Every priest, there were many
high priests and many common priests. It says here they standed. They stood at the altar. They
stood at the labor of clear water. They stood at the altar where
the lamb was slain. They stood before the Ark of
the Covenant. They stood, always stood. sat down. They never rested. Their work was never done. Every
high priest, many of them, standing daily, ministering every day. There were sacrifices to be offered
every day. Morning, noon, and night. Every
day. Oftentimes, he says, the same
sacrifices. The same sacrifices. Always a
lamb or a ram. Or a goat. Burn offerings, sin
offerings, bank offerings, atonement offerings, offerings, offerings,
offerings, offerings. Same sacrifice. Watch this. Which can never, never, never
take away sin. Never. David knew that. He said, my sins are ever before
me. Back here in Hebrews 10 verse 4. It's not possible that the
blood of bulls and goats should take away sin. David said, my
sins are ever before me. Isaiah wrote years later, your
sins have separated you and your God. Turn over there to Isaiah
59. Let's read two or three verses
here. Isaiah chapter 59. These sacrifices
never took away sin. In the offering of these sacrifices,
there was a remembrance of sin every year. But Isaiah 59-1,
Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save,
neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities,
your iniquities have separated between you and your God. Your
sins have hid his face from you. He'll not hear. Your hands are
defiled with blood. Your fingers with iniquity. Your
lips have spoken lies. Your tongues have muttered perverseness. That's the problem. And these
offerings never put that sin away. Our Lord said, I read a
while ago, He said, in burnt offerings and sacrifices for
sin, thou hast never had any pleasure or satisfaction. Never
take away sin. Never. Turn to Isaiah 64. Listen
to this, Isaiah 64, verse 6 and 7. Isaiah said, we are all as
an unclean thing. Now here's a shocking statement,
and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. We've been talking
about our iniquities and transgressions being abominable, but our righteousnesses,
our good works, There's sin in everything we do. There's so
much self and iniquity and poor motives. In the flesh, no man can please
God. In the flesh, well, it's no good thing. Even our righteousnesses
are filthy rags. And we all do fade as a leaf.
And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away, and
there's none that call upon thy name, thy name, that stirreth
up himself to take hold of thee." Where are the people today who
are calling on the name of God and stirring up themselves to
take hold of God? Thou hast hid thy face from us
and consumed us because of our iniquity. Back to our text, Hebrews 10,
11, these sacrifices can never Take away sin. Here's good news,
verse 12, but this man, but this man, not a mere man now. When our Lord Jesus Christ stood
before Pilate, Pilate made this remark. He said, Behold the man. Not knowing what he said, but
he declared the character of this man. This is the man. This
is the man, the God-man. As much God as if he's not a
man. As much man as if he's not God. This is the mystery of Godliness.
God was manifest in the flesh. God was made flesh and dwelt
among us and we beheld his glory. The glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. By one man, sin entered
this world. By one man, we were made the
righteousness of God in him. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15. Let's
read about this man. This man, born of a woman, made
under the law. took upon himself the likeness
of sinful flesh, 1 Corinthians 15, took upon himself the likeness
of sinful flesh, was made for a time in the habit of a servant, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. In verse 21 of 1 Corinthians
15, since by man came death, Christ said, by one man sin entered
this world and death by sin. By man came death. By man came
also the resurrection of the dead. Life. Eternal life. As in Adam we died. In Christ
we've been made alive. Look at verse 47, 48. First Corinthians
47. The first man is of the earth.
That's Adam. Earthy. Dust. God made him of
dust. That's what he goes back to.
But the second man is the Lord from heaven. The second man is
God. And as is the earthy, such are
they that are earthy. That's the way we were born of
Adam. Everybody. Adam's our roots. Every nation,
tribe, kindred, tongue unto heaven can trace their Roots to Adam. He's the first man. God didn't
make but one man. The rest of us were born from
that man. And we're earthy just like him.
We're going back to the dust too. There won't be a thing.
