FMI:  Email FREEMARKET@THELFCC.ORG

LFCC doesn’t simply celebrate its anniversary but we also reserve this as a time to renew with God and ask God to renew with us. It’s a time of repentance, atonement and renewal. This is our time of consecration before the celebration. We not only repent for our sins but we cry out for God’s mercy upon our country.

Solemn Assembly Scripture Reference

Joel 2:12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. 14 Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him– A grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; 16 Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. 17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ” 18 Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, And pity His people.

Yom Kippur/The Day of Atonement

Yom Kippur is not just a day about being forgiven but it’s a day of individual evaluation by God and he makes a decision on how much blessing he will give to us in the New Year.

• Atonement – the means by which the guilt-punishment chain produced by violation of God’s will is broken, as well as the resulting state of reconciliation (‘at-onement’) with God.

The Day of Atonement is now about honoring the sacrificial lamb that has cleansed our sin for all time. And it is this time that he will write his law upon our hearts that we may understand and upon our minds that we may obey. (Hebrews 10:15–17)

According to the Joel 2:18-31 there are 8 promises that come from atonement:

1. Increase
2. Revelation
3. Fresh Anointing
4. God’s Power
5. Restoration
6. Financial Abundance
7. Deliverance
8. God’s Presence

Fasts: In contrast to feasts and festivals, fasts were times of mourning and self-denial arising from misfortune and sin. They could be single spontaneous responses of individuals, single spontaneous responses of the public, or recurring annual public observances.

Purpose for Fasting (personal)

• To obtain divine aid (2 Sam. 12:16-23; Dan. 9:3)
• To repent (1 Kings 21:27)
• To mourn (Neh. 1:4)
• To obtain revelation (Exod. 34:28)
• To express devotion to God (Ps. 35:13; Luke 18:12)

Purpose for Fasting (corporate)

• To obtain God’s help or protection (Judg. 20:26; 1 Sam. 14:24; Joel 1:14; Esther 4:3; Ezra 8:21-23)
• To express repentance (1 Sam. 7:6; Jon. 3:5-10)
• To mourn the death of leaders (1 Sam. 31:13; 2 Sam. 1:12)

The only prescribed annual fast is that on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num. 29:7). It occurred on the tenth day of the seventh month. The people were to ‘afflict themselves,’ meaning they were to abstain from food and drink and other bodily gratifications (cf. 2 Sam. 12:16-20; Dan. 10:2-3).

Why Are We Wearing White?

• The Priest Apparel – Plain White Linen known as “The Holy Garments”

It had no ornamentation, which signifies the highest degree of holiness, humility and repentance. After the sin offering was complete he put back on his glorious garments.

Where Was It Held?

• This was the one time in the year that the priest was allowed in the Holy of Holies
•  This was where the Ark of the Covenant (God’ presence dwelt)
•  A rectangular box made of acacia wood and laid inside and out with Gold.

Two rings on each side to make it portable and it’s cover was called “The Mercy Seat” with two Cherabim Angels on each side facing each other. Inside the ark was the tablet, a pot of manna and Moses’ rod. This is explained for us in Exodus 25.

• Lev. 16:2 says God dwelt there himself above the mercy seat in a cloud

Get Offerings Ready

• Bull and a Ram for Aaron
• Two Goats for the sins of the People
• A lot is cast to see which Goat will be sacrificed and which will be a scapegoat

Get Priest Ready

• Aaron has to be washed with water