Christ’s Finished Work Hebrews 10:1-18

Christ’s Finished Work Illustration of Repetition

Christ’s Finished Work Illustration of Repetition There are many things we do that we must do over and over, but there are some things we only get one chance at Some things happen once in a lifetime Their rare nature makes them uniquely valuable and outstanding

Christ’s Finished Work This contrast is how the writer of Hebrews depicts the value of Jesus’ sacrifice in comparison to the Old Covenant sacrifices The endlessly repeated sacrifices of the Old Covenant could never accomplish what the precious once for all, forever sacrifice of Jesus, did completely What the old sacrifices actually did was a foreshadow of the once for all, forever offering of Christ

Christ’s Finished Work Lesson 12 is organized into three parts Hebrews 10:1-4 – Pictures from God Hebrews 10:5-10 – Prophecy from God Hebrews 10: 11-18 – Result of God’s Promise

Christ’s Finished Work Pictures from God Many of you take pictures, some take pictures all the time If we were to go to your home, we would probably find several pictures of children and grandchildren Pictures are great but the very best picture can never replace the person it depicts The pictures’ purpose is to represent that person and bring that person to mind

Christ’s Finished Work Pictures from God In the same way, the sacrifices of the Old Covenant depicted something beyond themselves that they could never replace It was not a shadow, a picture of God’s grace that saved us, but the very presence of God in Jesus Christ full of grace and truth who came to save us

Christ’s Finished Work Pictures from God All the blood of all the animal sacrifices of all the hundreds of years could do nothing to take away a single sin They were never intended to They were a picture, pointing beyond themselves to the perfect sacrifice with perfect blood

Christ’s Finished Work Prophecy from God The writer of Hebrews then shows that the Old Testament in Psalm 40 foretold this all along Verse 6 states: “in burnt offerings and sin offerings you take no pleasure” Q: If God did took no pleasure in sacrifices and offerings, why did He command them in the first place?

Christ’s Finished Work Prophecy from God God inspired Moses to command that Israel offer sacrifices and He detailed who and how and when and what and where they were to be offered Sacrifices were not optional in the worship of the Old Covenant – they were central They were foundational to cleansing and forgiveness

Christ’s Finished Work Prophecy from God So, what is happening when the Old Testament says that God did not desire them nor did they please Him?

Christ’s Finished Work Prophecy from God So, what is happening when the Old Testament says that God did not desire them nor did they please Him? God was picturing, prophesying what He was going to do God never intended for the animal sacrifices to take care of sin

Christ’s Finished Work Prophecy from God He had a much greater plan for a much better sacrifice His plan was to actually do what these sacrifices only pictured These sacrifices were actually for the benefit of the people, not for the removal of sin against God

Christ’s Finished Work Prophecy from God The ritual of doing these over and over were important as a reminder and as a prophecy of what God would do that the people could never do – and He did it Jesus was given a body to do God’s will - to establish a will that would remove all sins of all time for all who put their trust in God under the Old Covenant and now also under the New Covenant established in Christ

Christ’s Finished Work Prophecy from God Think about this We who live after the New Covenant, are practicing over and over and over a picture of Christ’s sacrifice We do it every time we have the bread and the cup – the Lord’s Supper

Christ’s Finished Work Prophecy from God Can eating this bread and drinking this fruit of the vine take away our sins?

Christ’s Finished Work Prophecy from God Can eating this bread and drinking this fruit of the vine take away our sins? No But it reminds us of when our sins were paid for We still need picture and reminders!

Christ’s Finished Work Prophecy from God Another thought – Is there only one act of worship that you and I do only one time? Ephesians 4:5 tells us that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” This is the once for all, forever act of obedience that Jesus commanded us to do in faith, which represents His death, burial, and resurrection

Christ’s Finished Work Prophecy from God In this simple act we embrace the benefits of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross for us It is the only act of worship that comes with these words: “Baptism, in which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” (1 Peter 3:21-22)

Christ’s Finished Work Prophecy from God Jesus’ death as a sacrifice for your sins and mine is available for anyone who would receive it in faith and baptism in Jesus’ name Could anything be simpler, and yet more profound A once for all, forever event is received in a once in a lifetime corresponding act of obedience – after which His death for our sins is remembered in our observance of a simple, yet profound Lord’s Supper

Christ’s Finished Work Results of God’s Promise We have previously studied that the priest stood doing his work – there were no seats in the tabernacle The whole system of the Old Covenant was unending in labor This signified that the sacrifices would never be completed They would never take care of the sin problem

Christ’s Finished Work Results of God’s Promise But Jesus has a seat He is the only priest who ever finished the job of sacrificing His seat is right there with God Now He waits

Christ’s Finished Work Results of God’s Promise Notice that there are two classes of people mentioned in the verses that follow There are the enemies who are ultimately crushed under His feet, and There are those he has perfected forever, who are being sanctified

Christ’s Finished Work Results of God’s Promise The second group are those who receive the blessing of the New Covenant He puts His laws into their hearts and in their minds, and He remembers their sins no more

Christ’s Finished Work The day of opportunity to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, the one true sacrifice is here As time goes by, we are all classified as either the enemies or the forgiven It depends on your response to the once for all, forever sacrifice

Christ’s Finished Work Which side will you find yourself on? Enemies or Forgiven