April 1, 2026 • 20 mins
Like forgotten passwords, sin kept people locked out of God’s presence, and sacrifices could only cover the problem. Jesus became the true “password,” opening direct access to God through His sacrifice. #StJohnsBuffalo #CovertoCoverBible #Bookof Leviticus #PasswordProblem #Hosanna
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Hello, this is Pastor Ryan Clark.
You are listening to a message from St.
John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 4 00:00:19,694.897959184 --> 00:00:24,994.897959184 Oh Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praises in the name of Jesus. 5 00:00:25,494.897959184 --> 00:00:26,164.897959184 Amen. 6 00:00:27,634.897959184 --> 00:00:39,944.897959184 What is the password? That is a question that I have struggled to answer at times since I was a five or 6-year-old attending Sunset Lake Elementary in beautiful Vicksburg, Michigan. 7 00:00:40,544.897959184 --> 00:00:47,534.897959184 At that time on the Sunset Lake playground, there was a castle and it kinda looked like this, and that thing was awesome. 8 00:00:48,44.897959184 --> 00:00:51,944.897959184 It had monkey bars going here and there tunnels going everywhere. 9 00:00:51,944.897959184 --> 00:00:55,724.897959184 It had one of those slides that went round and round in a loop, you know, the kind. 10 00:00:56,324.897959184 --> 00:01:00,944.897959184 And it was by far the most fun thing to play on, on that entire playground. 11 00:01:01,364.897959184 --> 00:01:02,624.897959184 There was just one little problem. 12 00:01:03,554.897959184 --> 00:01:05,204.897959184 It was password protected. 13 00:01:05,594.897959184 --> 00:01:07,754.897959184 A couple of the older boys, big boys here. 14 00:01:07,754.897959184 --> 00:01:21,209.897959184 We're talking fourth or fifth graders would make it their mission to stand outside of that castle every recess and ask that question, what is the password? And if you did not know the password, access denied. 15 00:01:21,419.897959184 --> 00:01:26,39.897959184 And I'll tell you, as a kindergartner, it was tough to figure out that password. 16 00:01:26,609.897959184 --> 00:01:31,949.897959184 And even if I did figure it out, sometimes it would be a word that I was simply not allowed to say. 17 00:01:32,819.897959184 --> 00:01:39,259.897959184 And even if it was a word I was allowed to say, they would change that password each and every day. 18 00:01:39,669.897959184 --> 00:01:50,359.89795918 Which means that for the most part, I would stand there watching jealously as many an older kid would get to act like royalty on that castle, having the absolute time of their life. 19 00:01:50,899.89795918 --> 00:01:55,789.89795918 But I wasn't getting anywhere close to those kings, not at all. 20 00:01:57,289.89795918 --> 00:01:58,129.89795918 Password troubles. 21 00:01:58,129.89795918 --> 00:02:04,859.89795918 Anyone in here ever have password troubles before? Maybe you're amongst the many who forget their passwords rather regularly. 22 00:02:05,279.89795918 --> 00:02:13,469.89795918 One study found that 51% of people, that's over half, by the way, forget at least one password on the internet every single month. 23 00:02:14,159.89795918 --> 00:02:26,579.89795918 21% of people confess to forgetting at least one password on the internet every single week, and those are just the people that confess the crime and also the people that actually realize they've forgotten their passwords. 24 00:02:27,329.89795918 --> 00:02:29,879.89795918 The actual numbers are probably a lot higher than all that. 25 00:02:31,349.89795918 --> 00:02:42,209.89795918 Password troubles, not just a thing of the present, not just a thing of the near past and some poor kindergartner on the Sunset Lake playground, a thing of the distant past as well. 26 00:02:42,839.89795918 --> 00:02:54,749.89795918 In fact, if you have been following along in our two year Bible read-through, in our readings this week, whether or not you realized it, the Israelites, God's people, they're experiencing little password troubles of their own. 27 00:02:55,469.89795918 --> 00:03:02,939.89795918 The ultimate royalty, the God of the universe, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, he has settled to live amongst his people in the tabernacle. 28 00:03:02,939.89795918 --> 00:03:03,929.89795918 He's right there. 29 00:03:03,929.89795918 --> 00:03:05,399.89795918 There's just one little problem. 30 00:03:05,999.89795918 --> 00:03:13,169.89795918 They're unable to meet with him seemingly because they don't know the password, if you will, to enter God's presence personally. 31 00:03:14,369.89795918 --> 00:03:19,949.89795918 While our readings this week begin to present a solution to that problem, a solution that is oh, so important. 32 00:03:20,264.89795918 --> 00:03:24,134.89795918 To us, and of course we're gonna look at that solution in this message today. 33 00:03:24,674.89795918 --> 00:03:28,4.89795918 But before we do that, let's take one more look at the problem. 34 00:03:28,664.89795918 --> 00:03:32,964.89795918 A couple of the last verses in the book of Exodus here from Exodus 40. 35 00:03:33,304.89795918 --> 00:03:38,984.89795918 It says, then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 00:03:39,404.89795918 --> 00:03:48,704.89795918 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, and the Book of Exodus ends. 37 00:03:49,229.89795918 --> 00:03:56,729.89795918 Moses standing outside the tabernacle, God is right there in the tabernacle, and he cannot go meet with him at all. 38 00:03:57,509.89795918 --> 00:03:59,909.89795918 What's the tabernacle you ask? A great question. 39 00:03:59,909.89795918 --> 00:04:20,54.89795918 The Tabernacle was actually a portable sanctuary that the Israelites built where God would come and meet with his people personally, a very big deal, right? And they could worship him and give him the glory that he deserves on their way from Egypt to that promised land where they would eventually build a permanent house for God, that temple. 40 00:04:20,864.89795918 --> 00:04:26,174.89795918 For our simple purposes today, the Tabernacle complex can really be made up of three parts. 41 00:04:26,654.89795918 --> 00:04:31,754.89795918 There's the courtyard, that outer portion, this open space that was surrounded by a fence. 42 00:04:32,294.89795918 --> 00:04:36,824.89795918 Then there was the Holy Place where certain acts of worship were to take place. 43 00:04:37,154.89795918 --> 00:04:43,679.89795918 And then at the back end there, that little red circle that is something called the Holy of Holies. 44 00:04:44,414.89795918 --> 00:04:46,274.89795918 That's where the Arc of the Covenant was. 45 00:04:46,454.89795918 --> 00:04:50,234.89795918 That's where God himself could be met with personally. 46 00:04:52,124.89795918 --> 00:04:53,714.89795918 And there's a big problem going on. 47 00:04:54,254.89795918 --> 00:04:56,354.89795918 No one can get to meet with God. 48 00:04:56,354.89795918 --> 00:04:59,354.89795918 No one can enter that tent of the meeting at all. 49 00:04:59,354.89795918 --> 00:05:02,864.89795918 Not even Moses, the leader of the Israelites can enter. 