The Day of Atonement — God's Completion of Redemption (Part 1)

Devotional

Day 1: Shadows Pointing to the Substance of Christ

The Old Covenant’s rituals—feasts, sacrifices, dietary laws—were never meant to be permanent. They cast shadows of Christ’s coming reality, like a chair’s outline hinting at its solid form. When Jesus fulfilled these patterns, the shadows lost their purpose. Yet many still fixate on external practices rather than embracing the fullness of Christ’s finished work. To cling to shadows now is to ignore the One who stands in full light. [07:30]

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
(Colossians 2:16–17, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you unknowingly treated spiritual shadows (rituals, traditions, or rules) as more vital than Christ Himself? How might this hinder your experience of His fullness?

Day 2: The Discipline of Investigating Scripture

The Bereans didn’t blindly accept even apostolic teaching—they examined Scripture daily to verify truth. Their fairness of mind wasn’t skepticism but devotion to God’s Word over human eloquence. True discipleship requires wrestling with Scripture personally, not outsourcing discernment to others. Spiritual growth thrives where curiosity meets biblical rigor. [14:26]

“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
(Acts 17:11, ESV)

Reflection: When was the last time you paused a sermon or teaching to cross-reference it with Scripture? What step could strengthen your habit of “examining daily”?

Day 3: The Spirit’s Work Beyond Pentecost Fireworks

The Holy Spirit’s descent at Pentecost wasn’t about dramatic signs but about guiding believers into “all truth”—specifically, the revelation of Christ. His ongoing work isn’t to replicate Acts 2’s fireworks but to deepen understanding of Jesus’ person and work. The Spirit’s goal is Christocentric clarity, not charismatic spectacle. [26:18]

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
(John 16:13, ESV)

Reflection: Do you seek the Spirit primarily for experiences or for deeper revelation of Christ? How might this shift your prayers?

Day 4: Once-for-All Sacrifice vs. Annual Repetition

Old Covenant priests annually reenacted atonement, their bells reassuring Israel the high priest hadn’t died in God’s presence. Christ’s single sacrifice accomplished what endless animal blood couldn’t—eternal redemption. To return to repetitive rituals now insults His final “It is finished,” trading confidence for insecurity. [53:25]

“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me.’”
(Hebrews 10:4–5, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas do you still act as if Christ’s sacrifice needs supplementing? How does His once-for-all work free you from performance?

Day 5: Unrestricted Access Through the Torn Veil

The high priest’s yearly entry into the Holy of Holies symbolized limited access. Christ’s flesh—the veil—was torn, granting all believers continual access to God’s presence. To live as if we need mediators or special seasons to approach God denies His open invitation. The throne room door remains unbarred. [49:01]

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh…”
(Hebrews 10:19–20, ESV)

Reflection: What habits or beliefs make you approach God as if He’s still behind a veil? How might you walk boldly into His presence today?

Sermon Summary

The fulfillment of God’s eternal plan in Christ Jesus calls the saints not to take the word of God for granted. The gospel itself becomes foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who have received Christ, it is food. John 6 shows that when Jesus begins to speak of himself, many people walk away, yet Peter sees the matter clearly: “To whom shall we go? In you are the words of eternal life.”

Romans 15:4 is set back into its own audience and time. The hope in that text was not a blank cheque sold to saints in every generation. The hope belonged to those who were waiting for what Christ had promised, especially the Spirit of truth who would guide them into all truth. The believer now lives not by expecting Christ to do more for redemption, but by the assurance that what Christ has done is actually done.

Colossians 2:16-17 becomes the key for reading Israel’s feasts. Foods, drinks, festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths were shadows, but Christ is the substance. A shadow is not the chair. The chair is the thing itself. So the feasts of Israel were not an end in themselves; they were prophetic shadows cast by Scripture until Christ stood in the light as the perfect substance.

