CHRIST IS OUR PERFECT SACRIFICE (Outline)
April 10, 2011 - Lent 5 - HEBREWS 9:11-14
INTRO: What is important in your life? What do you consider as the most valuable to you at this time? In our youth the little things held our attention. Pets, bikes, and good grades seemed to be the most important things. Growing up the world attracts our attention with many different “valuables”. The list is endless: fame, glory, power, wealth, possessions, knowledge, and wisdom. As believers the wisdom for salvation stands out as very important and very valuable. The apostle Paul learned this lesson. Paul was wealthy, educated, and held an honored position. God changed all those values by calling Paul from earthly importance into his divine service. "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 CORINTHIANS 15:3, 4).
CHRIST IS OUR PERFECT SACRIFICE is our most valuable possession.
I. More than the outside. II. Jesus cleanses the inside.
I. CHRIST IS OUR PERFECT SACRIFICE WHO CLEANSES MORE THAN THE OUTSIDE.
A. Verse 11a. The High Priest was responsible for the worship and sacrifices at the tabernacle.
1. The High Priest made sure that the sacrifices were offered at the right time for the right reason.
2. Jesus the Christ came as the High Priest far superior to any before. Jesus was also the sacrifice.
B. Verse 12a. Jesus offered his own holy, precious, and innocent blood. Such a sacrifice God required.
C. Verse 13. The ashes of the heifer made unclean worshipers clean. Only the outside was clean.
1. All of the blood of all of the previous sacrifices could not and did not pay for any sin.
2. The previous sacrifices of goats, bulls, and cows only pointed ahead to the blood of the Lamb.
D. Just think of all the animals that were offered for thousands of years. There were millions of animals that gave their lives as offerings of praise and worship. Over those many years the purpose of the animal sacrifices were forgotten. People offered what was required only as a sense of duty to carry out an obligation required by the law. This can be the same danger we face in our worship. It is not our sense of obligation or doing our duty in worship that is pleasing to God. "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require" (PSALM 40:6). May our ears always be “pierced” in order to hear what God speaks to each of our hearts.
E. From the Old Testament times to the New Testament times worship became wooded without much meaning for God’s people. Sadly, this attitude also infected and affected the very leaders of the church. How often are we not distracted by the cares and worries of this life? Even during our time of worship. All too often we get up late and rush off to church without really preparing ourselves for the greatest event of our week. We may not sing hymns or pray our prayers without much thinking. "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men" (MATT. 15:8, 9). God’s gospel stirs our hearts to worship with joy and praise.
F. Christ is our perfect sacrifice. This is the simple truth of God’s gospel. Too many today regard this simple message of truth as foolishness. Many feel there has to be more to salvation. God’s wisdom is foolishness in the minds of the worldly. Today’s false prophets change God’s saving gospel. Their message is do do, do, do, and do some more. It is this perverted message that is proclaimed in many of the largest churches today. It is not what we have done but what God has done for us that changes our lives. "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (MICAH 6:6). On our own we cannot do a thing that is good in God’s eyes. “All our righteous acts are filthy rags…” Christ’s sacrifice changes everything.
CHRIST IS OUR PERFECT SACRIFICE.
Jesus cleanses much more than the outside.
II. CHRIST IS OUR PERFECT SACRIFICE WHO CLEANSES THE INSIDE.
A. Verse 11. Jesus’ perfect Tabernacle is heaven. There Jesus pleads on behalf of every sinner.
1. This was another function of the High Priest. Jesus is the mediator between God and men.
2. Verse 12. With the blood of Jesus the perfect sacrifice is made once and for all.
B. Verse 14a. Millions of animals and thousands of gallons of blood had been sacrificed as worship.
1. The magnitude of these sacrifices only pointed ahead to the perfect Lamb of God.
2. A single drop of Jesus’ blood was enough for these believers to worship God in forgiveness.
3. This was a tremendous change for these believers who had grown up with offering sacrifices.
C. Verse 14b. Again, these people are reminded of one perfect sacrifice. Many sacrifices not needed.
D. Transgression, iniquity, trespass, and sin are not the most popular words in our society. You will not read about such things in any printed headlines. These words will not be the lead stories in any media broadcasts. Who really wants to hear that they are wicked or evil? We do not enjoy being reminded that our secret thoughts and wicked words are just as bad as evil actions. It is because of our sin that Christ lived, died, and rose again as our perfect sacrifice. Without recognizing sinfulness we would see no need for the perfect sacrifice of Christ, our Savior. "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" (ISAIAH 53:5). Note Isaiah’s description: “our transgressions, our iniquities, punishment”. All these things are ours. All these things Jesus took upon himself to free us from sin, death, and the devil.
E. God looks at our sins as sin. Our human minds tend to put different sins into different categories. At times we think there are big sins and little sins. We might think that some sins are much worse than other sins. To God sin is sin. That also means that forgiveness is forgiveness. God does not look at how many or how bad our sin is. The fact is God looks at us and sees the righteousness of Jesus covering up and hiding our sins. "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 JOHN 1:7). Do not let Satan tempt you into thinking that there is some deep, dark sin of yours that God will not or does not forgive. Christ IS our perfect sacrifice for all of our sins. Jesus forgives – not a few, some, many sins – but ALL sins.
F. Believer see your sins. Confess your shortcomings. Believe our perfect sacrifice. Rejoice in God’s free forgiveness for all of our wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Jesus’ perfect sacrifice for us is life changing. We are no longer in the dark. God himself has opened our eyes to see and know what is right in God’s sight. Rejoice that we are lights in this sin-darkened world. "Our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good"(TITUS 2:14). It has never been clearer today than ever before the vast gulf that exists between believers who are “eager to do what is good” and the many others who are all too eager to do what is good only for themselves. Christ makes us eager to do good for others.
CONC: CHRIST IS OUR PERFECT SACRIFICE! The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus gives to each of us complete forgiveness once and for all. More than that, the blood of Jesus also means for-giveness for the sins of the world. "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit" (1 PETER 3:18). The same Spirit at creation is the Spirit at Jesus’ resurrection. The same Spirit that gives life to dry bones (Ezekiel 37) is the same Spirit who gives life to our lives of faith. CHRIST IS OUR PERFECT SACRIFICE. God’s Son and his forgiveness is our most valuable possession. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
LENT 5 rdgs:
EZEKIEL 37:1-14;
ROMANS 8:11-19;
JOHN 11:17-27, 38-45;
(PSALM 116)
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