50 00:05:03,764.89795918 --> 00:05:09,824.89795918 Why, oh, why can nobody get to God? Well, if you think about it for just a second, I bet you can come up with the answer. 51 00:05:10,574.89795918 --> 00:05:13,64.89795918 It has to do with that little three letter word. 52 00:05:13,64.89795918 --> 00:05:18,194.89795918 It's because they all have sin in their lives, every single one of them. 53 00:05:19,994.89795918 --> 00:05:24,764.89795918 You don't have to go back too far to see the big sin that the Israelites commit. 54 00:05:25,154.89795918 --> 00:05:29,84.89795918 Exodus 24, God makes a covenant with his people, Israel. 55 00:05:29,264.89795918 --> 00:05:42,434.89795918 He says, if you follow all of these commands that I'm lovingly giving to you for your own good, out of all the people in the world, you will be my personal people, Israel, and I will be your God. 56 00:05:43,274.89795918 --> 00:05:50,324.89795918 And the Israelites say, absolutely, we're gonna do absolutely everything that you have said, God, and of course they don't. 57 00:05:50,834.89795918 --> 00:06:00,374.89795918 You heard the story last week, right? A little incident involving a golden calf that they make with their own hands and then worship a serious first commandment issue. 58 00:06:00,824.89795918 --> 00:06:03,734.89795918 They have replaced God with something else. 59 00:06:04,559.89795918 --> 00:06:12,779.89795918 Moses has some first commandment issues of his own, by the way, and a little story involving some water and a rock back in Exodus 16. 60 00:06:12,779.89795918 --> 00:06:25,499.89795918 And then again in Numbers 20, we're gonna see a story where God's people, Israel, demand water from Moses in the wilderness and God gives Moses some specific commands that he is to follow, to bring water out of that rock. 61 00:06:26,69.89795918 --> 00:06:27,269.89795918 He doesn't follow them. 62 00:06:27,269.89795918 --> 00:06:36,479.89795918 And then to make matters worse, he says, listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock? That word we is a big problem. 63 00:06:37,49.89795918 --> 00:06:40,739.89795918 Sounds to me like he's splitting the credit with God for this miracle. 64 00:06:40,889.89795918 --> 00:06:42,809.89795918 It's 50/50, me and God. 65 00:06:42,809.89795918 --> 00:06:45,389.89795918 That's how the water came out of this rock. 66 00:06:46,19.89795918 --> 00:06:47,759.89795918 Certainly a first commandment issue. 67 00:06:47,759.89795918 --> 00:06:50,669.89795918 He's elevating himself to the place of God. 68 00:06:51,749.89795918 --> 00:06:55,559.89795918 They are all sinners, and sin has dire consequences. 69 00:06:56,9.89795918 --> 00:06:59,939.89795918 Isaiah 59:2 says, but your iniquities have separated you from your God. 70 00:07:00,584.89795918 --> 00:07:05,114.89795918 Your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear. 71 00:07:05,924.89795918 --> 00:07:07,934.89795918 Sin separates from God. 72 00:07:07,934.89795918 --> 00:07:09,284.89795918 That's what it does. 73 00:07:09,494.89795918 --> 00:07:13,454.89795918 Unholy people cannot be in the presence of a perfectly holy God. 74 00:07:14,54.89795918 --> 00:07:16,454.89795918 Darkness cannot exist where there is light. 75 00:07:16,454.89795918 --> 00:07:19,364.89795918 That is just the way it works in this separation. 76 00:07:19,574.89795918 --> 00:07:25,694.89795918 It's a huge problem because people were created to be in a relationship with God. 77 00:07:25,694.89795918 --> 00:07:26,714.89795918 That's why he made you. 78 00:07:26,714.89795918 --> 00:07:28,274.89795918 That's why he made me. 79 00:07:28,874.89795918 --> 00:07:38,684.89795918 When you're spending time with God, you are living out your purpose for being created, and the Israelites could not live out their purpose. 80 00:07:39,374.89795918 --> 00:07:42,194.89795918 Thus, we get the book of Leviticus. 81 00:07:42,674.89795918 --> 00:07:48,224.89795918 Leviticus is attempting to offer a solution to this big problem that the Israelites have. 82 00:07:48,734.89795918 --> 00:07:57,434.89795918 How can we once again be in God's presence? How can we be made holy and be near God? How can we have our sins atone for. 83 00:07:59,204.89795918 --> 00:08:01,544.89795918 Leviticus 1 starts to offer a solution. 84 00:08:01,994.89795918 --> 00:08:10,634.89795918 It says, if you wanna have access to God once again, live out the reason you were created, the first thing you're gonna need to do is give some burnt offerings. 85 00:08:10,904.89795918 --> 00:08:16,544.89795918 You must present a burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. 86 00:08:17,84.89795918 --> 00:08:22,934.89795918 You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. 87 00:08:23,444.89795918 --> 00:08:26,144.89795918 You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord. 88 00:08:27,269.89795918 --> 00:08:29,969.89795918 Then that offering would be burned up. 89 00:08:29,969.89795918 --> 00:08:33,509.89795918 This young bull that was to be the best of your herd without blemish. 90 00:08:33,629.89795918 --> 00:08:44,849.89795918 While the person offering it would confess their many sins before God, that animal would then symbolically die in their place and atone for or cover over their sins. 91 00:08:44,849.89795918 --> 00:08:52,229.89795918 Remember that definition of atone, by the way, there's gonna be a quiz in about seven or eight minutes here to cover over your sin. 92 00:08:54,764.89795918 --> 00:09:00,734.89795918 The burnt offering was one of three big, I'm sorry, offerings that Leviticus 1-5 discusses. 93 00:09:01,244.89795918 --> 00:09:06,314.89795918 It also talks about the sin offering and the guilt offering, and they were very similar in both cases. 94 00:09:06,314.89795918 --> 00:09:12,944.89795918 An animal that was without blemish would be presented and sacrificed before the Lord while you confessed your sin. 95 00:09:14,549.89795918 --> 00:09:16,529.89795918 Let's say you are in Israelite. 96 00:09:16,649.89795918 --> 00:09:22,139.89795918 You have gone to the entrance of the tent of meaning, you've offered your burnt offering, your sin offering, your guilt offering. 97 00:09:22,319.89795918 --> 00:09:36,629.89795918 Can you now go into the Holy of Holies and have a personal one-on-one relationship with God? If that is all that you have done, access denied, password, rejected, because there is more to it than all of that. 98 00:09:37,19.89795918 --> 00:09:40,139.89795918 Leviticus 2 and 3 says, you can't just say, I'm sorry. 99 00:09:40,139.89795918 --> 00:09:42,869.89795918 You've gotta present your thanks offerings as well. 100 00:09:43,364.89795918 --> 00:09:45,944.89795918 Leviticus two describes the grain offering. 101 00:09:46,544.89795918 --> 00:09:55,124.89795918 Basically what the grain offering was, was flour, olive oil, and frankincense all combined together and then burned up before the Lord. 102 00:09:55,874.89795918 --> 00:10:01,304.89795918 A great practice while you were doing this was to thank God for the many things that he has done for you. 103 00:10:02,84.89795918 --> 00:10:04,934.89795918 Similarly, in Leviticus 3, there's the peace offering. 104 00:10:05,234.89795918 --> 00:10:12,199.89795918 This involved, once again an animal from your herd, one without blemish, one of the best combined with a loaf of bread that was leave. 