 The title of our sermon this morning is the nature of the atonement, the nature of the atonement. This week we're continuing our study of the essentials and as we continue our study of the essentials we're looking this week at an introduction to the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. Last Lord's Day we were given the privilege of considering the necessity of the atonement. This Lord's Day we have the blessing of considering the nature of the atonement, from the necessity of the atonement to the nature of the atonement. Now most professing Christians when they think of the atonement of Jesus Christ the way that they think about it is like their car. They think about the atonement of Jesus Christ like their car. It's something that's going to get you from point A to point B but they have no earthly idea how or why it works. The how or the why is for engineers or mechanics to figure out. Frankly I don't care as long as it gets me from point A to point B as long as it gets me to where I want to go. So many cast off an understanding of the atonement in the same way as something that's only important for scholars or theologians to think about. Frankly I don't care as long as it gets me to where I want to go right. I meant it when I said that little prayer I'm on my way to heaven frankly I don't care about all this scholarly theologian stuff and they count the blood of the covenant by which they presume to be sanctified they count it as a common thing when you do that. You think about it in that way. The atonement is at the very heart of our faith. The atonement is at the very heart of the gospel. The substitutionary atoning work of Jesus Christ whereby he redeems sinner to himself through his own shed blood on the cross is at the very heart of what we believe. The meaning and the significance of that efficacious work cannot be a matter of ignorance for God's people cannot be a matter of indifference to God's people it's something that we must learn of we must understand we must meditate on. It's a matter of faith for us to understand the significance of why Christ died. Why was his death necessary you know what exactly is going on on the cross on Calvary what wasn't that he accomplished there by laying down his life shedding his blood what is the nature of the atonement how does God save his people through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ how is it that we're saved from sin what meaning does the blood have redeemed by the blood of the Lamb what does it all mean to understand the necessity the nature the extent of the atonement from the scriptures is to insulate your heart from error is to insulate your heart your mind your worship from numerous heresies that pour out of the heart of fallen man and many of those that Jesus Christ didn't actually accomplish salvation for anybody when he died on the cross ultimately it's the decision or the work of man the choice of man that finally determines all of that the atonement merely made salvation possible or the atonement puts us in a savable position where it makes it potential and ultimately it depends on what the person will or will not do when in reality what Jesus Christ actually does through his person his work his atonement through his perfect obedience through his sacrificial death through his resurrection from the dead through his ascension his intercession and through his coming again what Jesus Christ actually does is to forever accomplish the finished work of saving to the uttermost all those for whom he died this is an actual satisfaction that takes place it's an actual redemption it's an actual reconciliation it's a completed work and our understanding of that built our faith doesn't it gives us cause for why we worship him it fills us with love and adoration the love of Christ constrains us our confession of faith says it this way once again in chapter eight article five the Lord Jesus by his perfect obedience by the sacrifice of himself which he through the eternal spirit once offered up to God has fully satisfied the justice of God has procured reconciliation and has purchased an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those whom the father hath given unto him he fully satisfied the justice of God he fully procured reconciliation and he fully purchased our inheritance for all those the father had given to him now this he did by his perfect obedience the confession states and by the sacrifice of himself we'll look at that today considering the nature of the atonement his perfect obedience and by the sacrifice of himself such that no one and nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord it's a full completed sufficient perfect work who will bring a charge against God's elect it's God who justifies right who is he who condemns it's Christ who has died and is furthermore risen from the dead he now sits at the right hand of the father the right hand of God making intercession for us in all of these things in all of these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us Paul says I'm persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord the atonement of Jesus Christ gives us that confidence right gives us that great assurance may the Lord bolster our faith through an understanding of all these things that we discussed last Lord's day why the atoning work of Jesus Christ is necessary why the atonement is necessary well what is the nature then of that atoning work what's the nature of the atonement now remember as we consider the atonement there are many scarlet threads throughout scripture from Genesis revelation woven together forming this beautiful tapestry that makes up what we know as the atonement it gives shape and definition to our theology of the atonement it all comes together to paint a beautiful picture so to speak and we're going to look at several of those threads this morning so sharpen