Seeking once again the help of
Almighty God I'd like to turn your attention to the chapter
that we read together Hebrews chapter 10 and the text you'll
find in verses 4 and 5 For it is not possible that the blood
of bulls and of goats should take away sins Wherefore, when
he cometh into the world, he saith, sacrifice an offering
thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared for me. Those who are here this morning
will remember that we looked at Moses and how The Lord appeared
to him at the burning bush and changed the course of his life,
equipped him for service as he became the leader to bring out
the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt and he was mightily
used of God to bring the people of Israel through to the promised
land and then to wander in the wilderness as they rebelled against
God. They wandered in the wilderness
for those 40 years and it's there that the Lord established his
law with the children of Israel, the Ten Commandments. And then also the ceremonial
law and the sacrificial law as he established them as a nation,
he dealt with them in a unique way, he watched over them as
his own child, he watched over them as his own people and he
taught them and guided them as to how he wanted to be worshipped
and how they should live. And we know that Moses was directed
to build a tabernacle, a tent, in which was the Levites, those
who would offer those sacrifices on behalf of the people, the
high priest and the many different sacrificial systems that were
there. And there would be that constant shedding of blood as
those sacrifices were offered. It wasn't until the time of of
Solomon, that the proper temple was built, as David said, that
he lived in a house of cedar and the Lord was in a tent. And
so that was created by Solomon, that wonderful temple. All of
these were just symbols and pictures of that greater temple of heaven
itself. But there was that constant shedding
of blood, that constant animal sacrifice for the sins of the
people but the scripture tells us that none of these sacrifices
could ever take away sin. They were merely an external
act of faith which the scripture tells us they could cleanse the
outside, they could make somebody ceremonially clean but they could
never cleanse that person ultimately of sin. in Hebrews 9. It tells us there of the Lord
Jesus Christ in verse 11. But Christ being come a high
priest of good things to come by a greater and a more perfect
tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not this building
neither by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood
he entered in once into the holy place having obtained eternal
redemption for us for if the blood of bulls and of goats and
the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies to the
purification purifying of the flesh how much more shall the
blood of christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself
without spot to god purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the the living god and so those sacrificial Those who
were sacrificing those animals, they were ceremonially cleansed. They came, they laid their hands
upon the beast and it was slain, the blood was shed, it was sprinkled
upon the altar, the sacrifice was burnt in some cases, and
that person was then deemed ceremonially clean. but they were not ultimately
cleansed from all of their sin. There had to be a greater sacrifice
that was to come. And so all of those things that
we read about in the Old Testament were pointing to this greater
sacrifice, were pointing to this one that was going to come, that
was going to be the son of David, that was going to be the seed
of the woman, that was going to be a child of Abraham, that
was going to come to offer this perfect sacrifice for sin. so for thousands of years blood
was shed, animals were slaughtered which never actually took away
sin. There was that continued reminder
as we have read that continued reminder that that the people
were sinners and that they continued to sin and so there was that
continued reminder of the shedding of blood and you can imagine
how you and I would be. We lived in those times. We had
animals. The time would come where we'd
have to go to the temple time would come when we would have
to lay our hands upon a goat or a sheep or offer up a dove
and that blood would have to be shed and we would be reminded
of the holiness of God, we would be reminded of the consequences
of our sins, it would be that visual impact of death This animal
had to die so that we might be able to live. It was that constant
reminder of our sinfulness and God's holiness, that constant
reminder of a barrier between us and God as they entered into
the temple, as they saw the high priests and the priests going
about their daily service. as they were reminded of God
shrouded in darkness in the holy of holies. That they who were
on the outside were unable to approach unto a holy God. It was that constant reminder
of God is separate from sinners, that God is beyond our reach. The only way we can approach
him is through the shedding of blood, through the high priests, And so there was that constant
reminder, that daily ministering of the high priests, that constant
shedding of blood, which none of it could take away any sin
whatsoever. The Bible tells us here, it is
not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take
away sin. There was no other way. of salvation. It was God's way or no way. He has said this was to point
to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was pointing to this
perfect sacrifice that was going to come but they had to continue
to go through it because that is what God had commanded. That
is the way in which God had said that would appease him to offer
those sacrifices of faith They had to obey what God said. Remember as we looked at Moses
this morning and as Moses as he makes those excuses as to
why God shouldn't use him then he gives his brother Aaron to
assist him to be his mouthpiece. They go to the people of Israel. They speak to the elders. They
go then to Pharaoh and Pharaoh becomes angry just as God has
said. And then there was those plagues
and then there is that final plague of the death of the firstborn. And there was to be that way
made by which the Lord would pass over the homes of the children
of Israel by the slaughter of a lamb. And that lamb, the blood
of that lamb was to be placed on the doorposts and upon the
lintel and those people were to go into that house and when
the angel passed over he says, when I see the blood I will pass
over you. There was no other way of escape. The only place of safety was
to be found sheltering, having passed through underneath that
blood. That animal must have been slaughtered
and it was only there that there was found that safety. was God's
way or no way. There was no compromise. You
did what God said or you died. You obeyed or you disobeyed.