105 00:10:12,824.89795918 --> 00:10:14,864.89795918 And a loaf of bread that was unleavened. 106 00:10:15,584.89795918 --> 00:10:24,704.89795918 A small portion of that bread was then burned up before the Lord, and then the rest of it you would share with the priests and other Israelites in a fellowship meal. 107 00:10:25,64.89795918 --> 00:10:30,884.89795918 And once again, a good habit here would be to thank God during that meal for the many things that he had done for you. 108 00:10:32,264.89795918 --> 00:10:32,984.89795918 All right. 109 00:10:33,14.89795918 --> 00:10:34,124.89795918 Let's say you're an Israelite. 110 00:10:34,334.89795918 --> 00:10:41,234.89795918 You've gone to the entrance of the tent of meeting, you've given that burnt offering, that sin offering, that guilt offering, that grain offering, and that peace offering. 111 00:10:41,789.89795918 --> 00:10:58,889.89795918 Can you now live out the reason you were created? Can you go into the Holy of Holies and have that personal relationship with God? Well, odds are, if that's all you've done, access denied password, rejected, because you also had to be a Priest from the Tribe of Levi. 112 00:10:58,889.89795918 --> 00:11:03,689.89795918 If you wanted to go any farther, if you wanted to enter that holy place. 113 00:11:04,349.89795918 --> 00:11:10,769.89795918 These Priests from the Tribe of Levi were specially set apart to mediate between God and man. 114 00:11:11,594.89795918 --> 00:11:18,704.89795918 To become a Priest in the Tribe of Levi, you had to go through a very special consecration ceremony that's outlined in Leviticus 8. 115 00:11:18,704.89795918 --> 00:11:20,264.89795918 You can read that later if you'd like. 116 00:11:21,494.89795918 --> 00:11:29,174.89795918 Beyond that, you also had to be ceremonially clean, and Leviticus talks about what makes you clean and unclean depth. 117 00:11:29,654.89795918 --> 00:11:34,214.89795918 Now, understand that being ceremonially unclean did not mean that you were sinful. 118 00:11:34,214.89795918 --> 00:11:37,634.89795918 That's not what it means at all, but. 119 00:11:38,39.89795918 --> 00:11:47,579.89795918 You had to be in a perfectly holy state of being clean to go into God's perfectly holy presence, and holy cow, all kinds of things could make you unclean. 120 00:11:48,89.89795918 --> 00:11:50,489.89795918 You had to follow a kosher diet. 121 00:11:50,519.89795918 --> 00:11:53,519.89795918 There were certain animals that you could eat that would make you unclean. 122 00:11:54,89.89795918 --> 00:12:00,689.89795918 Now, I suppose some of those animals were easier to avoid than others, but certainly there are some kosher restrictions there. 123 00:12:02,24.89795918 --> 00:12:06,104.89795918 Beyond following that kosher diet, you also had to steer clear of death and decay. 124 00:12:06,104.89795918 --> 00:12:09,14.89795918 If you touched a dead body, you became unclean. 125 00:12:09,404.89795918 --> 00:12:12,224.89795918 You had to steer clear of certain bodily fluids and emissions. 126 00:12:12,404.89795918 --> 00:12:19,214.89795918 You had to steer clear of skin diseases, either having one or touching someone who had one, or sitting where someone sat had one. 127 00:12:20,294.89795918 --> 00:12:22,799.89795918 You had to steer clear of mild or mildew and mild. 128 00:12:23,414.89795918 --> 00:12:24,254.89795918 Mold and mildew. 129 00:12:24,254.89795918 --> 00:12:24,704.89795918 There it is. 130 00:12:24,734.89795918 --> 00:12:31,754.89795918 And specific types of mold that were on your clothing or in your house, they could make you unclean. 131 00:12:33,464.89795918 --> 00:12:35,414.89795918 Let's say you've avoided all those things though. 132 00:12:35,474.89795918 --> 00:12:36,104.89795918 Good for you. 133 00:12:36,764.89795918 --> 00:12:38,774.89795918 You've gone to that entrance, to the tent of meeting. 134 00:12:38,774.89795918 --> 00:12:43,454.89795918 You've offered your burnt offering, your sin, offering your guilt, offering your grain offering, your peace offering. 135 00:12:43,724.89795918 --> 00:12:46,124.89795918 You are a Priest from the Tribe, Levi. 136 00:12:46,124.89795918 --> 00:12:46,424.89795918 Wow. 137 00:12:46,424.89795918 --> 00:12:47,774.89795918 And you are ceremonially clean. 138 00:12:49,64.89795918 --> 00:13:02,924.89795918 Can you now go into the Holy of Holies and experience that personal one-on-one relationship with God, the reason that you were created? Well, I've got some bad news for you unless you are the High Priest. 139 00:13:03,14.89795918 --> 00:13:11,754.89795918 Access denied, password rejected because the only one that was allowed into that Holy of Holies was the High Priest, and there was only one of them. 140 00:13:13,139.89795918 --> 00:13:19,619.89795918 After he did all of these things, he could go into that Holy of Holies, but only on one day a year on that Day of Atonement. 141 00:13:19,619.89795918 --> 00:13:22,289.89795918 Much more on that next weekend, I would imagine. 142 00:13:24,449.89795918 --> 00:13:38,789.89795918 Which begs the question, what's the point of all this, and why, or why after all of that, are the Israelites still unable to enter God's presence personally? Well, it's still the same answer as before, actually. 143 00:13:39,479.89795918 --> 00:13:41,549.89795918 It's still that sin. 144 00:13:41,849.89795918 --> 00:13:48,299.89795918 You see that sin is still there and it has not been washed away. 145 00:13:49,19.89795918 --> 00:14:04,499.89795918 So what's the point of all those sacrifices then Pastor Ryan, if it wasn't washing away the sin? Well, in Hebrews 10 says, but those sacrifices are just an annual reminder of sins, but it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 146 00:14:05,369.89795918 --> 00:14:10,19.89795918 You see, their sins were being atoned for, but they were not being washed away. 147 00:14:11,129.89795918 --> 00:14:19,469.89795918 Anyone remember what that definition I gave earlier was of atonement? Cover over, much better than last night, actually. 148 00:14:21,779.89795918 --> 00:14:22,229.89795918 Yeah. 149 00:14:22,559.89795918 --> 00:14:25,499.89795918 Atone or cover over sins. 150 00:14:25,769.89795918 --> 00:14:31,324.89795918 What's the difference between atoning for sins and having them washed away completely? Well, think about it like this. 151 00:14:32,474.89795918 --> 00:14:40,604.89795918 When I was a young man, and frankly even to adulthood a little bit here, there would be times when my room would become rather messy. 152 00:14:41,414.89795918 --> 00:14:45,944.89795918 There would be people in my life that would say, you need to pull yourself together. 153 00:14:45,944.89795918 --> 00:14:47,984.89795918 Clean up that room right now. 154 00:14:48,614.89795918 --> 00:14:58,754.89795918 Well, I didn't always feel like cleaning up that room, so sometimes I would just push all the mess into one corner of the room and find the biggest blanket that I could and just throw it over it. 155 00:15:00,674.89795918 --> 00:15:03,344.89795918 Is the mess still there? Oh yeah, it is. 156 00:15:03,374.89795918 --> 00:15:08,264.89795918 The room might be more presentable, but that mess, it's still there. 