Under the old covenant, the ceremonial laws communicated the truth that God is holy, and that he is totally separate from all that is not holy. This is why people with diseases or deformities were considered unclean and separated from the assembly of Israel. It wasn’t that these things made people evil; they symbolized the vast difference between a holy God and a sinful world (even his own people). But God would keep his promises to his people—to be their God, and they his people. In this sermon, Pastor Matt teaches that Jesus laid down his life to reconcile sinners to God and fill them with his joy. This is the gospel we herald to the nations. And this gospel is for the outcast, the despised, the lonely, the weary, the hopeless. It’s for all of us!