [00:35:45] I had to think of Moses over there in chapter 11, and there was something interesting to me in this. I don't know if I ever noticed it before. Chapter 11, verse 24. By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Now notice what he says next You think about this a little bit Esteeming the reproach of Christ [00:36:17] Of Christ? How did Moses know about Christ? Christ hadn't died yet Christ hadn't lived yet Christ wasn't here yet But he says esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. Moses, before Christ was on earth had already gone out to him outside the camp [00:36:50] bearing his reproach. Now, what about you and I? We're on this side of the cross. The work is done. It's completed. The work of redemption is there in full. And I think we understand a bit as we think about it. Why isn't everyone saved? If the work of Christ is fulfilled, it's because not everybody comes in faith and lays their hand on that head and confesses their sin. There's where it is. [00:37:23] There's where our hope is. There's where our confidence is. Not in bringing to God the works of our hands. Not in bringing to God anything that we can bring But simply coming and saying God, here's the one you've chosen for our sin offering Here's the one you've chosen to bear our sins To carry our sins To give us cleansing and freedom And we lay our hand in faith upon that head [00:37:55] and by faith and confidence rest in Him for cleansing. Let's stand together for prayer. Thank you for your patience this morning. Lord, we thank you for the awesome, incredible, beyond our wildest thoughts or imaginations, dear Lord, that you would offer to us the cleansing of all our sin. All. [00:38:36] It's just unthinkable. And yet we come to you by faith this morning. We lay our hand by faith on the head of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who suffered and died. God gave his life for the sin of the whole world. We place our hands in faith upon him this morning. And Lord, I pray, we see some storm clouds gathering. [00:39:12] We don't know what's ahead. But we see the potential, Lord, for the day to come not far away where we could experience reproach. In a literal sense, for being your children. We don't know about all that, dear Lord, but we just ask you to help us to choose to come to you outside the camp. To give up ourselves and all that goes along with that and follow you and serve you. [00:39:52] and allow you to lead us and guide us. We thank you. We praise you. In Jesus' name, amen.