A word of opening prayer tonight. Let's pray. Eternal God and our Father, we pray, Lord, for your blessing upon us this evening. We ask, O God, that you'll come and be one of our number and, Lord, that you'll speak to us. Lord, as we come to worship thee tonight in the gospel, may our prayers, Lord, be worthy and acceptable in the sight of God. So be with us, we pray. Help us just now, we ask. In the Savior's name we pray. Amen. going to commence by singing the words of hymn number 65. Words will be on the screen. Fairest of all the earth beside, chiefest of all unto thy bride, fullness divine, in thee I see wonderful man of Calvary. Hymn number 65 and we'll stand together as we sing please. The Lord is with thee in every sight. Jesus, the hope of day by night, produce me mightily and sing. Wonderful man of Calvary. The man of Calvary has won my heart from me. and peace, and in death and death's sweet release, shedding His blood to make us free. Merciful man of Calvary, and man of Calvary, has won my heart from me. for men, glory and love beyond our men, giving us father's purity, fighting for man of valoury. For man of valoury has won my heart from me, and died to send me ♪ This man of Calvary ♪ ♪ A part of all my earthly way ♪ ♪ Jesus hath made his house became ♪ ♪ Center of glory did I see ♪ ♪ Wonderful man of Calvary ♪ Well, let's seek the Lord again, please, in a word of prayer. Let's ask for his help and his presence with us this evening. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee tonight for that man of Calvary. We thank Thee, Lord, tonight for the Son of God. We thank Thee, Lord, for His leaving, the splendor and the majesty and the glory of heaven, and that He came into this world, that He, Lord, lived that perfect life, and there on the cross, He died that atoning death for us. We thank Thee, Lord, this evening that we have a glorious Savior. We thank Thee, Lord, that we have a wonderful message to proclaim. We thank Thee, O God, tonight that it is the message of Thy so great salvation. And, O God, we thank Thee tonight for what You've done in the hearts and lives of each one in this meeting who are saved. We thank Thee, Lord, that we can look back to that time, that moment in our life's experience when by faith we trusted Thee. That when, Lord, we look to Thee, we thank Thee, Lord, that we were saved. We thank the Lord that our sins, which were many, have all been washed away in the precious blood of the Lamb. We thank the old God tonight for that sin-cleansing blood of the Lamb tonight. And we, God, thank Thee tonight that there is still power, power in the blood. There's still, Lord, power to cleanse and to, Lord, purify every sinner. And O God, we pray tonight that as the gospel goes forth, Lord, that you be pleased to take a dealing with every heart. O God, we thank you tonight that the blood of Jesus Christ still cleanses from sin. And our Father, we pray that even this night, Lord, in this meeting house, Lord, that you would be pleased, Lord, to save from sin tonight, we pray. Lift our eyes heavenward. May we see, Lord, the beauty of our Savior. May we see the beauty of Christ tonight. Heavenly Father, we just cry unto Thee this evening, Lord, that we would see Thee in all of Thy great glory and in all of Thy great power. Lord, take our eyes away from the things, Lord, that have occupied us throughout this day. And O God, we pray that for this time we might know what it is to be shut in with gold and pour out Your Spirit upon us, Lord, in a mighty way, in a powerful way. I know, heavenly Father, we cry unto thee that we might have cause to rejoice in what the Lord is doing. And so, our Father, we just pray this evening that you would be pleased to bless every head bowed in thy presence. Remember, Lord, those who are watching online as well. We pray, Lord, that tonight you'll be pleased to bless thy word. We pray, Lord, tonight you'll remember again those who need our prayers or those who stand in particular need of prayer this evening. We pray, Lord, you'll draw near to those who are unwell. Pray, Lord, for Brian. We pray for Sammy this evening. Lord, touch them in their bodies, we pray. Oh, God, we pray that you'll strengthen them. And, Lord, that tonight you'll be pleased, Lord, to raise them very quickly once again to that better measure of health and strength. And, oh, God, we thank thee tonight that they are thy servants. Lord, you know all about them. Lord, you are their Heavenly Father. And oh God, we thank Thee tonight that You have promised to provide for each one of Thy children. And so Lord, provide for them physically at this time, we pray, and give wisdom to the doctors and nurses as they would care as well. Our Father, we just pray that You would be pleased to bless others who need our prayers as well, those in our families who are not well, Lord, those in our families who are far from God, those in our families who have no thought or interest after the things of God. O Heavenly Father, we pray that we might see, Lord, those who are spiritually dead being raised up to once again new life in Jesus Christ. O God, we pray that you'll create an interest, a concern, a desire after the things of God. We pray, Lord, for each one who claims the name of Christ. O God, we pray that