The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is doing a study through the New Testament book of Hebrews. The word better is used thirteen times in the book of Hebrews as the writer shows the superiority of Christ and His salvation over the Hebrew system of religion. Jesus Christ and the Christian life He gives us are better because His blessings are eternal and they give us perfect standing before God. This study is not a diet for “spiritual babes” who want to be spoon-fed and coddled. In this letter you will find “strong meat” that demands some chewing and enjoying.
Jesus’ sacrifice being superior to that of bulls and goats.
Hebrews 9:13-14 NIV The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is superior to the old covenant sacrifices because;
Christ’s sacrifice takes away sin.
Christ’s sacrifice doesn’t need to be repeated
Christ’s sacrifice Opens the way to God.
We talked about Jesus’ sacrifice being superior to that of bulls and goats
Hebrews 9:13-14 NIV The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Let’s talk more about that sacrifice.
The tenth chapter of Hebrews emphasizes the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, in contrast with the imperfect sacrifices that were offered under the old covenant. Our Lord’s superior priesthood belongs to a better order—Melchizedek’s and not Aaron’s. It functions on the basis of a better covenant—the new covenant—and in a better sanctuary, in heaven. But all of this depends on the better sacrifice, which is the theme of this chapter.
The writer presents three benefits that explain why the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is superior to the old covenant sacrifices.
Christ’s sacrifice takes away sin.
Christ’s sacrifice doesn’t need to be repeated
Christ’s sacrifice Opens the way to God.
Christ’s Sacrifice Takes Away Sin Once For All
Hebrews 10:1-10 NIV The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’ ” First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Why was there the need for a better sacrifice?
Sin, of course, is man’s greatest problem. No matter what kind of religion a man has, if it cannot deal with sin, it is of no value. By nature, man is a sinner, and by choice, he proves that his nature is sinful. It has well been said, “We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners.”
Hebrews 10:1-4 NIV The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
The very nature of the old covenant sacrifices made them inferior. The law was only “a shadow of good things to come” and not the reality itself. The sacrificial system was a type or picture of the work our Lord would accomplish on the cross. This meant that the system was temporary, and therefore could accomplish nothing permanent. The very repetition of the sacrifices day after day, and the Day of Atonement year after year, pointed out the entire system’s weaknesses.
Animal sacrifices could never completely deal with human guilt.
Now God did promise forgiveness to believing worshippers who made the sacrifices;
Leviticus 4:20, 26, 31, 35 NIV and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the community, and they will be forgiven. He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the leader’s sin, and he will be forgiven. They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord . In this way the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord . In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.
But this was a judicial forgiveness and not the removal of guilt from people’s hearts. People lacked that inward witness of full and final forgiveness. They could not claim, “I have no more consciousness of sins.” If those worshippers had been “once purged [from guilt of sin]” they would never again have had to offer another sacrifice.
I mentioned the Day of Atonement which happened once a year. The Day of Atonement was very very important in the life of the Hebrews and the entire nation.
The Day of Atonement is Yom Kippur This was the most solemn holy day of all the Israelite feasts and festivals, occurring once a year on the tenth day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar.
Leviticus 23:27-28 NIV “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the Lord . Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God.
On that day, the high priest was to perform elaborate rituals to atone for the sins of the people. The atonement ritual began with Aaron, or subsequent high priests of Israel, coming into the holy of holies. That’s where the ark of covenant was.
We talked a little about the ark a couple of weeks ago. The ark of the covenant, a wooden chest three feet, nine inches long; two feet, three inches wide; and two feet, three inches high. On the top of this chest was a beautiful “mercy seat” made of gold, with a cherub at each end. This was the throne of God in the tabernacle.
The seriousness of the day of Atonement was underscored by God telling Moses to warn Aaron not to come into the Most Holy Place whenever he felt like it; he could only come on this special day once a year, lest he die. This was not a ceremony to be taken lightly, and the people were to understand that atonement for sin was to be done God’s way.
Before entering the tabernacle, Aaron was to bathe and put on special garments (v. 4), then sacrifice a bull for a sin offering for himself and his family (v. 6, 11). The blood of the bull was to be sprinkled on the ark of the covenant.
