Open your Bibles and find the book of Leviticus, chapter 16. Once you have that, turn to the New Testament book of Hebrews, chapter 9—Leviticus 16 and Hebrews 9. As we begin, I want to read a few verses from both Leviticus and Hebrews to lay the groundwork for our focus this morning.
Follow along with me in Leviticus 16, beginning with verse 1:
Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence of the Lord and died. The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). Then he shall bathe his body in water and put them on. He shall take from the congregation of the sons of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. Then Aaron shall offer the bull for the sin offering which is for himself, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household. He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting. Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the Lord fell, and make it a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.
Now turn to the book of Hebrews, chapter 9, beginning at verse 1:
Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place. Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.
Now skip down to verses 11–12:
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
[Prayer]
It’s inevitable … anytime I wear a white shirt, nine times out of ten, I end up dribbling my coffee or dropping my lunch down the front of it. You know what I’m talking about, right? Have you ever been there?
Now imagine a stain—not just any stain, but a deep, indelible mark that stands out against a pure white background. You’ve tried to scrub it out, poured every cleaner you could think of over it, but nothing worked. Eventually, you’re left wondering how to hide it—flipping the cushion to hide the stain on the couch; rearranging the furniture to cover over the stained carpet; doing whatever it takes to keep that stain from being seen.
In his book Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman tells a story about a stain like that. His wife had bought a white loveseat—a risky choice, considering they had kids and white carpet to match. The rule was simple: no kids in the white room. But one day, while straightening up, Kyle’s wife found a stain—pink fingernail polish blotched on the pristine cushion of the pure white love seat. The stain had obviously been there for a while, hidden by flipping the cushion over. As Kyle and his wife confronted their children, his middle daughter broke down and ran to hide in her room. She knew she couldn’t fix the mess she’d made, and she was terrified of the consequences.
When Kyle found her huddled in her closet, he gently sat down beside her. Through her tears, she finally admitted what she had done and confessed that she had tried so hard to clean it, but nothing worked. She was sure her parents would be angry—maybe even stop loving her. But then her mom knelt down and whispered, "Morgan, you could never make a big enough stain to keep me from loving you.” The stain remained, but what had once represented guilt and shame became a symbol of unconditional love and grace.
We’ve all got stains like that—marks we can’t remove no matter how hard we scrub, mistakes we try desperately to hide. In our fear of being exposed, we “flip the cushion” and hope no one sees what’s really underneath.
But as we consider Leviticus 16 and the Day of Atonement, we’re going to confront the reality of our sin—the stains we can’t cover—and see how God doesn’t just flip the cushion to hide our mess. Instead, He provides a perfect solution to cleanse us completely.
And that’s the heart of today’s message. Here’s the bottom line: Jesus is the perfect atonement, forever reconciling us to God. Unlike the old system that only covered sin temporarily, His sacrifice removes the stain completely.
The Day of Atonement was a day of reckoning for the people of Israel—a moment when their sinfulness was exposed and atonement was made. But as powerful as that ritual was, it was insufficient and it pointed forward to something far greater: the perfect atonement accomplished by Jesus.
It all begins with a recognition of …
I. The Need for Atonement (Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9:1-7)
Leviticus 16 opens with a sobering reminder: God’s holiness is not to be taken lightly. It starts with a tragic story that sets the stage for the Day of Atonement. Right at the beginning, the Lord reminds Moses about the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu. These young priests dared to approach God on their own terms—offering unauthorized fire before the Lord—and they paid for it with their lives.
They disrespected the holiness of God, and Leviticus 10 tells us, “... fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them …”
A. Atonement Required by Holiness
God’s holiness requires atonement. God makes it clear to Moses that Aaron can’t just walk into the Holy of Holies whenever he chooses. The cost of sin is too high—God’s holiness demands respect, and sinful humanity cannot stand in His presence unprepared. This isn’t about God being harsh—it’s about God being holy. And a holy God demands a holy people.
Let’s be honest—holiness is not a popular concept today. Our culture tends to treat God like a casual friend or a comforting presence who overlooks our faults. But Leviticus confronts us with the reality that our sin is not just a passing mistake—it’s a deep offense against a holy God. The cost of sin is severe. Sin separates us from God.
