We're going to commence our service this evening by singing together the words of the hymn 95. The hymn 95, Man of Sorrows, what a name for the son of God who came, ruined sinners to reclaim, hallelujah, what a savior. We'll stand together as we commence our evening gospel service by singing together the words of the hymn 95, please. Yeah. I praise God. We'll open up our service tonight by bowing together in a word of prayer. Let us seek God's face tonight for his blessing and his presence upon us as we come to this gospel service tonight. And let's just pray. Our Heavenly Father, we come before Thee in prayer this evening. And God, we thank Thee, O Lord, for the access that we have to draw an eye to Thee tonight. And in the attitude of prayer, we praise Thee, O God, that we can come before Thee. We can cry unto Thee. Thou hast invited us to draw an eye on Thy throne of grace, that we may find that mercy and grace to help in our time of need. And God, tonight, as we come together on this side day and gather for another gospel service in the house of God, Lord, we feel even our need of Thy presence this evening. And we pray, O God, that even from the very outset of our meeting tonight, that we would know at the nearness and the blessing of God as we come together to meet in his house, or we long for that experience that tonight we will be shut in with Christ, that we would come and we would hear his word unto our hearts. We have been singing already of our Savior, and we can thank you tonight, hallelujah. What a Savior, that man of sorrows, the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, the one that we find in the gospel, the gospel that centers all upon the goodness and the grace of God in salvation. We thank you, Lord, for thy love and thy grace, that thou ever loved us, that I sent thine only begotten Son into this world, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Lord, we thank thee tonight for the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee that he is our Savior. He came unto his own, and his own rejected him. They cast him away. He was called a blasphemer. He was mocked. He was spat upon. And yet he endured all of the pain and all of the suffering for us, his people. Ultimately, he went to the place called Calvary. And there he went to the cross to lay down his life, a ransom for sin. We thank thee for all that we think about when we come to the gospel. We come to see Christ as our only saviour and yet we thank thee for the message that on the third day he rose again. He rose a victor over the grave and that he is even tonight ascended on high sitting at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. Now, with his father, he is exalted and glorified. And one day, Christ will return, not as Savior, but to judge this world. And we pray, O Lord, tonight, that all in this meeting would be ready for such a day, that we would be prepared for the coming of the bridegroom to his church, that all the church would prepare ourselves to meet God. And Lord, we pray for every heart and every life tonight. We thank thee for those who are saved and forgiven. We thank you for salvation in each of our hearts individually for that moment in time where you took us from sin, you placed us in Christ. So we thank thee for our standing in thee. And yet we realize that there are many tonight, perhaps in this service, perhaps listening in online, walking the streets around this church that have no hope in this life, no hope in the life that is to come because they are found as strangers to God. They are still without Christ and without salvation. Lord, we pray for their souls tonight. We thank Thee for Thy goodness and Thy long-suffering to them. We thank Thee for those that are drawn out to the house of God tonight for an opportunity to hear the gospel afresh. And we pray, O Lord, tonight that You would come and bring Thy word. We thank Thee for the gospel, that it is a message which never changes. It is the power of God still on the salvation to everyone not believeth. And O Lord, tonight we pray for some soul to come seeking the Saviour. They may cry out, what must I do to be saved? And simply that they would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and that they would be saved. Lord, we pray for those. loved ones and our families, those in our family circles that are outside of Christ, perhaps in their own home tonight, perhaps rejected the invitation to come out to the house of God. Lord, we pray for them in the stillness and the quietness of their own heart. We pray you'd even do a work in our soul tonight. We pray for this area. We pray for the city of Belfast. We remember even those who labor alongside us, all of our sister congregations. We remember the work in the murders. We remember the work in Tyndale. We remember the congregation in Mount Marion and the work in John Knox. We pray even for the churches in the city of Belfast. Lord, as we look around, we see the rage of the enemy. We see sin abounding on every hand. And oh, Lord, we pray for days where thy gospel and thy people would have an impact even in this city. Lord, like the Savior, we would weep over