your pencil I hope you have something to write on take some notes we're going to consider the atoning work of Jesus Christ under four primary headings the atonement is a work of reconciliation the atonement is a work of substitution the atonement is a work of redemption and the atonement is a work of perfection some of those are umbrella terms that have nuance to them and have facets to them that we're going to talk about some this morning we'll spend a good bit of our time on reconciliation and substitution and there are pieces and parts of those that are very important the atonement is a work of reconciliation the atonement is a work of substitution the atonement is a work of redemption and the atonement is a work of perfection first consider with me the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ is a work of reconciliation it's a work of reconciliation what is the nature of the atonement it's a work of reconciliation the term reconciliation presupposes a state of of estrangement. It presupposes a state of alienation from God, separation from God, cast away from God. Men have sinned against God. Men have broken his law and the Bible teaches the Bible describes that the relationship now between God and men as one of being at enmity. It's one of enmity. All people through their sin have made themselves to be enemies of God. Isaiah chapter 59 verse 2, your iniquities have separated you from your God and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear. If you've never turned from your sin to put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, then the Bible describes you as a son or daughter of hell. You are by nature a child of wrath. The carnal mind Paul says is enmity against God. It is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be. That speaks of ability. We are unable to subject ourselves to the law of God. Our minds, our hearts cannot be subject to the law of God. We are at enmity against him. Now that enmity, that estrangement, that alienation is true on both sides of the relationship, not just one sided, the enmity. We are at enmity with God and God is at enmity with us. Our sinful, ungodly, unholy alienation from God is one side of the equation. The other side of the equation is God's holy, just and righteous alienation from us and flowing out from God's just and righteous alienation is justice and judgment and wrath and condemnation. See wrath is an outflowing, if you will, of God's holy response to sin. God is at enmity also with us. The wrath of God is the inevitable is the righteous response of God's holiness against sin. Romans chapter 1 verse 18, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. God reveals his wrath. Now considering the horribly poor man-centered teaching that goes on in most churches today, most people consider the alienation to be entirely one sided. I think about that with me for just a moment, the way that that's presented today. They believe that man is the only one who has to be one over. He's the one. Man is the one who is at enmity with God. The popular notion today is that God's not angry with sinners, right? If you drive down the interstate you're bound to see a billboard that says God's not mad at you. What does the Bible say? There are those that will say that God hates the sin but loves the sinner, that God is hat in hand standing there trying to woo the sinner with love and that God's not angry. The God of the Old Testament was angry, but now in the Gospel we find out in the New Testament that God in fact isn't angry at all. That he's a God of love and all we have to do is accept God's love that he offers to all sinners and love wins, right? Psalm chapter five verse five, God hates all workers of iniquity. Psalm chapter five verse five, I can't be said any clearer. God hates all workers of iniquity. Is that exclude then some general way in which God loves all people who are made in his image? No. There is a sense in which God pours out common grace, a way in which God loves shows goodness. He is benevolent toward all those who are made in his image. He gives them clothes on their back, a roof over their head, food on their table, right? God is good. But at the same time, Psalm chapter five verse five, God hates all workers of iniquity. Psalm five verse six, the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. Psalm seven verse 11, God is a just judge and God is angry with the wicked every day. In other words, our alienation is not one sided. It's not one sided. And both the alienation on God's side and the alienation on our side must be dealt with. If there's going to be peace with God, if there's going to be true reconciliation, God is the one who works then to resolve to resolve the estrangement. We are unable depraved. God does all to end the alienation. He does all to reconcile us to himself through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. And the atonement is a work of reconciliation. Turn with me to Romans chapter five, the passage read in your hearing. Look there beginning with me at verse six. Romans chapter five, verse six. Now notice first that in verse six, Paul addresses the timing of the atonement, the timing of the atonement. Verse six, for when we were still without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. In other words, Christ died at a time when we were still sinners, when we were still without strength, when we were powerless to do anything for ourselves. Christ died when we were entirely without strength. Christ died also at a time that was suitable to God's redemptive purpose. When God had predetermined, had set the time, Christ died without strength refers to our unuttered inability to save ourselves. In other words, God doesn't wait for us to exercise our own will. God doesn't wait and hope that we're going to make a decision for him, repent of our sin, turn to him. He doesn't wait for