Here’s the thing: this whole ritual wasn’t just about rules and regulations. It was about acknowledging the seriousness of sin and recognizing that we can’t just approach God on our own terms. We’re not the ones who set the standard—He is. And His standard is holiness. Atonement is required by holiness, and …
B. Atonement Repeated by Necessity
God established the Day of Atonement as an annual practice. Leviticus 16:34 tells us, “Now you shall have this as a permanent statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year.” The sacrifices offered were never truly sufficient to fully atone for sin. They only provided temporary covering. Year after year, the high priest had to offer the same sacrifices for himself and the people—repeating the same rituals because the stain of sin was never fully removed. It was a stark reminder that the law couldn’t accomplish permanent cleansing.
The best the law could do was cover sin for a time, pointing forward to the day when a perfect and final atonement would be made. Just think about how exhausting that must have been—constantly returning to the same rituals, never experiencing true freedom from guilt. The stain of sin remained.
And if we’re honest, we can still fall into that same pattern today. We’re not offering animal sacrifices, but we sure can try to atone for our own guilt in other ways, can’t we—by working harder, doing more, trying to be better, convincing ourselves that our good deeds will somehow outweigh our failures. But all of it falls short. The limit of the law, the insufficiency of our works, reveals that human effort and ritual can never truly deal with the problem of sin.
This is where it all begins as we recognize The Need for Atonement. Now let’s consider …
II. The Means of Atonement (Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9:11-12)
The Day of Atonement didn’t just highlight our need for atonement—it also pointed to the means by which atonement would be accomplished. God didn’t just leave His people with an impossible standard and no solution. Instead, He established a way for sinful people to be reconciled to a holy God. And the heart of that reconciliation centered on two key elements: the sacrifice and the scapegoat.
A. The Sacrifice That Cleanses Our Sin
The high priest would take the blood of the sacrificial animal inside the veil and sprinkle it on the mercy seat, right in the heart of the Holy of Holies. This wasn’t just a ritualistic gesture—it was a vivid declaration that atonement could only be made through the shedding of blood. Leviticus 16:15–19 shows us in great detail how the blood was applied to purify the sanctuary and atone for the sins of the people. This wasn’t just about cleansing the physical space; it symbolized the cleansing of their hearts and lives.
Hebrews 9:22 tells us that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness, and yet, in the very next chapter, Hebrews 10:4, we read that the blood of bulls and goats could never truly remove sin. For me, this reality makes Hebrews 9:11–12 that much more powerful! When Christ, our Great High Priest, entered, He did so NOT with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood, securing eternal redemption.
Think about that contrast for a moment. What the high priest did year after year, Jesus did once for all. The Old Covenant system never gave lasting peace, but Christ’s sacrifice on the cross accomplished what no amount of animal blood could ever achieve. It wasn’t temporary cleansing—it was eternal redemption.
And here’s where we need to let that truth sink in: the blood of Jesus was sufficient to pay for every sin—past, present, and future. Hebrews 10:12 tells us that “... He … offered one sacrifice for sins for all time …” If we are in Christ, we no longer have to carry the guilt and shame of our failures because His sacrifice has cleansed us completely.
Maybe today you’re weighed down by the feeling that you just can’t get clean—that no matter how hard you try, your mistakes still define you. Let me remind you: the cross declares that you can be fully forgiven and completely cleansed. You don’t have to keep trying to “make up for” your past. Jesus has done it all.
In Jesus, we see the sacrifice that cleanses our sin and we also see …
B. The Scapegoat That Carries Our Sin
Once the high priest had made atonement with the blood of the sacrifice, he would take a live goat—known as the scapegoat—and lay both hands on its head, confessing over it all the sins of the people. Then the goat was led away into the wilderness, carrying with it the weight of their guilt and rebellion. Leviticus 16:20–22 describes this vivid act of transferring sin from the people to the goat, which was then taken outside the camp—banished, cut off, and never to return.
Can you imagine how that must have felt? Watching the scapegoat disappear over the horizon, knowing it carried the guilt of the entire community. It was a powerful picture—a symbol that God was removing their sin and sending it far away.
This powerful image was just a shadow of what was to come. Jesus, our ultimate scapegoat, fulfilled this picture perfectly—not just by bearing our sin, but by becoming sin on our behalf.
Isaiah 53:6 (NIV) prophesied of Jesus, saying, “... the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 declares, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf ...” And 1 Peter 2:24 tells us, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross …” Jesus took our guilt, He bore our shame, and He carried it far away.
Turn with me to Hebrews 13:11–12: “... the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.”