Jerusalem. We would weep over Belfast as we look around and see sin abounding at every hand. Yet we pray, dear God, with whom we know all things are possible. And we pray, O God, tonight for a move of thy spirit amongst this land, amongst our nation, amongst even the entirety of this world, every tongue, every language, every nation, that they may know a move of God in these days, that God would come down and that the preaching of his word would go forward. Accomplish that where to it is sent. And that most of all, that in the preaching of the gospel, that Christ would be uplifted. that Christ would be glorified. Lord, we desire tonight to see our Saviour. We desire to hear His voice speaking unto us. Thou hast told us that if I, even I, be lifted up, I will draw all men unto myself. And so in salvation, in the gospel tonight, we pray for souls to be drawn unto the Saviour. Lord, bless those who are unwell at this time, those laid aside in sickness, in care home, in hospital wards. We pray, O Lord, for them. We pray for thy hand, thy touch to be upon them, and that very soon again they'll be found in the house of God. We pray for thy nearness in all of our lives, and thy presence tonight to abide with us. And so bless us now as we continue through our evening service. May you be in every single thing that is said and done, in the singing of the hymns, in the prayers that are offered, in the reading and preaching of scripture. We pray that in all things that Christ would be seen and that he would be glorified. And so bless us now and continue with us, we pray. In Jesus' name we ask all of these things. Amen. We're going to turn tonight in the Scriptures, please, to the book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus and the chapter 1. The third book in the Bible, Leviticus and the chapter 1. Last Lord's Day evening we considered the subject of Christ the sinner's surety. And tonight in the gospel we come to think of Christ as the sinner's substitute. This brings us to Leviticus chapter 1, a chapter about the burnt offering that was to be offered even in the tabernacle. of the congregation. And so read together the entirety of Leviticus chapter 1. Commence our reading, please, at the opening verse of this chapter. And the Lord called unto Moses, and speak unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd and of the flock. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a meal without blemish. He shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord. And the priest, Saron's son, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into his pieces. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire. And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar. But as inwards on his legs shall he wash with water, and the priest shall burn all on the altar to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire of a sweet savour unto the Lord. And if his offering be of the flocks, namely of the sheep or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice, he shall bring it a meal without blemish, and he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the Lord. And the priest's son shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar. and he shall cut it into his pieces with his head and his fat, and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar. But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water, and the priest shall bring it all and burn it upon the altar. It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire of a sweet savor unto the Lord. And if the burnt-off sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of foils, then he shall bring his offering of turtle doves or of young pigeons. And the priest shall bring it on to the altar and wring off his head and burn it on the altar. And the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar. And he shall pluck away his crop with his fellers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part by the place of the ashes. And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder. And the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire. It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire of a sweet savor. Onto the Lord. We'll end our reading at the end of that chapter. We look to the Lord to bless the public reading of his precious word to our hearts tonight. At this point of our service, we're going to ask our brother Derek to come and to bring the announcements that lie ahead for this incoming week, please. A very warm welcome to each and every one of you tonight, along to the service this evening. And we do trust that we will know the Lord's blessing. And also welcome those who are joining online again this evening. A very special welcome to our preacher, Adam. Of course, Adam is no stranger to us here. We certainly have been blessed through Adam's ministry over the last number of Sundays, and certainly again this morning. And we do trust that the Lord And no doubt, the Lord will bless his ministry again to us this evening. And we do thank God for this young man. Certainly, many people have said many complimentary things about your ministry. Indeed, Adam. Tomorrow