us to get ourselves to the point where we're savable. Paul would say in Ephesians chapter two, you who were dead in trespasses and sins, he made alive. God doesn't wait when we were still without strength, when we were powerless to save ourselves, Christ died for the ungodly. In due time refers to the actual historical death of Jesus Christ on the cross. In due time speaks of the exact time in history that God, before the foundation of the world, had predetermined that Christ would come and die for sinners. Paul would speak of this in Galatians chapter four, verse four, saying that when the fullness of time had come, or when is that? Exactly when God decreed that it should come. In God's wisdom, when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. And notice his death in that had a purpose. In Galatians four, it's to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. In Romans chapter five, verse six, that purpose, that aim, that intention is for the ungodly. He didn't die merely for the sake of demonstrating his love. That's not the only reason, or merely the reason that he died. His death wasn't merely to illustrate the justice of God, or to show how sin is punished under his righteous government. He didn't just die to be a good example of obedience obeying to the point of death, even the death of the cross. No. In Romans chapter five, verse six, verse seven, he died for the ungodly. All those for whom Christ died are numbered among the ungodly. He died for them. Verse seven, we'll continue to unpack this. For scarcely, for a righteous man will one die. Yet perhaps for a good man, someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, in other words, when we were without strength, Christ died for us. There it is again. He dies for us. While there was yet enmity between us, when we were unreconciled, enemies of God by wicked works, Christ died for us. He's not dying for righteous people. Verse eight, verse seven, he's not dying even for good people. Verse seven, he's dying for the ungodly while we were still sinners, while we were at enmity with God, enemies of God by wicked works, while we were alienated and estranged from him without hope, without God in the world. And notice now, Christ died not just for the generic ungodly. Verse six, he died for the personal us. You and I, those of us who are in him at the end of verse eight. Notice in all of this so far, six, seven, eight, that it is God who initiates. God who works, it's God who acts. Now, what does God act then to do? Verse nine, much more than having now been justified by his blood or by the means of his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him by means of his atoning death on the cross. We shall be saved from wrath through him. The biblical view of salvation is a rescue. Is a deliverance, a deliverance from calamity, a rescue from wrath. Whose wrath are we delivered from? We're delivered from God's wrath. We're delivered from God's wrath. God is the enemy of sinners. Do you see? You're saved in the sense. You think about it this way with me. You're saved from God who reveals his wrath from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men. When we think of salvation from sin, that's right to think about it that way. It is salvation from sin. But in an ultimate sense, our salvation is from the wrath of God do our sin. If God's not angry, if there is no wrath, there's no need for reconciliation is there. There's no need for satisfaction. If God's not angry, there's no need for the gospel. No need for Christ to die. No need to send his only begotten son into the world. And if you reject that provision that he has made for sin, if you reject the son, then in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will render to each one according to his deeds. There must be a reconciliation. Why? Because God is an enmity with us and we are an enmity with God because of our sin, because of our sin. God sends his own son to bring about that reconciliation through his atoning death for sinners. Look at verse 10. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Notice in verse 10 and verse 11, notice that have received the reconciliation. That's passive, passive, right? And we were reconciled through the death of his son. It's an heiress passive means that at that time, not at the removal of man's enmity, but at the removal of God's enmity once for all. In other words, it's a finished work completed in the past. It's a finished, completed work by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross. And God the Father or God the Son is the subject of all the words, all the verbs here in these verses, right? God the Father, God the Son is the one doing all the work. The reconciliation is not affected or even influenced by the actions of men. It's not of him who wills. It's not of him who runs. It's of God who shows mercy, do you see? God is the one who reconciles us to himself through or by the instrumentality of the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, reconciliation with God is not accomplished when the sinner sets aside his enmity with God. Reconciliation is something that God accomplishes when he, through the atoning work of the Son, sets aside all of those obstacles to peace that you and I have raised up before him in our own sin. That's when reconciliation is affected. God secures, procures reconciliation by the perfect obedience and sacrificial death of his son. That's our confession of faith, right? All that takes place at the cross. The wrath of God clearly communicates God's hostility towards sinners in their sin. They are, by nature, children of wrath, destined for wrath in great need of reconciliation. It's a reality of what the Bible teaches. And we must come to grips with that fearful and weighty reality. Sinners must see their need of reconciliation. The word for reconciliation refers to making