Atonement

Please be seated. Now for the sermon brought to us by a local pastor, Mr. Tuck.

Happy feast! Good to see all of you. Hope the fast has not got you down. All of you slept well last night. I came up here with the idea in mind of speaking very softly. You may have a headache or something because you haven't had your coffee or you haven't had whatever it is that gets you going in the morning.

But anyway, we're all here and it's wonderful again to be here, to be observing this day of atonement, Yom Kippur, as the Jews call it, that is very pivotal in regards to God's festivals and how important this day is in so many ways. It may be one of those holy days that oftentimes we, in one sense, do not look forward to, and that is going without food and water for a while. But it carries a very deep, deep message in so many ways.

You've already heard part of that in the first message. The scribes and the Pharisees lived basically by the letter of the law. They did very well with the letter of law in most cases. And they enjoyed the letter of the law because oftentimes allowed them to stand in judgment of other people. You know, they could point out a law and show where somebody had broken that law. They tried to, of course, do that with Jesus Christ very often, didn't they?

Accusing Christ of this or that. Let's go over to Matthew 23 and show what, in fact, Jesus Christ corrected the Pharisees about. But in Matthew 23 and verse 23, I think it really says it all, really, when we talk about just the letter of the law. But we're going to hear a little more, of course, about it. But this really gives us a synopsis of their problem. But in verse 23 of Matthew 23, it says, Any time you see the word woe in the Bible, you better stop and pause and consider.

Woe! Woe do you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise, and come and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. And then it says, These you ought to have done without leaving others undone. And so they, of course, were diligent when it came to be adhering to the law, but they did not apply right justice and judgment and mercy and faith. They were way off on that. They did, in other words, see the spirit of the law, which is what the church is about, seeing the spirit of the law.

Not again that we negate the letter of the law, but we need to see the spirit of the law. Let's go over to John 8. I want to show an example here of the way that they looked at the letter of the law. And like I said, they tried to ensnare Christ often with the letter of law of what he ought to have done if you were just going by the stone-cold letter of the law.

But notice here in John 8, John 8, and down in verse 2, it says, Now early in the morning he came again into the temple. Here he was, of course, there on the temple mount. And all the people came to him, and he sat down and he taught them.

And then the scribes of the friars he brought to him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to him, teacher, this woman was caught in adultery in the very act. I mean, it's just as plain as the nose on your face. They were telling him, well, what should he have ought to have said, according to the way? Of course, they judge matters and the way they looked at things. I mean, after all, she was caught red-headed, you know, in the very act.

And it says, now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned. You know, that's what the Bible said. She should be stoned for what she did. But what do you say? What do you say? They said to Christ. And this they said, testing him that he might have some thing of which to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down and rode on the ground with his finger as though he did not hear.

Now, who knows what he wrote on the ground? Maybe he merely wrote some names on the ground. You know, maybe whoever was there, you know, Yitzhak and, you know, whoever it was. And they knew who they were, of course. Maybe others knew who they were as well. And when they continued asking him, he raised himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you let him throw a stone at her first.

You take a big rock and toss it her. And again he stooped down and rode on the ground. And then those had heard it being convicted by their conscience because maybe, just maybe, he started writing sins that go with the names that he had written in the dirt. Now, imagine how embarrassing that would be. That here you were right in the throngs of a crowd that had thrust a woman down to be stolen for adultery when you had committed adultery or you had committed an equal sin. Again, we don't know what Christ wrote, but he wrote something.

And when they were convicted by their conscience, they went out one by one, beginning with the oldest, even to the youngest. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst, and when Jesus raised him so often, saw no one but the woman, he said to her, Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you? And she said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you. Go and send no more. Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world.

He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. Now, make note of what he says here about this. I am the light of the world. And he who follows me walks in the light. And so, this verse, really, these verses here in John 8, give us something to think about here on the day of Atonement. I don't know if you've ever associated John 8 with the day of Atonement.

