It's good to be here. It's just
good to be with the saints of God and worship our Savior for
what He has done for us and what He's doing for us. You know,
today is a day when many, many are gathering in buildings just
like this one. Some of them even nicer. And
they're gathering together for what they call Resurrection Day. a day where they come together
once a year and celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
And I've mentioned this before and it bears repeating, God's
people, those who are sinners, and we know we're sinners, We stand on the word of God that
says our Savior is risen and sitting on his throne right now
working everything out according to his own counsel for our good
and for his glory. Period. And we do that, we celebrate
that every single day. That's our only peace, folks.
You know what the gospel is? The gospel is Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. What does that mean? That means
that God became flesh so that He could die for His people,
that's what the crucifixion is, and rise again as the conqueror,
as the captain, as the victor over sin and death. And that's
who our Lord Jesus is, the victor over sin and death. That's just
a bonus for this morning. Turn, if you would, to the 10th
chapter of Hebrews. We've been looking at this book
for some time now. We're actually in chapter 9. But I've got to thinking about
this subject, and my title for today is sufficient sacrifice. You know, as I mentioned a moment
ago, there's people all over the world celebrating today,
aren't they? Celebrating. You know, I saw
a note from one of my cousins. It showed a picture of the parking
lot just packed. I didn't realize she went to
such a big church. It was just packed. And her question
was, will you fight the traffic today? Will you be one of those
who fight the traffic today? Folks, there's folks all over
the world playing the part of Christian today. There's folks
all over the world playing the part of Christian, just like
some of you did at one time, every day. They're a good brother. Actually, a good sister as well,
I've had two say to me, Happy Resurrection Day. Folks, if you don't understand
that Resurrection Day is every day for a child of God, may God lay that upon your heart
today. You see, it brings that question
up. Was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ Was the blood of God that was
shed 2,000 years ago on that cross, was it sufficient? Is God sufficient? People don't believe that, folks. Some of us didn't believe that
at one time. Some of us believed that if we
made a decision for God that He had done everything else that
was needed. He supplied the blood, He supplied
the body, He supplied the cross, He rules over everything, but
He doesn't rule over me. I made a decision. That's what
most believing Christians think. I made a decision. I chose a
day when I would follow God. God's people know that's exactly
the opposite, don't they? You can only know this by the
revelation of Jesus Christ himself, and that is, we weren't seeking
God at all until he sought after us. And when God goes looking for
something, do you think He finds it? Several people kind of giggled
at that one. That's absolutely true. That's absolutely true. When the Lord God goes looking
for something, He finds what He's looking for. He finds what He's looking for. Was the sacrifice of Christ sufficient
to save? You know, my words don't mean nothing.
Words that come out of this mind don't mean anything, but God's
Word does. So I want to spend a little time
today in God's Word trying to answer this question. Was the
sacrifice of Christ sufficient for what it was designed for?
Here in Hebrews chapter 10. Let's begin at verse 12. But
this man. Now you could say that this way. But God. Because that's who this
is talking about. But. Here's some points. We've made some points over here
in verses 9 through, or verse 6 through 10 or 11. But. But. God. But this man. after he had
offered, how many sacrifices does that say? Come on everybody,
tell me. One. Why was there only one? You know, in the Old Testament
days, the sacrifices, were they not done every year, every day,
every Sunday? Was there not blood shed in the
tabernacle every single day? Absolutely it was. Well why did
this one only have to do it once? Because he's the one that all
those other sacrifices were a picture of. Was his sacrifice sufficient? Absolutely it was. It only took
one. One. Why? Because he's God in
the flesh and God does everything perfect. You and I Well, maybe
not you guys. You folks probably do things
a lot better. It doesn't take long for me to screw something
up. People said, people said, John, why don't you just change
that toilet? It's so easy. You can do it. And I told Pastor Gene, when
he told me to go change that toilet, I said, I'm going to
break something. He laughed. He goes, you can't
break anything. It's the easiest thing in the
world. I broke something. If he can hear this message,
he'll laugh so hard, because he's never asked me to do anything
ever again after that. If you want me to do something,
I'm going to mess it up. My God does not. The God of all
creation doesn't mess up anything. He does it once. And that's all
that needs to be done. Am I right? What happened? After he sacrificed
for sins forever, what did he do? He sat down on the right
hand of God. That means he had to be risen
up. You talk about a risen Savior. We talked about this during Bible
study. We talked about this during last week's message. He was risen! He did it once and he was accomplished. what he had set out for it to
do, so he sat down. It is finished, is what he said.
