the most amazing thing in the
world, without question, the most amazing
thing in the world, is the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, should come into this world, that he should condescend
to take upon himself our nature, that he might live here as a
man, as our mediator, our substitute, our surety, our redeemer, and
that he might lay down his life at Calvary under the wrath of
God, suffering all the horrid wrath of the holy, righteous,
and just God to put away our sins. I hope never to get over
the wonder of his amazing, redeeming love. The Son of God loved me
and gave himself for me. Herein is love, not that we loved
God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. God commendeth his love toward
us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This is how we know. This is how we perceive the love
of God. Christ died for us. Amazed as
I am by that fact, stupendous as that fact is, when I meditate
upon the fact that Jesus Christ came here as a man, to die as
the sinner's substitute under the wrath of God, I'm compelled
to ask why. Why did he come? Why was it necessary
for the Lord Jesus Christ to die at Calvary? What great necessity
could compel him to do so? But pastor, you've already said
he did this because he loved us. I love you too, but I haven't
died for you. I know my wife's love for me,
but she hasn't died for me. Why did he come here to die? That's the great question. That's
the question that must be answered if we would know who he is, if
we would identify the Christ of God as he's revealed in Holy
Scripture. I want you to know him. To know
him, you must know something about why he came here, what
the mission was he was sent to perform, what he accomplished
when he died upon the cursed tree. Why did Christ come? That's the question. Now that's,
the answer is given in many ways and in many places in Holy Scripture,
but nowhere is it given more fully than in our text this morning
in Hebrews chapter 10, verses 1 through 14. So I want you to
just hold your Bibles open at Hebrews 10, verses 1 through
14, and we'll look at these 14 verses together. The title of
my message is The Shadow of the Substance, and you'll see the
reason for that title in just a moment. Here the Apostle, being
inspired by God the Holy Ghost, tells us three reasons why Jesus
Christ came into this world. Three things which compelled
him to come into this world. three things by which he was
compelled to take on himself our nature. Here's the first
one, verses one through four. Our Lord Jesus, the Son of God,
came here to put away sin because there was no other way for sin
to be put away. He came here to put away sin. because it was not possible for
sin to be put away in any other way. Look at verse one. The law,
having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image
of the things, can never, with those sacrifices, the law can
never, the law can never, sacrifices, which they offered year by year
continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would
they not have ceased to be offered? Once the sacrifice was made,
and sin was put away, there's no need for another sacrifice.
because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more
conscience of sin. If those sacrifices offered by
priests on Jewish altars could put away sin, that would be the
end of sacrifices and there'd be no more need for sacrifice
because the sin has been put away. The guilt has been put
away and there's no more conscious of sin. That is no more guilt
before God, read on. But in those sacrifices, there
is a remembrance again, made of sins every year. For it is
not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away
sin. The law of God given by Moses
with all its rituals, sacrifices, and ceremonies was a shadow,
nothing but a shadow. Christ is the substance of the
shadow. The law was a shadow, a type,
a picture of good things to come in Christ Jesus. The good things
pictured by the sacrifices of the law and the services of the
law were good things such as reconciliation, redemption, pardon,
the forgiveness of sin, acceptance with God, free justification,
everlasting salvation, eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Now the tabernacle, the priesthood,
the law, all those things were given not to put away sin, but
only to serve as a shadow, a pattern, a blueprint, a picture of the
true tabernacle, the true sacrifice, which is Christ himself. We're
told in Colossians 2 that the law is a shadow of Christ, a
shadow of the grace of God. We're told again in Hebrews chapter
8, the law is a shadow of these heavenly things. Those Old Testament
sacrifices, I repeat, could not put away sin. I didn't say they
couldn't do it as well. I said they could not put away
sin. That's what's written right here
in our text. Don't miss the message given here by God the Holy Spirit. If those sacrifices could put
away sin, they would have ceased to be offered. If they could,
by one sacrifice or any sacrifice of any kind, make atonement for
my sin, there would be no need for any other sacrifice. You
see, the reason, the necessity compelling our Savior to die
was the justice of God. Benji was dealing with it this
morning in the study in Exodus 15. God's holiness, God's justice,
God's righteousness, God's truth. That's the very thing that brought
Israel across the Red Sea. And that's the very thing by
which Pharaoh and his armies were drowned in the Red Sea.
