The Better Sacrifice
Heb 9:23-10:25
At the very heart of both the Jewish and Christian faiths is something that troubles many people today. At the heart of our faiths is blood, rivers and rivers of blood. Now in ancient times, animal sacrifice was a common ingredient in the vast majority of all religions, Jewish or heathen. Animals, and in some religions like the ancient Mayans or the worship of Moloch in Israel, even humans also died to appease some deity.
We have been in the books of Exodus and Leviticus for the last several weeks in Sunday School, and all throughout, we have read of various sacrifices of all kinds of animals for all sorts of occasions. We have learned of 5 different kinds of offerings: sin, guilt, burnt, grain, and fellowship. The sin and guilt offerings were sacrifices of expiation which means they were for atonement or the removal of guilt. The burnt offerings and grain offerings were for consecration which means for holiness or sanctification. And then the fellowship offerings were for communion or friendship or fellowship. These fellowship offerings included vow offerings, thank offerings, and freewill offerings. All of these sacrifices were required by the law for anyone to draw near to God.
So, with all these sacrifices, daily, weekly, monthly, annually--can you imagine the sensory overload of this experience? Think about it. The violent resistance by the animal, the spurting of blood, the feel of pulling the animal apart, piece by piece, the smell of that blood and the burning of its body parts. The emotional and spiritual impact of it all. Also think of this, the Jewish historian, Josephus, wrote that on any given Passover, it wasn't uncommon for upwards to 300,000 lambs to be sacrificed. So, if you add that to all the daily, weekly, and monthly sacrifices, the amount of blood that would be poured out might fill an ocean over the years.
Now, most of this blood would travel down a trough from the Temple into the Kidron Valley, and I'm sure you can imagine the red, stinking, flooded soil that never seemed to dry out which attracted and bred hordes of flies and other insects in that valley. All of this was a vivid illustration that man's sin brings death. It destroys the soul and the relationship between God and man. The oceans of blood, the smell, the stench of it was a constant reminder to the people of the high cost of sin.
Now, this was part of ancient Jewish worship from the very beginning. But blood is also part of our Christian faith. Sacrifice is at our center as well, because at the center of Christianity is a cross. We've sanitized the cross over the years. We wear it on necklaces. We get cross tattoos. We hang crosses on the walls of our homes, and we place them alongside the roads where loved ones lost their lives. We've sanitized the cross, but it was, it still is, a terrifying instrument of torture and execution. John Stott wrote: "The cross will always constitute an assault on human self-righteousness and a challenge to human self-indulgence. Its scandal, its stumbling block simply cannot be removed."
Just as animal sacrifice is offensive to most people today, the cross is also offensive to most people. The idea of penal substitution--that Jesus took the full punishment for our sins as our substitute, is rejected by many because their notion of God is that He could never be so angry with anyone or their sin, that He would require a sacrifice to turn away His wrath. But friends, that is at the very heart of our faith. It may be strange and offensive, but that's the message. Sin brings death and it separates us from God. We need a sacrifice in order to be right with God.
We've been studying about these sacrifices for weeks. We've learned that the priests, the tabernacle, and all of the tabernacle's furniture needed to be consecrated to God for its first use. But then year after year, the very same consecration sacrifices needed to be performed all over again to wipe away the accumulated guilt from the previous year. Over and over again, the priests, the tabernacle and the furniture needed to be cleansed because the blood of animals simply wasn't sufficient. Those sacrifice could never clear someone's conscience because day after day, year after year, those same sacrifices reminded everyone of their sins.
So, mankind needed a better sacrifice than bulls and goats, and so today, we begin by addressing our...
I. Necessity of Christ's Sacrifice
Hebrews 9:23-28 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
You see, the earthly sacrificial system, tabernacle (or temple), the furniture--it was all a copy of the heavenly things themselves. What the Jews had; their modes of worship were mere earthly shadows of heaven's reality. The copies were cleansed over and over every year, but the true temple, heavens reality would require a better sacrifice.
And that's why Christ came. He came as heaven's better sacrifice. The earthly priests would take the blood of bulls and goats into the temple to cleanse everything, year after year but Jesus entered into heaven itself. As the sinless, perfect Lamb of God, He offered His own blood once and for all time. His blood purifies the souls of the saints throughout time.
His offering was a single occurrence to the exclusion of everything else. Once for all. Once and never again. His death on the cross happened once in history, and it will never happen again. Yet time has no effect on it because the effectiveness of Christ's death on the cross reaches throughout time and space. It is just as effective in the past as it will be in the future, and as it is right now. It is sufficient to bring life, eternal life to everyone who believes without regard to when they believed.
The cross of Jesus Christ far outshines OT animal sacrifice by as much as the noon day's sun outshines a flashlight. Which brings us now to the...