When we're put in the ground, after a period of years, there's
not anything will be left of you or me that the human eye
could see back to the dust. cast into the depths of the sea
and the fish eat it. And as is the heavenly, he's
forever this second man from heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As is Adam, so are we who come from Adam, but as is the heavenly,
that man, such are they that are heavenly, that God has quickened,
to whom God has given life, who are born again of the Spirit,
born from above, born from heaven, born from above, born of the
Spirit in the Word, such are they. He'll never die, we'll
never die. He'll never cease to be, we'll
never cease to be. He'll be exalted in glory and so shall we. That's
this man I'm talking about. This man. You talk about all
those Old Testament priests, but this man. Now watch this, Hebrews 10 and
12, this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sin forever,
this man, what was the sacrifice? Himself. These Old Testament
priests brought the blood of animals. Christ has entered not
the place made with hands, which is a picture, but heaven itself,
not with blood the blood of others, but with his own precious blood. Over in Isaiah 53, the scripture
said he made his soul an offering for sin. His soul and his body. This man, after he had offered
one sacrifice, now watch this, for sin. For whose sin? For his. He had no sins. He who knew no sin, who had no
sin, was made sin for us. I want you to turn to Isaiah
53, and let's read this again. And you put your name in there
as I read it, and I'll put my name in there. This man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sin, for sin, in the place of, in the stead
of, for sin, Isaiah 53, 4, surely he hath borne Henry's sin, grace,
and carried Henry's We did esteem him stricken, smitten of God,
and afflicted, but he was wounded for Henry's transgressions, for
your transgressions. He was bruised for Henry's iniquities,
a chastisement of Henry's peace with God was upon him, and with
his tribes, this old sinner is healed." That's it. But this man, after
he'd offered one sacrifice, Or sins. Often? No. Forever. Forever. Their sin, their sacrifices could
never take away sin. His took away sin forever. Look at this next line. And he
sat down. If you'll study that Old Testament tabernacle and
temple, you'll find all manner of furniture, but you'll find
no chairs. There is no place to sit. There
is no place to sit anywhere in the courtyard, the holy place
of the Holy of Holies. The Old Testament priests stand. This man, when he had offered
one sacrifice himself, forever, sat down with the right hand
of God. His work is done. He said, it's
finished. His work is accepted. The Father
said to the Son, sit thou on my right hand till I make thine
enemies thy footstool. He has entered into the place
of honor, the place of glory, accepted. He's entered into his
rest. He's ceased from his labors and
his enemies, look at verse 13. henceforth expect until his enemies
be made his footstool." His enemies are defeated. Now let me read
you a couple of verses. Turn to Hebrews 12, or Hebrews
2, I'm sorry, Hebrews 2, verse 7. His enemies are defeated.
Satan is defeated. Satan is cast out. I hear preachers always talking
about Satan, Satan, Satan, talking about his power and all. He has
power, no question about that. He goes about like a roaring
lion seeking whom he may devour, but he has no authority or power
over God's church, over God's people. He can't touch the Lord's
people without God's permission. He has permission to afflict
Job, God gave it to him, but not without permission. Our Lord
said to Peter, Satan hath desired thee that he may sift thee as
wheat. He couldn't touch him or sift him without the Lord's
permission. He's defeated. And you see here
in Hebrews 2, 7, speaking of our Lord Jesus, Thou made him
for a little while, for a little while lower than the angels.
Thou crowned him with glory and honor and did set him over the
works of thy hands. Thou hast put all things in subjection
under His feet, right now. For in that He put all in subjection
under Him, He left nothing that's not put under Him. But now, right
now, we see not yet all things put under Him. We don't see it,
but it's put under Him. Because you don't see it, that
means not true. We don't see heaven, but it's
there. We don't see God's everlasting kingdom, but it's there. It's
already there. Our Lord said, I go to prepare a place for you.
It's already there. I don't see it. I don't see everything
under his feet. Looks like to me this place is
falling apart. And it is, humanly speaking.
But it's all according to his purpose and the blueprint and
the plan is being fulfilled. It's all under his feet. One
more, let me show you another scripture. First Corinthians
15 again. 1 Corinthians 15. We don't see
everything under him, but it's under him. We don't see everybody
in subjection to him, but they are. They are. Let me quote you a verse while
you're finding 1 Corinthians 15. The Lord Jesus prayed to
the Father and he said, Thou hast given me authority over
all flesh, that I should give eternal life to as many as you've
given me. He already has that authority.