Leviticus 16:4, 6, 11 NIV He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. “Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering.
Then Aaron was to bring two goats, one to be sacrificed “because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been” (v. 16), and its blood was sprinkled on the ark of the covenant. The other goat was used as a scapegoat. Aaron placed his hands on its head, confessed over it the rebellion and wickedness of the Israelites, and sent the goat out with an appointed man who released it into the wilderness (v. 21). The goat carried on itself all the sins of the people, which were forgiven for another year (v. 30).
Leviticus 16:15-16, 21, 30 NIV “He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord , you will be clean from all your sins.
So the annual Day of Atonement did not accomplish remission of sin but only “reminder of sin” . The annual repetition of the ceremony was evidence that the previous year’s sacrifices had not done the job. True, the nation’s sins were covered, but they were not cleansed. Nor did the people have God’s inward witness of forgiveness and acceptance.
There was a desperate need for a better sacrifice because the blood of bulls and of goats could not take away sins. It could cover sin and postpone judgment, but it could never effect a once-and-for-all redemption. Only the better sacrifice of the Son of God could do that.
The provision of the better sacrifice (vv. 5–9).
Hebrews 10:5-9 NIV Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’ ” First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second.
It was God who provided the sacrifice and not man. The quotation is from Psalm 40:6–8, and it is applied to Jesus Christ. The quotation makes it clear that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the old covenant sacrifices.
This quotation is interesting because the writer of Hebrews quotes from the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. For this reason, Hebrews 10:5 and Psalm 40:6 are often phrased differently, in English, in the same translation.
Hebrews 10:5 NIV Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;
Psalms 40:6 NIV Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but my ears you have opened — burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
The writer of Hebrews was quoting from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament.
The literal Hebrew phrasing in Psalm 40:6 refers to God "digging ears" for the Psalmist.
This seems to be a Hebrew idiom which implies God forming ears which allowed a person to receptively hear His Word. This also implies the idea that God is the one who has fashioned the body of the speaker. The Septuagint translator, as quoted by the writer of Hebrews, seems to have emphasized the latter aspect of the idiom. The point referenced from the Old Testament, then, is that God has "digged ears," or "dug ears," or "given open ears," or "created the body" of the person speaking.
The word sacrifice refers to any of the animal sacrifices. Offering covers the meal offering and the drink offering. All of these things are written into the Law of Moses and each of these offerings typified the sacrifice of Christ and revealed some aspect of His work on the cross.
Twice in this paragraph,once in verse 6 and once in verse 8 the writer stated that God “had no pleasure” in the old covenant sacrifices.
This does not suggest that the old sacrifices were wrong, or that sincere worshippers received no benefit from obeying God’s law. It only means that God had no delight in sacrifices as such, apart from the obedient hearts of the worshippers. No amount of sacrifices could substitute for obedience.
For example;
1 Samuel 15:22 NIV But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
Psalms 51:16-17 NIV You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
Hosea 6:6 NIV For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
Jesus Christ has taken away the first covenant and established the second.
The effectiveness of the better sacrifice (v. 10).
Hebrews 10:10 NIV And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Believers have been set apart (“sanctified”) by the offering of Christ’s body once for all. No old covenant sacrifice could do that. An old covenant worshipper had to be purified from ceremonial defilement repeatedly. But a new covenant saint is set apart finally and completely.
2. Christ’s Sacrifice Doesn’t Need To Be Repeated (10:11–18)
Hebrews 10:10-18 NIV And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
The fact that Jesus sat down after He ascended to the Father is proof that His work was completed.
We read that at:
Hebrews 8:1-2 NIV Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
The ministry of the priests in the tabernacle and temple was never done and never different: They offered the same sacrifices day after day. This constant repetition was proof that their sacrifices did not take away sins. What tens of thousands of animal sacrifices could not accomplish, Jesus accomplished with one sacrifice forever!
Those who have trusted Him need not fear, for they have been “perfected forever”
Hebrews 10:14 NIV For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
Believers are “complete in him”. We have a perfect standing before God because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:9-12 NIV For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
How do we know personally that we have this perfect standing before God? Because of the witness of the Holy Spirit through the Word.