peace, putting away wrath, removing man's alienation from God. It's to deal effectively with our sin, with our guilt, so that it no longer stands between us and God. In Colossians chapter 1 verse 20, Paul says that it pleased the Father by him, by the Lord Jesus Christ, to reconcile all things to himself by him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through or by the instrumentality of the blood of his cross, having made peace. Paul, with his hope fixed on heaven, says that if when we were enemies of God, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son, then how much more will the resurrected Christ bring us into glory with him through his life? I implore you on Christ's behalf be reconciled to God. Incidentally, the work of the gospel, Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, the work of the gospel is a ministry of reconciliation. We're to preach a ministry, a word, a gospel of reconciliation. So the atonement, the atonement is a work of reconciliation, but notice also the atonement is a work of substitution. It's a work of substitution. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, and let's look at that text together. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, and look beginning at verse 14. You know, what brought about that reconciliation that we just spoke of? What brought about the reconciliation? True reconciliation or peace with God is brought about by the removal of that ground or basis of our enemy, of our enmity. In other words, that which stands between us has to be taken out of the way. So true reconciliation is brought about by removing those obstacles that stand between us, by removing the basis for the enmity. Does that make sense? It presupposes effectively removing that which is the cause of our alienation, namely our sin and our guilt. Our sin and guilt has to be taken out of the way. That removal, the removal of sin and guilt is brought about through the substitutionary or vicarious work of Jesus Christ when he was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Christ bore the sin. He took upon himself the guilt of those for whom he died, and he removed all obstacles to peace. Look at verse 14. Verse 14, For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus, that if one died for all. Do you see that? That's the language of substitution. That if one died for all, then all died. And he died for all. There it is again. That those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again. Notice in verse 14, Paul makes the death of the all a necessary and connected result or a condition of the death of the one. The one died. If he died, then the ones for whom he died also died. That makes sense? If one died for all, then all died. Now notice it doesn't say all were dead, and so Christ died for all. Doesn't say that, right? Doesn't say that way. It doesn't say that Christ died for all so that all may potentially or possibly die in him or live again in him. It doesn't say that way either. Nor does it say that all deserve to die, and because all deserve to die, Christ died for all. It says none of those things. No, it says one died for all, therefore all died. It's really important how that's worded in the wisdom of God. The Holy Spirit being the inspired author of Scripture. What is he referring to here? This means that the ones for whom Christ died are the ones who died in him. That makes sense? They're the ones who died to sin and to self in him. The ones for whom Christ died are the ones who died to sin and self in him. Notice also in verse 15 that those for whom he died are the ones who live for him. They died to sin himself to be raised to the goodness of life, then to live again for him. They are those for whom he died and those for whom he rose again. All of this is based on this little word, little preposition, for, who pair, on behalf of. He died on behalf of them, for them. Do you see? This is speaking of Christ's atonement as a work of substitution. It's a redemption that's accomplished vicariously. Look at verse 18. Now, all things are of God. God, the Son of God, is the subject of all these verbs. He's the one taking the initiative. He's the one who is reconciling. All things are of God who has reconciled us. Now he's using the word us. Do you see? Who's the us? The us are those for whom Christ died. The us are those who have died to sin himself in him. The us are those who have been raised the newness of life to live for him. He has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ. The us are those who have received the reconciliation. This is not everybody in the world. It's those who have died in him. Do you see? He has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, verse 19, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. Now he just said in verse 18 that he reconciled us to himself. Now in verse 19 he's saying he's reconciling the world to himself. Whatever does Paul mean then by world? He means without distinction from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, the world is being reconciled to Christ. Not just the Jews, but the world. He's reconciling the world to himself. We'll talk about that more next week in a sermon talking about the extent of the Atonement. He was reconciling the world to himself, not imputing or crediting their trespasses to them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us. We implore you on behalf of God, on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. Because, verse 21, for he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us substitution. So that we then might become the righteousness of God in him. In other words, the nature of Christ's atoning work is substitutionary. It's substitution. He was made to be a sin offering as our substitute so that we might be made in him the righteousness of God. He was taking the place of his people. Jesus Christ took