God will be just in everything he does. In all his character,
in all his works, God is just. Always he acts in justice, both
in judgment and in mercy. By mercy and truth, iniquity
is purged and no other way. Justice must be satisfied. Look
at verses 12 through 14 here in Hebrews 10. This man, this
one man, After he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting
till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering,
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. I had two friends many years
ago who were missionaries in Italy. Both of them told me the
same story about a rare priest in Italy. He was one of the few
priests who was known to be a preacher. And wherever he went to do what
they called the mass, he always preached. He even went to streets
and preached. He was well known as a preacher
and quite a gifted speaker for that matter. One day in front
of a huge crowd in one of their cathedrals, he was serving up
what they call the mass, breaking the bread and wine, what we call
the Lord's Supper, they make to be a works ceremony by which
men receive grace and sins put away, Christ is crucified afresh
and all that nonsense. And as he was observing mass,
he was reading this 10th chapter of the book of Hebrews. If these things did any good,
if they could put away sin, there wouldn't be a need for another.
And here I am standing daily as a priest offering up these
sacrifices that can never put away sin, but this man. after he had offered one sacrifice
for his sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. And
as he finished reading through verse 14, he's taking off his
cap or whatever they call that thing on his skull and his scarves
and his womanly attire, laying it aside, walking out the door,
convinced by God of his grace and redemption accomplished in
Jesus Christ the Lord. Do you understand me? No sacrifice
offered by man, no deed performed by man, no work, no ceremony
can ever atone for sin. Those things in the Old Testament
scriptures that were given by the law simply pointed to one
who was coming who would and must and indeed has put away
sin by the sacrifice of himself. And once sin has been put away,
the sinner is discharged before the bar of God. Once sin has
been put away, guilt is gone. Condemnation becomes an impossibility. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. This is the basis and the reason
for any true assurance before God. We have assurance of acceptance
with God because we've received testimony from God. Our consciences
being purged by the blood of Jesus Christ, by the sprinkling
of the blood by God the Holy Spirit on our own hearts, our
consciences are purged from guilt. And now we draw near to God with
a pure Oh, what blessedness to draw
near to God without sin, to come to God with freedom because there's
no guilt, to come to God with no fear of condemnation because
I have no reason to be fearful of God's justice, God's wrath,
and God's truth, God's righteousness, and God's holiness. All has been
satisfied by Jesus Christ the Lord. Lord Jesus has offered
one sacrifice for sin and believing him we have complete total confidence
and assurance that our sins are gone. This is what God says in
Hebrews 10 17 if you want to look at it referring to this
new covenant, this covenant of grace. And their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more. He's cast them away into the
depth of the sea, forgotten by God, never remembered by God
because God has by the sacrifice of his son put away our sins. Not all the blood of beasts on
Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace or
wash away the stain. Men and women practice religion
and they are compelled by religion and preachers and priests and
religious leaders and soul destroying religious people. Keep them in check and control
their lives and compel them to do things because they think
if they can do this or do that or do enough, then they'll have
peace with God. But the fact is, as long as you
seek acceptance with God by something you do, you're not satisfied. Any pretense you have of assurance
or salvation gives you no rest. I dare you to take your refuge
of lies and go to bed and think about judgment and hell. I dare
you. You dare not do so because there's
no removal of sin by what you do. Not all the blood of beasts
on Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace
or wash away the stain. But Christ, the heavenly Lamb,
takes all our sins away, a sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood
than they. Believing, we rejoice to see
the curse removed. We bless the Lamb with cheerful
voice and sing redeeming love. Have you ever observed how often
the scriptures declare things to be impossible? In Hebrews
6, 4, we're told that it's impossible for one who is born of God, partaker
of the divine nature, to fall from grace and perish at last.
In Hebrews 6, 18, we're told it is impossible for God to lie. In verse 11 of chapter, or verse
6 of chapter 7, we're told it's impossible for fallen sinners
to please God except by faith in Christ. those things that
men do, all those things men do by which they hope to appease
God, God says I won't have it. Read the first chapter of Isaiah.