Let’s read again;
Hebrews 10:15-18 NIV The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
The witness of the Spirit is based on the work of the Son and is given through the words of Scripture. The writer again quotes just as he did in Hebrews 8:7–12.
Jeremiah 31:33-34 NIV “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord . “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord ,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord . “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
The old covenant worshipper could not say that he had “no more conscience of sins”. But the new covenant believer can say that his sins and iniquities are remembered no more. There is “no more offering for sin” and no more remembrance of sin!
Hebrews 10:18 NIV And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
When a sinner trusts Christ, his sins are all forgiven, the guilt is gone, and the matter is completely settled forever.
3. Christ’s Sacrifice Opens the Way to God (10:19–39)
No old covenant worshipper would have been bold enough to try to enter the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle. Even the high priest entered the Holy of Holies only once a year. The thick veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was a barrier between people and God. Only the death of Christ could tear that veil and open the way into the heavenly sanctuary where God dwells. And that is what happened at Calvary.
Mark 15:37-38 NIV With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
A gracious invitation (vv. 19–25).
Hebrews 10:19-25 NIV Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
“Let us draw near.… Let us hold fast.… Let us consider one another.” This threefold invitation hinges on our boldness to enter into the holiest. And this boldness rests on the finished work of the Savior.
On the Day of Atonement, the high priest could not enter the Holy of Holies unless he had the blood of the sacrifice. But our entrance into God’s presence is not because of an animal’s blood, but because of Christ’s shed blood.
This open way into God’s presence is “new” and it is “living” because Christ “lives to make intercession” for us. We come to God through Him, our High Priest.
When He died and said “it is finished”, God tore the veil in the temple. This symbolized the new and living way now opened for all who believe.
On the basis of these assurances we have boldness to enter because we have a living High Priest—we have an “open invitation” to enter the presence of God. The old covenant high priest visited the Holy of Holies once a year, but we are invited to dwell in the presence of God every moment of each day. What a tremendous privilege! Now let’s look at this threefold invitation I mentioned before; “Let us draw near.… Let us hold fast.… Let us consider one another.”
First, Let us draw near (v. 22).
Hebrews 10:22 NIV let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Of course, we must prepare ourselves spiritually to fellowship with God. The Old Testament priest had to go through various washings and the applying of blood on the Day of Atonement. Also, during the regular daily ministry, the priests had to wash before they entered the Holy Place (Ex. 30:18–21). The New Testament Christian must come to God with a pure heart and a clean conscience.
Fellowship with God demands purity.
1 John 1:5-2:2 NIV This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 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. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
(2) Let us hold fast (v. 23).
Hebrews 10:23 NIV Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
The readers of this epistle were being tempted to forsake their confession of Jesus Christ by going back to the old covenant worship. The writer did not exhort them to hold on to their salvation, because their security was in Christ and not in themselves. Rather, he invited them to hold fast “the profession [confession] of … hope.”
When a believer has his hope fixed on Christ and relies on the faithfulness of God, then he will not waver. Instead of looking back (as the Jews so often did), we should look ahead to the coming of the Lord.
(3) The third invitation, Let us consider one another (vv. 24–25).
Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Fellowship with God must never become selfish. We must also fellowship with other Christians in the local assembly. Apparently, some of the wavering believers had been absenting themselves from the church fellowship. It is interesting to note that the emphasis here is not on what a believer gets from the assembly, but rather on what he can contribute to the assembly. We have talked before and even some in this study of how important your gifts are to the body of Christ.
Faithfulness in church attendance encourages others and provokes them to love and good works. One of the strong motives for faithfulness is the soon coming of Jesus Christ. In fact, the only other place the word translated “assembling”is used in the New Testament is in 2 Thessalonians 2:1, where it’s translated “gathering” and deals with the coming of Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 NIV Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.
The three great Christian virtues are evidenced here in these three invitations: faith (Heb. 10:22), hope (Heb. 10:23), and love (Heb. 10:24).
They are the fruit of our fellowship with God in His heavenly sanctuary.
No comments:
Post a Comment