tonight you'd be pleased to work in all of our hearts Lord, give us, Lord, that burden after the things of God. Give us that burden after the Savior. And heavenly Father, we just pray that we might, Lord, together see the Lord moving. Lord, we long to see God working. Lord, we see the handiwork of sin and Satan. Lord, we see the rise, Lord, of sin on every side. O God, we pray that you'll help us to be those standard bearers, raising once again, Lord, that standard for truth and for righteousness. O God, be merciful to us, we pray. Remember this city. Remember, Lord, this part of East Belfast. We pray for Ballyhackamore. We ask, O God, that you'll work in this place. Lord, there is no concern. There is no interest. But, O God, we thank thee tonight that you can create a concern where there is no concern. And so, Lord, be pleased to work into the hearts and lives lord of many people around the doors of this church and oh god we pray that we might see them saved and one for the savior so lord we just pray for your blessing upon us for good bless us tonight give her give us lord that encouragement oh god that we need lift our hearts heavenward we pray and we will be careful to give thee the praise All the glory and all of the honor, for thou alone art worthy. So hear and answer prayer, and be with us, continue with us now, in the Savior's name we ask. Amen. Amen. We're turning tonight the Word of God to the book of Leviticus, please. Leviticus chapter 16. Leviticus chapter 16. I want to consider tonight the subject of the sinner's scapegoat. And we'll take the time to read part of this chapter together, Leviticus chapter 16. We'll read from verse number 1, please, verse 1, down to the end of verse 14. And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord and died. The Lord said unto Moses, speak unto Aaron, thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark, that he die not. For I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. And he shall put on the holy linen coat, And he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired. These are holy garments, therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on. And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram. for a burnt offering and Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering which is for himself and make an atonement for himself and for his house. And he shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat in which the lot fail to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to make an atonement with him and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself. And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of the sweet incense between, beaten small, and bring it within the veal. And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony that he die not. And he shall take of the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward. And before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Amen. May the Lord bless the reading of his word to all of our hearts. Let me bid you welcome. tonight to our gospel service. We're glad to see you this evening in the house of the Lord and we pray the Lord will bless us as we meet in his house tonight. Also to those who are watching online we welcome you as well. Just some things to bring before you for the week that lies before us and other weeks as well in the will of the Lord. If you can stay behind for just a short time tonight to help us put together the invites for the missions, then that would be appreciated. Up in the first floor room, just putting the invites together for the Redburn mission. If you can help for just 10 or 15 minutes, should take it all, and that would be appreciated immediately after the meeting tonight. Then tomorrow morning we meet over in Redburn at the community centre there at 10 o'clock and if you can help us with the outreach for those missions just put in all the leaflets through the doors then again your help would be greatly appreciated. So tomorrow morning 10 o'clock over at the community centre in Redburn. Then Tuesday night is our Bible study and prayer meeting here in the church at 8 o'clock. We'll also have the Lord's Table after the meeting on Tuesday evening. And if I could just remind the members of session to wait behind for a very short meeting on Tuesday night as well. Then next Lord's Day 1130 and 630 our two services and the preacher at both of the meetings next Lord's Day will be our brother the Reverend Craig Dennison. I'll be over in London preaching for our brother Philip next Sunday God willing. Do remember as well the seasons of prayer before both of the services. The offering on Tuesday night for our sister Noreen came to £640, and also the Missionary Council offering last Sunday came to £267, and thank you for your giving to the missionary work. Do remember, again, those who need our prayers, pray for our brother Brian and also brother Sammy, that the Lord would touch them at this time. as they are in hospital and that very soon they'll be able to be back home again. And continue to remember as well Christie's dad, Laurie, over there in America. I pray the Lord will grow near to him and touch him in his body as well. Then next Monday morning, I realize next Monday's a bank holiday, but