We're going to do it today. We're going to tie it in to the day of Atonement today, because it very much ties in to this day. So, let's examine the meaning of the day of Atonement in the light of this incident. Now, as we've already heard from Mr. Judson in the first message, Atonement does have a centrality in the Holy Days, in the festivals. It relates to the high priest. More specifically, it relates to the high priest and our personal part in the meaning of this day.

We know that Israel was given a ritual associated with this day that was spoken about, about the two goats that were selected. One was called the Azazel, or Azazel, which is not the scapegoat as it says in the King James, the goat that was to be led escape. But the Azazel was kept alive, and the sins of Israel were confessed over the goat. And afterward, that goat was let go into the wilderness. After the sins of all of Israel were confessed over that goat, and of course the other goat pictured the Lord, and that goat was sacrificed, and the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat to cover the sins of Israel, for all of Israel.

And that was symbolic, of course, of future events that were going to take place that we have already begotten of, that we've partaken of as God's people that are sitting here today in this very auditorium. But let's go over to Leviticus 16. Like I say, this day really focuses in on you and me. It focuses in on John 8 and the spirit of the law. And this day has to do, of course, as we often call it at one month, coming at one with God.

It has to do with Israel coming at one one day, but not just Israel, but as a type Israel was, all the world. The entire world is going to come at one with God. But let's go over here to Leviticus 16, Leviticus 16, where here we see, in fact, the ritual that was to take place on this day.

And of course, with that blood of the Lord, the high priest went in to the Holy of Holies to sprinkle it on the mercy seat once a year. He can only do it once a year for the sins of the people.

And this day pictures a time when our high priest has gone in to the Holy of Holies, and he's covered the mercy seat for us, for our sins, for all time. So Christ has done that for us. But Leviticus 16 talks about all of that, and perhaps we at another time can go through it more specifically, each verse, verse by verse. But notice in verse 29 here, pertaining to the Feast of Atonement, or the Day of Atonement, this shall be a statute forever for you.

In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls. I trust today you are here afflicted. You don't feel as well as you normally do. Don't have that coffee that sort of perks you up in the morning. I could tell this afternoon, by the way, as I came in and I shook people's hands, and said, hello to you. Some of you were not quite as vivacious, not quite as friendly as you normally are, but to be understood, you're afflicting your soul as God intends that we do.

And it says, do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger dwells among you. For on that day, the priest shall make an atonement for you. He'll make an atonement for you. You get that point, brethren, here? He makes an atonement for you. It's to remind us that Jesus Christ has made an atonement for us. And it's through, of course, His blood, His shed blood, that we not only avail ourselves up today, but every day. That we're reminded Christ made an atonement for us. And it says to cleanse you that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.

It enables us, brethren, to appear before God the Father and to pray and to talk to Him in a clean state when we ask forgiveness of our sins. And it goes on to say here, in verse 31, is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It's a statute forever. It's something we never cease doing. It's always important. We'll always be valuable. This day will be valuable forever, by the way, on into the future. As the Bible tells us here very clearly, and we know that that value is going to be there in terms of its meaning for us forever on into the future.

And this day of atonement, brethren, was kept by the Apostle Paul 28 years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And, you know, in fact, Paul was, remember, on a long journey. I'm not going to go over there, but you may recall what it says over there about Paul when he was on this journey, that the fast was already past. If you look in the Greek, it's talking about the day of atonement. And so Paul had observed the day of atonement. He was sailing, of course, through the Mediterranean as a prisoner courtesy of the Roman Empire.

And, you know, the fast was past. And you may remember the ocean was, the Mediterranean Ocean was, the sea was quite, you know, furious at that time as it is after that time. I remember there was one time a presidential meeting in the Mediterranean Sea. It was after the day of atonement they had exactly the same problem. The sea was very turbulent at that time. Again, it was just the time when it was very difficult to sail. But Paul then observed the day of atonement.

Now let's go over to Leviticus chapter 23. Leviticus chapter 23. You still with me? Leviticus 23. In verse 27, nobody fall out, yes, at this time. You know, the English used to have the noggin knockers, you know. And if somebody sort of acted like they were going to fall asleep, they would reach over with these long poles and they'd knock you on the head. You know, so if anybody falls out, brethren, just go like that, you know. Elbow knocker, I guess, is what you'd call it. But so Leviticus 23 here and down in verse 27. Also, the tenth day of the seventh month shall be the day of atonement.