He sat down on the right hand of God. From henceforth expecting to
his enemies be made his footstool, for by one offering he hath perfected
forever. Folks, somebody's perfected.
You guys can look around the room and say, Roger, are you one of the perfected?
It don't look like it from here, buddy. And my glasses are working
just fine. I bet you can say the same thing
about me. You could say we were joking around about getting new
glasses Friday night. Would that make me look better?
No, it won't. Somebody, folks, is perfecting.
Somebody is. How? How could they be perfecting? How could I? this sinner who gets up every
morning and sees his sin before him in that mirror, be perfected. Let's read on. Perfected forever
them that are sanctified. That means set apart. Set apart
from what? Set apart from the world. Those
who were chosen in Christ before the world began. Those whose
names were written on the breastplates of God Almighty. before a star
twinkled in the sky. If you belong to God, you were
loved with an eternal, everlasting love. And if God loves you, you
know, this is what makes me so angry about those who stand in
the street corners and tells everybody, God loves you! Now,
won't you just start following Him? God loves you! Well, how
do I know God loves me? How do you know God loves me?
You don't. Even you folks right here today
don't know if God loves me. I don't know if God loves you. But He loves somebody. He loves
somebody. And whoever that is, he says,
they've been perfected by one offering. What offering was it?
It was that offering that he said back in verse 12. But this
man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat
down at the right hand of God. He is, that one offering, he
hath perfected forever them that are sanctified, whereof, verse
15, whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us, For after
that he had said before, this is the covenant that I will make
with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws
in their hearts and in their minds, and I will right them,
and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of sins is,
verse 18, there is no more offering for sins. Folks, is the sacrifice
of Christ, was it sufficient? Yes. Well that means if it was,
then there was no other need for any other sacrifice. That
means there's no need for you to do anything. That means that
God has done it all. No other sacrifices needed. His
was sufficient. Verse 19, having therefore, brethren,
boldness, because of the sufficiency of his sacrifice, because there's
no other offering needed for sin, having therefore, brethren,
boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Remember what we talked about in Bible study, for those of
you who weren't here and didn't know, the holiest of holies was
that inner sanctuary of the temple, of the tabernacle. What was the
tabernacle? It was a cloth, it was a skin-coated
building that they could wrap up and carry to the next camp
with them. And there were two parts. There
was the part of the service where all the people would come in
with the high priest and they would bring in their offerings
to the high priest and the high priest would slaughter the animals
and take blood, the blood of bulls and goats and doves. And
then they would take that blood and they would go in one time
every year to the holiest of holies behind this really thick
veil, a veil that went across between the two parts of the
building. No one else could go past this. They would go in, one priest
every year, and sprinkle that blood on what? On the mercy seat. The Lord Jesus Christ. That's
a picture. Nothing more than a picture of
what our Savior did and does right now. Did you know the Lord
Jesus is sitting there on His throne of grace making intercession
for you if you belong to Him? If you commit a sin, It doesn't
matter what it is. It doesn't matter whether it's
a white lie. It doesn't matter if it's a false
thought, a negative thought, or a bad thought, or unbelief. Oh, I don't believe God would
do that. If He says it in His Word, He's
done it. Period. No argument. I won't even discuss
it with you. If it's in His word as far as
God's people are concerned, it's done. It is what He says it is. If you belong to Christ, whatever
your sins may be, He's saying, I have paid for that. My blood, he says, is sufficient for the justice that it requires. What's the justice of God's?
