Christ's Once for ALL Sacrifice

Shadow of things to come!

I grew up in a small, northeast South Dakota in the 1960’s and 70’s. It was an idyllic town. No drugs, no crime actually pretty boring!

We “assumed” a lot of things. I thought this was the greatest place in the world to grow-up.

Was it, but a “shadow” of things to come. You see we thought the world of late 60’s was peaceful in Northeast South Dakota.

While outside the bounds of that small little town, the world was turning itself inside out.

— Vietnam war

— Politics & Government

— Drugs

— Kent State

— We could go on and on and on about the 60’s and 70’s.

So… Was all of that a shadow of what we are experiencing today?

Frequently, I hear that, the chaos of the 60’s and 70’s, and the scar that it has left on our society is part of the chaos we are experiencing now.

These are couple examples of this shadowing that Hebrews 10 presents a different king of shadow.

Hebrews Chapter 10 beginning in Verse 1

Hebrews 10:1 NIV84

1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.

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We certainly understand a set of laws we will call them Covenants.

God has a number of covenants, 2-way promises, a give-n-take, comparisons in scripture.

That’s the God we serve, he can’t make decisions, he is arbitrary and confused.

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

God made the perfect set of rules in covenant planning… remember His ways are NOT our ways and sometimes we have to sit for many hours or days, months or years or centuries until we see the result of our covenant happenings.

Definition - God’s covenants are prominent in every period of salvation history. Divine covenants reveal the saving plan of God for establishing communion with Israel and the nations, ultimately fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Christ.

The term covenant can be partially explained by calling it a law or obligation.

We you buy a house there are certain things that all of the neighbors want to have in the property. Or more correctly want out of their neighborhoods.

In the 60’s and 70”s those covenants even included racial bias against anyone who wasn’t, white, rich. They wanted those married couples to have 3 kids, a golden retriever and a dodge station wagon with paneling on the side.

All the while this was happening the church universal was asleep at the wheel.

We are now in the deep weeds… We, the church, has lost its way. We are so distracted by so many things that...

We Have Forgotten God’s Covenant Promises

— The Abrahamic Covenant. He was instructed to bring his only son to be sacrificed. He did as he was told and was stopped by God, giving him a substitute in a ram caught in the thicket. Something had to be sacrifice to God and it was a ram instead of man.

Genesis 22:16–18 ESV

16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

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Because Abraham did NOT refuse God we see it…

— (Action) Because you have not withheld your son, you obeyed.

— Gods Rewards

1. I will bless you.

2. I will multiple your offspring.

3. You offspring shall posses the gate of his enemies.

4. In Abraham’s offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

This is just one example of the many, covenants in the bible.

So What?

— What does all of this have to do with us...

— We are followers of Jesus, we have a new and better covenant in Christ.

— In our passage today Hebrews 10 we see Paul or the writer of Hebrews stating that

Hebrews 10:1 ESV

1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.

— That the law (The Levitical Law) has some good things to come. But the new covenant has something better to offer.

— Never again will sacrifices make perfect those who draw near.

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Written to the Jew… But it blows our minds.

This passage takes 4000 yrs. of biblical history and says your sacrifices are worthless! God says I desire people who draw near!

Jeremiah 31:31–34 ESV

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

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There it is for us and for all bible believing people.

Hebrews 10:4 ESV

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

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What, wait a doggone minute. The Jews had been ceremonially for centuries killing animals after placing the sin of the people on those animals.

Now it is impossible for that to take away sin.

Hebrews 10:5–7 (ESV)

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;

6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.

7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ ”

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It seems clear that for Jesus, the New Testament embraces all the written revelations of God’s purposes and therefore provides the perfect pattern for the God’s will.

IF he said it… I believe it!

Let’s continue

Hebrews 10:8–9 ESV

8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second.

— WARNING!! WARNING!! for those members of the first convenant and it’s rules and regulations

— Those would prominently... every practicing Jew.

— Still going through the motions and still not really pleasing God.

in part..

1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV)

22 Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

The first order is gone…

WE NOW LIVE IN A MORE DEMANDING CONVENANT

Our covenant is now based on GRACE!

Our covenant is now based on MERCY!

Our covenant is now about sharing the LOVE OF CHRIST!

Winning those around us to Faith in Him NOT by guilt but by Grace!!

At the end of the verse nine I needed to follow-up with something...

“The second order” — We have seen and heard about the first order.

One of laws, rules, no Grace, no Mercy.

But the second order… here it is. Looks to be easy but we have certainly made it very difficult.

Hebrews 10:10 ESV

10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

For centuries the Jews were doing everything and nothing at the same time.

They didn’t listen to the prophet Jeremiah when he prophesied that there is a new covenant, a better one.

Hebrews 10:11–14 ESV

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

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— This could be the most important verse in all of scripture if you are a believer...

— When you accept Christ, you get full benefit, of his sacrifice, resurrection and that benefit is called SANCTIFICATION.

— Accepting Christ changes everything you! It is a good thing.

— Many, many of the people that we are acquainted with will ask…

WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?

— That should haunt us! It’s pointed directly at all of us.

— We have it all. All that Jesus did and is… Is ours for the asking.

— If you have business to do with the Lord come forward during last song and sit in a front row and someone will come and pray with you.

— Listen carefully to these last verses

Hebrews 10:15–17 ESV

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” 17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

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OK… So What?

— We have been made free from the law by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus

— Without Jesus we are subject to the law, That burden can be so great that it pushes one to Christ.

— If you are a believer, we all have an opportunity to encourage people to live like we are. A chosen, sanctified, people who should be working very hard for others to join us!!!