157 00:15:08,804.89795918 --> 00:15:10,154.89795918 It's only been covered over. 158 00:15:11,174.89795918 --> 00:15:19,184.89795918 The Israelites, they needed someone to wash away and forgive their sins if they were going to be fully in God's presence. 159 00:15:19,994.89795918 --> 00:15:23,354.89795918 Thus, we get to where we are in the church calendar today. 160 00:15:24,644.89795918 --> 00:15:33,59.89795918 God's people could not make it to God, so God goes to them, doesn't he? Jesus gives up that heavenly throne room. 161 00:15:33,59.89795918 --> 00:15:43,799.89795918 He gives up the castle, if you will, to come here to this earth, and he enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to remove that separation that was between you and God. 162 00:15:44,309.89795918 --> 00:15:47,219.89795918 We see the beginnings of that in our highlighted verse of the day. 163 00:15:47,219.89795918 --> 00:15:51,449.89795918 If you've got some time here, Matthew 21:5, a verse well worth highlighting. 164 00:15:51,689.89795918 --> 00:15:53,369.89795918 It says, say to Daughter Zion. 165 00:15:53,489.89795918 --> 00:16:00,899.89795918 See your king comes to you gentle and riding on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 166 00:16:02,399.89795918 --> 00:16:12,809.89795918 Jesus comes into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday, and the people are all so excited, aren't they? They're laying down their cloaks for that donkey to walk over. 167 00:16:13,349.89795918 --> 00:16:14,759.89795918 They're waving their palm branches. 168 00:16:14,759.89795918 --> 00:16:18,869.89795918 They're chanting Hosanna! Hosanna! which means save us. 169 00:16:19,49.89795918 --> 00:16:19,859.89795918 Save us. 170 00:16:20,939.89795918 --> 00:16:26,639.89795918 Of course, they thought that Jesus was there to save them from that Roman empire that had taken over. 171 00:16:27,509.89795918 --> 00:16:31,769.89795918 But he was there to save them from something far more sinister than all of that. 172 00:16:33,89.89795918 --> 00:16:39,779.89795918 He was there to save them from their sins, their sins that could have and would've left them, separated from God for all eternity. 173 00:16:39,779.89795918 --> 00:16:44,574.8979592 Unable to live out the reason that they were created, that you were created. 174 00:16:46,724.8979592 --> 00:16:48,374.8979592 That's exactly what Jesus does. 175 00:16:48,614.8979592 --> 00:16:51,704.8979592 Like I said, he gives up the heavenly throne room to come to this earth. 176 00:16:51,824.8979592 --> 00:16:55,664.8979592 He lives a perfect life and then dies a perfect death on the cross. 177 00:16:55,664.8979592 --> 00:17:01,214.8979592 And the moment that he dies, that separation that was there, it's been removed. 178 00:17:01,484.8979592 --> 00:17:03,404.8979592 And if you don't believe me, look at what happens. 179 00:17:03,404.8979592 --> 00:17:11,174.8979592 The very moment that he dies from Mark 15:38, it says, and the curtain of the temple was torn into from top to bottom. 180 00:17:12,14.8979592 --> 00:17:22,994.8979592 That permanent house of God that reflected the tabernacle, that curtain separated people from the Holy of Holies where they could go in and have a personal relationship with God. 181 00:17:23,504.8979592 --> 00:17:28,634.8979592 Well, that curtain was torn into from top to bottom because it was God himself doing the tearing. 182 00:17:28,844.8979592 --> 00:17:33,134.8979592 The separation has been removed, the password has been accepted. 183 00:17:33,284.8979592 --> 00:17:35,294.8979592 It was always Jesus. 184 00:17:36,164.8979592 --> 00:17:46,214.8979592 Jesus' death on the cross is what gives you personal access to the God ff the Universe, and receiving gladly what he has done for you. 185 00:17:48,14.8979592 --> 00:18:01,814.8979592 So, as we close out this message, what do we do with all of this? What do we do as New Testament readers reading about the Levitical sacrificial system? Well, there's all kinds of lessons we could learn. 186 00:18:02,399.8979592 --> 00:18:13,139.8979592 We could talk about the silly passwords we think we need to enter in to have access to God still today, like our good works or avoiding certain sins long enough if we're gonna have that one-on-one relationship. 187 00:18:14,159.8979592 --> 00:18:16,769.8979592 Jesus sacrifice was once and for all. 188 00:18:16,769.8979592 --> 00:18:20,129.8979592 There are no sacrifices that we need to make. 189 00:18:21,814.8979592 --> 00:18:25,889.8979592 I think the point that we should take away is much simpler even than all of that. 190 00:18:26,744.8979592 --> 00:18:34,694.8979592 I want you to not take for granted for a single second how simple and easy it is for you to have access to the God of the Universe. 191 00:18:35,474.8979592 --> 00:18:39,704.8979592 It wasn't simple and easy for Jesus, but it is simple and easy for you. 192 00:18:40,124.8979592 --> 00:18:42,524.8979592 The password has been entered in, it's been accepted. 193 00:18:42,524.8979592 --> 00:18:49,124.8979592 All you have to do is not reject that relationship that is right there in front of you, staring you in the face. 194 00:18:50,504.8979592 --> 00:18:53,714.8979592 And yet unfortunately, that's exactly what we do sometimes. 195 00:18:54,119.8979592 --> 00:19:01,439.8979592 I can only imagine what those Israelites would think as they look back and think about what all they went through. 196 00:19:01,649.8979592 --> 00:19:15,389.8979592 For one guy to have access to God one day a year, all those sacrifices they made, and they ask you, why haven't you spent time with God today? And you say, well, I wasn't willing to sacrifice 10 minutes of sleep. 197 00:19:15,989.8979592 --> 00:19:20,69.8979592 I wasn't willing to sacrifice watching another episode of that show. 198 00:19:21,89.8979592 --> 00:19:22,169.8979592 Don't be like that. 199 00:19:22,739.8979592 --> 00:19:25,79.8979592 Go and spend time with God regularly. 200 00:19:25,79.8979592 --> 00:19:26,789.8979592 That's the reason you were created. 201 00:19:26,789.8979592 --> 00:19:30,359.8979592 When you're doing that, you're living out your purpose for existing. 202 00:19:31,979.8979592 --> 00:19:37,379.8979592 And as you do that, you get all kinds of blessings from that relationship that God wants you to have. 203 00:19:38,99.8979592 --> 00:19:46,649.8979592 You get his wisdom, his grace, his love, his peace, his mercy and more, all because Jesus, Hosanna, he saved you, He saved you. 204 00:19:46,979.8979592 --> 00:19:48,29.8979592 Thank you Jesus. 205 00:19:48,749.8979592 --> 00:19:49,279.8979592 Amen. 206 00:19:52,392.5646259 --> 00:19:54,42.5646259 You've been listening to a sermon from St. 207 00:19:54,42.5646259 --> 00:19:56,122.5646259 John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 208 00:19:56,442.5646259 --> 00:19:58,242.5646259 If you would like more information about St. 209 00:19:58,242.5646259 --> 00:20:03,902.5646259 John's and any of our ministries to our community and beyond, you can go to our website, www. 210 00:20:03,992.5646259 --> 00:20:04,232.5646259 stjohnsbuffalo. 211 00:20:05,472.5636259 --> 00:20:05,802.5636259 org. 212 00:20:06,182.5636259 --> 00:20:07,472.5646259 Thank you and God bless you.
