The Atonement (Heb 10:1-25)

Introduction

If you have your Bible, please turn it to Hebrews 10.

Hebrews happens to be one of my favorite books of the entire Bible, which means I could spend hours talking about it, but let me assure you, that I’m trying to limit my time for this evening for your sake.

Hebrews is an unusual book in that it wasn’t originally written as a book. Most scholars believe that Hebrews is actually a transcription of a sermon that was preached by someone, though we don’t know for sure who—some think Paul, but I’m of the opinion that this was originally preached by Apollos.

Nevertheless, because of the preaching manner of the book, let me give you a brief rundown of what all happens before ch. 10, so you can see what he’s getting at.

Hebrews starts by arguing for the superiority of Jesus Christ.

So, if you read through chs. 1-3, you’ll see statements concerning Jesus’ identity and that He is better than angels, better than Moses, better than any human high priest, and really that Jesus is better than the Law.

There’s a significant section dealing with the concept of eternal sabbath or eternal rest, which is found in Jesus alone.

The author then switches gears starting in ch. 4 to deal with Jesus as the High Priest, which he focuses on through ch. 10.

He deals with the role of a high priest in general before explaining how Jesus fulfills the role of the High Priest

In ch. 10, the author emphasizes Jesus’ substitutionary atonement for our sins—what exactly it means and how it looks before focusing on what that means for a believer today.

And that’s where we jump in. Let’s read Hebrews 10:1-25:

Hebrews 10:1–25 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. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 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.’ ” 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. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 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. 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.” 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

As we study this passage, we’re going to work through it in three parts: (1) God’s Plan for Jesus’ Sacrifice (1-10), (2) Jesus’ Sacrifice Sanctifies His People (11-18), and (3) God’s People ought to Take Advantage of Jesus’ Sacrifice (19-25). For sake of time, we won’t be rereading each section like we usually do, so let me encourage you to follow along in your Bible as best as you can. The primary idea for today is that the sacrifice of Jesus was intentional—on God’s part—and it is through Jesus’ sacrifice that He saves and sanctifies His people. Thus, His people, we need to take advantage of His sacrifice to come into His presence, to enjoy Him, and simply to give thanks.

Prayer for Illumination

God’s Plan for Jesus’ Sacrifice (1-10)

Our text starts by reminding us of the Old Testament sacrificial system—remember, that part of the author’s point is that Jesus is better than the Old Testament system.

vv. 1-6 remind us of that system—that through the Old Testament Law, the Jewish people were required to offer sacrifices because of their sins. Now in describing the Old Testament system, there are a handful of details worth considering for us today:

You notice first and foremost that the author of Hebrews makes a point to explain the system itself, but not with a ton of details.

That’s intentional because the main audience of the book are Jewish believers—they would already know what the purpose of the sacrificial system is.

However, he does explain that even though they’re offering sacrifices to the Lord, those sacrifices aren’t sufficient for their salvation; and that really ought not surprise us because David said the same thing.

The quote in vv. 5-6 come from David’s psalm. It’s Psalm 40:6 “6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.”

Which tells us that even in the Old Testament, they realized that the sacrificial system given in the Law wasn’t what actually saved them—faith in the coming Messiah, belief in God, that’s what actually saved them.

Now, you might hear that and think, then what was the actual purpose of the sacrifices themselves? And the author of Hebrews has already answered that question in v. 1, “the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities.”

The sacrificial system in the Old Testament wasn’t sufficient to save, but it foreshadowed what needed to happen. It was a picture of what was to come.

And as a picture—as a foreshadow—of what was to come, it’s clear that those things could not “make perfect those who draw near.”

But by repeating the sacrifices offered every year, they were reminded of their sins and they were reminded that they needed a Savior—the Messiah.

This passage makes it abundantly clear that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins wasn’t an accident, it was planned. How do we know? Because the sacrificial system in the Old Testament existed partially to show us that someone would be offered as a sacrificial atonement for our sins.