Now it shall be a holy convocation for you and shall afflict your souls. Now this word, atonement, by the way, brethren, is from the Hebrew word kippur. They would call it yom kippur. And you know, that word is plural. It may not be aware, it is plural. And it means the day of atonements. You're here not because God wiped away one of your sins one time, you're here because God has atoned for your sins many times through the blood of Jesus Christ.

He's forgiven you many times. And I would guess if we asked for a showing of hands, how many of you have been forgiven this week? I think we'd have it be unanimous. And then the person that didn't raise their hand, we would need to talk to you afterwards.

Because all of us, of course, have sinned. But again, it's the day of atonements, brethren. And kippur is generally translated to make an atonement. However, it can mean to reconcile. So this day is to reconcile us, or to forgive us. Or I like this word, pardon us. To pardon us. We're like the woman who was dragged before Christ and thrown in the midst and said, what do you say should happen to her? We were pardoned. What that woman deserved was death according to the letter of the law. And God is pardoning us, brethren. Because what we were deserving of was death. All of us.

Now, I know sometimes some don't think they commit sin that much. You need to take the rose-colored glasses off and start looking at yourself. Remember the story of a man, a minister, was trying to convince a little old lady that she had sinned. And he said, because he was talking to her about baptism, trying to come to see herself. And anyway, he said, now to be baptized, you've got to realize you've committed sin. Now, have you committed any sins? And she said, well, I can't rightly remember anything I specifically have done. I don't think I've really sinned that much. And the man started pressing her and pressing her on it to try to get her to see herself for baptism. And anyway, he kept saying something. He said, well, yeah, she said there was one time I walked into a store and I stole some candy. And anyway, he says, there's got to be more than that you've done. She says, no, no, sir, I've not ever done anything more than that. And he kept pressing and on her and pressing and on her and pretty soon she got angry and she about ready hit him in the face. And that was a sure proof that she had sinned, right? She had some problems that she had to repent of, her attitude, that her feathers could be ruffled, that she could sin. She wasn't really seeing herself. Well, brethren, God has pardoned us so many times for so many sins. Do we really see them all? Have you ever thought about, brethren, thinking about all the things that you have done in your life that were wrong in writing on a small piece of paper and putting it in a basket? And they're just right, continue to put it in the basket, and write it and put it in the basket. How many basket loads would it bring up? Seven? Twelve? Maybe a room full of sins that God has forgiven. So this is the day of pardons for you and me, and it will be for the world in the future. You know, the root word, by the way, for this was to wipe out, according to the Interpreter's Bible Dictionary. God just wiped it out, and it was gone. The sins that you have committed, I have committed, God wiped it away. And the sins that we were committed made us as pure as the driven stull. I always tell people when they're baptized, you are now pure as the driven stull. There is no sin attributable to you after you are baptized. And then I tell people, be careful you don't put any mud on that snow. No sin on that pure snow that you are. Resist that. Of course, try as we may, we won't. We'll make mistakes, won't we? As we all do. So the day of atonement could be called the day of pardons, brethren. Like being pardoned from death row.

Being pardoned, brethren, is being given a reprieve, like if you're on a death row, reprieve from the death penalty unmerited. According to the letter of law, you deserve to be dead. But unmerited is we didn't deserve it. And we were given that pardon.

In 1611, in the King James, the word for atonement meant at one. In other words, being reconciled to a state of oneness. It had to do with the relationship of man and God, that man had betrayed by sin, and that atonement it was intended to bring man into harmony with God. A pardon, brethren, is something again that is unmerited, undeserved, to be forgiven, so that we can be brought into harmony with God, brought into a relationship with God. Now, the day of atonement is a command of fast to refrain from eating. And since it's a day of a pardon or reconciliation, why do we fast then? Why don't we go without food?