Turn back there for a minute. Isaiah chapter 1. Isaiah chapter
1. These things were just a shadow,
a shadow of the sacrifice of our Redeemer and redemption by
Christ our Lord. Listen to what God says about
all the things that He required in the law that men should do.
Isaiah chapter 1. He says in verse 11, To what
purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, saith the
Lord? Well, God commanded that in the
law, didn't he? No. He commanded that you observe
these things by faith in that one represented in the services,
by that one represented in the sacrifices, by that one represented
in the mercy seat. He said, what to what purpose
are all these things? Read on. God says, I'm full of
them. I'm full of the burnt offerings
of rams and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood
of bullocks or of lambs or of he goats. When you come to appear
before me, who hath required this at your head to tread in
my courts? Bring no more vain oblations. Don't bring me another paschal
lamb. Don't bring me another morning sacrifice. Don't bring
me another evening sacrifice. Don't bring any more food offerings.
Bring me nothing. I won't have them. Read on. The
new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies I cannot away with
its iniquity, even the solemn meeting. If that's what God says
about men who practice the law He gave in the scriptures, but
those who practice it without reference to faith in Christ.
If that's what God says about that form of religion, imagine
how men's religion that they've invented must stink in his nostrils. Read on. Read on. Your new moons,
these things are your appointed feast, verse 14. My soul hateth
their trouble to me. I'm weary to bear them. And when
you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you.
Yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are
full of blood. Wash you, make you clean. Put away the evil of your doings
from before mine eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do
well. Seek judgment. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for
widows, for the widow. He says, you stop doing evil
and start doing good and I'll accept you. But you can't do
that. You can't do it. And so the Lord
God says, come now. Let us reason together, saith
the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall
be as wool. Come to Christ, believe on the
Son of God, be reconciled to God by faith in Christ. By that
alone can sin be put away. The scripture says here back
in our text, The law is a shadow of good things to come. I find
that very interesting. The law is a shadow of good things
to come. A shadow is an indication that
there's some substance nearby. I was trying to figure out a
way to illustrate it as I preached this morning, but the lights
that we have here, Brother Paul Harries, when he was here, put
all these lights in to keep there being any shadow reflected on
the camera. So you can't see a shadow up
here. The lights come from every direction and you can't see the
shadow. But if there's a light shining behind me or I'm standing
in the sun as it sits or as it rises and I'm standing there
and a shadow falls, Because there's something back there causing
the shatter. There's a substance. And the
substance precedes the shatter. You can't have the shadow without
the substance. Our Lord Jesus Christ is that
preexistent God, the preexistent Redeemer, the preexistent Savior,
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and all the work
that the law shadowed was already accomplished before ever he came
into the world to perform that work. He's the lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. And it is shattered forth throughout
the old covenant. Now look at verses five through
nine. Here's the second thing. Our Lord Jesus came here as a
man, as our mediator, our substitute, our representative, to do and
fulfill the will of God, to bring in a better covenant. He who
is the substance of the shadow is the end of the law. He's the
terminating point of the shadow. He's the fulfillment of the law. He's the finishing of the law. He is that one of whom the scripture
speaks, Christ is the end of the law, the one of whom the
law spoke. And when he came, he came here
to take away the first covenant, that Sinai covenant given on
Mount Sinai, that covenant which said, do and live, sin and die. And he comes to bring in a new
covenant, a better covenant, the everlasting covenant. Verses
five through eight are a direct quotation from the 40th Psalm. Now let's read verses five through
nine. Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice
and offering thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared
me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin, thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come, in the
volume of the book it is written of me, to do thy will, O God. This is the purpose of my coming.