The Bereans show the discipline of fair-minded saints. Paul and Silas ministered among them, yet they received the word with readiness and searched the Scriptures daily to see whether those things were so. The days of merely saying, “Man of God, what you have said is true,” are over. The disciple receives readily, then investigates carefully.

The feasts form a timetable of redemption. Passover pointed to the crucifixion of Christ. Unleavened Bread pointed to his sinless burial. Firstfruits pointed to his resurrection as the first among the harvest. Pentecost pointed to the Spirit’s coming, not as fireworks for show, but as the Spirit of truth leading them into Christ, who is “the way, the truth, and the life.”

The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, stands as one of the holiest shadows in Israel’s calendar. Leviticus 16 shows the high priest offering first for his own sins, then handling the two goats: one slain, one released as the scapegoat. This day declared that sin had separated the people from God and that access to God was restricted. Yet Hebrews 10 says those repeated sacrifices could never make worshipers perfect, because they kept reminding Israel of sin every year. The blood of bulls and goats could not take away sins. Therefore Christ must be seen as the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Key Takeaways

1. Hope must be read in context Romans 15:4 does not turn Scripture into a product called hope, sold expensively to people who are waiting without understanding. The hope in that setting belonged to people who were waiting for promised realities in their own time. The believer’s life with God rests on Christ’s finished work, not on endless suspense about whether redemption may still become complete. [03:40]
2. Readiness must become investigation The Bereans received the word with readiness, but readiness did not cancel examination. Their fairness of mind appeared in their discipline to search the Scriptures daily and test what even Paul and Silas said. A disciple is not cynical, but neither is a disciple careless with the word of God. [16:24]
3. The shadow is not the substance Colossians 2 does not leave the saints hanging with feasts, foods, new moons, and Sabbaths as the basis of judgment. Those things were shadows, and Christ is the substance casting meaning over them. The chair is not honored by sitting on its shadow; Christ is honored by receiving the reality to which the law pointed. [50:52]
4. Pentecost pointed into all truth The Spirit’s coming in Acts 2 was not mainly about fireworks, noise, or denominational labels. John 16 says the Spirit of truth would guide them into all truth, and John 14 identifies Christ himself as the truth. The Spirit’s work was to unveil Christ until the saints came into the knowledge of the fullness of him. [25:43]
5. Atonement cannot be bought The Day of Atonement showed sacrifice, priestly intercession, cleansing, and restricted access, but Hebrews 10 says the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sins. Money, offerings, and “seasonal sacrifices” cannot buy recognition before God, even if they can buy recognition before men. Christ alone fulfills what every goat, bull, priest, and scapegoat could only shadow. [55:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:51] - God’s Eternal Plan in Christ
[03:40] - Hope and the Audience of Scripture
[06:52] - The Shift From Old to New
[07:30] - Shadows and the Substance of Christ
[12:35] - The Berean Discipline of Scripture
[18:58] - Feasts as Redemption’s Timetable
[21:16] - Passover, Burial, and Firstfruits
[24:01] - Pentecost and the Spirit of Truth
[30:00] - Till the Fullness of Christ
[33:30] - Introducing the Day of Atonement
[41:33] - The High Priest and Two Goats
[44:30] - Sin, Separation, and Cleansing
[47:19] - Restricted Access and God’s Speech
[50:12] - Hebrews 10 and the Finished Sacrifice

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Colossians 2:16-17

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” [07:30]

Observation questions

In Colossians 2:16-17, what are the specific things Paul says believers should not be judged about? [08:20]
According to Colossians 2:17, what is the relationship between the shadow and the substance? What examples were used to explain that difference? [10:10]
What qualities made the Bereans fair-minded, and what did they do after receiving the word? [16:24]
In the Day of Atonement, what happened with the two goats, and what did that whole arrangement show about sin and access to God? [41:33]