Hello, this is Pastor Ryan Clark.
You are listening to a message from St.
John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 4 00:00:19,694.897959184 --> 00:00:24,994.897959184 Oh Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praises in the name of Jesus. 5 00:00:25,494.897959184 --> 00:00:26,164.897959184 Amen. 6 00:00:27,634.897959184 --> 00:00:39,944.897959184 What is the password? That is a question that I have struggled to answer at times since I was a five or 6-year-old attending Sunset Lake Elementary in beautiful Vicksburg, Michigan. 7 00:00:40,544.897959184 --> 00:00:47,534.897959184 At that time on the Sunset Lake playground, there was a castle and it kinda looked like this, and that thing was awesome. 8 00:00:48,44.897959184 --> 00:00:51,944.897959184 It had monkey bars going here and there tunnels going everywhere. 9 00:00:51,944.897959184 --> 00:00:55,724.897959184 It had one of those slides that went round and round in a loop, you know, the kind. 10 00:00:56,324.897959184 --> 00:01:00,944.897959184 And it was by far the most fun thing to play on, on that entire playground. 11 00:01:01,364.897959184 --> 00:01:02,624.897959184 There was just one little problem. 12 00:01:03,554.897959184 --> 00:01:05,204.897959184 It was password protected. 13 00:01:05,594.897959184 --> 00:01:07,754.897959184 A couple of the older boys, big boys here. 14 00:01:07,754.897959184 --> 00:01:21,209.897959184 We're talking fourth or fifth graders would make it their mission to stand outside of that castle every recess and ask that question, what is the password? And if you did not know the password, access denied. 15 00:01:21,419.897959184 --> 00:01:26,39.897959184 And I'll tell you, as a kindergartner, it was tough to figure out that password. 16 00:01:26,609.897959184 --> 00:01:31,949.897959184 And even if I did figure it out, sometimes it would be a word that I was simply not allowed to say. 17 00:01:32,819.897959184 --> 00:01:39,259.897959184 And even if it was a word I was allowed to say, they would change that password each and every day. 18 00:01:39,669.897959184 --> 00:01:50,359.89795918 Which means that for the most part, I would stand there watching jealously as many an older kid would get to act like royalty on that castle, having the absolute time of their life. 19 00:01:50,899.89795918 --> 00:01:55,789.89795918 But I wasn't getting anywhere close to those kings, not at all. 20 00:01:57,289.89795918 --> 00:01:58,129.89795918 Password troubles. 21 00:01:58,129.89795918 --> 00:02:04,859.89795918 Anyone in here ever have password troubles before? Maybe you're amongst the many who forget their passwords rather regularly. 22 00:02:05,279.89795918 --> 00:02:13,469.89795918 One study found that 51% of people, that's over half, by the way, forget at least one password on the internet every single month. 23 00:02:14,159.89795918 --> 00:02:26,579.89795918 21% of people confess to forgetting at least one password on the internet every single week, and those are just the people that confess the crime and also the people that actually realize they've forgotten their passwords. 24 00:02:27,329.89795918 --> 00:02:29,879.89795918 The actual numbers are probably a lot higher than all that. 25 00:02:31,349.89795918 --> 00:02:42,209.89795918 Password troubles, not just a thing of the present, not just a thing of the near past and some poor kindergartner on the Sunset Lake playground, a thing of the distant past as well. 26 00:02:42,839.89795918 --> 00:02:54,749.89795918 In fact, if you have been following along in our two year Bible read-through, in our readings this week, whether or not you realized it, the Israelites, God's people, they're experiencing little password troubles of their own. 27 00:02:55,469.89795918 --> 00:03:02,939.89795918 The ultimate royalty, the God of the universe, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, he has settled to live amongst his people in the tabernacle. 28 00:03:02,939.89795918 --> 00:03:03,929.89795918 He's right there. 29 00:03:03,929.89795918 --> 00:03:05,399.89795918 There's just one little problem. 30 00:03:05,999.89795918 --> 00:03:13,169.89795918 They're unable to meet with him seemingly because they don't know the password, if you will, to enter God's presence personally. 31 00:03:14,369.89795918 --> 00:03:19,949.89795918 While our readings this week begin to present a solution to that problem, a solution that is oh, so important. 32 00:03:20,264.89795918 --> 00:03:24,134.89795918 To us, and of course we're gonna look at that solution in this message today. 33 00:03:24,674.89795918 --> 00:03:28,4.89795918 But before we do that, let's take one more look at the problem. 34 00:03:28,664.89795918 --> 00:03:32,964.89795918 A couple of the last verses in the book of Exodus here from Exodus 40. 35 00:03:33,304.89795918 --> 00:03:38,984.89795918 It says, then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 00:03:39,404.89795918 --> 00:03:48,704.89795918 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, and the Book of Exodus ends. 37 00:03:49,229.89795918 --> 00:03:56,729.89795918 Moses standing outside the tabernacle, God is right there in the tabernacle, and he cannot go meet with him at all. 38 00:03:57,509.89795918 --> 00:03:59,909.89795918 What's the tabernacle you ask? A great question. 39 00:03:59,909.89795918 --> 00:04:20,54.89795918 The Tabernacle was actually a portable sanctuary that the Israelites built where God would come and meet with his people personally, a very big deal, right? And they could worship him and give him the glory that he deserves on their way from Egypt to that promised land where they would eventually build a permanent house for God, that temple. 40 00:04:20,864.89795918 --> 00:04:26,174.89795918 For our simple purposes today, the Tabernacle complex can really be made up of three parts. 41 00:04:26,654.89795918 --> 00:04:31,754.89795918 There's the courtyard, that outer portion, this open space that was surrounded by a fence. 42 00:04:32,294.89795918 --> 00:04:36,824.89795918 Then there was the Holy Place where certain acts of worship were to take place. 43 00:04:37,154.89795918 --> 00:04:43,679.89795918 And then at the back end there, that little red circle that is something called the Holy of Holies. 44 00:04:44,414.89795918 --> 00:04:46,274.89795918 That's where the Arc of the Covenant was. 45 00:04:46,454.89795918 --> 00:04:50,234.89795918 That's where God himself could be met with personally. 46 00:04:52,124.89795918 --> 00:04:53,714.89795918 And there's a big problem going on. 47 00:04:54,254.89795918 --> 00:04:56,354.89795918 No one can get to meet with God. 48 00:04:56,354.89795918 --> 00:04:59,354.89795918 No one can enter that tent of the meeting at all. 49 00:04:59,354.89795918 --> 00:05:02,864.89795918 Not even Moses, the leader of the Israelites can enter. 50 00:05:03,764.89795918 --> 00:05:09,824.89795918 Why, oh, why can nobody get to God? Well, if you think about it for just a second, I bet you can come up with the answer. 51 00:05:10,574.89795918 --> 00:05:13,64.89795918 It has to do with that little three letter word. 52 00:05:13,64.89795918 --> 00:05:18,194.89795918 It's because they all have sin in their lives, every single one of them. 53 00:05:19,994.89795918 --> 00:05:24,764.89795918 You don't have to go back too far to see the big sin that the Israelites commit. 