What is God's justice? It's death. It's death. That's what our Savior
did. He died. Do you get that? He died for
you. That you might live in Him. That's the grace of God. That's the grace of God. Let's read on. Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest
of holy by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way. The old way was death. The old
way was the death of animals, but this is a new and living
way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that
is to say, his flesh. And having a high priest over
the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full
assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold
fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful
that promised. And let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and to good works. Look at verse 12 one more time
with me before we leave this here. Hebrews chapter 10. What does it say? But this man,
after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, he did what? He forever
sat down on the right hand of God. Why? Because that's proof. That's proof that God accepted
his son's sacrifice. Is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
sufficient? Ya darn tootin' it is. Look over
at chapter 1 of Hebrews. Chapter 1. Yeah, go to Hebrews
chapter 1. I'll get it right here. Chapter
1, look at verse 3. The brightness of His glory. Whose glory? God the Father.
Who is the brightness of God the Father's glory? It's His
Son, the Lord Jesus. This is my Son, He says, in whom
I am well pleased. Who is it that satisfies everything
that God the Father requires? His Son. Not you. Not me. God, the Son of the Living
God, Jesus Christ, that's who satisfies everything that the
Father requires. Who being the brightness of His
glory and the express image of His person. Do you know the Lord
said to some folks, He said, now that you've seen me, you've
seen the Father. You're familiar with the words
in John where He says, I and my Father are one. the express image of His person
and upholding all things. Being the express person, being
the brightness of God's glory, being the express image of His
person, He has all power. So it's no wonder that He's upholding
all things by the word of His power. But if you take all of
that into consideration, talking about the sacrifice that He had
made for you and I when He had by Himself, what? Purged washed,
cleansed, wiped out. Put every sin that you and I
will ever commit, not just the ones we've done already, but
every one that we will until the day he takes us out of this
world, purged it, put it behind his back, never to be seen anymore. What did he do? He sat down on
the right hand of the majesty on high. There's two verses right
there that tell us clear as a bell. God has accepted the sacrifice
of his son. He won't accept anybody else's.
He's not going to accept the sacrifice of his son plus something
you have to do. In fact, if you try to add something
into his sacrifice, all you're going to do is pollute it. A
little teeny bit of leaven pollutes the whole loaf. And that's what
your works is. It's leaven. It's that chemical
occurrence when you mix Yeast. It's that chemical reaction.
When you mix those two articles together, it makes it grow. It
makes it puff up. What a picture of pride. You
mix in yeast into God's perfect flour, and it puffs up with your
pride. Folks, God will not share his
glory with another. And that concludes with John
Reeves. Resurrection Day. Every day is
a resurrection day to a saved sinner. His resurrection is proof
that the sacrifice he gave was accepted, that the sacrifice
of laying down his life for me was accepted. It's the proof
that when my Lord says, you shall be with me in paradise today,
He can say it and mean it and it will be. It's the proof that
what He did on that cross 2,000 years ago was effectual. The
blood of bulls and goats, they never accomplished anything in
saving God's people. They were nothing more than types.
pictures of the one sacrifice God would accept, and that's
the sacrifice of his son, the Lamb who was slain before the
foundation of the world, the spotless Lamb of God. When Abraham's son asked, Father,
where is the offering? You'll recall the story, God
told Abraham to take his son up on a mountain, and sacrifice
his son. He didn't question that. Did you all catch that? He didn't
question it. He said, OK, we're going. We're going to go up. In fact,
he didn't question it so much. He told the guys that he was
with, we're going to go up, and we're going to worship, and then
we'll come back to you. Do you catch the idea that you
don't question God? Why? Because God has given you
the gift to believe. I used to question God all the
time. I'd call it things like luck, mother nature, those kinds
of things. Now it's Lord willing. Why? Why is that the way it is now
for me? Because of God. But God. He gets all the glory for everything,
folks. All the glory. So when Abraham took his son
up there, all they had was some fire and some wood. And he said,
Dad, where's the offering? We've come all the way up here
to have a sacrifice. Where's the offering? And what
did Abraham say to his son? He said this. He said, God's
going to provide himself an offering. And that's exactly what he did.