the place of his people. Verse 21, Paul defines the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ in terms of substitution. When we work through this text, remember using the illustration of the divine ledger. Imagine a divine ledger in the courtroom of heaven. There's a ledger on one side of the accountant's ledger, so to speak, lists all of your sin. It is a vast innumerable list that records a vast immeasurable and unpayable debt. You're standing before the bar of God's justice, and it's time to settle accounts with him. The day of judgment has come, and you cannot pay. You have nothing with which to pay your debts. You have nothing, nothing to bring before God. You are spiritually bankrupt before him, but you look at the ledger closely, and on the other side of the ledger, you see all of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, vast, immeasurable, perfect, glorious righteousness, perfect obedience, His infinite merit, His perfect life, obedience to the point of death, even the death of the cross, and glory upon glories through imputation. He who knew no sin takes responsibility for your side of the ledger. He takes responsibility for our debt of sin. He himself is made accountable for your sin. Your sin-filled side of the ledger is credited to him, transferred to his account, and through imputation he credits to your account what is rightfully and only his, and it's as if your name at the top of your side of the ledger is erased in his is put there, and it's as if the name of the Lord Jesus Christ on top of the other side of the ledger has your name there written beside it as if you had obeyed with him in him, written there in his place. That's substitution through substitution. He stands in our place as guilty, condemned to die, cursed in our verdict. The penalty do our sin is rendered against him and he is sentenced, cursed, judged in our place. He bears the punishment. Do our sin in order to save us. It's a great exchange that has taken place. A great exchange. He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. This is the work of substitution. Notice in this work of substitution, one, we see the ground or the basis of Christ's substitutionary work and two, we see the results or the effects of Christ's substitutionary work. The ground of his substitution and the results of his substitution. First, the ground of Christ's substitution for sinners is his obedience. The ground of his substitution is his obedience. Philippians 2 verse 8. He made himself of no reputation. He took the form of a slave coming in the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man. Christ humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Romans chapter 5 verse 19. For as by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners. So also by one man's obedience, many will be made righteous. His obedience is a work of substitution. It's the ground or the basis of his substitutionary work. That's important to understand. The obedience of Jesus Christ as both active and passive. His obedience is both active and passive. His active obedience could be called preceptive in the sense that he is obeying the precepts of God. He is doing the will of the Father. He's keeping the commandments. All that Christ does, he does to obey the Father. That's his active or preceptive obedience. Passive obedience could be referred to as penal. That Christ suffers in obedience to the Father. He actively endures that suffering. He endures suffering to pay the penalty due to our sin. It's a penal satisfaction. Active obedience, passive obedience, preceptive obedience, penal obedience. In his perfect obedience, the Lord Jesus Christ met both the penal sanction associated with the law and the positive preceptive requirement of the law. He kept both sides perfectly obedient. Some refer to as active obedience. Is that what he displayed during his earthly ministry? And then his passive obedience is that suffering that he endured at the cross. It's not correct to think about it that way. It's not correct to think about it that way. Jesus Christ, in his active and in his passive obedience, he actively obeyed and passively endured suffering the extent of his life. The extent of his whole life. That active obedience and that passive obedience wrapped up together in his perfect life. Jesus Christ was active in his obedience at all times during his life and during his suffering. And he suffered at many times during his life, not only at the cross. He suffered at the hands of sinners. But that active and that passive obedience, both, find their apex, their climax at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah chapter 53 refers to the Lord Jesus Christ as a servant of Yahweh that he perfectly obeys as the servant of God. Isaiah 53 says this. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. That speaks to his whole life. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. We hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised. We did not esteem him. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. That's substitution, right? Substitution. The basis or ground of his substitutionary work is his obedience. He bore our griefs. He carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. Substitution. He was bruised for our iniquities. Substitution. The chastisement for our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. The Lord Jesus Christ took the place of his people. He took the place of his people as their substitute. He lived the life that they could never live themselves. Perfectly obeying the will of the Father in all things. And then he offered up that perfect, righteous life. He offered it up in sacrifice to God, the Father, as a lamb prepared for the slaughter without spot or blemish. At the cross, he hangs there, suspended between heaven and earth, as a substitute for sinners having become a curse for us. God himself pouring out the full cup of his wrath, the full cup of his indignation in full force upon the Lord Jesus Christ, which the Lord Jesus Christ drank to the dregs. He bore that wrath in his body on the tree. The punishment of the Almighty God due our sin, all the weight, all the misery, all the shame, all the guilt that was rightly reserved for us poured out upon him. And he bore that as our substitute that you and I might be free, that we might be reconciled to God, that we might be justified, that we might be forgiven of our sins. And instead of being poured out upon us in the fires of hell, it was poured out upon Christ our substitute as he hung upon the cross. It's through his obedience that we have his righteousness given to us, imputed to us by faith. It's through his obedience that he suffers in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous in order to reconcile us to God. The righteous treated as though he were unrighteous, and the unrighteous treated as though he were righteous. He made him who knew no sin to be sinned for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Notice in all of that language regarding substitution, we hear the language of sacrifice. It comes up again and again and again and again. In his atoning work as a substitutionary sacrifice, it's in that work as a sacrifice that we see the results of his substitution. The ground of his substitution, his perfect obedience. The results of his substitution we see in his substitutionary sacrifice. The substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ was pictured or foreshadowed in the Old Testament sacrifices established under the Mosaic Covenant. And turn with me to Leviticus. Leviticus chapter 16. Leviticus chapter 16. The sacrifice of Christ foreshadowed in the Old Testament sacrificial system. In Leviticus 16, the Lord gives instruction with respect to the day of atonement. It's one day a year when Aaron the priest or the high priest would go into the Holy of Holies, the most holy place. After having made atonement for himself, he would go in with the sacrifice of a goat, of a lamb, and make atonement for the sin of the people. As the Lord gives instruction in Leviticus 16 for how this is to be done, he tells Moses in verse 2. He says, tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the holy place inside the veil. It's restricted space. It's holy ground. You can't come anytime you want. You have to be consecrated to come, prepared to come. You can only come once per year. It's because of your sin. Your sin has separated you from your God. Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the holy place inside the veil before the mercy seat, which is on the ark, lest he die, for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. Aaron the high priest could enter only one time per year on this particular day, the day of atonement. And it was the day on which he would make sacrifice for the sins of his people so that they would not die. Aaron in making sacrifice was to take a bull and two goats. Look at verse 6. Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself. And make atonement for himself. Why would Aaron have to do that? Because Aaron is a sinner. Aaron needs atonement. He's going to make atonement for himself and for his house. Verse 7. He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord's lot fell and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat presented a lie before the Lord to make atonement upon it and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness. Two goats, one for a sin offering, one as the scapegoat. There were two parts of the sacrifice that Aaron made for the people. The scapegoat and a lamb for the burnt offering. Two parts, okay? Regarding the scapegoat, look at verse 20. And when Aaron has made an end of atoning for the holy place, the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. Verse 21. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land and he shall release the goat in the wilderness. There was a transfer, if you will, a transaction that takes place, not unlike what we see really substantially in perfection in reality taking place with Jesus Christ in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 when the Lord Jesus Christ bore our sins upon himself. Here the priest, Aaron, lays his hands on the scapegoat and it's a transfer of sins to the scapegoat and then the scapegoat is driven outside of the camp, driven outside the place of blessing, outside the boundaries of God's people, right? On the sin offering, the lamb that was for the sin offering, the slaying of that lamb, the priest would do the same, he would lay his hands upon the head, he would go to the lamb, shed his blood. The blood would be taken and sprinkled upon the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies, that mercy seat also called the seat of reconciliation and it was to make peace with God for their sin. This represented two aspects of Christ's substitutionary work. One is expiation. The second is propitiation. Expiation and propitiation. Expiation means from or out of. It's a removal of guilt. Expiation is a removal of guilt. It's the horizontal aspect, if you will, seen in the image of the scapegoat, illustrated by the scapegoat. Our sins, our guilt, removed from the presence of God, taken away. As he separates our sins from us, as far as the east is from the west, he casts them into the sea of his forgetfulness. He remembers them no more. Christ pictures the scapegoat as the sin bearer and Christ himself goes outside of the gates, outside the camp. He's numbered among the Gentiles and he dies outside the camp, bearing our sin there outside the camp. Propitiation, then, is the vertical aspect. God's justice in this. By the death of the Lamb, the sacrificial death, the shedding of the blood of that sacrificial Lamb, God's justice against