that's good. That means you're maybe all off. So if you can help next Monday morning with the outreach for the Clearwood mission, that would be appreciated. We'll meet at the church next Monday morning at 10 o'clock to do the outreach for the Clearwood mission. And then next week, next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of next week sees the children's mission and the gospel mission. running for those three nights in Redburn Community Centre. The children's mission will be at 6.15, a quarter past six, each of those three nights, and then immediately after that will be followed by the gospel mission. at a quarter to eight. As we've said, please do note the time, slightly earlier than normal, and that is to facilitate the time that we have given to us there in the community centre. On the Tuesday night, next Tuesday night, our brother Chris Killen will be along to testify. Wednesday night, the Reverend Thomas Martin will be along to testify, and on Thursday night, Alfie Stewart will be testifying. If you want some of these little leaflets, do take them with you. They're up in the back room. If you need some, please do take them with you. Pray for the mission and even invite others along to this mission. It's a very short mission, only three nights, and we look to you for your support. If you can come every night, it would be greatly appreciated. We'll be having no prayer meeting here that Tuesday night, meeting rather over in the community center in Redburn next Tuesday evening. And then in two weeks time that sees the seasons of prayer as we look to the Lord for his blessing upon the work in the autumn and winter time. Sunday night the 4th after the gospel service we'll have a season of prayer and then the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of that week the first week in September we'll meet here in the church at 8 o'clock for those seasons of prayer as well and I trust you'll be able to join with us. Also those Three nights, the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Tuesday the 6th, Wednesday the 7th, and Thursday the 8th of September. That will be our children's mission down in the Oak Centre there in Clarewood. And I want you to remember that mission in your prayers as well, please. Sunday the 11th of September is the valedictory service for Brother Adam, just before he enters into Bible College. That will be at half past six. The church dinner will be on Friday the 23rd of September. If you didn't get an envelope this morning, then please do take one with you tonight. And you can put your choices for your meal on it. And also you can get your money back to John as soon as you can, please. So that's Friday the 23rd of September. We're looking forward to this time of fellowship. Together was a church. That'll be over in the Jubilee Hall at the Martyrs Memorial. Then our youth fellowship starts on Friday the 9th of September, that will start with a special youth rally, going over to the youth rally that's been held in Hillsborough that night, that's on Friday the 9th. Our Sunday schools here and in Hollywood and our Bible class here will start on Sunday the 11th of September, and the Explorers Club will start back on Tuesday the 13th of September. And I want you to really pray for these missions. The whole idea is that not only would we reach children, but that we would reach them with the gospel. We see them saved and see them brought into the children's work here and also over in Hollywood as well. And to see the children's work build up and pray that the Lord will just bless as these meetings are held. The offering boxes are available as you leave for your tithes and offerings, and as always, these are made subject to the will of the Lord. Let's turn to another hymn, please, the hymn number 96. Hymn number 96, not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away the stain. Hymn number 96, and again, we'll stand as we sing this hymn, please. Here she comes. Christ, the heavenly Lamb, resolve our sins and bring us back with light and new birthday. O come, O come, O come, O come, O come, O come, ♪ Oh, it's time to see the heaven-bound despair ♪ ♪ When I'll be gone, the curse will treat ♪ ♪ And those forgiv'n will stare. ♪ I ask you please to turn back with me in the Word of God to Leviticus chapter 16. And before we come to the preaching of the Word of God this evening, can we seek God's help and His face in a word of prayer? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee again this evening for the wonderful, precious message of the gospel. We thank Thee, O God, tonight for a Savior who saves from sin. We thank Thee, O God, tonight for one who has made a complete and a full atonement from sin. Heavenly Father, we thank thee tonight that the blood of Christ still cleanses, still atones, still makes the vilest sinner clean. Oh God, we pray that tonight you'll apply the blood, Lord, to this meeting house or drive back the forces of hell. Heavenly Father, we pray that you might, Lord, be pleased to feel the Lord amongst us tonight. Lord, that you be pleased to take thy word. Lord, speak through the living word of God. Lord, we pray that you'll use us, Lord, to thine honor and to thy glory. Help us, Lord, to preach as we ought to preach. Help us to