People think, well, that was talking about that ram that was in the thicket. No, it's not. That ramming the
ticket was never a sacrifice. It was nothing more than a picture
of the true sacrifice, and the true sacrifice, again, is Jesus
Christ the Lord. Was his sacrifice sufficient? Absolutely. Darn tootin'. And I won't tell you what a truck
driver would say about those things. You know, don't you? That's right, you're a truck
driver, you know. Was the sacrifice Christ made
sufficient? Well, let me look at a couple
more verses. We've got a couple more minutes. Let's turn over
to 1 Peter 1. We've seen several verses now
where it tells us that after the sacrifice, the Lord was raised
up to sit on His throne, to sit at the throne of the majesty
on high. Turn over to 1 Peter 1, if you would. 1 Peter 1. Let's see what the Lord's Word
says. 1 Peter chapter 1 beginning at
verse 18, for as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed. Now
what does that word redeemed mean? That means that something
had separated somebody from something. And the only way to bring those
two back together again was for redemption, propitiation, a payment. to be made, to redeem the two
parties that had been separated. For you know that ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, from
your vain conversation, your vain way of life, received by
tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ." What were we redeemed with? We were redeemed with the
sacrifice. the sufficient sacrifice, the
precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot. Verse 20, who verily was foreordained,
who was chosen foreordained, proclaimed before the world,
before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these
last times for who? For you! Who by Him do believe in God. who by Him. Who then can be saved was our
subject last week. With men it is impossible. Who then can believe? With men
it is impossible. Who by Him, that means by Him,
do we believe in God? that raised Him up from the dead
and gave Him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God. If you had heard about a Lord
Jesus who had not been raised from the dead, if you had heard about a Lord
Jesus who had gone to the cross and died, and that was it, it
was over, would you believe? Would you be able to believe?
that your sins were paid for? That knowing that God accepted
the sacrifice of His Son, we have a great insurance, assurance,
not insurance, that was the wrong word, assurance. A great assurance,
a great hope. Hope in Him, in Him alone. Look at one more. Let's look
at another one. Let's go to Romans chapter 4. Romans chapter 4. Let's look
over there for just a moment. Begin with me, if you would,
at verse 17. As it is written, Romans chapter
4 verse 17. I have made thee a father of
many nations. Here we go. We're talking about
Abraham again before him whom he believed Even God who quickeneth
the dead who give who made makes alive the dead and call it those
things which be not as though they were who against hope believed
in the hope that he might become the father of many nations. See,
this is that hope, that promise that God had made to him. This
is the reason he had such strong faith to go to the mountain and
sacrifice his son, because he knew that God had promised a
people through his seed who become the father of many nations according
to that which was spoken. So thy seed shall be, and being
not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead, when
he was about 100 years old. This is speaking about his son
before his son was born, Isaac. Neither, yet the deadness of
Sarah's womb, he staggered not at the promise of God through
unbelief, but was strong in faith. giving glory to God and being
fully persuaded that what He had promised He was also able
to perform, that therefore it was imputed to Him for righteousness. Now, it was not written for His
sake alone, but that it was imputed to Him, but for us also, to whom
it shall be imputed if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our
Lord from the dead. who was delivered for our offenses
and was raised again for what? Our justification. Why was He
raised up out of the grave? Not just to prove that our sins
were put away, but to show that we are justified in Him. You know what justified means? Just as if I'd never sinned. All my payments are paid. Justified. Go on. Let's go on. Next page. Chapter 5, verse 1.
Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace. Peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Was His sacrifice sufficient? If it's not, then we wouldn't
have peace, would we? But because it is sufficient,
because it was sufficient to cover all of our sins, we have
peace with God. Go on. By whom also we have access
by faith into this grace wherein we stand rejoicing in hope of
the glory of God. Not only so, but we glory in
tribulations, also knowing that tribulation worketh patience,
and patience experience, and experience hope. And hope maketh
not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we
were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the
ungodly. Who were the justifying? The
ungodly that Christ died for. Who are the justified? The ungodly
that Christ died for. Verse 7, for scarcely for a righteous
man will one die, yet preadventured for a good man some would even
dare to die, but God, who commendeth his love towards us in that while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being
now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath
through him For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to
God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled, we
shall be saved by His life. He sits on His throne right now,
folks. One more. We got time? Yeah,
we got time. Look at one more. Turn to the right. Go over to
Philippians. Philippians. Right between Colossians and
Ephesians, Philippians. We'll just read a couple verses
over here in chapter 2. Beginning at last, verse 5. Philippians
chapter 2, verse 5. Let this mind be in you which
was also in Christ Jesus. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in your sacrifice, your sufficient sacrifice, the very
one who laid down his life for you. Let your mind be as his, who being the form of God thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation,
took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men. And being found in the fashions
of man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross. Wherefore, verse 9, God also
hath highly exalted him and given him a name, which is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, things
in heaven and things of the earth and things under the earth, and
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of the Father. The sacrifice the offering of
God gave was so effectual that it cleansed all that the Father
had given the Son before a star ever twinkled in the sky. It
says over in Hebrews 10, you don't need to turn there, for
by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
Them who had been set apart from the world, them who he had loved
with an everlasting love, whom the Father hath given unto Him
to save. God was manifest in the flesh
to lay down His life for His people. He shall be called Jesus,
is the Word of God. He shall be called Jesus, for
He shall save His people. Not might, not maybe, but shall. The offering of His only begotten
Son satisfied the justice of God. The blood that was shed
was the blood of holy God. He knew no sin. He sacrificed
Himself, and because that sacrifice was with holy blood, God accepted
it and raised His Son from the grave. Acts chapter 2, you don't
need to turn there, I'll read it for you real quick, like,
Him, speaking of Christ, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain, who God hath raised up, having
loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should
be whole another. Today, this very moment, mankind are trying to provide
their own type of sacrifice. And it gets them absolutely nowhere. Their sacrifices are an abomination,
their sacrifices are insufficient. Listen to these words from Matthew
7, 21. Not every one that saith unto
me, saith the Lord, Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." Do you understand
that? Not everyone. Folks, there are many today who
are saying, Lord, Lord. You go over to that church across
the street over there, they're saying, Lord, Lord. But it's not the Lord of this
book. It's a Lord that they have desired from their own imagination. One that they can make whatever
they want. Only God can bring a man or a
woman to the point of bowing down and saying, you're God of
everything. I can't make you anything. You
are what you say you are in this book. Many will say, Lord, Lord, we
shout, Many will say unto him, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of the Father.
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father,
which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name
have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful
works? And then I will profess unto them, I have never known
you. Depart from me, ye workers of
iniquity." Do you know that that's what he said to the other guy
on the cross? Remember there were two men on the cross, weren't
there? Only one did he say, today you will be with me in paradise.
Why you got to point that out, John? That's so mean to talk
about that other guy who's not going to heaven? You're so mean
to do that. Why? Because that's grace. I deserve what that other guy
got. And so do you. But by his grace, some will hear
these words, enter in. You faithful servants. And it's
not something we've done faithful. It's what our Savior has done.
Our sufficient sacrifice. That's who. Let's close with Revelation chapter
5. Speaking of this sacrifice, this
one who shed his own blood out of grace for us. Verse 11, we read these, actually,
you know what? Let's go back to 2. And I saw a straying angel. a
strong angel, proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to
open the book and loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven
nor on earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book,
neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man
was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to
look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto
me, Weep not! Weep not! Behold the Lion of
the tribe of Judah, The Root of David. These are ones that
were spoken of in the Old Testament. Speaking of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed
upon the book, to open the book, and to loose the seven seals
thereof. He hath prevailed. His sacrifice
was sufficient, and I beheld, verse 6, and lo, in the midst
of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the
elders, stood a Lamb. as it had been slain, having
seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God
sent forth into all the earth. And he came and he took the book
out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And
when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four elders
fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden
vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints. And
they sang a new song. That's a message all by itself
right there. Thou art worthy to take the book and to open
the seals thereof, for thou wast slain and hast what? Redeemed. Redeemed us to God
by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and nation. And I beheld, verse 11, And I
heard a voice of many angels round about the throne of the
beast, and the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000, saying
with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive
power, riches, wisdom, strength, and honor, and glory, and blessings.
And every creature in heaven on earth and under the earth
And such are as in the sea, and all that therein heard I saying,
Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth
upon the throne of the Lamb forever. Worthy is the Lamb of God. What do I believe? I believe he ever liveth. to
make intercession for me. What about you? Do you serve
a risen Christ who makes intercession for you? I believe that He lives now,
right now.