He's king now. In 1 Corinthians 15, verse 24, then cometh the
end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the
Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority
and all power, that's everywhere, for he must reign till he hath
put all enemies under his feet, and the last enemy that shall
be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under
his feet. But when he saith all things
are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted which put
all things under him. Who is that? The Father. And when all things shall be
subdued under him, then shall the Son also himself be subject
under him that put all things under him, that God may be all
in all. already under his feet. He sat
down. He came to this earth and fulfilled
and accomplished the work God gave him to do and sat down. And it's on schedule. It's on
schedule. Look at verse 14. By one offering,
there'll never be another Bethlehem. There'll never be another angelic
announcement. There'll never be another Gethsemane
where he prayed for us. There'll never be another Calvary
where he died for our sins. There'll never be another open
tomb. When the women came to the tomb,
the angel said, he's not here. That's the only place of which
it can be said, he's not here. That's all. He's everywhere.
Heaven and earth can't contain Him. He's everywhere. But that's
the place He's not dead. Do away with all your crucifixes
and all your crosses. Throw them in the garbage heap.
He's not on the cross. You walk through this Belfont
Hospital and you see the crucifixes and Christ, He's not hanging
on the cross. He's not here. Go on over to
Jerusalem if you want to Sneak around, look in that open grave.
He's not there. Ride the boat on the Sea of Galilee,
go to Mount Calvary, anywhere you want to, but he's not there.
He's risen. He's not dead. He's not hanging on a cross.
He's not lying in a tomb. He's risen. There'll never be
another open tomb. There'll never be another high
priest. Men can make their priests and call them father or papa
or comrade or compadre. whatever they want to, but there'll
never be another one. Never be another one. Call no
man father, one is your father. Call no man master, one is your
master. Call no man a priest, he's your priest. That's right. One of our young men in the church
several years ago lost his father. He and his mom were sitting in
the room at St. Mary's Hospital after the Lord
took his father home. And a nurse came in to console
and comfort them and she said, would you like for me to send
the priest to you? He said, no thanks, we have a
priest. No thanks. Don't want your earthly
priest. We have a priest. He's at the
right hand of God, and he's seated, victorious. He's accomplished
everything that God required, commanded, expected, demanded
of us. He sat down. For by one offering, verse 14,
he hath perfected forever. Perfected forever. Perfect has
only one meaning, without flaw, without spot or blemish. Whom has he perfected? Them that
are sanctified. Them that are sanctified. Well,
who are they? Well, let's check. Turn to the
book of Jude. The book of Jude. Them that are
sanctified. The word sanctify is to set apart. to make holy, to appoint for
holy purposes, for God's use, sanctified, set apart. Jude 1. Jude 1 and 2. Jude, the servant
of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to them that are sanctified
by God the Father. We're sanctified by God the Father. Well, God the Father didn't die
for us. God the Father didn't suffer on the cross. God the
Father chose us. God the Father gave us to Christ. God the Father set us apart and
sanctified us for his glory. This is mine, he said. God the Father takes that which
is common, that which is ordinary, that which is like many others. and sets it apart, says, that's
mine. One day out of seven, he sanctified and told Israel, that's
the Lord's day, Sabbath. The high priest, common, ordinary
man, but he sanctified him, my priest. The firstborn, a woman
may have a dozen children, but back then, the firstborn, that's
mine. The vessels in the temple, there
were vessels everywhere, these are mine. sanctified, not for
anybody else. And God has sanctified us, the
Father. Before I formed thee in the belly,
he said, I knew thee, I sanctified thee, I set thee apart, and I
said, you're mine. That's what sanctified there
means, you're mine. Jacob have a love, he saw of
a hater. All right, turn to another verse in 1 Corinthians 2. 1 Corinthians 2. Now one offering
he perfected for ever them that are sanctified. This is not something
the church does after somebody dies. Make a saint out of them. No, no, no, no, no. Canonize
them because they did some great work. We're sanctified by the
Father. 1 Corinthians 1, 2, listen to
this. Unto the church of God, which
is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus. We're sanctified in Christ. We're
sanctified not by works we did, but by works He did. We're sanctified not by righteousness
we perfected. We're not righteous in ourselves.
I just read to you our righteousness is a filthy race. But we're sanctified
in Christ. He of God is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Christ paid our
debt. He was charged with things He
didn't do. They were imputed to Him, our
sins, and He died unto them. We're charged and given credit
for things we didn't do, and that's his righteousness. He
bore our sins, we bear his righteousness. We're sanctified in Christ, and
in Christ we're holy, unblameable, unreprovable. Now to him is able
to present you faultless before his presence with exceeding glory. Who's going to present you? He
is in himself. And then thirdly, turn to 1 Corinthians
6. We're sanctified in the Holy
Spirit, or by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6, 11. He talks about thieves and drunkards
and revilers and extortioners and covetous, and then he says
in verse 11, such were some of you, but you're washed, you're
sanctified. You justify in the name of the
Lord Jesus by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God sanctified.