sin is satisfied. Debt is paid to God. God's wrath is placated. His wrath is fully satisfied with the price that has been paid by our substitute. A lot of bulls and goats could never have perfectly satisfied God's wrath, could never have made atonement for or provided for reconciliation. That price paid perfectly by our substitute, Lord Jesus Christ. All these sacrifices were mere shadows of a reality that would come later in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, our great substitute. Hebrews 9 verse 14, How much more then? How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? All of these facets woven together, right? Reconciliation, substitution, sacrifice, expiation, propitiation. The atonement is a work of reconciliation. The atonement is a work of substitution and the atonement is a work of redemption, is a work of redemption. Redemption is often expressed in Scripture through the language of ransom. The securing of release by the payment of a price. John Murray says this, just as sacrifice is directed to the need created by our guilt, just as propitiation to the need that arises from the wrath of God, just as reconciliation is directed to the need arising from our alienation from God, so redemption is directed to the bondage to which our sin has consigned us. We are redeemed from bondage to our sin. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. Galatians 3 verse 13. Christ has redeemed us from the penalty and the power of our sin. Lastly, the atonement is a work of perfection. Praise God. The atonement is a work of perfection. The Lord's atoning work is a once-for-all, completed and finished work. The Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. It is finished. It's complete. We can add to it. Nothing that can be added to it. Murray again. The atonement of which Scripture speaks is the vicarious obedience, expiation, propitiation, reconciliation, and redemption performed by the Lord of glory when once-for-all He purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, all to the praise of His glory. It's a work of perfection. And we do well to honor and praise and worship Him for that finished and completed work, trusting in Him alone for it, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, or saved by His work of righteousness. There's a good illustration of this in Scripture that's given to us in two representative figures that we see on the day of Christ's crucifixion. And those two figures are the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and Barabbas. Barabbas. Barabbas has been pronounced guilty. He is condemned already as a murderer, as a thief, as a rebel, as an insurrectionist. That's Barabbas. You know what? Outside of the Lord Jesus Christ, that's you. And that's me. Barabbas is pronounced guilty. Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, continuously referred to as innocent pilot. I can find no fault in this man. Why on earth do you want to crucify Him? Jesus Christ continuously referred to as innocent. There isn't anyone who can level a charge against Him. And yet these two exchanged places. Pilot sets Barabbas free. And Barabbas, the murderer, is treated as innocent. And pilot condemns Jesus to death. Treats Jesus as guilty, condemned to die. Jesus Christ takes the place of Barabbas. Do you see? It's an illustration of substitution. An illustration of the nature of the atonement, the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Is Jesus Christ your substitute? Have you trusted in Him alone, by faith alone, for His work, His substitutionary work of atonement on behalf of sinners? Have you been reconciled to God by the blood of the Lamb? Have you been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb? Brothers and sisters, if you put your faith and trust in Him, then Jesus Christ bore in Himself upon the cross the punishment that our sin deserves, satisfying, propitiating the wrath of God. He bore our sin outside the gates, having died outside the camp, numbered among the Gentiles. What should be our response to that? Hebrews 12, let us go to Him outside the camp to be with Him, bearing His reproach, counting the reproach of Christ's far greater treasure than all the riches in Egypt. He is worthy of our worship. The hymn, my brother quoted it earlier by Philip Bliss, the Son of Sorrows, what a name, for the Son of God who came, ruined sinners to reclaim, hallelujah, what a savior. Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place, condemned He stood, sealed my pardon with His blood, hallelujah, what a savior. Guilty, vile, helpless we, spotless Lamb of God was He, full atonement, can it be, hallelujah, what a savior. Lifted up was He to die. It is finished was His cry. Now in heaven exalted high, hallelujah, what a savior. And when He comes, our glorious King, all His ransomed home to bring, then anew His song will sing, hallelujah, what a savior. Amen, let's pray. Father in heaven, hallelujah, what a savior you have provided. And the person in work, the perfect work, the perfect person of your only begotten Son, God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, what a glorious redemption, what a glorious provision for sin you have made. And we marvel, we wonder in astonishment at the beauty, the genius, the wisdom, the miracle, the splendor, the glory of it all, as we consider His perfect atoning work on the cross. I pray, Lord, that it will fuel our worship, that it will fuel our devotion, that you may be magnified and exalted in all things in our lives. We pray, Lord, that we would walk worthy of the calling with which we've been called. May Christ receive the reward of His suffering, or may you gather together all in Him that He may be exalted in their salvation for His everlasting praise and worship. And we pray all these things in the blessed name of our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.