Well, brethren, we fast. That word, of course, afflict means from the Hebrew, ana, to abase ourselves. This is a sign of humbling ourselves before God with the right kind of an attitude. It shows us quickly we are temporary beings.

Now, by the end of the day, you're going to be spit and caught. Right? And if you're a little kid, you can't wait for the sun to go down. Maybe if you're an adult, you can't wait for that sun to go down. Now, but what if somebody said, good news, you get to have another day?

You know, how are you going to feel about going another day? And then maybe another day? And then after that, you may not be too much left of you anyway. We might be visiting you somewhere in bed somewhere because you wouldn't survive very long, would you? You'd begin to expire. What does that show you in me, brethren?

It shows each of us, brethren, this human body has a short shelf life. Right?

Sometimes you buy something off the shelf that has got a date, expires by such and such date.

And we have a short shelf life. Maybe if God blesses you, you've got 70, 80 years, 90 years, and you're gone. And there's no guarantees for that. There's no guarantees you're going to live even that length of time. I've known very wonderful people who have died a very early age.

You know, sometimes I wonder if when I see that happen, when somebody's a really decent person, I've often commented on my wife, maybe that's all they needed in this physical life to prepare for what was coming.

Maybe that's all God needed them to have. That length of time.

So if you were 85, 90, 100 years of age, God's still working on you.

But maybe somebody that dies a little earlier, maybe God was done.

Had done all he could do or would do with that individual.

But God wants us to come to sea. When we're fasting, brethren, you know what? If we're going to go on, I mean on beyond 70 years or 80 years or 100 years or 150 years, you know what? You need God. You need God.

So lest we get on our little high horses that we think we're great as human beings, every one of us, brethren, I don't care what your ability is. I don't care how wonderful you are, how beautiful you are, how handsome you may be, how talented you may be. You need God.

And this day teaches that.

And we see it easier at the end of the day than we do now.

And if we did go on for another day, we'd see a little better tomorrow. And after that, and if you're ever on your deathbed, brethren, then you really see it.

Then you really see it.

You see how much you need God. You can't make it without God.

Atonement is to teach us that.

I like to call this day a springboard to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

If we can get this point, brethren, if we can understand how much we need God on the day of Atonement, we'll have a much better, meaningful Feast of Tabernacles.

We'll get out of it what God wants us to receive.

We're not just eating and feasting. We're celebrating the coming world when we won't be physical anymore.

We'll have eternal life. We'll have the eternal life that God has promised, the real salvation that we need to survive.

One of the hardest things in reconciliation, brethren, is oftentimes people are unwilling to forgive other people.

Because that's a part of reconciliation with God.

If you and I are willing to forgive other people, God will forgive us.

Isn't that a part of the model prayer of Matthew 6?

That God will forgive us as we're willing to forgive other people.

So if we want to be pardoned on this day of pardons, brethren, and be pardoned when we kneel down to pray to our Father in Heaven to ask us forgiveness, we must be willing to forgive other people.

Atonement and tabernacles and the last great day are good news for all people upon the face of the earth.

In heralds, brethren, an age of light where there is no darkness.

After the judgment of the devil has taken place, and this day pictures it, when Satan is going to be bound for a thousand years, as Revelation 20 and verse 1 tells us, he's going to be removed away from people for that thousand-year period.

That God's way of life, brethren, then is going to be a lot easier for people than it is now.

You and I have got to battle against the devil.

This day reminds us how we do that through fasting and prayer.

We fight against Satan by remaining close to God.

And, brethren, in the future, we know this day pictures when Satan is going to be actually thrown into outer darkness, away from all of God's creation in the future.

Now, what that is, we don't have any idea what that is going to be.

But we know the Bible talks about how he's going to be cast into outer darkness in the future, along with his demons.

And the wicked are going to perish. They're going to be ashes under the feet of the righteous.

But the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day are good news for all people.

It looks to a time, not only, brethren, that we can live the dream that we have talked about these many years.

We've been following God's way of life, but we can live that dream in the world tomorrow. And not only that, we'll be sharing that dream of the Millennium with all the world, with all society.