night, the open air. It's the 1st of July open air parade, which is atop of Bloomfield Road. It's at the roundabout. just in the wee corner there. That is for the annual parade around East Belfast. And if you are coming, if you could please make your way there, well, then that would be very helpful. There will be no prayer meeting this week in the church, as we are encouraging everyone to attend the International Congress on the Martyrs. And the Congress is on each night this week, Monday to Friday at 8 p.m. That's all the announcement for during the week, but for next Lord's Day, morning worship service will be at 11.30 a.m., as preceded by a half an hour of prayer. The gospel service at 6.30, which is also preceded by a half hour of prayer. And there will be the Lord's Table next Lord's Day evening as well. And in the will of God, the preacher at both services, next Lord's Day again will be our brother Adam. And we do trust in the will of the Lord that we'll be able to attend. Other announcements, just to remember also that the Reverend Wilson is on holidays at this point, and if there are any pastoral needs, please contact any of the elders, and that will be attended to. And also, remember those who at the moment are sick, those who are going through treatment, and the many shut-ins. even at this time. And we'd also ask you to remember the offering boxes just as you go out through the door for your tithes and offerings. And also, just another note, Mr. Wilson was announced this morning. Mr. Wilson's father did not go through surgery on Friday, but we do trust and pray that very soon that will be happening. And just remember both Raymond and Anne and the family circle at this time. And also our brother Paul, Paul's father, Has not been well, particularly over the last week. He hasn't had a very good week. And again, Paul is up at the hospital with his father. And just ask you to remember Roddy and the family at this time also in your prayers. That's all the announcements. And of course, they're all subject to the will of God. Thank you very much. I thank our brother Derek for those kind words and for those announcements. Again, can I just stress the open air service tomorrow night, seven o'clock, same place as usual on the 1st of July. And I know there's many distractions perhaps tomorrow of the Congress being on and maybe all the road closures. So do come for seven o'clock, be there early. If you can join with us, it will be a short time of gospel preaching, singing together of hymns. We'll distribute some gospel literature and I'll be preaching tomorrow night. So I can assure you that it will not be a long winded sermon. I'll just be a short witness at that parade tomorrow just for the gospel and for Christ. And so I encourage everyone to be along who can attend. And there will be a time enough after the open air if you wish to go down to the martyrs for 8 o'clock for the Congress. And you can do that after the open air. But we do stress, and we would like to see you there if you can at 7 o'clock tomorrow for our gospel open air. We're going to sing together another hymn before we come to our gospel message for tonight. It's the hymn 277. On the golden streets of heaven, all men hope to walk someday, yet so many are not willing to accept the living way. But while others build on good works or opinions, if they may, hallelujah, hallelujah, I'm depending on the blood. We'll stand as we sing together hymn 277, please. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave Oh, tell us thy God's mercy is fair. you We will rock you. His name ever spokes of the way, and the aim of the fight. His word, the God of Horus, overcomes the sheets of night. And God, the praise of Him, has washed away ♪ We have reached our goal ♪ In the word of God, please, the book of Leviticus chapter 1. Leviticus chapter 1, I think of the words of verse 3 of that hymn we've just been singing. As we look back through the ages where the kings and prophets trod, we may see their altars reeking with the sacrifice and blood. But those tithes were only pointing to the paschal lamb of God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah, I am depending on the blood. We come to Leviticus chapter 1 tonight, we find one of these sacrifices or one of these offerings that was offered in the tabernacle, the burnt offering. And yet we see that this offering, as with any Old Testament sacrifice, was only a type that was pointing to the Paschal Lamb of God. So we come tonight to think about Christ as he's found for us here in Leviticus chapter one, as Christ, the sinner's substitute. And with the word of God before us, let us now come in prayer, seek his face for his blessing upon the preaching of the gospel tonight, please. Our Heavenly Father, we continue before Thee in prayer tonight. We thank Thee, O Lord, already for a sense of Thy presence being with us in the house of God. We thank Thee for the hymns which we have been singing, which have brought us to think about the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank Thee, O Lord, for the reading of Thy Word. We thank Thee, O Lord, for the possession that