This ties us into the overall redemptive plan of God throughout all history. From before the foundation of the world, God had a plan to redeem His sinful people.

Jesus’ crucifixion is the means through which He accomplishes this.

vv. 8-10, makes this idea clear. Jesus makes it clear that He came to do God’s will by means of sacrifice—by means of fulfilling what the Old Testament sacrificial system foreshadowed and by establishing what it means to be saved by His sacrificial atonement on the cross.

Or, in other words, by the all-wise counsel of God, Jesus’ sacrificial atonement for your sins was planned before the foundation of the world, it was executed in the first century by means of the Roman cross, and it resulted in the saving of His people, but that hasn’t been explained yet.

In v. 10, he brings up this idea, that His people “have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

And we have to pause just briefly, it explain one details. If you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time, you’re familiar with the idea of sanctification—that through the events of your life, God is sovereignly and providentially moving all things to conform you into the image of Jesus Christ—to perfect you.

So, when you read that we have all been sanctified through the offering of Jesus once for all, you might find yourself a little confused.

Because you realize that we aren’t completely sanctified yet. And yet, the Bible says in v. 10 that through Jesus, we have been sanctified.

Theologically, sanctification is both an objective and subjective matter.

We’re going through a subjective process of sanctification through the Holy Spirit in our current life.

But we’ve objectively been sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ.

We are already objectively sanctified, but we’re being subjectively sanctified as we obey the will of God day after day.

That idea of already being sanctified by Jesus, is the foundation for vv. 11-18 in which the sacrifice by Jesus is compared to the various sacrifices given throughout the Old Testament.

Jesus’ sacrifice sanctifies His people (11-18)

In vv. 11-13, we’re reminded of how the sacrificial system worked in the Old Testament—day after day, the priests would stand and offer repeatedly sacrifices, which could never take away sins.

Again, note how they recognized that those sacrifices didn’t actually save them.

They knew even in the Old Testament—or at least some of them knew—that those sacrifices didn’t do anything to atone for their sins.

Again, it was simply a picture of what was to come.

This is how the author of Hebrews contrasts the Old Testament sacrificial system with Jesus’ sacrifice.

Whereas the Old Testament sacrificial system needed to be repeated over and over—Jesus’ sacrifice is once for all.

Whereas the Old Testament sacrificial system couldn’t take away sins—Jesus’ sacrifice does take away sins.

Whereas the Old Testament sacrificial system doesn’t actually save—Jesus does save.

Whereas the Old Testament sacrificial system resulted in only death—Jesus’ sacrifice didn’t end with His death, but rather continues with HIs resurrection and His reign as He awaits the day when His enemies are made HIs footstools.

Whereas the Old Testament sacrificial system foreshadowed what was to come—Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was what was to come and by His single offering of Himself, “he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

There’s a large part of this text that deals with what Geerhardus Vos termed the “already but not yet.”

He has sanctified us, but we don’t yet see the completion of that.

He has perfected us, but we don’t yet see the completion of that.

Hebrews 2:8–9 “At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”

vv. 14-18 deals with that idea by showing us the seal for the promises that He has given to His people, which we know to be the Holy Spirit.

It is the Holy Spirit who “bears witness to us” it is the Holy Spirit that seals the covenant made between us and God, it is the Holy Spirit that places the Law of God on our hearts and writes them on our minds.

There’s an integral link here with our sanctification and the Holy Spirit Himself. Jesus has perfected all who are being sanctified—all who genuinely believe, but it’s the Holy Spirit who bears witness to all this.

It’s the Holy Spirit, who bears witness of the covenant made between God and His people.

And it is through the Holy Spirit that the Lord places His law on our hearts and writes them on our mind—you see the clear implication that the Trinity is responsible for salvation—the Father calls or initiates salvation, Jesus saves or accomplishes redemption through His life, death, and resurrection, and the Holy Spirit applies our redemption through regeneration, sealing, and sanctifying.

It’s a beautiful picture of how every part of the Trinity is active in our salvation from before the foundation of the world.