I've come here to do your will. This is the father's will, he
said. He said, I come here now that my father loved me because
I laid down my life for the sheep. I've come here to do thy will,
O God. Verse eight, above when he said
sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin
thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein. That is, these
things could never satisfy God. They could never satisfy God. But what about that altar of
incense and the smoke ascending up indicating God's acceptance
of the sacrifice? Not the bull, not the lamb, but
Christ who's represented in the bull and the lamb. He is well-pleasing,
satisfying, and gives God pleasure. Sacrifice and offering and burnt
offering and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither has
pleasure therein which are offered by the law. Then said he, that
is then the Lord Jesus, God's darling son, the mediator said,
lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first that
he may establish the second. God the Holy Ghost prepared a
body for God the Son. He prepared for him a real human
body. In the womb of the Virgin Mary,
by the overshadowing power of the Holy Ghost, that holy thing
was formed in the Virgin's womb. He prepared him a body in which
he could both obey God as a man, and put away sin as a man by
the sacrifice of himself, that he might bear our sins in his
own body on the cursed tree. The sacrifices and offerings
of the Old Testament continued only for a set time. They were
just for a set time until Christ should come. Paul says in 1 Corinthians
5, 7, Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. We no longer
offer God any sacrifice for sin. As long as you do, you're under
the wrath of God. We no longer offer God any sacrifice
for sin. As long as you do, you're under
the wrath of God. I've told you several times, My mother and dad were visiting
us some years ago, and got ready to leave, and my dad looked at
me, tears running down his cheeks, and I didn't see that very often
in my lifetime. He said, someday, I hope I can make up to God for
all I've done. And as I spoke to him, tears
ran down my cheeks. And I said, Dad, I hope someday
you'll quit trying. As long as you keep trying to
make up to God, you're under the wrath of God. There is one
who made up for God for me. And that one is Jesus Christ
the Lord, the Lamb of God. And he's all I offer to God. I hope he's all you offer. He's
all I've got for acceptance with God. I hope he's all you've got. The Lord Jesus Christ came here
to fulfill the law. And the law was given only to
point to him. And when the fullness of time
came, God clothed his darling son in a human body, prepared
in the virgin's womb by the Holy Ghost that his own dear son in
the body of a man might obey the law and bring in everlasting
righteousness. For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. In verse six,
again, we're told that it is impossible for animal blood to
put away any human sin. Burnt offerings, sacrifices made
by men can't satisfy divine justice. God requires something more.
He requires, according to Micah chapter six and verse eight,
that we do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. Do justly. What does that mean? That means tax season's gonna
be coming up, now be sure you don't cheat on your taxes. No,
that's not what it means. Don't cheat on your taxes, but
that's not what that means. That means when you weigh out
a pound and sell a man a pound of seed, you make sure you give
him 16 ounce to a pound. Now, be sure you do that, but
that's not what that means. To do justly. How can any human
being do justly? We do justly only when we offer
God him who has done justly. Jesus Christ whose name is the
Lord our righteousness. And love mercy. That means be
gracious and kind and forgiving. No, be gracious and kind and
forgiving by all means. But that's not what it means.
That means if you have somebody gives you trouble, overlook it.
Do that, but that's not what it means. Do mercy? Or love mercy? How can I say
that I love mercy? When I love him who is mercy,
Jesus Christ, my Redeemer, who is called by Zachariah the mercy
of God. And walk humbly with thy God. Walk humbly with thy God. How is that? Walk with God. with the absolute, full disclosure
of what you are. If we confess our sins, well,
you come to a preacher in front of a Baptist church and tell
them I've done this, I cheated here, I stole that, I committed
adultery, I committed this thing, no. I mean you go to a confessional
booth in a Catholic church, same thing, same thing, not any different
at all, and tell him you've sinned, no, that's not what it is. That
means you get on your knees and start telling God I've done this,
I've done that, done that, no, that's not what it means, that's
what it means. Confess your sin. Make bare your heart to God. Rex Bartlett, that's the hardest
confession on this earth you'll ever make, and the best. Make bare your heart to God. Hide nothing. Confess to God
what you are. Sin. Nothing but sin. Believe in his son. That's what
it is to walk humbly with our God. This is what the whole book
of God is all about. It is written to me in the volume
of the book. Lo, I come to do thy will, O
God. Every time I read that or think
about it, I think, is that talking about the book of God's decrees?