hear, Lord, as we need to hear. Lift our eyes heavenward today. Lord, lift our eyes to see our Savior. O God, may it be our desire tonight. that we might have that fresh view and that fresh glimpse of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Reveal thyself to us just now. O God, we pray for help just now to preach the word, help to hear the Lord speak to every and to all. Tonight we pray in the Savior's name we ask. Amen. Amen. It was the day that every Israelite waited for with great expectation. but also with much trepidation. You see, it was such a solemn and a very significant day in the Jewish calendar. It was a high day. It was one of the holy days as they gathered together for this feast, that feast that is known in Jewish tradition as Yom Kippur. Yom meaning day, and kapur coming from the original word which means to atone. And it was a day that all the nation gathered together to seek forgiveness and to seek a covering for sin. As the priest with the sacrifice on that one day of the year went into the holy place, And the people stood outside, forbidden and not able to go in, and they stood silently and they stood still, waiting to see if the priest would return, to see if his sacrifice that he went in with would be accepted, to see if a covering for their sin had been accomplished, to see if there was a way. God. You see, such was the eagerness and the emotion of that day that as the people made their way to the special feast, they had to search their own hearts. They had to humble themselves before God. They had to do away with their own trappings and they had to look to the accepted sacrifice. But sadly, not only for the Jews, to whom Moses wrote about in the book of Leviticus. But even right up to the present day, sadly the Jewish people still look to rituals, to sacrifices, to ceremonies, rather than looking past and seeing all that it symbolized and all that it signified. You see, this was not just simply a day of ritual. The Day of Atonement was not simply a day to be marked as a holy day in the Jewish calendar. This great Day of Atonement of which we read a little about in Leviticus chapter 16 was to point to a greater day. It was all in symbol, all in shadow, of course, as all the Old Testament was. because it all ultimately led to Christ. The scapegoat, as we'll look at this evening, which was central to this whole day, would ultimately and finally be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. You see, what is concealed in the Old Testament is revealed perfectly and fully in the Christ of the New Testament. And the atonement, the day of atonement that is spoken about here in Leviticus chapter 16, was ultimately performed and perfected, not in an animal, but in a person, that person being the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who made the complete and final atonement for sin. And it is worthy to note that the people in view here in Leviticus and in the Old Testament, they were not saved by their carrying out of the rituals of the ceremonies of the law. This Day of Atonement, which was a high day, a most significant day and still is in the Jewish calendar, is not and will not ever be a way of salvation. There was no saving power in the blood of bulls or bullocks. There was no saving power in the high priest who went in that once a year into the holy place to offer sacrifice. No man could ever save from sin. These people to whom Moses wrote about here in Leviticus 16. They were not saved through the events of this great day of atonement, but rather this great day of atonement spoke and signified and pointed to a greater day, that day when Christ We come into this world and ultimately go to the cross and there make atonement for sin, a once and for all and final day of atonement. Let me kneel this right away today. There has only ever been one way of salvation. There will only ever be one way of salvation. The people in Moses' day, as in the people in David's day, as the people in Paul's day, as the people in our day, they're all saved. We're all only saved through one way, and that is the way of the cross. There are not many ways. There are not many means of grace. There is only one way that a sinner could ever be saved. And that was through the great atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. You see, from Genesis to Revelation, from the Garden of Eden to the glory of heaven, there's only been one way of atonement. One way that you could be saved, and it's all through Christ. But we want to consider particularly one aspect of this great day, and that is that of the The involvement and the necessity of the sacrifice of the goats and in particular the scapegoat that we read about in verse number 10, but the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to make an atonement with him and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. It's a very graphic and a very clear portrayal of all that took place in the atonement and in the atoning work of Christ that ultimately would take place at the cross, because tonight Christ is the sinner's scapegoat. Of course, a scapegoat is a widely used term today in our language. It refers to someone who takes the blame for the mistakes of others. When someone's referred to as a scapegoat, it means that