In addition, vv. 17-18 reminds us that it is the Holy Spirit that leads us to salvation and afterwards assures us of the forgiveness that we have been granted—it’s the Holy Spirit that seals us until the Day of Redemption itself.

In our circle of churches, there can be a tendency to understate just how much the Holy Spirit does in our lives, but it’s abundantly clear that the Holy Spirit has a significant role in our lives, even in our salvation.

Now, in most modern translations of Scripture, you’ll notice that vv. 19-25 usually is set off as a different section, however, the author starts the next section with the word therefore, which tells us that everything he’s about to say is predicated on what he has already said. In this case, his therefore gives us application that’s applicable to this day. As such, I do think we ought to re-read this section.

God’s People ought to Take Advantage of Jesus’ Sacrifice (19-25)

Hebrews 10:19–25 ESV

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Because of what Jesus has done by His sacrifice on the cross, because He has opened a new way through the curtain into the Holy of Holies. Because we now have the ability to enter into the presence of the living God and because Jesus is standing as our great priest over all the house of God, there are three ideas that the author emphasizes—you can see them easily because they all start with the same words, let us. In v. 22, “let us draw near,” in v. 23, “let us hold fast the confession,” and v. 24, “let us consider how to stir up one another.” Let’s talk about those three ideas:

Because Jesus has saved us, “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Since Jesus has removed what was separating us from God and has made it possible for us to come into the presence of God, let’s enter into His presence—let’s do this authentically, in faith, and as men and women who have been cleansed.

Stop hesitating, enter into His presence.

Because Jesus has saved us, “let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

Since Jesus accomplished our salvation, we have no reason to doubt—we can stand firm on what gives us hope, which is Jesus—not because of ourselves, but because the one who made the promise in the first place.

We can be firm in our faith because He is firm in keeping His Word.

And lastly, because Jesus has saved us, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

The local church is important—not because of the pastor, not because of its location, not because of the musical ministry, or whatever else it might offer.

The local church is important because it is in the local church that we stir up one another to love each other and to do good works. It is the body that Jesus has determined to be where we discipled and encouraged. I’d confidently say that the further from a healthy church you are, the harder it is to live a Christian life.

With all that said, what does all this mean for us today? As we reflect on Jesus’ death on the cross how do we apply all this?

And there’s an element in our application where you can just take every part of that last point and directly apply that to yourself:

So, enter into the presence of God, be steadfast in your faith, and keep encouraging one another as the Day of Jesus’ return comes nearer and those are all exegetical applications for this text, but I want to build on that just a bit.

Application

Because we no longer offer sacrifices the way that the Old Testament Law required, we tend to lose sight as to how big of a deal Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice for us is. And because we lose sight as to how big of a deal this really is, we tend to live life with very little concern about what all it means, so let me help you see this:

Our sin was such an affront against the holy God that He instituted a sacrificial system for several thousand years to foreshadow what Jesus would do on the cross for our sins.

Our sin was such an attack against the holy God that animal sacrifice wasn’t nearly sufficient enough to actually redeem us from the consequences of our sins.

Our sin was such an act of cosmic treason against the holy God that it took a person of the Trinity to sacrifice Himself to save us—God had to die for our sin to cover us, to atone for us, to save us.

And contrary to popular belief—God didn’t have to do this, He didn’t need to save us. He chose to save us simply because of who He is.

And it is through Jesus’ accomplishment on the cross that we gain the privilege of entering into God’s presence, it’s through Jesus’ accomplishment that we can then stand firm in our faith. It is because of Jesus’ accomplishment on the cross that we can look forward to the coming Day and have reason to gather together and encourage one another.

So, yes, do these things.

But also, as we reflect on the mercy of God—and His grace, His love, and His willingness to save us, His people. Now is a great time to simply give thanks.

Give thanks to the holy God, who was and is merciful—give thanks to the God, who saw us and chose to redeem us. Give thanks to the One who sacrificed Himself for our salvation.

That’s what today is about. Don’t take for granted what He has done.

Pastoral Prayer