Or this, the book of God's revelation? And I always come up with the
same answer. Yes, that's what it's talking about. It's written of
Him in the book of God's decrees. You read it in Revelation chapter
four. And all the book of Holy Scripture in the Old Testament. From the moment of Adam's transgression
in the garden, Until the Lord Jesus Christ appeared on this
earth, spoke of him, of him who was to come, by whose one offering
sin would be put away. In the garden, the Lord Jesus
said, lo, I come to do thy will, O my God, and he slew the animal. and made skins to cover Adam
and Eve and wrapped them in those skins, saying, this is what I'm
going to do for you. I'm going to die in your stead and robe
you with perfect righteousness. He said, the woman's seed will
come and crush the serpent's head. Abraham saw his day and
rejoiced and was glad. He took a sacrifice and parted
it before God. And when the buzzards came, he
didn't sacrifice, he drove them away. Believing on the Lord Jesus
Christ, he took his son Isaac up Mount Moriah and he offered
him as a sacrifice to God. A ram was offered in his stead.
And he said, my son, this is what that means. Jehovah-Jireh,
the Lord will provide. Moses spoke of the goodwill of
him that dwelt in the bush. He spoke of the Lord Jesus Christ,
that prophet who would come. We read in the scriptures of
a man named David who lived all his life from the time he was
just a youth. He went out as just a boy in
the name of the Lord to slay Goliath. And he said, there's
a cause. There's a cause to which I'm
committed. And this is what it was. All his life, that man David
lived in hope of one coming who would be the fruit of his own
loins, a man. who is himself God, by whom sin
would be put away, a man who would sit on his throne forever
to rule over all flesh, giving eternal life to as many as thou
hast given him." You read in the scriptures, this is how God's
people spoke of him in the Song of Solomon. Behold, he cometh
leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. And there were
people throughout the Old Testament who believed him. Daniel spoke
so clearly. I had a call earlier this week.
A friend, he was asking me about the prophecy of Daniel. I said,
Daniel's prophecy was a prophecy of 70 weeks of year, so definitely
written that when it came to that 70th week, men and women
who believed God were looking for Christ to come. Did you notice
when you read the story in Matthew's Gospel? That when the time of
Christ's birth drew near, all of Jerusalem was expecting the
Messiah to appear. Nobody was surprised. Herod even
expected it to happen. He had heard about it. Nobody
was surprised. Everybody around knew this is
in the 70th week. This is about the time he must
come. And there were some who would
not leave the temple. waiting for the son of God, the
God man, to appear in his temple, making his house glorious. There
was a man named Simeon and a woman named Anna who waited patiently
with anticipation for the consolation of Israel. And blessed be his
name. Our dear Savior still says to
his church, lo, I come. Lo, I come. He comes to visit his people
in the ordinances of divine worship. There is no place in the universe
where God promises to meet with man except right here in the
gathered assembly of his people. Where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. If folks just had to believe
that, we'd have to knock the walls down to get folks here.
Folks gather by the Spirit of God to worship Christ, and the
Lord Jesus says, lo, there am I in the midst of them. He comes
to chosen sinners at the appointed time of love by the preaching
of the gospel. spreads over them his skirt of
righteousness, the garments of salvation, and says, live, and
makes the horrid, ugly, corrupt, rotting sinner beautiful, pure,
and righteous in his sight. He says, lo, I come, and with
every stroke of providence comes to his own in a unique way for
specific purpose of doing them good. He says, lo, I come. At the appointed time, when I
leave this world, I hope to hear the Savior say, lo, I come. He comes to gather his own. He
says, Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me
be with me where I am. And soon, soon, when he comes
in his great glory at that appointed last day, the Lord Jesus says,
lo, I come to do thy will, O my God. Now look at verse 9, in
order to fulfill and bring in the new everlasting covenant
and all the blessings of that covenant, our Savior completely
took away the old. Verse 8, when he said sacrifice
and offerings and burnt offerings and offerings for sin, thou wouldest
not neither has pleasure therein which are offered by the law.