we have to have the Word of God, that living Word, to our hearts in our own mother tongue. We thank thee for the blessings, the privileges that it is to have God's word open before us tonight. And we pray, O God, as we come now to the gospel and the preaching of thy word, that Lord, you would give thy spirit and thy power. Lord, I pray for thy spirit afresh to come upon me, to fill me. Hide me behind the cross tonight. Help me to raise up the banner of the cross and appoint men and women to Christ. And we pray for thy spirit to strive on in the hearts of man. May that burden increase tonight. May they feel the spirit applying the word of God in their hearts. May they be convicted of their sin. May they be convinced that Christ is the answer to their soul. And may they be converted tonight by calling upon his name and by being saved. Lord, bless us around the gospel tonight. Encourage our hearts. Fill our souls, we pray. We pray in Jesus' name and for his sake alone we ask. Amen. You know, it is the opening chapters of the book of Leviticus that really are a follow on from the closing chapters of the previous book, the book of Exodus. Now, of course, we know that the first five books, or the Pentateuch, as it's also known, were penned and written by the prophet Moses. And Moses really had a connecting theme throughout the first five books of the Bible. For example, the closing chapters of the book of Exodus show us the design and the assembly together for the tabernacle that was to be used for the worship of God. Now, the tabernacle was a place of worship that could be carried and transported throughout the wilderness. So that for that period of 40 years, the people of God had a place where they could worship him in the wilderness. The tabernacle was a place of worship and a place where God promised to presence himself with his people. And therefore, the book of Leviticus now comes to focus upon the offerings and the acts of worship that were to be carried out in that same tabernacle, showing us the acceptable way, the way that God demanded that his name was to be praised and how he was correctly to be worshipped by the high priest. And so we find in the opening verses, the opening chapters of Leviticus, the different types of offerings that were made or offered in the tabernacle. We think about the drink offering, we think about the meal offering, the trespass offering, just to name a few. But now we come tonight to center on Leviticus chapter one, which commences by detailing the burnt offering. And there's many tonight, as we come to the book of Leviticus, that try to trivialize these offerings. They claim that the book of Leviticus is complicated and it's difficult to understand, and therefore there's many who would not study in the book of Leviticus, given the thought that they believe it's too hard and too difficult. But I trust that tonight, through the study of this chapter, that we see that, like any other book of the Bible, this is a book that centers upon Christ. Christ is very clearly seen here in the book of Leviticus, as he is in all of the Word of God. This is a book that centers upon redemption and centers upon the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Last Sunday night we looked at redemption through Christ as our surety and the fact that he keeps the law of God for us. But now we come to focus on Christ as our substitute, a thing that brings us to the cross, to the death, of Christ, where he died in the place of his people for their sins. So here in the Old Testament, in Leviticus chapter 1, we have a clear teaching and a looking forward to that time when Christ would come to be that great burnt offering to atone for man's sin. And so there's some things we want to see tonight in this burnt offering as we come to think about Christ as the sinner's substitute. First of all, tonight, we see that these verses speak about the suitability of Christ. The suitability of Christ. Because these words in Leviticus chapter 1 show us the characteristics of the animal that was to be sacrificed for the burnt offering. It is a chapter which shows us that Christ, as our Savior, had to be both God and man, showing us the person of Christ. It was needful that Christ was both God and man in order to come into this world and to save man from his sin. And so we find in Christ that he alone is suitable He is the only Savior because He is the only one who is both God and man. There are two ways that we find the suitability of Christ here in Leviticus chapter 1. Read with me the words of verse 3 again of this chapter. Leviticus 1 verse 3. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a meal of outblemish. He shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord." In verse 3, we find two aspects about the suitability of Christ. First of all, we see his humanity, the humanity of Christ, because what we find in the gospel is that Christ had to become man so that he could represent man before a holy God. That's the teaching that we find in Leviticus chapter 1 verse 3. Notice how in verse 3 it speaks about a male without blemish. It was to be a male that was offered. That word male is very important. The first time that we read of the same Hebrew term is in Genesis chapter 1 verse 27. So God created man in his own image. In the image of God created he him, male and female, created he them. And so we find that this word that is translated as male in all our portions of Scripture is also translated as man and is also translated as man-child. And so in this word, male, we find the humanity of Christ, Christ being a man-child or becoming man as our Savior. It's a word that shows us the humanity of Christ. He has to be pictured in all that we will see tonight in Leviticus chapter 1. We must not merely come to this book and this study focusing on the sacrifice for what it was, but instead we must always seek to point, what is Christ? Where is Christ in the burnt offering? And as we think about redemption, what we find is that the gospel, scriptures record for us that Christ indeed physically and literally became a human being. He became a man. He took on flesh. And sadly, there's many tonight who try to deny that reality. They claim that Christ didn't take on to himself a literal, physical human body. And in reality, in claiming such a thing, they're trying to undermine the entire gospel and trying to deny the person and work of Christ. Because if Christ did not become man, that it means that he would not be a true savior for his people from their sins. God's law demanded that Christ was made a man. We saw that last week. Christ had to be made under the law, made of a woman, made under the law. And so what we see is that Christ obeyed. He fulfilled this requirement. Christ was a meal. Christ was a man born into this world supernaturally of the Spirit of God and the womb of the Virgin Mary. A supernatural birth. A birth that distinguished him from all of other humanity. It was a supernatural birth showing that this was the Messiah. This was the Savior. But he became a true man. He lived this life. He knew what it was to suffer as a man, to hunger, to thirst, to feel the burdens, anxieties, pressures of life as a man. He knew what it was, and he can associate with us tonight in our humanity because he knew exactly what it was to become a man, to be made in our likeness, and to suffer even as we do in our life. And so here we see a suitability in his humanity, but also in Christ's impeccability. Notice the description of the meal that was to be offered in verse 3. Let him offer a meal without blemish. That's another requirement. had to be without blemish, had to be spotless, had to be pure, showing us again that the Messiah had to be one who was perfect, one who was free from sin. Again, we find that in Christ. Christ is the only suitable savior because he is the only man that was perfect because he was man and he was God, and therefore he was impeccable. Christ was flawless. Scripture tells us that Christ is separate from sinners. He's a man who did no sin. He's a man who cannot sin by his very nature. And here we find in Leviticus chapter one, if any came on to the tabernacle and they wanted to give the burnt offering unto God, there had to be scrutiny. There had to be an examination of the animal. They had to search the animal all around for any blemishes, any spots. They had to pay close attention to ensure that the animal that they would sacrifice was indeed without blemish. You know, that's an examination we can place on Christ tonight. We can examine Christ as he's mentioned in scripture, and no matter where we turn to in the gospel, no matter how we examine the life of Christ, we can say what Pilate could say. What did Pilate say in his judgment hall as the Savior stood before him? Pilate uttered the words, I find no fault in him. Many times in his earthly ministry, the Pharisees stood by, looking on at Christ, listening to his teachings, trying to find some error, trying to find some blemish in his person, in his teaching, in his words, in his works, and yet they could find no fault in him. And I attempt, I even say to those who are in sin tonight, I tell you, attempt to look at Scripture. Attempt to find a fault in Christ. You won't find any. You come to Scripture and wherever you turn, you will find that Christ is impeccable. He's free from sin, yet He was still crucified for us. Dear listener, that fact's so important tonight because Christ had to be sinless in order to be our sacrifice, our burnt offering. If he was to stand in your place and in mine in salvation, he had to meet all of the demands that God requires. And so in him, we find his humanity and his impeccability. Christ is our God-man. Old Testament Scripture shows us this. New Testament Scripture shows us this. Turn with me to the Gospel of John, chapter 1. John's Gospel, chapter 1. The entirety of the Gospel of John deals with Christ as the Son of God. Those very words, the Son of God, show us again His humanity. He's the Son. But there's this impeccability, the Son of God. He is God, a man in one. And from Genesis, from John chapter 1, we find that John begins his gospel with a defense of the person of Christ. John 1 verse 1, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This is speaking of Christ. Christ is described as being the Word, being our prophet. We see that He is eternal. In the beginning was the Word. There was not a time when Christ was created or made, but He was from all eternity. And then come down to verse 14 of John chapter one, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Christ, the Son of God, the Word, who was with the Father in all eternity, who was God, He became flesh. He was made flesh. John says He dwelt among us. He was made like one of us. And surely if there are any tonight who try to undermine the teaching of the person of Christ, turn them to John chapter 1. Show them John chapter 1 verse 1, the deity. Show them verse 14, the humanity. Point them to Scripture, and no man has an answer to these claims, these clear statements that John makes that Christ is the only suitable Savior. He is perfect, He's sinless, but He's man, He became flesh. He dwelt among us. And so in Leviticus chapter one, we find that it speaks about the suitability of Christ. a meal without blemish. John the Baptist could say in John 1, the same chapter, verse 29, the words behind me, behold, the Lamb of God. The teaching is clear. We couldn't miss it. This is the Lamb of God. This is the one who has been promised. This is the only sacrifice. This is the one who will bring salvation. It's only through Him. He's the Lamb of God. He's the one who will take away the sins of the world. And so there's a suitability of Christ. Secondly, tonight we come to see the sacrifice of Christ. Yes, Christ had to be God and man, but he also had to present himself as sacrifice for sin. The animal, the male without blemish had to be taken, it had to be killed. It had to be slain. And that's what we see in Leviticus chapter 1 with the burnt offering. The burnt offering was to be taken upon the altar and offered before God, a reminder that Christ had to sacrifice himself for our sin. And when we think about Christ being our sacrifice, we are brought to Calvary. The cross was the altar. where Christ presented himself before the father. It was upon the cross that Christ became a sin, the sin bearer, the offering forever. It was there that Christ was our substitute. There he took the place of his people and he died for them that they might have salvation. And so we turn from the person of Christ to think about the work of Christ. What does Leviticus chapter 1 tell us tonight about the sacrifice of Christ? Well it speaks first of all about the suffering of the cross. The suffering of the cross. When we read of the offering made, we see that it involves pain and agony. The very action of taking the animal, killing and slaying the animal reminds us of the agony of Christ, the suffering that He had to endure. It was not just that Christ on the cross suffered physically with beating and bruising, He did, but He also had to bear upon Himself the sins of His people. We find this in verse 4. Leviticus 1, verse 4, and he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for sin. Here's a symbolic act. The offerer who brings the sacrifice was to lay his hand upon the animal, the head of the sacrifice. Typically, it was the right hand that was to be used. And this action shows us the transfer of guilt the transfer of guilt from that offerer onto the offering. And Christ on the cross took upon himself the guilt and the penalty of our sin. It was there that Christ bore the weight for man's sin. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21, we read the words of the Apostle Paul, for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin. Paul reminds us that a Calvary Christ stood judicially before the judgment bar of God condemned. He was guilty before the Father. And no doubt such an experience would have brought pain and suffering. The Lord suffering at the hands of God the Father. And so the action here in verse four, of the laying on of the hand reminds us of the suffering of Christ. He endured all of the weight of our sins. All of our sins laid onto his account. He suffered for our sins that we could be saved. The agony of that death, the agony and pain that Christ had to face as our substitute, We find in the burnt offering that the entire animal was to be burnt. We find in verse 9, but his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water, and the priest shall burn all on the altar to be a burnt sacrifice. Every single part of the animal in the burnt offering had to be burned so that no parts of the animal were left, nothing wasted. Again, showing us the extent of the suffering of the cross. In every aspect, in every way, Christ suffered tremendously at the cross. I think often we can undermine the suffering of Christ. No matter how often we read of it, no matter how often we think about it, we cannot imagine the pain and the anguish that Christ faced. But the burnt offering reminds us of the wrath of God, the fire, the wrath of God on Christ for our sin. The suffering also shows us the shedding of his blood. Yes, it involved the death of the animal, but the blood of the animal had to be shed. Verse five, and he shall kill the bullock before the Lord, and the priest's son shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. The blood was to be taken by the high priest. It was then to be sprinkled about the altar, showing us the bloodshed of Christ. In order to be a full sacrifice, the blood had to be shed, again a reminder of the sacrifice of Christ. Christ had to suffer, he had to die, but he also had to shed his blood. The book of Hebrews. And the New Testament really is the counterpart to the book of Leviticus. The book of Hebrews shows us the supremacy and the superiority of Christ, showing us how all of the sacrifices have now been fulfilled. The sacrifices are passed away. We no longer offer burnt sacrifices for sins, because Christ has made that one sacrifice forever. We're reminded in the book of Hebrews that the blood of bows and goats can't atone for sin. They're only a picture of the blood of Christ. So the blood of Christ brings remission and forgiveness for sins. And it's for that reason that we learn that there's a fountain open up tonight for sin and for uncleanness. Christ as our substitute died in our place and shed his blood that we might be forgiven. And do we know what it is tonight to be forgiven from our sins? Do we know what it is to be cleansed in the blood of Christ? Are our sins pardoned and forgiven by the blood? Has the blood been sprinkled and applied onto our souls in salvation? Are you saved tonight? Are you trusting in Christ and what He has done for you? On Tuesday night past, we saw the significance of the blood with the hyssop We saw the Passover. When God sees the blood, he will pass over you. May that be the experience of our souls tonight, that the blood will be applied. And in salvation, God's wrath is removed. God will pass over your soul. He'll not condemn you for your sin, because you're forgiven. You're standing in Christ. The sacrifice of Christ, we see the suffering of the cross, the shedding of his blood. We also see the satisfaction of God. the satisfaction of God. The burnt offering was made in the tabernacle. The burnt offering was offered, first of all, unto God. And Christ's death on the cross, first and foremost, was a sacrifice that was offered unto God the Father. Notice that the offer was to bring the sacrifice to the tabernacle. The tabernacle was the place of the presence of God. God had fallen upon the tabernacle in the form of a cloud amongst the people. And so every sacrifice was offered on the hymn. We find in Leviticus chapter one, a repeated phrase at the end of verse nine. We see it was to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire of a sweet savor. Unto the Lord, these words appear in verse nine, verse 13, and verse 17, a sweet savor. Unto the Lord, speaking about the satisfaction of God, he accepted the sacrifice. Paul uses the words in Ephesians chapter five, verse two, and walk in love as Christ also have loved us and have given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. And the thought behind the sweet savor of the sacrifice was that God was satisfied with the death of his son. Christ's sacrifice was perfect, that God accepted it as it was offered and removed his wrath for our sin. And it's then why we can understand the words of Isaiah chapter 53, where we read, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. It pleased God the Father to bruise His Son. Why? Because the Father was pleased because He knew that the sacrifice of His Son was sufficient. He knew that in the process of Christ being taken, slain and dying on the cross, that forgiveness would be accomplished. He knew that the cross was the way that salvation would come to pass. And so the Lord was pleased to bruise him because he knew that through Christ, men would be saved. The process of taking the animal, laying the hand upon the head, the shedding of its blood in Leviticus chapter one is a tremendous lesson about the sacrifice of Christ. A sacrifice that is not to be repeated. Christ's sacrifice was made one time, a full and final sacrifice for sin. There's a suitability of Christ and the sacrifice of Christ. But finally tonight, we see salvation through Christ. Of course, that's the reason for the offering in the first place. It's for acceptance. It's for forgiveness. Christ became our substitute so that we could ultimately be saved. And there's two aspects in Leviticus chapter 1 of salvation. What we receive in coming on to the Lord in salvation, what do we receive tonight? Maybe you're lost in your sin. You may ask the question, well, what will I gain? If I come tonight to Christ in faith, well, first of all, you'll gain acceptance. There's our acceptance in Christ. Think again about verse four. He shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. The idea of putting the hand upon the head of the burnt offering we saw was to signify the transfer of guilt and sin, but it was also an action of faith on the part of the offerer. He was to put his hand on the animal in full confidence, knowing that the sacrifice would be accepted on his behalf. In the gospel tonight, it's not enough to have a knowledge of needing to be saved, but there's the need to exercise faith and repentance. And just as the hand of the offeror