His Sacrifice
Hebrews 9:9-26, 10:1
The sacrifice of Jesus has made all other sacrifices obsolete; it alone is the full payment for sin.
SLIDE #1
Introduction
• What do you think of when you hear the word sacrifice? Do you think of someone (like a soldier or law enforcement officer) laying down their life for someone else? Sacrifice involves something or someone giving up their life for the benefit of another.
• The Old Testament is loaded with animal sacrifices.
• The shedding of blood dates to the Passover, when a spotless lamb was sacrificed so that the wrath of God would not happen to his people in Egypt.
• The rest of the Old Testament was built on animal sacrifice as worship and atonement for sins.
• God commanded five basic types of sacrifices.
• The Burnt Offering, the Grain Offering, the Peace Offering, the Sin Offering, and the Guilt Offering.
• These sacrifices were a way in which people could express their holiness or reclaim it when they disobeyed … forgiveness came when an animal died as a substitute for the sinner.”
• Every time an animal died for the sins of the people, that death was supposed to mean something.
• As the people participated and viewed in the time of sacrifice, it was supposed to awaken them to the seriousness of sin.
• The animal died through no fault of its own, it died to show the people the price for sin as well as push the sins under the carpet until a later time would come.
• I am sure seeing the animals sacrificed along with having the blood of the animal sprinkled on you was not a pleasant experience. Also, please take into consideration that when you brought an animal in for sacrifice, it had to be the best you had. This was to show us how serious sin is to God.
• In our time, I am not sure we take sin as seriously as God does. Sometimes I wonder if this seems to be the case because we do not have the reminder of seeing our best animal sacrificed on the altar.
• But then again, after some time, the sight of seeing the sacrificed animals did not seem to have the effect God had desired it to have on the people.
• To help convince his readers not to go back to Judaism, the Hebrew writer is going to make an effort to remind the readers of the fact that in Jesus, they have something different, something better and something eternal.
• The Hebrew writer is going to show us yet another reason not to abandon our faith in Jesus no matter what comes at us. Today we will examine why the sacrifice of Jesus was greater than ANY sacrifice under the Old Covenant, the Old Testament sacrificial system!
• The Big Idea of the Message: The sacrifice of Jesus has made all other sacrifices obsolete; it alone is the full payment for sin.
• We will focus on Hebrews 10:1; this will build off the foundation of what we read in Hebrews 9:9-26.
• Let’s now turn to Hebrews 10:1.
SLIDE#2
Bible Verse
Hebrews 10:1 (CSB)
1Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year.
SLIDE #3
1. I. The law was a shadow of His sacrifice.
Explanation
• The first part of verse 1 of chapter 10 tells us the Law has only a shadow of good things.
• The word IMAGE and SHADOW is used in Hebrews 8:5 were used to express the comparative worth of the Old Testament sacrificial system and the sacrifice of Jesus.
• Christianity is superior to the OT system for many reasons. One of the reasons is the fact that the OT system was just a shadow of what was to come.
• The OT system was a model, a form, a shadow of good things that were to come.
• Good things to come refers to the blessings that would be granted to people through the Gospel, which were still in the future when viewed from the Old Testament standpoint.
• Today, we are not looking to go back to the Old Testament sacrificial system, but what are we looking to go back to?
• Think about this for a second. God ordained the Old Testament system, yet we are told that it is not a place to return.
• Now, if God’s Old Testament system is not something we are not to return to, what is out there that is better than the sacrifice of Jesus? What out there is better than the Old Testament system?
• What could compete with the Old Testament system, other than the new? From this passage, we see that the Old was nothing but a shadow of the new!
• With this thought in mind, why would we consider turning from Jesus? Why would we consider not giving our full faith and devotion to him?
• Turn to Hebrews 9:16-23 with me.
SLIDE #4
Bible Verse
Hebrews 9:16-23 (CSB)
16Where a will exists, the death of the one who made it must be established.
17For a will is valid only when people die, since it is never in effect while the one who made it is living.
18That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood.
19For when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people,
20saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.
21In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood.
22According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these.
Explanation
• From verses 16-18 we learn that when a will is established, it takes the death of the one who made the will to make the will active,
• One reason why the blood of Jesus is emphasized within the book of Hebrews is that His blood is the ultimate sacrifice that forgives sins. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament was a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice in Jesus
• That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood.
• This calls to mind what Moses did in Exodus 24:1-8 when he inaugurated the Old Covenant with blood.
• We also see that Moses used the blood to sprinkle it on the scroll and the people.
• Also, we see that the Tabernacle, as well as all of the articles of worship, were sprinkled with blood.
• According to verse 22, without the shedding of blood, there would be no forgiveness of sins.
• Every sin required an atonement, and no atonement could not be made without blood.
• Verse 23 reminds us, Hebrews 9:23 (CSB) — 23 Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these.
• The old system was nothing more a model of better things that were to come, and those better things came through Jesus and His sacrifice.