54 00:05:25,154.89795918 --> 00:05:29,84.89795918 Exodus 24, God makes a covenant with his people, Israel. 55 00:05:29,264.89795918 --> 00:05:42,434.89795918 He says, if you follow all of these commands that I'm lovingly giving to you for your own good, out of all the people in the world, you will be my personal people, Israel, and I will be your God. 56 00:05:43,274.89795918 --> 00:05:50,324.89795918 And the Israelites say, absolutely, we're gonna do absolutely everything that you have said, God, and of course they don't. 57 00:05:50,834.89795918 --> 00:06:00,374.89795918 You heard the story last week, right? A little incident involving a golden calf that they make with their own hands and then worship a serious first commandment issue. 58 00:06:00,824.89795918 --> 00:06:03,734.89795918 They have replaced God with something else. 59 00:06:04,559.89795918 --> 00:06:12,779.89795918 Moses has some first commandment issues of his own, by the way, and a little story involving some water and a rock back in Exodus 16. 60 00:06:12,779.89795918 --> 00:06:25,499.89795918 And then again in Numbers 20, we're gonna see a story where God's people, Israel, demand water from Moses in the wilderness and God gives Moses some specific commands that he is to follow, to bring water out of that rock. 61 00:06:26,69.89795918 --> 00:06:27,269.89795918 He doesn't follow them. 62 00:06:27,269.89795918 --> 00:06:36,479.89795918 And then to make matters worse, he says, listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock? That word we is a big problem. 63 00:06:37,49.89795918 --> 00:06:40,739.89795918 Sounds to me like he's splitting the credit with God for this miracle. 64 00:06:40,889.89795918 --> 00:06:42,809.89795918 It's 50/50, me and God. 65 00:06:42,809.89795918 --> 00:06:45,389.89795918 That's how the water came out of this rock. 66 00:06:46,19.89795918 --> 00:06:47,759.89795918 Certainly a first commandment issue. 67 00:06:47,759.89795918 --> 00:06:50,669.89795918 He's elevating himself to the place of God. 68 00:06:51,749.89795918 --> 00:06:55,559.89795918 They are all sinners, and sin has dire consequences. 69 00:06:56,9.89795918 --> 00:06:59,939.89795918 Isaiah 59:2 says, but your iniquities have separated you from your God. 70 00:07:00,584.89795918 --> 00:07:05,114.89795918 Your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear. 71 00:07:05,924.89795918 --> 00:07:07,934.89795918 Sin separates from God. 72 00:07:07,934.89795918 --> 00:07:09,284.89795918 That's what it does. 73 00:07:09,494.89795918 --> 00:07:13,454.89795918 Unholy people cannot be in the presence of a perfectly holy God. 74 00:07:14,54.89795918 --> 00:07:16,454.89795918 Darkness cannot exist where there is light. 75 00:07:16,454.89795918 --> 00:07:19,364.89795918 That is just the way it works in this separation. 76 00:07:19,574.89795918 --> 00:07:25,694.89795918 It's a huge problem because people were created to be in a relationship with God. 77 00:07:25,694.89795918 --> 00:07:26,714.89795918 That's why he made you. 78 00:07:26,714.89795918 --> 00:07:28,274.89795918 That's why he made me. 79 00:07:28,874.89795918 --> 00:07:38,684.89795918 When you're spending time with God, you are living out your purpose for being created, and the Israelites could not live out their purpose. 80 00:07:39,374.89795918 --> 00:07:42,194.89795918 Thus, we get the book of Leviticus. 81 00:07:42,674.89795918 --> 00:07:48,224.89795918 Leviticus is attempting to offer a solution to this big problem that the Israelites have. 82 00:07:48,734.89795918 --> 00:07:57,434.89795918 How can we once again be in God's presence? How can we be made holy and be near God? How can we have our sins atone for. 83 00:07:59,204.89795918 --> 00:08:01,544.89795918 Leviticus 1 starts to offer a solution. 84 00:08:01,994.89795918 --> 00:08:10,634.89795918 It says, if you wanna have access to God once again, live out the reason you were created, the first thing you're gonna need to do is give some burnt offerings. 85 00:08:10,904.89795918 --> 00:08:16,544.89795918 You must present a burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. 86 00:08:17,84.89795918 --> 00:08:22,934.89795918 You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. 87 00:08:23,444.89795918 --> 00:08:26,144.89795918 You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord. 88 00:08:27,269.89795918 --> 00:08:29,969.89795918 Then that offering would be burned up. 89 00:08:29,969.89795918 --> 00:08:33,509.89795918 This young bull that was to be the best of your herd without blemish. 90 00:08:33,629.89795918 --> 00:08:44,849.89795918 While the person offering it would confess their many sins before God, that animal would then symbolically die in their place and atone for or cover over their sins. 91 00:08:44,849.89795918 --> 00:08:52,229.89795918 Remember that definition of atone, by the way, there's gonna be a quiz in about seven or eight minutes here to cover over your sin. 92 00:08:54,764.89795918 --> 00:09:00,734.89795918 The burnt offering was one of three big, I'm sorry, offerings that Leviticus 1-5 discusses. 93 00:09:01,244.89795918 --> 00:09:06,314.89795918 It also talks about the sin offering and the guilt offering, and they were very similar in both cases. 94 00:09:06,314.89795918 --> 00:09:12,944.89795918 An animal that was without blemish would be presented and sacrificed before the Lord while you confessed your sin. 95 00:09:14,549.89795918 --> 00:09:16,529.89795918 Let's say you are in Israelite. 96 00:09:16,649.89795918 --> 00:09:22,139.89795918 You have gone to the entrance of the tent of meaning, you've offered your burnt offering, your sin offering, your guilt offering. 97 00:09:22,319.89795918 --> 00:09:36,629.89795918 Can you now go into the Holy of Holies and have a personal one-on-one relationship with God? If that is all that you have done, access denied, password, rejected, because there is more to it than all of that. 98 00:09:37,19.89795918 --> 00:09:40,139.89795918 Leviticus 2 and 3 says, you can't just say, I'm sorry. 99 00:09:40,139.89795918 --> 00:09:42,869.89795918 You've gotta present your thanks offerings as well. 100 00:09:43,364.89795918 --> 00:09:45,944.89795918 Leviticus two describes the grain offering. 101 00:09:46,544.89795918 --> 00:09:55,124.89795918 Basically what the grain offering was, was flour, olive oil, and frankincense all combined together and then burned up before the Lord. 102 00:09:55,874.89795918 --> 00:10:01,304.89795918 A great practice while you were doing this was to thank God for the many things that he has done for you. 103 00:10:02,84.89795918 --> 00:10:04,934.89795918 Similarly, in Leviticus 3, there's the peace offering. 104 00:10:05,234.89795918 --> 00:10:12,199.89795918 This involved, once again an animal from your herd, one without blemish, one of the best combined with a loaf of bread that was leave. 105 00:10:12,824.89795918 --> 00:10:14,864.89795918 And a loaf of bread that was unleavened. 