So the Trinity, the Father sanctified us, chose us. The Son sanctified
us, died for us, gave us his righteousness. The Holy Spirit
gives us a new heart and a new nature, reconciles us, God to
us. Christ reconciles us to God.
The Holy Spirit reconciles God to us. Takes away the wrath and
the enmity. All right, I must hurry. Let's
look now. Verse 15 through 17. What proof
do we have of all these great mercies? Are we left to our own thoughts?
Are we left to the imaginations of men? But we have proof. But it says
here in verse 15, we do have proof. For 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.
After the days of priesthood and sacrifices and tabernacles
and temples I'll put my law in their hearts and in their minds
when I write them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember
no more." When did he say this? Way back yonder. Turn to Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 31. And I want
you to turn there and read this with me. This is our witness. The Holy Ghost is our witness.
This is the promise of God. This is the promise of God. This mercy, this forgiveness,
this grace. Jeremiah 31, verse 31. Look at this. Behold, the days
come, saith the Lord, I'll make a new covenant for the house
of Israel, for the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant
I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the
hand to bring them out of Egypt. I gave them that law from Sinai,
the law of the tabernacles, the priesthood, the sacrifices, the
incense, the burnings, the washing, which my covenant, they break. They didn't. They were disobedient
people, although I was a husband to them, saith the Lord. I was
good to them, but they weren't good to me. He said one time,
he said, the ox knows his owner and the ass knows his master's
crib. Even a dumb donkey out in the
field will come home at six o'clock to eat. But not my people. He said, not my people. They
go to the troughs of the world. They don't know their father.
They don't know their master. But, verse 33, this shall be
a covenant that I'll make with the house of Israel. After those
days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts.
I'll write it in their hearts, and I'll be their God, and they'll
be my people. And they'll teach no more every
man his neighbor, saying, know the Lord. They're going to know
me. They're going to know their master. They're going to come
home. From the least of them to the
greatest of them, saith the Lord, and I'll forgive their iniquities
and remember their sin no more." That's the witness of this whole
book. Now back to our text, Hebrews
10. There are sins and iniquities that I remember no more. Now
verse 18. Where remission is, where forgiveness
is, where remission of these sins, these, when it says where
remission of these is, that's these sins, that's what I just
talked about, there's sins and iniquities. There's no more offering
for sins. There's no more offerings, there's
no more shaking of the censer, and the smelling of the incense,
and the killing of the animals, and the shedding of blood, and
the... No more of that. Sins forgive us. We don't confess
our sins to men, we confess them to God. We don't depend upon the prayers
of men. We depend on the intercession of Christ. He ever lived to make
intercession for us. There's no more offering for
sin. There's no more sin offerings. No more high praise. No more
holy of holies. It says in verse 19, therefore
having boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Christ.
Where's the holiest? That's the holy of holies. It's
a kind of glory of God dwelt in the tabernacle. That's the
place behind the place, where only the priest went once a year
with the blood of others. But when Christ died, that veil
in the temple was rent in twain, from top to the bottom. And the
way into the presence of God is open for every believer. Every
believer now is a priest. unto him who loved us and washed
us from our sins in his own blood and made us kings and priests
unto God." Well, what sacrifice do we offer? A priest has to
have a sacrifice. We offer the sacrifices of praise,
thanksgiving, and prayer. Those are our offerings. We offer a sacrifice of praise,
and with such sacrifices, God is well pleased. Come on. Don't send one of the sons of
Avon in there for years. Oh, my soul. Why would I want
one of these fellas to go before God when Christ is before God,
my high priest? Those fellas back then never
could put away sin. They offered sacrifice. They
never sat down. God never welcomed them to sit
down beside Him. But our Lord, our high priest,
when He went to glory, having died on the cross, the Father
said, sit here at my right hand. And we're seated with Him in
the heaven. So we have boldness. Not arrogance. Boldness. Liberty. To enter into the holiest, into
the presence of God by a new and living way, not that old
tabernacle and temple and... He consecrated through the veil,
His flesh, He died, our high priest. And then it says this,
let me give you four things. And having a high priest over
the house of God, we have a high priest. Number one, let's draw near. Let's draw near in a power with
a true heart. It's not a game. Let's don't
play a game. Let's don't. Don't do your prayer to be seen
of men or your almsgiving or your worship. God won't have anything to do
with that. personally, individually, coming
before God with a sincere heart, a true heart, in full assurance
of faith, not wavering. We come in Christ's name. We
don't come on our own name or in our own name. We come in His
name, based on His work. Full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience with the blood
of Christ, and our bodies washed with pure water, When Christ
died and they pierced his side, it says, forthwith came water
and blood. Augustus' top lady said, let
the water and the blood from thy riven side which flow, be
of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make thee pure. and the blood of Christ saved
me from wrath, and the water, which is his way, makes me pure,
his spirit. Justification and sanctification
in Christ, they're both in him, the water and the blood, the
washings and the blood, justification, sanctification, both in Christ.