You listened or you didn't listen. The same as Noah. Noah was told
build an ark for the saving of your house. God's way or no way. He either obeyed or he disobeyed. And he obeyed. He built the ark
for the saving of his house and the Lord shut him in. Everybody else on the outside
was lost, perished in their sin. The earth was filled with violence.
Man's heart was evil continually. Yet Noah found grace in the eyes
of God and he found safety in the ark. It was not possible. There was no other way of safety
except in the ark. there is no other way of safety
even today. No amount of shedding of blood
can ever redeem our soul. It is only by the shedding of
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that one may be saved. God's
way or no way. The children of Israel proved
it didn't they as they walked through the wilderness as they
rebelled against God. God's way or no way. God said
go into the promised land and take it. They said it's too difficult. They said we won't be able to
do it. The people are too big. They're too strong. So they're
punished. Caused to wander in the wilderness
for 40 years until all those who rebelled against God died
except Caleb and those who were with him, who believed God. God's way or no way and it is
not possible for salvation to come from any other except through
the Lord Jesus Christ. Even today it's still God's way
or no way. Jesus Christ is still the way
and that there's no other way. Man decides that there's going
to be other ways to heaven We live in a time don't we where
people say it's just your belief. You believe what you want to
believe but I believe that I'm going to get to heaven by trusting
this way. Well I believe I'm going to get
to heaven by trusting that way. Some believe well I'm going to
trust in Christ for a little bit and then I'm going to add
my own works to that so I can get to heaven like that. But
the scripture tells it's not possible. There's no other way. except through the Lord Jesus
Christ. There's no other way that your
and my debt can be paid to God except by the precious blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. If two thousand years of slaughtered
animals was not enough to put away one sin then your and my
good works either will never be able to put away our sin. Our sin deserves the eternal
wrath of God Bible tells us the wages of sin it is death but
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Verse 11 it tells us and every
high priest standing daily ministering and offering oft times the same
sacrifice which can never take away sin. Think of those priests
constantly offering sacrifices to God Yet none of those sacrifices
could ever cleanse that conscience from any good work, from any
dead works to serve the living God. So it was an act of obedience,
taking the animal, laying on the hands, having the animal
slaughtered, having the blood shed, but done so in faith, that
faith looked to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. As you
and I, as we look back to the Lord Jesus Christ, that he has
come. There were those who looked forward to the coming of the
Lord Jesus. and not having received the promises
but saw them afar off. In Hebrews 11 it tells us there
they looked for that city that was out of sight. They hadn't
received that full promise but they looked for the coming of
Christ. They offered sacrifices in hope
of that greater sacrifice that would come, the Lord Jesus Christ. There was no other way. was not
possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away
sin. Wherefore, because of this, when
he cometh into the world, he says, Sacrifice and offering
thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared for me. A body. we saw this morning. There are times in the Old Testament
where we see the pre-incarnate Christ or Christophany there
at the burning bush, the angel of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ
appearing to Moses. We go to Joshua before Joshua
goes to defeat the city of Jericho. We see the captain of the Lord's
host which Joshua falls down and worships. the Lord Jesus
Christ. We see the parents of Samson
and they speak to the angel of the Lord and he disappears up
into the fire, back up into heaven. And there are those times throughout
the Old Testament when Christ shows himself to the people that
he has always existed. He is the eternal son of God. He was able to reveal himself
to Abraham, that person there who knew of the judgment of God
that was going to come upon Sodom, who he worshipped. And the Lord
spoke to him. And it's Christ. The Lord Jesus
Christ. But he became flesh, became man. He added unto himself human nature. and he was made a little lower
than the angels. Hebrews 2 tells us that there is that tier system
in God's creation in which obviously God and Christ they are and the
Holy Spirit they are the Godhead But then God made the holy angels,
the ministering spirits, then he made man, then he made the
animal kingdom, and he gave us human beings that authority to
rule over the world and to subdue it. But Christ made himself a
little lower than the angels. In verse nine it says, but we
see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, the suffering
of death. We know as God is an eternal
being, we saw that his name is I am, he's self-existent, he
cannot die, he is outside of time, his power is limitless. And yet for Christ to become
the substitute for sinners, for Christ to become the Lamb of
God, he had to come into time state. He had to come under his
own law. He had to put on human flesh. Why? So that he could die. So that he could be offered as
a sacrifice for his people. made lower than the angels for
the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor that by
that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man and
so he never lost anything he was still crowned with glory
and with honor yet he put on flesh for the suffering of death
that he should taste death for every man that is everyone that
would believe for it became him for whom are all things and by
whom are all things to bring many sons to glory to make the
captain of their salvation perfect through suffering for both he
that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all one of
one for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren. And it says became him for whom
are all things and by whom are all things. That's Christ. As
we see in the Gospel of John, all things were made by him and
without him was not anything made. He was in the world. The
world was made by him and the world knew him not. And so this
great Christ, this eternal God, put on flesh and made himself
a little lower than the angels so that he may die. A body hast
thou prepared for him. And so if we see if we look back
into the Old Testament and we see Moses he says take your shoes from
off your feet for the place whereon you are standing is holy ground.
The same it was said by the captain of the Lord's host to Joshua
remove your sandals Yet when he came into this world
we read that the Lord Jesus Christ was the friend of sinners. This
man eats with sinners. He could look sinful people in
the eyes. He could talk and reason with
the pharisaical Pharisees. their hatred and not bring immediate
judgment upon them. He was both God and man at the
same time, fully God and fully man at the same time and yet restraining his deity
so that he was enabled to be that perfect sacrifice to
go through with the work that the father had given him to do. A body hast thou prepared for
me. We read in Matthew as Mary and
Joseph came together to be married as they waited for that wedding
day that Mary was found to be with child. And obviously Joseph
is concerned about that, wondering what has taken place, thought
she had been unfaithful, yet the Lord appears to him and speaks. At the birth of Jesus Christ
was on this wise when his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph before
they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
She was found with child. God, manifest in the flesh, a
body hast thou prepared for me. This same Christ who spoke to
Moses, the same Christ who spoke to Joshua now adds to himself
human flesh to become conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. She was found with child of the
Holy Ghost. while and joseph verse 20 but
while he thought on these things behold the angel of the lord
appeared unto him in a dream saying joseph now son of david
Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife for that which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Ghost and she shall bring forth a son and
thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people
from their sins. Now all this was done that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet
saying behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring
forth a son and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel. which being
interpreted is God with us. And so to enable the end of this
constant slaying of animals, the Lord Jesus Christ, God with
us, Emmanuel, put on flesh, contracted to a span, the hymn says, and
is in the womb of the Virgin Mary, is born into this world
as a baby. if you think about it you can't
fully comprehend it how it is to be but it had to take place
and we read through the scripture that the Lord Jesus Christ grew
still fully God, still fully man, grew in wisdom and stature In the Gospel according to Luke
we read as he went into, as he got lost in Jerusalem, as he
reasoned with them in the temple, with the elders and the scribes
in the temple. And his parents come searching
for him. In Luke chapter 2 verse 40, and
the child grew and waxed strong, became strong in spirit, filled
with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him. birth 51. And he went down with them and
came to Nazareth and was subject unto them but his mother kept
all these sayings in her heart and Jesus, increased in wisdom
and stature and in favour with God and man. Still fully God,
still fully man, growing in a human body, filled with wisdom, strong
in spirit and the grace of God was upon him, able to reason
with the scribes in the temple, they marvelled at his ability
and yet subject to his mother and his father. The creator of
heaven and earth. All things were made by him and
without him was not anything made. The Lord Jesus Christ,
yet subject to his mother and his father, Joseph and Mary. Yet Mary kept all these sayings
in her heart. This one with whom his presence
was holy. Take off your shoes from off
your feet for where you are standing is holy ground. It's now walking
as a little child fulfilling the whole law of God from the
very moment he was born. walking in complete obedience
to his heavenly Father so that he could work out a salvation,
work out a righteousness for his people. Every moment of every
day he was living in obedience to God, fulfilling the whole
law of God. Never ever did any sin cross his mind, never ever