they carry the can for someone else's mistakes. They're the fall guy, if you like. They step in to try to remedy the situation. And you see, that's why Christ came into this world. Christ came into a world, stepped into a world that was messed up, ruined by sin, and He took the pleas of the guilty sinner. He bore the pain and paid the price there on that middle tree at Calvary. He took our guilt, our sin, our mistakes, our failures. He became our scapegoat as on the cross He bore our sin away. But let's notice this scapegoat here in little more detail tonight in Leviticus 16. I first of all want you to see the preparation that was necessary. You see in this great day of atonement there was preparation that was necessary. Certain matters had to be attended to. Keep in mind we're all referring to the work of redemption. We're not just talking about history tonight. This is not just some history lesson that is recorded for us in Leviticus 16. This is a wonderful picture of the preparation, preparation and redemption. First of all, as we notice the preparation, notice the preparation of the priest. The priest who, in this case in Leviticus 16 was Aaron, had to make preparation. You see certain things had to take place in order for him to offer the sacrifice. Remember it was only him, he as the great high priest, the holy high priest, the high priest who could go into that holy place and offer the sacrifice. It was the high priest, in this case Aaron, who stood between the people and God in order to make reconciliation, to make atonement. And the priest stood to offer sacrifice that would be acceptable to God and that would cover the sins of the people. But notice the preparation that Aaron had to make. In verse number 3, we read, thus shall Aaron come into the holy place with a young bullock for a sun offering and a ram for a burnt offering. Aaron had to do the work of the priest himself. Now others would have slaughtered the sacrifice. Others would have prepared it. It would all have been set up, but Aaron had to do it all himself on this day. No other priest could make an atonement but Aaron. And that points us to the fact and to the truth and to the reality. Not that Aaron is our Savior. but that Christ is our only Savior, our only Mediator. No one else could ever save from sin. No one else was perfectly suited, perfectly qualified to save from sin but the Lord Jesus Christ. No one else could make the atonement on that day but Aaron, and that's pointing to the fact that no one else could ever make atonement for sin but Christ. It was all up to Him. Without Christ, there would be no atonement. Without Christ, there would be no redemption. Without the Savior, we would have no salvation. Come further into verse 4. We see that he had to be humbled. Verse 4, he shall put on the holy linen coat and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh and shall be girded with a linen girdle and with a linen miter shall he be attired. These are holy garments, therefore shall he wash his flesh in water and so put them on. He had to be humbled. Holy linen coat, the linen breeches, the linen miter, what's the significance? Well, you see in other days Orrin would have worn the glorious high priestly garments. Those things, those clothes that would have shewed off His radiance and His majesty and His significance. But in the day of atonement, those clothes of majesty had to be taken off, and He would be robed in humility. Humble, ordinary linen clothes. You see, for the priest on that great day of atonement, there was a humbling. And how descriptive that is of Christ. We see His humiliation in His incarnation. The Son of God coming into this world. The one who had all the adoration of the angels coming into this world because He had to take that perfect humanity in the person of Christ, taking our nature. Christ had to humble Himself in order to be our great High Priest. He humbled Himself, being found in flesh and as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Listen, every day that the Savior walked on this earth was a day of humility. But there was no humility like that day when He went to the middle cross and died for our in the cane of glory, hung, suspended between earth and heaven, enduring the scoffing and the mocking of His creation. What humility! What humbling! And then at the laver, as we read in the end of verse 4, He had to wash Himself, that speaks of the sanctification of making holy. You see, he humbled himself to make atonement, and he made the believing sinner holy and acceptable to God through his atoning work. Christ, as our great high priest, offered himself as an atoning sacrifice. Remember, folks, he was there as the offerer, but also as the offering. Aaron was just the offerer, offering the sacrifice. He was offering the animal that had already been slaughtered. But Christ not only offered the sacrifice, He was the sacrifice. not arrayed in the splendor and the majesty of heaven, but in the rags, criminal rags, in which he was arrayed. And there with a crown of thorns placed upon his brow, and there with scars upon his body, There He offered Himself one sacrifice for sin. No crown of diadems for the Savior on the cross, but rather a crown of thorns. No regal robes, but rather the rags of