A Single Sacrifice
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
There’s no such thing as a free lunch the saying goes.
And if you’re not paying, somone else is paying.
The is a cost to everything.
In religion one of the questions we must deal with is what payments are to be rendered to the gods,
People have tried various ways to try and pay the gods, with sacrifices and ceremonies. Today one common idea is that you need to bring ballance to life by doing more good than evil. Just balance the scales, do more good deeds than secret vices and you’ll be right.
Infact one comedy TV show “The Good Place” from a few years ago puts forward an idea of the afterlife that is soley based racking up enough good points to get into heaven. And as they rightly identify, it is impossible for anyone to get to heaven because the bar is just too high. So what’s their answer to the bar being too high? They propose changing the system to make it more lenient.
So they got one thing right, it impossible to do enough good to pay God, gods or the “universe” to earn paradise.
That was fiction, so a follow up question is then “Whats’s the reality?”
What payment ought to be given to the God of Gods, YHWH. Lord of all creation?
In ancient times God gave his people a system of sacrifices and offerings to be given as part of their worship service.
But one particular issue needed to be resolved, and that is how do we deal with crimes comitted against one another and more importantly, against God?
We call this sin. Crimes against God. And it incurs a debt with God.
But when you sin against God its not just enough to pay money, a spiritual crime has been committed and so a spiritual payment is required.
A life is required for sin. The debt we owe on sin is our own life.
Yet under the Old Covenant God gave a system for dealing with Sin, and that was a system of atoning sacrifices -
Bulls, goats & sheep all slaughtered to make atonement
with one particularly large day of the year to cover any “left over” sin.
But that was never meant to be the final answer to the problem. Instead, through that System God was preparing people for a greater solution. It was a Shadow that pointed to the reality.
In Hebrews we’ve been looking at...
Extended arguments of how Jesus fulfills the Old Covenant Law, in particular how he was the reality that the temple system pointed to!
That a New Covenant has come, one that far exceeds the old with a Greater High priest!
This passage teaches us 4 main things about the sacrifice.
Imperfect Sacrifices
Imperfect Sacrifices
I’ve already commented on the fact that the first system was imperfect and incomplete, but lets dive into the text and see what it says
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.
The LAw has a shadow.
Shadows are not reality. They provide the outline.
Like a movie trailer - they give a taste, but it’s not the main event!
The pointed to the true form of the realities, like the temple that foreshadowed the heavenly temple.
Because it is a shadow it can’t do the same job as the thing it pointed to - it purported to make atonement and to cleanse, yet it was a kind of temporary atonement, and people were left coming back again and again. Nobody
Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Undesriable Sacrifices
Undesriable Sacrifices
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 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.’ ”
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), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Christ’s Single Sacrifice
Christ’s Single Sacrifice
And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Repetition proves a point. Repetition proves the point. Repetition proves a point!
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
We have been and are being sanctified. Perfect passive and present passive.
Christ did it with one offering.
Holy Spirit Says “No More Sacrifice”
Holy Spirit Says “No More Sacrifice”
FIrst note this: The Holy Spirit is credited with being the speaker of Scripture.
If you want to know what God says, go to the scriptures. The Holy Spirit speaks!
All scripture is “breathed out,” inspired, spirited by God.
The HS bears witness to us in Old & New Testament
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “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,”
A Re-quote from Jer 31 (quoted in Ch 8)
The new and old covenants are compared once again.
Instead of an external covenant that relies on sacrifices and shadows, a new covenant will be placed on hearts
But importantly, sin will be finally taken care of!
then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Again quoted from Jerimiah 31.
Why will God rememer the sins of his people no more? The sisn are taken away. Dealt with.
And if the sins are dealt with, then there is no need to make sacrifice any more!
So What?
So What?
The Law was a Shadow - but it pointed to Jesus!
If anyone ever trie to convince you that we need a third temple and to restart sacrifices, show them this passage.
Jesus has come and died once for your sins. Once!
You dod not need a re-offered Jesus to find forgiveness - once and done.
While we still bring offerings and sacrifices, no more do we make atonement sacrifices. It’s finished.
We have been sanctified!
We’re waiting for the enemies to be finished off!
In Christ, God remembers your sins no more!
Live as freed people
No such thing as a free lunch - it was paid by Jesus!