did he commit any sin whatsoever. so that he might be able to take
away the sins of his people, so that he might be able to be
the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, so that
he would be the perfect substitute for sinners to do what all of these animals could not
do. That was to wash away sin. And
as we read through the Gospels we see that this human nature
of the Lord Jesus Christ, this humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ,
we see at times he's hungry. His body was hungry. The one who created and causes
seed to grow, the one who commands the rain, we find that he is
hungry. We find that he is thirsty. We
find that he is tired. Find him on the boat, don't we,
while his disciples are struggling against the waves. He's the one
in control. He's in control of the wind and
the waves, yet he's asleep. His body is tired. And so we see laid out before
us the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ tried and tempted in all
points as we are yet without sin. We have a high priest who
is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He understands
our human body, understands the human weaknesses that we have
yet at the same time he's fully God. the same time is able to
speak to the wind and the waves and to say, peace be still and
there was a great calm. And the disciples marvel and
say, what manner of man is this? What they saw before them was
a man, a physical man with flesh and blood and bones as you and
I. Yet they saw him talk to the
elements and the elements obeyed. Only God can do that. we see
him forgiving sin. In Luke chapter 5 when the paralytic
man was brought to the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ Matthew chapter 5 verse 18 it
says and behold men brought in a bed a man which was taken with
palsy and they sought means to bring him in and to lay him before
him and when they could not find by what way they might bring
him in because of the multitude they went upon the housetop and
let him down to the tiling with his couch into the midst before
Jesus. when he saw their faith he said
unto their man thy sins are forgiven thee. The scribes and the pharisees
they reason amongst themselves and they say who can forgive
sin but God alone? It's only God who can forgive
sin and that is because all sin is against God. It is God's law
that has been broken therefore it is God only who can forgive
sin and so they acknowledge that this is just a man they see him
as a man they see him as someone who is forgiving sin or stepping
into a position that he shouldn't do if he's just a man and he
says to them why reason ye in your hearts what is easier to
say thy sins be forgiven or to say rise up and walk but that
you may know that the son of man has power on earth to forgive
sin He says unto the sick of the palsy, I say unto thee arise,
take up thy couch and go into thine own house. And immediately
he rose up before them, took up that whereon he lay and departed
to his own house, glorifying God. And so there was their answer. They said, only God can forgive
sin. Jesus says what's easier for
me to say your sins are forgiven or to say take up your couch
and walk? It's easier to say your sins
are forgiven. It's harder to say get up and
walk because there needs to be evidence. And so when Jesus says
rise up, get up and walk, the evidence was clear that he had
power to cause somebody to get up who had been sick and to walk.
And so the miracle clarified the message. The miracle clarified
that Christ has the authority to forgive sin. And so he's both man and he's
both God. because he is both man and God
he is able to be a perfect sacrifice. For you and I the wages of our
sin is death. We must all die. The scripture
says but after death then there is a judgment there is an eternal
death for us to pay the debt that we owe to God we must spend
an eternity under the wrath of God which is in hell. An eternity it will cost us to
pay the debt that we owe to God. Christ paid that debt in three
hours upon the cross. He absorbed the eternal wrath
of God for the sins of his people in three hours. if he was just
a man he would never have been able to do such a feat even if
he was a perfect man he could only maybe pay the consequences
or the debt of himself but the scripture says all have sinned
and fallen short of the glory of God there is none righteous
no not one we are conceived in sin our very nature is corrupted
by sin therefore there is no perfect man except for the Lord
Jesus Christ because he was born by miraculous birth by God conceived
of the Holy Spirit and he was God's lamb the lamb of God that
takes away the sin of the world. Sacrificing and offering thou
wouldest not but a body hast thou prepared for me a perfect body, a perfect sacrifice,
a perfect substitute for his people. In Matthew chapter 26 when the
Lord Jesus is instituting the Lord's Supper he says as they were eating the Passover,
remembering that deliverance that took place two or so thousand
years before when they came out of Egypt. as they were remembering
that Passover lamb and the way in which the Lord delivered them
from that judgment by the blood of the lamb that was placed upon
the doorpost. When I say the blood will pass over you. When
they were being reminded of that event by taking the Passover
while they were eating Jesus took bread and blessed it and
break it and gave it to his disciples and said take eat This is my
body. Reading Corinthians, this is
my body which is broken for you. And he took the cup and gave
