10 1-18a

Hebrews Series- Fellowship Baptist Church

Passage:     Hebrews 10:1-18

Theme:       The Character of the Two Covenants

Proposition:        The New Covenant is the reality of God’s plan of redemption

Introduction:

Illustration of Terri’s shadow

Read Hebrews 10:1-18

The point of this passage is to bring to a conclusion what the author has been seeking to communicate regarding Christ’s sacrifice and the New Covenant.  It is the reality, the culmination of all of God’s plan of redemption since before the creation of the world.

He wants us to see again, that the Old Covenant was not the answer to man’s problems.  That it was not in the Old Covenant that God finished His work of freeing man from His slavery to sin, of cleansing man of the stain of sin, and of allowing man into His presence.  The Old Covenant merely pointed to the New Covenant, helping us to realize that the Old was insufficient, while the New is what we desired.

One more time, he will show us the nature and inability of the Old, and contrast it with the nature realities of the New by pointing us to the sacrifice offered in both.

The Old Covenant – 10:1-4

Its nature – It is a shadow and ineffective

Simply put, it is not real.  It is only a form that hints at what is real.

          Hebrews 8:5, 9:23; Col. 2:17

Just as a shadow can have little to no impact in life, so the Old Covenant with its requirements and sacrifices had little real impact on humans.

Shadows tell us that there is something of substance nearby, we are not intended to be absorbed with the shadow, but with the reality casting the shadow.

Its Inability

  Illustration of the Passover slaughter – From MacArthur, Hebrews commentary

300,000 lambs killed in the week preceeding

Specially designed channels in the temple that carried the blood from the place of slaughter to the Brook Kidron outside

Said that the brook ran red with blood at this time of the year.

It cannot deal with the sin problem of man – can never make perfect v. 1; it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. v. 4, v. 11

It cannot remove the stain of the sin – not cleansed

It cannot remove the guilt of his sin – perceived guilt

It reminds the worshipper of his sin – annual reminder

The New Covenant

Its Nature – it is real and effective

It accomplished God’s will

God’s found no pleasure in the slaughter of animals.  This was not why He required the sacrifices.  It was the heart attitude of the worshipper that accompanied the sacrifice  .  This is what motivated Christ – the fulfillment of the Father’s will.

      What was that will?

The sacrifice of His own Son to pay for the sins of mankind so that man could experience the forgiveness of sin and have complete and permanent access to Him.

It was final – vv. 11-12, 14, 18

Illustration of attending class with Wesley, comparison of the teachings regarding the Lord’s Table.

Ludwig Ott, a Roman Catholic theologian, explains this perpetual sacrifice dogma, which was made official by that church at the Council of Trent in the middle of the sixteenth century. “The holy Mass,” he writes, “is a true and proper sacrifice. It is physical and propitiatory, removing sins and conferring the grace of repentance. Propitiated by the offering of this sacrifice, God, by granting the grace of the gift and the gift of Penance, remits trespasses and sins however grievous they may be.” In other words, God’s satisfaction regarding sin depends upon the weekly mass. That is why attending mass is so important to Catholics. But the theory of the perpetual offering of Jesus Christ is in absolute and direct opposition to Scripture.

He has sat down

The Old Covenant priests never rested when it was time to offer sacrifices.  Whether it was the daily sin offering or the day of Atonement, there was never a time to sit because their work was never finished.  Day after day, year after year, there was always work to do because there was always sin to be paid for.

In contrast to the Old Covenant sacrifices Christ offered one sacrifice for all time.  As the Great High Priest, His work is finished.

Is He finished because the people of God no longer sin?

There is no longer a need for atonement, covering of the sin because the one sacrifice of Christ’s blood covers the sin and cleanses the sinner, permanently. 

He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified - ESV

KJV – For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

DARBY – For by one offering he has perfected in perpetuity the sanctified.

ASV – For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

RSV – For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

There is no longer a need for atonement because God has chosen to forgive and not remember, permanently. – v. 17-18.

Where are you in relation to God’s will for your redemption?

Are you still trying to keep the law, hoping that He will accept you if He deems you good enough?

Are you following another plan, some type of Old Covenant variation where if you do enough good works, He will deem you good enough?

Both of these approaches seek to avoid the one way which He established through the death of His Son.  Both are systems that are not final, that provide no permanence of forgiveness and cleansing, thus both are rebellion to His will and plan. 

Thus no one gains acceptance through these ways.