Just as the carcasses of the sin offering were burned outside the camp, Jesus was crucified outside the city. Just as the scapegoat was led outside of the camp carrying the sin of the people, Jesus “... suffered outside the gate” bearing not only the weight of our sin but also the curse and shame that came with it. He became the sin-bearer and the outcast, taking upon Himself the full consequence of our rebellion.
Maybe today you feel like your sins are still hanging over you—like you’re marked by the stain of your past. But the beauty of the gospel is that, if you are in Christ, Jesus took your sin and bore it outside the camp. It’s gone. It’s finished. It doesn’t define you anymore. Stop trying to carry what Christ has already taken away.
When we look at both the sacrifice and the scapegoat, we see the complete picture of how God dealt with sin through the Day of Atonement—and ultimately through Christ. He doesn’t just cover our sin—He removes it. He didn’t just purify the sanctuary—He purifies our souls. The means of atonement was always pointing forward to the One who would do what the blood of animals never could.
We’ve seen The Need for Atonement and The Means of Atonement—now let’s look at …
III. The Result of Atonement (Hebrews 10:19-22)
Turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10 and follow along beginning at verse 19:
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Because of Christ’s atonement, everything changes. It doesn’t just remove our guilt—it opens the door to something far greater. We’re invited into a new relationship with God, one that’s grounded in a powerful reality: In Christ, we receive …
A. Access Through the Blood
When Jesus cried out on the cross, “It is finished!” and breathed His last, something extraordinary happened in the temple. Mark 15:38 tells us that “... the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” The veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple—the barrier that kept sinful humanity from entering the presence of a holy God was torn apart by God Himself.
Under the Levitical Law, only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year, and only then with the blood of a spotless sacrifice. The people could never truly come near the presence of God. But now, because of Christ’s perfect sacrifice, Hebrews 10:19 proclaims that we have “... confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus.” Confidence; not fear. Boldness; not hesitation.
Let that sink in. What was once inaccessible to all but one man, once a year, is now open to everyone who believes in Christ. The veil has been torn, and our hearts have been sprinkled clean. Because of the blood of Jesus, we don’t have to cower in guilt or shrink back in shame. We don’t approach God on the basis of our worthiness but on the basis of Christ’s righteousness.
And because of that, we draw near to God with full assurance of faith. Not with trembling uncertainty or anxious hesitation, but with a boldness rooted in the finished work of Christ. We are welcomed into the presence of God—not because of anything we’ve done but because of what He has done for us through the blood of Jesus.
Maybe today you’re still living as if the veil is intact—as if access to God’s presence is still reserved for someone holier or more worthy. But Scripture declares that the way has been opened. You don’t have to earn your way in or prove yourself worthy. Jesus has made a way for you to come freely and confidently into the presence of the Father.
If you feel unworthy—good. That’s the point. None of us are worthy, but He is. And because He gave His life for ours, we can come boldly before God’s throne. We have access through the blood of Jesus.
And that access through the blood leads us to something even more beautiful ...
B. Assurance Through the Sacrifice
We don’t just have access—we have assurance. Hebrews 10:14 declares, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” One offering. Not a continuous cycle of sacrifices, not an endless ritual of penance and payment—one offering.
What does it mean that He has “perfected for all time” those who are being sanctified? It means that in the eyes of God, our sin has been completely dealt with. In Christ, we are no longer seen as guilty rebels but as forgiven sons and daughters. We are perfected—not because we live perfectly, but because the perfect Lamb of God took our place.
Jesus is the perfect atonement, forever reconciling us to God.
This assurance … it changes everything. It means that our salvation doesn’t rest on our performance but on His perfection. It means that we don’t have to wonder whether we’ve done enough because Jesus did everything necessary.
Maybe you’ve carried that stain of guilt and shame for so long that you’ve stopped believing it could ever come clean. You’ve tried scrubbing it away with good works, with religious rituals, with promises to do better—but the stain … is still there. Still haunting you. Still reminding you of your failures.
Well, I want you to know this morning that Jesus didn’t just come to cover the stain. He came to remove it. To wash you completely clean. To take that permanent mark of sin and erase it forever through His own blood. This is what the Lord says, “... Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18)
Today, you don’t have to live marked by guilt or shame anymore. You don’t have to wear that stain. You don’t have to keep trying to clean up what only the blood of Jesus can wash away. Instead, come to Him. Rest in His finished work and let Him make you new.