thanks and gave it to them saying drink ye all of it for this is
my blood of the new testament, the new covenant which is shed
for many for the remission of sins. Jesus then as he takes
that Passover meal he becomes the Passover lamb he becomes
that lamb of God the one in which his people were going to shelter
underneath his blood the judgment was going to fall upon the Lord
Jesus Christ he was going to be punished for the sins of his
people he who knew no sin was made sin The Bible tells us that without
the shedding of blood there is no remission. Christ had to die
by the shedding of his blood. The high priest in the day of
atonement had to slaughter the animal for himself and then for
the people. He had to take that blood into
the Holy of Holies and sprinkle it upon the things that were
there. And that blood showed that a
life had been shed. Life had been given. The Bible
tells us that life is in the blood. And so when the blood
is drained from the body, the life is being drained from the
body. We're unable to live if we don't
have enough blood. And so when that blood is carried
into the Holy of Holies it is symbolic that life has been shed,
death has taken place. And with the Lord Jesus Christ
his blood was shed. And the scripture says he didn't
go into the holy place made with hands. but he entered into heaven
itself and presented there in heaven himself as the high priest
of his people. He didn't offer another animal
but he offered himself. He was the lamb. He was the perfect
sacrifice. He was the substitute and by
his blood he is able to cleanse his people from all of their
sins. a body has thou prepared for
me. And so for the Lord's people the Son of God had to die. The Son of God had to make himself
a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. The
one who who Moses spoke to and is told his very presence, that
area where Christ was, was holy, had to come and walk with sinful
people. He had to become the friend of
sinful people in order to save sinful people. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
cleanses us from all sin. As the Apostle Paul was on that
road, as we saw this morning on the way to Damascus, he says,
I am Jesus, whom you persecutest. When Moses spoke to the Lord
Jesus Christ, he said, I am that I am. Go and tell them, I am
has sent me unto you. Go and tell them the Lord has
sent me to deliver you. As the children of Israel were
saved from Egypt, as the Apostle Paul was saved from the consequences
of his sin, so you and I can be saved the consequences of
our sin. No amount of sacrifice, no amount
of works that we do will ever be able to redeem us for we are
contaminated completely by sin but a body hast thou prepared
for me. Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of
God. John the Baptist, behold the
Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, the Lord Jesus
Christ, he is the way, the life, no one is able to go to the Father
except they go through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is his sacrifice
that God is well pleased with, it is him that was raised from
the dead, he is the first fruits of the resurrection and he will
come again to collect his people. You remember as we I think we
saw before I went away in the book of Acts it says and this
same Jesus this same Jesus, the one who born of the Virgin Mary,
the one who lived this life on the earth, the one who was crucified,
buried and rose again and ascended up into heaven, this same Jesus
who is there at the right hand of the Father, he will come and
he will come again to redeem his people. Wherefore when he
cometh into the world he says, sacrifice an offering thou wouldest
not but a body hast thou prepared for me. As the apostle said in
the book of Acts, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you
shall be saved. Amen. Let's close this service with
hymn number 160. 160. There is a fountain filled
with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath
that flood lose all their guilty stains. 160, tune 101. Yes, a fountain filled with blood,
drawn from Immanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that
flood. ? Resolve their guilty stains
? ? The dying thief rejoiced to see ? ? That fountain in his
day ? ? And never have thought a sea ? ? Was to my sins away
? ? If I had but thy precious blood ? ? Ever lose his power ? ? Till
all the heavens ? ? And Church of God ? ? Be saved to sin no
more ? Thy soul a stream, Thy flowing
waters supply. Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be ta'en I die. But when this list'ning sound
returns, I, silent in the grave, Then in the gloom the sweetest
song I'll sing thy power to save. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee
for the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank Thee that the
vilest sinner out of hell who lives to fill their need is welcome
at the throne of grace, the Saviour's blood, to plead. We pray, Lord,
that Thou give us eyes that see our need of the precious blood
of Christ and do apply it, Lord, we pray, to our lives, that when
you see the blood that you will pass over us. We pray that thou
be with us now as we sit around thy table, to be with those who
will go home, to watch over and bless, and do be with us as we
meet together on Wednesday according to thy will. And now may the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, with
the fellowship and the communion of the Holy Spirit, to abide
with us each now and for evermore. Amen.