humanity. There had to be the preparation of the priest. And Christ as our great high priest had to humble Himself in order to become our atonement. Not only was the preparation of the priest, but there's also the preparation of the people. In verse 29, we didn't read it, but in verse 29 we read that the people had to afflict themselves. Verse 29, this shall be a statute forever on to you that in the seventh month and the tenth day of the month you shall afflict your souls and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country or a stranger that sojourneth among you. The people had to afflict themselves if they were going to be participants in this. There had to be humility on their part as well. There had to be a sorrow. There had to be an afflicting. The whole day, of course, of atonement was necessary because of sin and sin that had to be covered. But the people in their affliction had to acknowledge their sin. There was to be no pride or no arrogance in their situation. Rather, there was to be grief over their sin. thought that they're better than somebody else, not to be a stiff-necked people as the Lord often called them, but broken and contrite before God. And a sinner will never be saved until they come to that point of brokenness and that point of contrition before God and they acknowledge, I'm a sinner. Many people today, that's where it all falls down. Many people want salvation, but they don't want to acknowledge, I'm a sinner. And there's pride and there's arrogance in the hearts of so many. But before there's salvation, there must be sorrow. Before there's regeneration, there must be repentance. And before there's the blessing of sins forgiven, there needs to be brokenness over that sin. There needs to be tears of contrition, tears of confession, tears of conversion. Oh, if tonight finds you in this meeting without Christ, may you be broken under the weight of your sin. May you tremble under the weight of your sin. May you, like these people, had to do, afflict yourself and acknowledge before God, I'm a sinner. Because until you come to that point, you'll never be saved. There's the preparation that was necessary. But I want us to notice something else here. Secondly, there's the presentation that was offered. The presentation that was offered. In verse 5, we read of the presentation, the bringing of the goats for the offering. In verse 7, the sacrifice was to be presented before the Lord. And then in verse 10, the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord. The first goat which was to be presented was killed, and the other was to be killed, and both of these animals, which represent Christ, typify Christ, they all had to be presented before the Lord. You notice in verse 5, one was for a sin offering. And then you notice in verse 8, the other was for the Lord. One was Godward, one was manward. That's significant. You see, before our sins could be forgiven, a holy God had to be satisfied. Before we could be saved, Before there could ever be a plan of redemption, there had to be a satisfying of a holy God who was angry and is angry at sin. And before sinners could be reconciled through any sacrifice, first of all, God had to be satisfied. His wrath had to be appeased. And before a sinner can be brought to Him. He needs to be satisfied in the work that has taken place in redemption. In this description in verse 8, read the verse, it says, and Orange shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. You see, in this great day of atonement, both the satisfying of the wrath of God, which was God-ward, and the forgiving of sin, which is man-ward, is taking place here. Perfect harmony. You know, folks, the cross and Christ's work of atonement, that dual purpose took place perfectly and in unity. Some people will tell us tonight that Christ died in order to pay a ransom to Satan that we might be set free. Christ did nothing of the sort. Christ died to satisfy His Father, a holy God. And as verse 8 says, one lot for the Lord. His sacrifice on the cross, first of all, was to appease the wrath of God. God had been grieved because His fellowship with creation had been broken. It had to be restored. And the first sacrifice there in verse 8, it represented that one lot for the Lord. The appeasing of the wrath of God for we the sinner. You see, God just couldn't wipe the slate clean. God just couldn't turn a blind eye to His whole system of justice. God couldn't just say, well, I forget about their sin. There had to be a satisfying of sin, and that satisfaction took place in the work of Christ on the cross. Because, you see, the reality is tonight. Each one of us born in sin, we were under the wrath of God for our sin, and before we could be saved, that wrath had to be turned away. Before we could ever be forgiven, a holy God had to be satisfied. That's the Godward part. But then there's also the manward part. He ate on the other lot for the scapegoat. Sins were confessed on its head and led away into the wilderness. That sin then removed. Guilt was gone. And that scapegoat went away into the wilderness, never to be seen again. What a picture of the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Not only did He satisfy the wrath of God for our sin, but He bore our sin and He took our sin