But the key, brethren, is for us to be repentant all the time and to be willing to seek not our own will, but God's will.

And that means, brethren, we, as God's people, need to not only reconcile with our God, but we have to be willing to forgive others to be pardoned in our lives.

Adam and Eve were in unity with God, brethren, for one day.

For what we see in the Bible. They were in unity. They were created on the sixth day.

God rested on the seventh day, and presumably that's when he taught Adam and Eve.

And the next time he came and he talked to them, that's, of course, when the sin was discovered in man.

But they were in harmony with God one day.

But think about, during that time of that one day when they were in harmony with God, all the animals were tamed.

Adam was able to name all the animals. All the animals were tamed.

I guess he was able to walk up to a big old burly bear and take him by the ear and play with him.

Or a lion or whatever animal was there. Eve was able to do the same thing.

Man was in harmony with nature. They didn't have to earn bread by the sweat of their brow.

The Garden of Eden was a wonderful place, wasn't it? Where man, basically in this home that God had given to man, could live in a world that was perfect in every sense of the word.

But think about this, brethren. For that one day, Satan was not around. For that one day.

Satan was not there.

That was symbolic of the time, brethren, when at the beginning of the millennium Satan is going to be away from mankind.

He's going to be bound for a thousand years.

And what we know is going to happen is that during that time animals, according to Isaiah 35, are going to be tamed for that whole millennial period.

You'll be able to play with ferocious animals, poisonous snakes during the millennium.

And so what God is going to do, brethren, in the Day of Atonement looks to this, He's going to allow man to reconcile with him.

And He's going to invite man into His Garden of Eden home that will be the millennium.

And again, the Day of Atonement looks to that time, a day of pardons in the future, when the whole world's sins are going to be pardoned after Satan again is bound for a thousand years.

Sin has separated man from God. It presents a barrier between man and God.

And Jesus Christ, as our Redeemer, came, brethren, to take that barrier away, to wipe it away.

When Adam and Eve send in the Garden, remember, the weight of the Tree of Life was cut off from them, which symbolized the Holy Spirit and revealed knowledge.

Remember, the angels were placed there with a flaming sword that kept the way to the Tree of Life.

So access to the Holy Spirit was cut off for mankind after that time.

But in the millennium, that won't be there.

And God is going to allow all men, all people, upon the face of the Reconcile with him to come to have a relationship with him.

And Satan again will no longer be there for that one thousand year period.

Now, it's not going to be impossible, by the way, to realize that people can still make mistakes.

Because with human nature, just human nature, you can make mistakes.

I mean, we make mistakes all the time, and I don't think...we can't always say, the devil made me do it.

Like Flip Wilson used to say, you know, the devil made me do it. He popularized that sort of wording there.

Now, sometimes, brethren, it's we, our own human nature.

And man's going to be battling that. I think it's probably going to take a generation or two before, you know, we get some of that...some of the rotten character out.

And maybe it will be smoother sailing after a couple of generations.

But it will always be there, human nature, the fact that people are physical. Because the world won't be physical, but we, obviously, will be spiritual.

They will be spirit beings like we will be.

You know, they will have the physical problems to confront themselves.

When Jesus Christ, though, came, He came again to take away those barriers. He came to present an opportunity for people to be reconciled.

Remember when Christ was crucified, the temple curtain that separated the holy place from the holiest of all was rent in two. It was torn from top to bottom.

And that was to signify that the way to the holiest of all was made open so that now man could have access to God.

And we, of course, know it was through Jesus Christ and through His sacrifice, through His shed blood, that that was possible.

Let's go to Acts 3. It's so important for us to really get that big picture, brethren, to see that.

Whatever state you are in, whether you've been in the church for a long time and you've heard these words many times.

But if you're hearing them for the first time, what are you going to do about it?

What are you going to do about the opportunity to be forgiven, to be shown God's grace?

Here in Acts 3, verse 19, let's notice, here Peter says, Peter says, So, brethren, Jesus Christ, we know is waiting in heaven for the time when all things are going to be restored.

This day have pardoned pictures in a way that time.