• Why settle for the copy when you can have the real thing!
• Let’s look at Hebrews 10:1 again!
SLIDE #5
Bible Verse
Hebrews 10:1 (CSB)
1Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year.
SLIDE #6
2. II. The Law was not His sacrifice.
Explanation
• The second part of verse 10 reminds us that “Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the reality itself of those things,”
• The reminder is that the Law was a SHADOW, not the REALITY!
• When you make a model, the model is not the real thing.
• The Law was not the final sacrifice, it was a model. The Law was meant to lead us to Jesus. The Law was meant to show us we needed Him since we could not be sinless perfect.
• Look at Galatians 3:24-25 with me.
SLIDE #7
Bible Verse
Galatians 3:24–25 (NASB95) — 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Explanation
• Why go back to the tutor?
• In chapter 9, verse 11-14 offers some more insight into the thought of this observation.
SLIDE #8
Bible Verse
Hebrews 9:11-14 (CSB)
11But Christ has appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation ),
12he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
13For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?
Explanation
• The phrase, good things to come, is another way of saying Reformation, another way of designating the better Promises of the New Covenant.
• Just as a Jewish high priest passed through the holy place on his way to the holy of holies, so Jesus is pictured as passing through a greater and more perfect Tabernacle than the Jewish priests passed through.
• Jesus entered a better place, the Heavenly holy of holies.
• The blood of goats and bulls was used on the day of atonement. The High Priest had to use this blood to atone for his sins before he entered the Holy of Holies.
• Jesus was able to enter the REAL Holy place (HEAVEN) by offering His blood to atone for the sins of mankind, He opened the door for us to enter into Heaven!
• With the blood of Jesus, there is no need for yearly blood sacrifices, there is no need for continual repetition of sacrifices since Jesus did it once and for all!
• Let’s return to verse 10 one more time.
SLIDE #9
Bible Verse
Hebrews 10:1 (CSB)
1Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year.
SLIDE #10
3. III. The Law was powerless to accomplish what His sacrifice accomplished.
Explanation
• The Old Testament sacrificial system was not only temporary, but it was limited in what it could do.
• There are three things we see in the text we are covering today the sacrifice of Jesus that the Law was powerless to do!
• First, the sacrifice of Jesus produced INTERNAL purification, not just an external ceremonial purification the Law provided.
• Look at verses 9-10
SLIDE #11
Bible Verse
Hebrews 9:9-10 (CSB)
9This is a symbol for the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper’s conscience.
10They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings imposed until the time of the new order.
Explanation
• Speaking of the old system, we see that it could NOT perfect or cleanse the worshipper’s conscience!
• After the sacrifice, you may have learned something; you may have felt bad, but the sacrifices did not remove your sins.
• You walked away unsatisfied, knowing that fact.
• Verse 10 speaks of physical regulations.
• The best way to understand this is to say that the gifts and sacrifices, as well as the foods and drinks and washings, were regulations for the body.
• Food and drinks remind us of all the ordinances pertaining to what was clean and unclean. Various washings refer to ceremonial washings.
• That system was meant to push your sins under the carpet until the REAL sacrifice was performed!
• The Tabernacle, its services, and ceremonial rules were never intended to be anything but temporary.
• The phrase New Order means Improvement or new order; it speaks of putting things right and making it better.
• Now that Jesus has come to offer himself as a final perfect sacrifice, there is no reason for anyone to be satisfied with mere ceremonial cleansing that was all the Levitical services could achieve.
SLIDE #12
Bible Verse
Hebrews 9:13-14 (CSB)
13For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?
Explanation
• The Levitical sacrifices never did leave the worshiper with the awareness that their sins were atoned.
• They could cleanse the flesh, but they can never take care of the heart. Legal ceremonies did not give life to the sinner, Jesus does!
• The second thing the sacrifice of Jesus did that the Law could not do; be a propitiation for the sins committed in both the Old and New Testament times!
• Look at verses 24-26
SLIDE #13
Bible Verse
Hebrews 9:24-26 (CSB)
24For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us.
25He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another.
26Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Explanation
• Jesus satisfied the justice of God by paying the price for our sins. Verse 26 says He removed sins by His sacrifice!
• The third thing His sacrifice accomplished was that He ratified and inaugurated a new Covenant!
SLIDE #14
Bible Verse
Hebrews 9:15 (CSB)
15Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Conclusion
• What does all this mean for us today?
• The sacrifice of Jesus is the means of our salvation.
• If you are saved, it is because of the cross (sacrifice) of Jesus.
• We are saved and made right with God solely by Christ.
• Many times, we might understand this mentally but still strive to earn God’s favor, love, or forgiveness by providing our own works.
• Does the reason you sacrifice your time at church have less to do with a willingness to serve God’s community in freedom and more to do with earning God’s love or serving out of fear that God will judge you?
• We must always check our motives and place our faith in the sacrifice of Christ and not in our works
Application
• We must walk in the salvation that is only provided by the sacrifice of Christ and not our works.