II. Inadequacy of the Old Sacrifices
Hebrews 10:1-10 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. 2Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, "Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me; 6 in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. 7 "Then I said, 'Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) to do Your will, O God.'" 8 After saying above, "Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will." He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
I suppose this section could have been included with the one we just finished because it reiterates much of what I've already said that the simple fact that the OT sacrifices had to be performed over and over is proof that they were also insufficient. As he indicated in verse 2, if they were good enough, then the sacrifices would have ceased because the sinner's conscience would have been relieved of guilt. By continuing to offer blood sacrifices, the people are reminded over and over that they are not clean enough.
Yet, all these ceremonies, though brilliant in their purpose, were mere shadows cast by the light of God's perfect plan. The law was but a sketch, a tutor leading us toward Christ, preparing the world for the promise of a new covenant.
I used to love to draw and paint, so in college, one of my minors was art. Often, when getting ready to paint something on the canvas, I'd sketch it out in pencil first so I could get the proper proportions and depth sketched out before actually applying paint. The sketch was a hint of what the finished product would look like, but the finished product always looked far better than the first sketch. The sketch was important and pointed toward the finished product which was far better all-around than the sketch.
The same is true of the old sacrifices. They prepared the way, but they lacked the transformative power of Christ's finished work, which is complete and final. As He said on the cross, "It is finished!"
III. Completeness of Christ's Work
Hebrews 10:11-18 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, 13 waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. 14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, 16 “THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,” He then says, 17 “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.” 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Every day throughout the year, the priests would perform their ministerial duties of offering up the sacrifices of the people who brought them in. Then every year the high priest would make his sacrifice for himself and then another for the people, and then he would take the blood into the Holy of Holies and purify the Mercy Seat. After this, he would purify the tent of meeting and then the altar. But Jesus Christ offered His own blood for sin once and for all time. Not the blood of bulls and goats, but His own pure, perfect, sinless blood.
No greater sacrifice could have ever been made. He paid the price to set us free. His blood is enough to purify the conscience of every single soul who believes in Him. The efficacy, or the effectiveness of His blood is not hindered in any way. It is not hindered by time. It is not hindered by space. It is not hindered by the evil works of darkness. It is not hindered by those who would try to erase Jesus Christ from history. It is not hindered by unbelief, because whether a man or woman believes or not--Jesus is still Lord, and His blood still saves!
By His offering of His blood, He established a new covenant. The old covenant was ratified by the blood of bulls and goats, but this new covenant was ratified once and forever by the blood of the Son of God. No other sacrifice could have dealt with sin once and for all time. Only the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, could do that! Jesus sacrificed Himself, and in doing so, He secured eternal redemption for all who believe in Him. And friend, if you will turn around and come to Him and give your life to Him, He will cleanse you from every sin for all time.
Isaiah 1:18 "...Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool."
The finished work of Christ Hebrews 10: 14b ...has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. There is no need for any other sacrifice because all those who love the Lord have been "perfected" or made holy, sanctified, or set apart unto His glory and for His service. The word of God is in their heart, upon their minds, and their sins will never be remembered again. And as the word says, Hebrews 10:18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.
And because there is no longer any need of offerings for sin, we can have...
IV. Confidence in Christ's Sufficiency
Hebrews 10:19-25 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having 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 stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
Friends, beloved, through Jesus Christ we have access to the holy! The veil is torn, and the writer of Hebrews tells us that torn veil was the body of our Lord. So, it is through His torn flesh that we now have access and can enter into the presence of God with confidence. The King James says we can "boldly" enter, but I think "confidence" is better because "boldly" could imply pridefully, and that's not the meaning at all. We have confidence because of Jesus, not ourselves.
Through His blood, He opened up a new and living way for us, which allows us to draw near with humble and truthful hearts in faith of what He has done. The sacrificial work of Jesus Christ grants us access to God by tearing down the barrier of sin, and now by unswervingly clinging to the hope we profess, we are to encourage one another toward love and good works.
Friends, Christ's death dealt with your sins fully and finally. Nothing more needs to be done. When He comes again, it won't be to offer another sacrifice for sin, or to require one from you. It will be to grant final salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
I want you to think about what the writer said when he wrote, Hebrews 9:26 "...but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."
Put away sin. Do you still have sins that bother you? Well, Jesus has put them away where nobody can ever find them again. And you know, putting away sin ain't easy. The millions of bulls and goats that lost their lives in the OT couldn't do it, but the sacrifice of the sinless Son of God has done it.
And because He has done it, you can live in assurance because Christ's sacrifice was sufficient. So, if past sins are still a burden to you, remember that they are forgiven and forgotten by God. You can walk in the freedom His grace affords.
You can also pursue holiness. Because Christ was our trailblazer, you can strive to live a life that reflects His holiness. I took another step in this direction this week by putting away all forms of social media I've been connected to. It was just another of the many distractions I've been convicted of and had to deal with in my own pursuit of holiness.
But whatever it is that you need to deal with, to put away, God in Christ has empowered you to do what you need to do.
Friend, know that you are loved, forgiven, and empowered by Christ's sacrifice. Stand firm in the faith. Hold onto hope and actively love one another as Christ has loved you.