Interpretation questions

If foods, festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths were shadows, what does it mean for Christ to be the substance? How should that change the way a believer thinks about Old Testament signs and practices? [50:12]
Romans 15:4 speaks about hope through the Scriptures. How does reading that verse in its original audience help guard believers from turning hope into endless waiting? [03:40]
The Spirit of truth came to guide them into all truth, and Christ himself is the truth. What does that suggest about the main work of the Spirit in the life of the church? [25:43]
Hebrews 10 says repeated sacrifices could not take away sins. Why does that make Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice necessary and sufficient? [55:40]

Application questions

The word of God should not be taken for granted. In this season, what helps a person stay hungry for Christ himself rather than only for blessings, solutions, or exciting religious moments? [01:54]
Fair-minded believers receive the word readily and then search the Scriptures carefully. What would it look like in a practical weekly routine to grow in that kind of discipline? [17:16]
Many people are drawn to the shadow because it feels visible and familiar. Where might a person today be tempted to cling to religious signs, seasons, or rituals instead of resting in Christ himself? [52:28]
The believer lives by the assurance that Christ’s work is done. In what areas of life is there still a struggle to live as though acceptance before God is settled and complete? [06:20]
Access to God is no longer restricted the way it was under the old covenant. When does a person still act as though someone else must stand between them and God, and how can that mindset be challenged by the gospel? [47:19]
Sacrifices, money, and special offerings cannot buy recognition before God. How might subtle versions of that thinking still show up in a believer’s heart, even if no one says it out loud? [56:02]
Christ is the true Lamb of God who takes away sin. How does that truth speak to a person who keeps returning to guilt, self-condemnation, or the feeling that one more act is needed before coming boldly to God? [56:37]

Sermon Clips

62s

#HopeThroughScripture

“So it means they were hoping for what the holy spirit was leading them into and how were they exercising their hope? Through the scriptures. So when Paul is saying whatever things were written were written for our learning that we through the patience and the comfort of scriptures might have hope, that hope is in the things that the holy spirit was writing for them. Right now, the believer does not live on hope. Uh-huh. I am not saying that hope is unnecessary. Praise God. But as far as your life with God is concerned, the life of a believer depends on what Christ has done unless you have an expectation of Christ doing more. But when something has been done, you live on the assurance that it is done.”

73s

#ShadowsPointToChrist

“```What were the things to come? You see how people complicate scripture? Let's read here. Those things are a shadow of things to come, so there are things to come. The substance of those shadows is Christ. I have said when you you see this shadow, the substance of that shadow is the chair. Paul is saying, the Sabbaths, the moons, the new moons, the festivals, the drinks and foods are shadows of things to come. The substance is Christ. So what were the things to come? want you to look at this first verse 17 Namusi changani kiwe, it is as plain as it appears there. What were the things to come? Christ. The reason why we fear is because there is a lot of falsehood that has been taught us for long. We have been made not to think.”

39s

#KnowChristLiveTruth

“So when you see people now trying to say, you know, I have been somewhere doing intercession for you. They are assuming the responsibilities of how the Jews used to boo in those days. But they forget that those were types and shadows of the substance Christ. Right now the substance is, that is why it is important that we learn Christ. When we understand Christ, then we are able to show forth even the reality of the life in which we live right now. Praise God.”

70s

#WorshipTheSubstance

“Christ did not abolish but because he was the substance of the shadow, he stood exactly in light of what scripture said because it is the scripture that casts the shadow. So look up the scripture as the sun that casts the shadow and then when exactly in light, meaning Christ was the perfect representation of that word scripture that was showing the shadow that we were seeing in the law that when he stands exactly, you no longer see the shadow but you see the owner of the shadow. That is what he was meaning in Matthew 17, sorry Matthew five seventeen. He wasn't saying that okay, now that I have fulfilled every one of you, okay, the law is He did what was expected. Same way you don't go greeting the shadow. Ama you don't go sitting here on the floor because the shadow of that chair is there. You sit on the chair. We regard Christ. shadow is there. Our goal is to sit on the chair not on the shadow of the chair. Amen?”

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The Day of Atonement — God's Completion of Redemption (Part 1) | New Covenant Truth