106 00:10:15,584.89795918 --> 00:10:24,704.89795918 A small portion of that bread was then burned up before the Lord, and then the rest of it you would share with the priests and other Israelites in a fellowship meal. 107 00:10:25,64.89795918 --> 00:10:30,884.89795918 And once again, a good habit here would be to thank God during that meal for the many things that he had done for you. 108 00:10:32,264.89795918 --> 00:10:32,984.89795918 All right. 109 00:10:33,14.89795918 --> 00:10:34,124.89795918 Let's say you're an Israelite. 110 00:10:34,334.89795918 --> 00:10:41,234.89795918 You've gone to the entrance of the tent of meeting, you've given that burnt offering, that sin offering, that guilt offering, that grain offering, and that peace offering. 111 00:10:41,789.89795918 --> 00:10:58,889.89795918 Can you now live out the reason you were created? Can you go into the Holy of Holies and have that personal relationship with God? Well, odds are, if that's all you've done, access denied password, rejected, because you also had to be a Priest from the Tribe of Levi. 112 00:10:58,889.89795918 --> 00:11:03,689.89795918 If you wanted to go any farther, if you wanted to enter that holy place. 113 00:11:04,349.89795918 --> 00:11:10,769.89795918 These Priests from the Tribe of Levi were specially set apart to mediate between God and man. 114 00:11:11,594.89795918 --> 00:11:18,704.89795918 To become a Priest in the Tribe of Levi, you had to go through a very special consecration ceremony that's outlined in Leviticus 8. 115 00:11:18,704.89795918 --> 00:11:20,264.89795918 You can read that later if you'd like. 116 00:11:21,494.89795918 --> 00:11:29,174.89795918 Beyond that, you also had to be ceremonially clean, and Leviticus talks about what makes you clean and unclean depth. 117 00:11:29,654.89795918 --> 00:11:34,214.89795918 Now, understand that being ceremonially unclean did not mean that you were sinful. 118 00:11:34,214.89795918 --> 00:11:37,634.89795918 That's not what it means at all, but. 119 00:11:38,39.89795918 --> 00:11:47,579.89795918 You had to be in a perfectly holy state of being clean to go into God's perfectly holy presence, and holy cow, all kinds of things could make you unclean. 120 00:11:48,89.89795918 --> 00:11:50,489.89795918 You had to follow a kosher diet. 121 00:11:50,519.89795918 --> 00:11:53,519.89795918 There were certain animals that you could eat that would make you unclean. 122 00:11:54,89.89795918 --> 00:12:00,689.89795918 Now, I suppose some of those animals were easier to avoid than others, but certainly there are some kosher restrictions there. 123 00:12:02,24.89795918 --> 00:12:06,104.89795918 Beyond following that kosher diet, you also had to steer clear of death and decay. 124 00:12:06,104.89795918 --> 00:12:09,14.89795918 If you touched a dead body, you became unclean. 125 00:12:09,404.89795918 --> 00:12:12,224.89795918 You had to steer clear of certain bodily fluids and emissions. 126 00:12:12,404.89795918 --> 00:12:19,214.89795918 You had to steer clear of skin diseases, either having one or touching someone who had one, or sitting where someone sat had one. 127 00:12:20,294.89795918 --> 00:12:22,799.89795918 You had to steer clear of mild or mildew and mild. 128 00:12:23,414.89795918 --> 00:12:24,254.89795918 Mold and mildew. 129 00:12:24,254.89795918 --> 00:12:24,704.89795918 There it is. 130 00:12:24,734.89795918 --> 00:12:31,754.89795918 And specific types of mold that were on your clothing or in your house, they could make you unclean. 131 00:12:33,464.89795918 --> 00:12:35,414.89795918 Let's say you've avoided all those things though. 132 00:12:35,474.89795918 --> 00:12:36,104.89795918 Good for you. 133 00:12:36,764.89795918 --> 00:12:38,774.89795918 You've gone to that entrance, to the tent of meeting. 134 00:12:38,774.89795918 --> 00:12:43,454.89795918 You've offered your burnt offering, your sin, offering your guilt, offering your grain offering, your peace offering. 135 00:12:43,724.89795918 --> 00:12:46,124.89795918 You are a Priest from the Tribe, Levi. 136 00:12:46,124.89795918 --> 00:12:46,424.89795918 Wow. 137 00:12:46,424.89795918 --> 00:12:47,774.89795918 And you are ceremonially clean. 138 00:12:49,64.89795918 --> 00:13:02,924.89795918 Can you now go into the Holy of Holies and experience that personal one-on-one relationship with God, the reason that you were created? Well, I've got some bad news for you unless you are the High Priest. 139 00:13:03,14.89795918 --> 00:13:11,754.89795918 Access denied, password rejected because the only one that was allowed into that Holy of Holies was the High Priest, and there was only one of them. 140 00:13:13,139.89795918 --> 00:13:19,619.89795918 After he did all of these things, he could go into that Holy of Holies, but only on one day a year on that Day of Atonement. 141 00:13:19,619.89795918 --> 00:13:22,289.89795918 Much more on that next weekend, I would imagine. 142 00:13:24,449.89795918 --> 00:13:38,789.89795918 Which begs the question, what's the point of all this, and why, or why after all of that, are the Israelites still unable to enter God's presence personally? Well, it's still the same answer as before, actually. 143 00:13:39,479.89795918 --> 00:13:41,549.89795918 It's still that sin. 144 00:13:41,849.89795918 --> 00:13:48,299.89795918 You see that sin is still there and it has not been washed away. 145 00:13:49,19.89795918 --> 00:14:04,499.89795918 So what's the point of all those sacrifices then Pastor Ryan, if it wasn't washing away the sin? Well, in Hebrews 10 says, but those sacrifices are just an annual reminder of sins, but it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 146 00:14:05,369.89795918 --> 00:14:10,19.89795918 You see, their sins were being atoned for, but they were not being washed away. 147 00:14:11,129.89795918 --> 00:14:19,469.89795918 Anyone remember what that definition I gave earlier was of atonement? Cover over, much better than last night, actually. 148 00:14:21,779.89795918 --> 00:14:22,229.89795918 Yeah. 149 00:14:22,559.89795918 --> 00:14:25,499.89795918 Atone or cover over sins. 150 00:14:25,769.89795918 --> 00:14:31,324.89795918 What's the difference between atoning for sins and having them washed away completely? Well, think about it like this. 151 00:14:32,474.89795918 --> 00:14:40,604.89795918 When I was a young man, and frankly even to adulthood a little bit here, there would be times when my room would become rather messy. 152 00:14:41,414.89795918 --> 00:14:45,944.89795918 There would be people in my life that would say, you need to pull yourself together. 153 00:14:45,944.89795918 --> 00:14:47,984.89795918 Clean up that room right now. 154 00:14:48,614.89795918 --> 00:14:58,754.89795918 Well, I didn't always feel like cleaning up that room, so sometimes I would just push all the mess into one corner of the room and find the biggest blanket that I could and just throw it over it. 155 00:15:00,674.89795918 --> 00:15:03,344.89795918 Is the mess still there? Oh yeah, it is. 156 00:15:03,374.89795918 --> 00:15:08,264.89795918 The room might be more presentable, but that mess, it's still there. 157 00:15:08,804.89795918 --> 00:15:10,154.89795918 It's only been covered over. 158 00:15:11,174.89795918 --> 00:15:19,184.89795918 The Israelites, they needed someone to wash away and forgive their sins if they were going to be fully in God's presence. 