So let's draw near. Let's draw near. I used to live on the railroad
track. When I was growing up, as a boy growing up, Our home,
our house, was on the railroad track, the Southern Railway.
They came through there. Back then, there was a lot of
trains, freight trains and passenger trains, and they came rolling
through there day and night. We lived about 100 yards off
the track. Used to go out and put pennies on the railroad and
let them run over and mash them. You engineers, don't tell anybody
we did things like that. But there was a family that lived
like we did on the railroad track. Had a son, and he was a rebel,
a real rebel, just a terrible rebel. And he left home at about
18 or 19. Roamed all over the United States.
Mother and dad never heard from him. He was just such a rebel.
Never saw him or heard from him for, oh, several years passed. And they got a letter. one day
from that son, and he said, Dear Mom and Dad, I've broken your
heart. I've sinned against you. I've made your life miserable,
and I'm so sorry. And I beg your forgiveness. And
if you want me to, I'm coming back home. And he said, I'm going to hop
a freight train that goes by our house. You remember every
day it goes by the house at a certain time. And their house was like
my house. My house was by the railroad,
but it was only about a half mile to the station. The depot
was just about half a mile. And the trains, most of them
went by our place pretty slow. And so he said, I'll be on that
train. I'll be on that train in a boxcar.
If you want me to come home, just hang a white sheet out on
the line in the backyard. And when I see that sheet, I
know I'm welcome. Well, that day came, and he was on that
train. And that train rode into the
station and then started down the track towards where that
house was. And he looked out the boxcar.
Did he see a white sheet? His mama had borrowed every sheet
the neighbors had, and every sheet she had, and all the white
shirts she could find. And there were sheets on the
line and sheets on the fence and sheets on the barn and sheets
everywhere. And he swung off the train and
went home to a welcome like a prodigal son. Does God welcome you in
the wayward son? Look to the cross. Look to the
Word. Welcome. Let's draw near. Let's
draw near. And verse 23 tells us, let's
hold our profession. Let's hold our profession, let's
hold it in faith, let's look to Him. Why? Because, look at this, let's
hold fast our profession of faith without wavering because He's
faithful who promised. That's how you're going to continue,
preach, you're going to continue in this message. Yes, sir. But the reason is because He's
faithful, not because I am. Not because I find anything in
here that gives me the courage or strength, but I find it in
him. He's faithful. He promised. He'll
never fail. That's right. He'll never leave
us. So you can count on that. You can count on that. Then he
said in verse 24, let's consider one another. Let's love one another.
Let's consider one another. Let's, both as brethren and remember,
let's consider one another as frail creatures. frail creatures. Let's remember, let's encourage
one another, exalt, promote one another to love and good works.
And then he said in verse 25, let's forsake not the assembling
of ourselves together. Worship the Lord. Be where the people of God are.
when they meet to worship. I know you worship God out in
the barn. You worship God on the creek
bank. I don't know how many people
do, but I know you can. I know you can. But I do know
he said where two or three are met in my name for the purpose
of worship, I'll be with them. And I'll tell you, when Lydia
met the Lord through Paul's gospel. She was assembled with a group
of women because they didn't have a synagogue.
They met by the river on the Sabbath day to worship God. And
God honored it with his presence. So let's meet together for three
or four reasons. One, because of God. Because of God, he commands it.
Number two, because we need it. Because I need this, you do too. And because of our children.