Because, brethren, when we are reconciled completely, then we're not in the flesh anymore.

For us, a process will be complete. We will be reconciled fully with the Father.

Not only in heart and mind, brethren, but spirit. We will be spirit.

What a wonderful time, brethren, that is going to be when that occurs.

But we can't be reconciled until our sins are blotted out. And that's only possible by Christ's sacrifice through His shed blood and through our repentance.

And God must draw us to Christ as draws to the church.

Let's go over to Psalm 65. Psalm 65, verse 3 and 4.

Psalm 65, verse 3 and 4.

You know, they don't even have any vodka under here. But that would be a cruel hoax, wouldn't it? To have something like that.

But anyway, let's notice here, Psalm 65, verse 3 and 4.

It says, when we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave.

That's a Hebrew word, by the way, kapar, right here. The NIV footnote says, made atonement for. You made atonement for us.

For our transgressions. Blessed are those that choose and bring near to live in your courts.

Blessed are those you, the Father, bring near to your courts. God's elect, and eventually it's going to be all of mankind during the millennium, all humanity, are invited in His presence now, brethren.

But remember, the Bible says no one, no man can come to the Father unless He draw Him.

He draws Him to Christ, draws Him to the church, and of course the sins are then pardoned after repentance.

And so, brethren, in the millennium, everybody is going to be invited into that relationship that you and I could have right now.

Into God's Garden of Eden, His Millennial reign, when the world again is going to be one with God.

And we know again it's possible by Jesus Christ. He was that high priest that went into the holiest of alls.

He went right to the very throne of God with His own blood, once and for all.

He was in a physical high priest, but He offered His own blood in heaven so that all sins could be forgiven.

And so all of us can avail ourselves of that when we do repent as God's people.

And you know, the Bible does say to us that when one sinner repents, there is joy in heaven.

God wants us all to have that experience. God wants us all to have a relationship, brethren, with Him.

You know, when the world wakes up, their attitude is going to be like the Jews when they woke up when they were in Babylon.

We all sing that song, don't we? About Babylon, the homewire harper on the willow tree, Zion, yet I remember thee.

And when they came back, brethren, they loathed themselves. They went through a religious experience.

They realized, brethren, that they had been wrong.

Would you pray the way Daniel did in Daniel 9, where he talked about the sins of the people?

You know, when he laid himself before God, and remember, God answered his prayers because of the righteousness of Daniel, that how wonderful it was, his attitude, because he had an attitude of, God, show me where I'm wrong, I'm willing to change.

And so, brethren, we ought to, as a result of seeing these examples in the Bible, seeing what God has done for us, having a repentant attitude.

Now, as God's people, in the future, people will. Believe me, what they're going to go through, they're going to loathe themselves, and they're going to turn to God after the tribulation, and after coming to a time when there could be a thousand years of peace, there's going to be a total change of heart in the future.

So, brethren, here we are. We are fasting as God's people on this feast of atonement, this day of pardons, as I've mentioned.

And God wants us to have a right and a proper attitude. Let's not, when we're fasting, fast the way the Pharisee did, you know, that felt he was so righteous. Remember, the Pharisee was fasting. He felt quite satisfied that he fasted twice in the week, and he said, I'm not like this other peon over here. You see, fasting shouldn't do that for us, make us self-righteous.

Fasting should humble us. Fasting should show us how much we really truly do need God.

Fasting, brethren, also besides humbling us before God should do another thing.

Let's go over to Isaiah 58. Isaiah 58 and see what that is.

Isaiah 58.

It takes a little while. I'm fasting today, brethren.

Don't have as much strength to turn the pages.

Isaiah 58 and verse 4.

It says, indeed you fast for strife and debate, to strike with the fist of wickedness.

You know, it's like Gonday and others who have fasted in these manners and these ways to try to basically get people to change, or maybe a prisoner, you know, will take this stance, approach to get something from the administration in a prison.

He said, you will not fast as you do this day to make your voice heard on high.

Is it a fast that I've chosen a day for a man to afflict his soul?

Is it to bow down his head like a bull rush and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, an acceptable day to the Lord, the Eternal?