159 00:15:19,994.89795918 --> 00:15:23,354.89795918 Thus, we get to where we are in the church calendar today. 160 00:15:24,644.89795918 --> 00:15:33,59.89795918 God's people could not make it to God, so God goes to them, doesn't he? Jesus gives up that heavenly throne room. 161 00:15:33,59.89795918 --> 00:15:43,799.89795918 He gives up the castle, if you will, to come here to this earth, and he enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to remove that separation that was between you and God. 162 00:15:44,309.89795918 --> 00:15:47,219.89795918 We see the beginnings of that in our highlighted verse of the day. 163 00:15:47,219.89795918 --> 00:15:51,449.89795918 If you've got some time here, Matthew 21:5, a verse well worth highlighting. 164 00:15:51,689.89795918 --> 00:15:53,369.89795918 It says, say to Daughter Zion. 165 00:15:53,489.89795918 --> 00:16:00,899.89795918 See your king comes to you gentle and riding on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 166 00:16:02,399.89795918 --> 00:16:12,809.89795918 Jesus comes into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday, and the people are all so excited, aren't they? They're laying down their cloaks for that donkey to walk over. 167 00:16:13,349.89795918 --> 00:16:14,759.89795918 They're waving their palm branches. 168 00:16:14,759.89795918 --> 00:16:18,869.89795918 They're chanting Hosanna! Hosanna! which means save us. 169 00:16:19,49.89795918 --> 00:16:19,859.89795918 Save us. 170 00:16:20,939.89795918 --> 00:16:26,639.89795918 Of course, they thought that Jesus was there to save them from that Roman empire that had taken over. 171 00:16:27,509.89795918 --> 00:16:31,769.89795918 But he was there to save them from something far more sinister than all of that. 172 00:16:33,89.89795918 --> 00:16:39,779.89795918 He was there to save them from their sins, their sins that could have and would've left them, separated from God for all eternity. 173 00:16:39,779.89795918 --> 00:16:44,574.8979592 Unable to live out the reason that they were created, that you were created. 174 00:16:46,724.8979592 --> 00:16:48,374.8979592 That's exactly what Jesus does. 175 00:16:48,614.8979592 --> 00:16:51,704.8979592 Like I said, he gives up the heavenly throne room to come to this earth. 176 00:16:51,824.8979592 --> 00:16:55,664.8979592 He lives a perfect life and then dies a perfect death on the cross. 177 00:16:55,664.8979592 --> 00:17:01,214.8979592 And the moment that he dies, that separation that was there, it's been removed. 178 00:17:01,484.8979592 --> 00:17:03,404.8979592 And if you don't believe me, look at what happens. 179 00:17:03,404.8979592 --> 00:17:11,174.8979592 The very moment that he dies from Mark 15:38, it says, and the curtain of the temple was torn into from top to bottom. 180 00:17:12,14.8979592 --> 00:17:22,994.8979592 That permanent house of God that reflected the tabernacle, that curtain separated people from the Holy of Holies where they could go in and have a personal relationship with God. 181 00:17:23,504.8979592 --> 00:17:28,634.8979592 Well, that curtain was torn into from top to bottom because it was God himself doing the tearing. 182 00:17:28,844.8979592 --> 00:17:33,134.8979592 The separation has been removed, the password has been accepted. 183 00:17:33,284.8979592 --> 00:17:35,294.8979592 It was always Jesus. 184 00:17:36,164.8979592 --> 00:17:46,214.8979592 Jesus' death on the cross is what gives you personal access to the God ff the Universe, and receiving gladly what he has done for you. 185 00:17:48,14.8979592 --> 00:18:01,814.8979592 So, as we close out this message, what do we do with all of this? What do we do as New Testament readers reading about the Levitical sacrificial system? Well, there's all kinds of lessons we could learn. 186 00:18:02,399.8979592 --> 00:18:13,139.8979592 We could talk about the silly passwords we think we need to enter in to have access to God still today, like our good works or avoiding certain sins long enough if we're gonna have that one-on-one relationship. 187 00:18:14,159.8979592 --> 00:18:16,769.8979592 Jesus sacrifice was once and for all. 188 00:18:16,769.8979592 --> 00:18:20,129.8979592 There are no sacrifices that we need to make. 189 00:18:21,814.8979592 --> 00:18:25,889.8979592 I think the point that we should take away is much simpler even than all of that. 190 00:18:26,744.8979592 --> 00:18:34,694.8979592 I want you to not take for granted for a single second how simple and easy it is for you to have access to the God of the Universe. 191 00:18:35,474.8979592 --> 00:18:39,704.8979592 It wasn't simple and easy for Jesus, but it is simple and easy for you. 192 00:18:40,124.8979592 --> 00:18:42,524.8979592 The password has been entered in, it's been accepted. 193 00:18:42,524.8979592 --> 00:18:49,124.8979592 All you have to do is not reject that relationship that is right there in front of you, staring you in the face. 194 00:18:50,504.8979592 --> 00:18:53,714.8979592 And yet unfortunately, that's exactly what we do sometimes. 195 00:18:54,119.8979592 --> 00:19:01,439.8979592 I can only imagine what those Israelites would think as they look back and think about what all they went through. 196 00:19:01,649.8979592 --> 00:19:15,389.8979592 For one guy to have access to God one day a year, all those sacrifices they made, and they ask you, why haven't you spent time with God today? And you say, well, I wasn't willing to sacrifice 10 minutes of sleep. 197 00:19:15,989.8979592 --> 00:19:20,69.8979592 I wasn't willing to sacrifice watching another episode of that show. 198 00:19:21,89.8979592 --> 00:19:22,169.8979592 Don't be like that. 199 00:19:22,739.8979592 --> 00:19:25,79.8979592 Go and spend time with God regularly. 200 00:19:25,79.8979592 --> 00:19:26,789.8979592 That's the reason you were created. 201 00:19:26,789.8979592 --> 00:19:30,359.8979592 When you're doing that, you're living out your purpose for existing. 202 00:19:31,979.8979592 --> 00:19:37,379.8979592 And as you do that, you get all kinds of blessings from that relationship that God wants you to have. 203 00:19:38,99.8979592 --> 00:19:46,649.8979592 You get his wisdom, his grace, his love, his peace, his mercy and more, all because Jesus, Hosanna, he saved you, He saved you. 204 00:19:46,979.8979592 --> 00:19:48,29.8979592 Thank you Jesus. 205 00:19:48,749.8979592 --> 00:19:49,279.8979592 Amen. 206 00:19:52,392.5646259 --> 00:19:54,42.5646259 You've been listening to a sermon from St. 207 00:19:54,42.5646259 --> 00:19:56,122.5646259 John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 208 00:19:56,442.5646259 --> 00:19:58,242.5646259 If you would like more information about St. 209 00:19:58,242.5646259 --> 00:20:03,902.5646259 John's and any of our ministries to our community and beyond, you can go to our website, www. 210 00:20:03,992.5646259 --> 00:20:04,232.5646259 stjohnsbuffalo. 211 00:20:05,472.5636259 --> 00:20:05,802.5636259 org. 212 00:20:06,182.5636259 --> 00:20:07,472.5646259 Thank you and God bless you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Betrayal Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com