Then he said, lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away
the first, that is the first covenant, the law, that he may
establish the second. He taketh away the covenant of
works, that he may establish this new covenant of grace. In
verse eight, the apostle is speaking a quotation from Psalm 40. In verse nine, He tells us that
when Christ fulfilled all those old sacrifices, he replaced them. Those sacrifices gave no pleasure
to God except as they were offered by faith. He comes to bring a
sacrifice accepted of God by which he brings faith. By completely
fulfilling the redemptive will and purpose of God, Christ has
put away all sacrifices, all offerings, all the priesthood,
and all that was associated with that covenant. Christ is the
end of the law. He stands in the place of all
that was represented in the law. And now, having Christ, we have
all things. You see, this is always God's
method of grace. He taketh away the first, that
he may establish the second. You remember when our Lord began
to show forth his glory in John 2? The folks at a marriage feast
had drunk up all the wine and people were embarrassed, they'd
run out of wine. And so the Lord Jesus took three great big pots,
water pots, and he said, fill them up with water. And they
filled him up with water and he turned the water to wine.
And the servants took a cup of wine to the governor of the feast
and said, wow, you saved the best wine to last. Nobody else
does like that. God always does. He always does. He comes and strips away your
refuge of lies that he may build you upon the sure foundation,
Christ Jesus. And you will never be built on
Christ until God knocks out every other prop from under you. As
long as you can, you're gonna find something on which you're
gonna try to hobble your way to heaven. Some work, some prayer,
some work, some deed, some experience, some church, some doctrine, some
creed. And until God knocks the prop out from under you, you
will not fall down and be built upon this rock which he's laid
in Zion. The Lord God always takes away
your false hope to give a good hope, a good hope through grace.
He takes away the first covenant that he may bring in the better
covenant. How much better, how much better? To most people, this is what
salvation is all about, do. Do, do, do, do, and you never
do enough. That's the old covenant. Christ
smashes it to pieces, utterly annihilates it, and says, done,
done, done, done. God can require no more. God
can ask no more, God can give no more, done. One last thing,
verses 10 through 14. Our Lord Jesus, why did he come?
He came here specifically to die at Calvary to accomplish
redemption for God's elect according to the will of God. Understand this and you will
begin to understand history. understand this and you will
begin to understand providence. Understand this and you'll begin
to understand the book of God. God created the world for Christ to die at Calvary
and thereby show forth his glory to creatures made in his likeness. God created the world Christ
to die at Calvary and from the very first ray of light to shine
upon the new creation until Christ Jesus said it is finished. Everything that happened Like a huge funnel, providence
pushed everything that happened into this one point. And now
the time came and Christ laid down His life. What happened
when He laid down His life? Then said He, verse 9, lo, I
come to do thy will, O God. He takes away the first that
he may establish the second. By the which will, that is by
this new revelation of God's will and covenant grace, by his
obedience to the everlasting purpose of God, by the which
will we are sanctified. Not we're going to be sanctified,
not we're being sanctified, not we hope maybe you'll be sanctified,
but sanctified. The word means by the which will
we are holy. made whole by the offering of
the body of Jesus Christ once for all, one time with finality,
suffered once, never to suffer again. And every priest standeth
daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices
which can never take away sins. The priest in Israel who lived
at that time and priest today who call themselves priest and
preachers who pretend to offer sacrifice to God, that's so much
horse manure. They can never take away sins.
But this man, this one man, this one man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, did something no priest in the
Old Testament could ever do. He sat down. He sat down because
the work was done. Over, finished, ended. He sat
down on the right hand of God, entering into rest. Resting because
the work was over. From henceforth expecting till
his enemies be made his footstool. For God said to him, ask of me
and I'll give you the heathen for your inheritance. For by
one offering, one offering. Oh, isn't that good? By one offering.
He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. By one offering,
Jesus Christ perfected, made absolutely complete and perfect. Every sinner sanctified in Him
in God's eternal decree before the world was set apart by God
as the objects of His grace. He hath by one offering sanctified
forever, made perfect forever them that are sanctified. And
that's why He came. And that's the substance of all
that is shattered forth in all the Old Testament. Jesus Christ
has redeemed us. He redeemed me. It's done. I'm redeemed by the precious
blood of the Lamb. Oh, may God make that redemption
yours. Amen.