laid upon the head of the burnt offering, so we must lean, so we must rest, so we must wholeheartedly trust and put our confidence upon Christ, our sacrifice, upon his work, knowing that it has been accepted for us. It's through Christ and his work that we have acceptance. For those who are saved, we have the assurance tonight that sins are forgiven, we're reconciled to God, we're adopted into the family, God is our father, we are his children. At the very moment of salvation, when you come to Christ, your standing changes, you're no longer a servant of sin, you're no longer a children of wrath or disobedience, but you are the children of God. The Lord never sees the soul that's saved as a stranger anymore, but as a son. Standing in Christ, Colossians chapter one speaks about Christ in you. The hope of glory. Words that show us we're accepted when we come to Christ. We won't be cast off. He's our hope. He's our assurance. He's our confidence of glory. Because Christ rules and reigns in our hearts, we have the promise that we will be in glory with him. And therefore all that we have tonight is nothing of ourselves, but it's all of him. Simply we are to trust. Simply we are to rest. Place faith in Him as your substitute. There's acceptance in Christ, but there's also access through Christ. Notice the place where the offering was to be offered. Verse three, if his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a meal without blemish. He shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. The burnt offering was to be offered at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Andrew Bonner, in his Geneva commentary on the Book of Viticus, tells us that as he approached the tabernacle, the first thing that came into the sight of the one who approached the tabernacle was the altar. It was the first object that met the eye of the worshiper who came in. And thus, the worshiper's desire to give the burnt offering to God was that he would gain admission, or that he would gain entrance into the presence of God. He offers the sacrifice at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation that it might be a way of access in to approach God by means of the sacrifice. And that's what we find finally tonight, that in Christ we have access back onto God. The relationship is no longer ruined, but it is restored. Through salvation, Christ is our advocate. He's our mediator. What do we have in salvation? We have access to God in prayer. We pray through the name of Christ. As we come to public worship, as we offer prayers unto God, we do so based upon Christ and what he has done. It is through him and his work that we have an entrance into glory. We can pray onto the throne of heaven tonight. We're also assured of entrance into that tabernacle made without hands. into the heavenly city whose builder and maker is God. It's through Christ that we have that entrance, that admission into glory. It's through his death that we have acceptance and access onto God at any time in our life. Those are some of the spiritual blessings that come from the Lord Jesus Christ. We thought about Christ as our mediator last Sunday night as our shrewdy. Tonight we find Christ as our substitute. Christ has presented himself. He's offered the perfect sacrifice. Christ is our spiritual burnt offering. We do not look ahead to one who will offer themselves. We look back on one who has already offered himself, and we're guaranteed tonight that if we come to him, if we repent of sin, we trust in his sacrifice, that we will have salvation. And therefore, as we close, I extend the invitation tonight in the gospel. I exhort you to come to Christ. Come and be saved. We notice in Leviticus chapter 1 that the burnt offering could be offered by different animals. If you read through Leviticus 1, you can find that some would offer the herd. Some would offer flocks of sheep or goats. Some would offer pigeons or turtle doves. Why all these different animals that could have been offered? Well, it was to show us that how every class in society, whether rich or whether poor, could bring their sacrifices onto God. A reminder that the gospel is not limited to any type of people. It's for all to receive. No matter who you are, no matter where you're from, what you've done in life, the gospel comes to you. The offer is extended. The gospel can meet you tonight in salvation at your very point of need. All that is required from you is that you repent of sin and trust in Christ. It's that simple. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. Don't be confused tonight by the simplicity of the gospel. Maybe a younger person tonight, a child, and you're wondering how you can be saved. You pray unto God. You ask him to forgive you for your sin. Put your faith, your trust in Christ. He will save you from your sin. Come and lean tonight upon Christ, our sacrifice, Christ, the sinner's substitute. And may it be tonight, our experience in the gospel, as we reflect on all that Christ has done for us, that we can say in our hearts, surely he took my place and he died. for me. May the Lord bless his word to our hearts tonight. We're going to close