away, never to be remembered against us. Our sins that moment when we came as a sinner to Jesus in brokenness and in sorrow, our sins were removed as far as the east is from the west. Our sins cast behind the back of our Savior. You see, Christ just didn't save us from some of our sins. He just didn't start a work, and that work of forgiveness is ongoing, and it won't be completed until the day we get to heaven. No. The moment you were saved, you were completely, fully forgiven of every sin, past, present, and future. That's why John the Baptist cried in the wilderness, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away, taketh away, removeth entirely, the scapegoat removed entirely, the sin of the world. You come to Christ tonight, Christ as your scapegoat will remove all your sin, remove that burden of sin for you and give you the blessing of his pardon. You see, without the scapegoat, without the sacrifice, there was no atonement. One lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. Christ in His own body on the tree presented Himself as a sacrifice to appease a holy God, but also presented himself as a sacrifice to take away our sin. Finally, tonight, there's not only the preparation that was necessary and the presentation that was offered, but I want us to see as well, finally, there is the perfection that is final. Verse 20. Verse 20 it says, and when he had made an end of reconciling or atoning the holy place. It speaks of a perfection. It speaks of a finality. It speaks of a conclusion. When he had made an end. here is of the atoning work of Christ coming to a perfect and final ending. During those hours, three hours of darkness on the cross, Christ made an atonement for our sins. And during those hours of darkness when the entire world was bathed in darkness, as the wrath of God for every one of our sins was poured out upon His Son, what happened at the end of the three hours? What did the Lord say? The sacrifice was completed, the payment for our sin was met, and salvation has been attained. There remaineth therefore now no more condemnation for sin. There is no more sacrifice for sin needed. Why? Because Christ on the cross made an end of reconciling. All those types and shadows that are described for us in the Old Testament, all ultimately fulfilled in Christ because He made an end. His work was completed. How do I know that? How do I know that? Because Christ entered back into heaven. I think I've spoken on this before, but Christ, because He was our sin bearer, heaven was borne to Him. The very place of his regal royal throne was barred to him, but he entered back into heaven. How? By his own blood, because his sacrifice was accepted before God. And listen, folks, each one is saved. We'll enter heaven on the merits of that same blood. The blood had been applied. The blood which speaks peace and secures the atonement before a holy God, it's now removed, and the veal is rent. The way to God is clear, the price is paid, and the debt's clear. On the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ gave His very life's blood. He bore the burden for our sin. He didn't become a sinner, but rather He became the sin bearer. And he cried, it's finished, because he made an end of reconciling. God's wrath had been turned away. His justice had been satisfied. Sin had been removed, and forgiveness and reconciliation with God had been accomplished, all because of Christ, the sinner's scapegoat. He bore it all. He paid it all. And all that is required of sinful man is to acknowledge our sin and to accept him and him alone. He offered one sacrifice for sin forever and sat down. Why? Because his work was finished. His work was completed. His sacrifice and only His sacrifice can take away sin. Christ is still tonight the sinner's scapegoat. The blood of Jesus Christ tonight prays God still cleanses from sin. The way to God tonight still and only has ever been through Christ and through Christ alone. These people, as they gathered on the Day of Atonement, they waited to see if the sacrifice had been accepted. Thank God tonight that the sacrifice of His Son, our Savior, has been accepted and we go free. Because He took our place. He paid our debt. He died for us, He is our substitute, He is our scapegoat, and tonight He can be your Savior because He has made an end of reconciling. The sinner's scapegoat tonight, it's not through ritual, it's not through ceremony, it's not through a church. Not through anything that's good in yourself, it's only through Christ. Only Christ and Christ alone. The only way to God tonight is only through Christ. The only way for sins to be forgiven and pardoned is through Christ. The only way to heaven tonight is through Christ. There is no other way but the way of the cross. And we miss the way of the cross, then we miss it. Because it's at the cross where Christ made that full, perfect, and final sacrifice for our sin. If you've come that way, if not come to me. If you've come that way, then rejoice in all that you have in Christ. Your sins are forgiven. Peace with God. You're sure of heaven. And just as Christ entered heaven by his own blood, so too shall every ransomed, redeemed, blood-bought sinner enter heaven too on the merits of Christ's blood. Let's bow in prayer.