No, does God want to just make us feel bad on this day?

No, he doesn't want us to do that.

Why did God want Israel to give the sacrifices that they gave in the Old Testament?

Was it the blood of bulls and goats that God wanted so much?

No, what did he want? What really did he want?

What does it say in Psalm 50 over there, what David said?

God said, I wanted a contrite heart. That's what I wanted. I would have changed a heart.

That's what I desired. So God wants that.

Notice in verse 6, this is what God really wants, brethren, besides that humble heart.

Is this not the fast I've chosen to loose the bonds of wickedness?

To undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke.

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, that you bring your house to the poor who are cast out when you see naked, that you cover him and not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light will break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go forth before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry, and he shall say, Here I am.

You see, that's the kind of fast that God wants. Right there.

To break the yolks. You've got a sin that needs to be overcome, brethren. What are you going to do about it? What are you going to do about it? Maybe you drink too much? Maybe you do other things that are contrary to God's law. God says, What are you going to do about it? Why are you fasting?

Otherwise, not just to humble yourself, God could say that. He's like, I wanted you to fast, not just so you'd even be humbled. I just want you to see the need to change. Have it in, harden you to change, to make those transformations in your own personal life.

So God really wants that. He said, When you have that attitude, and brethren, when there's a change of heart in the whole world, and that's what our work is about, brethren, the work of the church. The work of preaching the gospel is to bring the whole world to repentance before God so that we can be changed and transform. Our minds might be renewed.

So, brethren, this day is very pivotal, very important. It is like a springboard for us, for a good feast. We get the point of this day, the humility. Let's go over to Joel 2. Joel 2. Joel 2.

The book of Joel in chapter 2.

In verse 11.

In Joel 2, verse 11, The Lord gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great, for strong is the one who executes His word. For the day of the war is great and very terrible. Who can endure it? Now therefore says, The Lord, turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, with mourning, so rend your heart and not your garments.

Return to the eternal your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and He relents from doing harm.

So God wants us, brethren, to turn to Him with our entire heart.

And we know God has a purpose of writing His laws on our hearts so that they're a part of us. They're an inward part of us.

So that's why the letter of the law is so important, brethren.

That we're not condemning of other people.

We're not looking down our noses at other people, but, brethren, we're looking to the time when all the world is going to be saved.

We're looking at the time when all the world will respond.

I've been amazed, by the way, the transformation that people take, that take place in people's lives.

I came in out of one of the areas up in Oakland of people that, man, some of them have really messed up lives. They really do.

And through God's Spirit, they're able to come out. Some of the paths that they've lived through. And it's amazing. And through the years, I've seen people who have made amazing transformations through the power of God's Spirit when they get in harmony with God.

And, brethren, I'm convinced we can do much more as God's people. If we live this day, the Day of Atonement, more perfectly, as God's people and get in harmony with God, because we are here again on the Day of Parthence. And during our fast, brethren, let's be humbled to seek a real oneness with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our Father. Let's follow Jesus Christ's own example of compassion and mercy toward others and His willingness to forgive other people.

And let's reach out to people with the message of the truth of the gospel of the kingdom of God. Let's rejoice, brethren, over the time when all will repent, all of mankind, all humanity is going to repent. Everyone's going to be reconciled with God, and that is pictured, brethren. When the culprit that is the little G of this world, the little God of this world, is going to stop his masquerade, he's going to be cast into a deep pit during the millennium and the outer darkness for eternity after that, and man will finally come at one with God. And the Day of Parthence looks to that time, brethren. Be thankful that you're here to hear, brethren, the messages and the meaning of these days, because they are so important, brethren, for us now, and so important for people now who have no clue of what these days are all about. And let's use the Day of Atonement when we have abased ourselves before God, afflicted our souls. Let's use this day, brethren, as a springboard to have a wonderful feast, but let's make it a spiritual feast. Let's go to wherever we're going to observe God's feast this year. Let's rejoice before God, but let's get the spiritual value of it, and let's, again, picture the tremendous time of the millennium that is coming ahead of us.