Christ, the Better Sacrifice

Good many of you are aware of the legacy and the ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon want to remind you, the first words that he spoke from his pulpit, but the metric Metropolitan Tabernacle in London were these quote. I would propose that the subject of the ministry of this house as long as this platform shall stand, and as long as this house shall be frequented by worshipers shall be the person of Jesus Christ. I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist. I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist, but if I am asked what is my creed. I reply it is Jesus Christ. I would pin and bind myself forever, God helping me. Jesus Christ is my legacy. He is the arm and the substance of the gospel who is in himself.

All theology, the incarnation of every precious truth" enough you could go back in time and meet some people who traveled this pilgrim way. He's one person I would like to meet and you know what we will. I will take eternity to meet all the saints of God to enjoy all that God has for us. What I've chosen this portion from Hebrews chapter 10 this morning for an obvious reason focuses our attention on the person work the Lord Jesus Christ. I chose it for some other reasons I chose it also because it connects the incarnation with his saving work on Calvary. I chose it also because we have the words of the Lord Jesus Christ spoken to the father concerning the incarnation is rare that we have that we don't have many other places in the Scriptures where we can go and find that we have the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to his father about the body that was prepared for him in eternity past and the purposes of God, that he might come to this earth in the incarnation, so those are couple of the reasons I chose in this passage.

So let's look this morning that Hebrews chapter 4 and are four things that I would like to draw your attention to number one wants to see how the Old Testament Scriptures point us to Jesus Christ. And when I speak of the Old Testament Scriptures. I'm speaking of the Old Testament Scriptures that deal with the ceremony and the sacrificial system the Levitical stood because that's the focus of the writer of Hebrews here in the first four versus so will look at that. Secondly, we will consider the body of Jesus Christ. Consider some things, why it was necessary for Jesus to have a body. Why was necessary for God the father to repair her body for his son and then will consider some things that are unique about the body. Number three I want you to consider with me the passage speaks about the obedience of Jesus Christ and then lastly will consider the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and what that sacrifice accomplished the best way to understand the book of Hebrews is to understand the use of the word better trace that theme through the entire book in the writer of Hebrews is trying to communicate to us that Jesus Christ is better in every way. He's better than the Angels, chapters 1 and two. He's better than Moses, chapters 3 and four.

He's better than the ironic priesthood chapters 4 through seven Christ establishes a better covenant a superior covenant chapters 8 and nine Christ offers a superior sacrifice chapter 10 where we are this morning. Christ is the author and pioneer of the superior way, the way of faith in chapter 11. So this epistle is best understood by understanding the superiority of Jesus Christ never looked at the book in that way I would encourage you to do that very thing.

Let's read the first four verses as we consider the Old Testament Scriptures and how they pointed to Jesus Christ again. The writer says for the law having a shadow of the good things that, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect, but then would they not have ceased to be offered for the worshipers once purified would have had no more consciousness of man, but in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year, for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Notice the first few words of verse one.

The law and how is the law characterized it's characterized as having a shadow, a shadow of the good things to come. Now it's hard for us to think about a shadow on a rainy, overcast day, but not hard in our minds eye to think about sunny day in route, and there's a shadow that's cast across our path. Will that shadow is not reality. We don't walk up and touch that shadow.

We don't interact with that shadow. But that shadow is pointing us to the reality what the writer of Hebrews is arguing here is that the law the Old Testament sacrificial system functioned in that way was a shadow. It spoke of reality that was yet future.

You see that for the law having a shadow of the good things to come. Speaking of something that's yet future and not the very image of the thing so it's good to to understand this, that the Old Testament is anticipatory the entire Bible. As we as we think of it is history its selective history, its redemptive history and it's revealed to us progressively as we begin in the Old Testament and we move through our Bible and we moved to the New Testament were moving through stages of salvation history and it has a progressive nature to I think it's helpful to think about the Scriptures. In this way and for in four ways for stages of salvation history. We can think about the Old Testament that the Old Testament is salvation anticipated that those who lived under the old covenant as we read about the saints in the old testament. They had a forward-looking view that the sacrificial system. The law was a shadow. It was a picture. It was pointing forward, you can't read the Old Testament without picking up on that sense of anticipation belonging speaking of longing. I love that hymn that required did last Sunday.

The yearning is a yearning, there's an anticipation. But then there is salvation inaugurated, not anticipated any longer but inaugurated in the coming of Jesus Christ that he is the fulfillment of everything that was anticipated.

So is coming inaugurated's begins salvation then those of us who are new covenant saints are living in the stage of the here and now the way already in the not yet. We've already entered into salvation blessings is new covenant people. There is an already that we've experienced and received, but there is an aspect that is not yet there are things that God's promise to us that Christ is secured for us at Calvary that we've not entered into experientially so salvation anticipated salvation inaugurated salvation already and not yet and then salvation consummated that there is yet on God's redemptive calendar for the saints of God, a consummation, a bringing to an end all that the Old Testament saints were anticipating and there's a sense in which we are anticipating yet the consummation the completion of all that God has determined so if you don't understand that you will you will miss you will be satisfied with a shadow who of us gets enamored with the shadow if my wife is with me and on with some folks and I'm trying to introduce them to my wife do I get my wallet out and say let me show you picture me.

I got it right here she's standing. What good is my picture with the realities right here right the safe.

Put your picture away. Introduce your wife to me.

And for those who find their satisfaction and are looking to the Old Testament or their satisfaction in terms of what God is offered there being satisfied with a picture there being satisfied with a shadow and not the reality you've missed it, it's all pointing to Christ.

He has come.

There are those who profess to be Christians who are wanting to go back and reenact the ceremonies and the festivals and all that the Old Testament records and it begs the question why are you satisfied with that.

There's something even missing for those who want to worship God in that way there's no longer a temple there is no longer priesthood. There's no longer sacrifices being offered, and if it was inferior then how much more inferior is it now Christ is come. He's dying on the cross, he secured salvation.

Worship him.

He's a sacrifice that everything in the Old Testament was pointing forward so I think it's critical that we see here the relationship between the Old Testament ceremonial law in Jesus Christ but number two I want you to consider with me the body of Jesus Christ. Notice what it says in verse five. Therefore, when he came into the world. There's the incarnation. When he came into the world, he said, sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me. Who was he talking to.

He's talking to God the father, but a body you have prepared for me in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. Then I said, behold, I have, and the volume of the book it is written of me to do your will owe God there's one more reference to his body and it's in verse 10, and it's it's tied to his support the submission of Christ to do the father's will buy that well.

We have been sacked sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all the body of Jesus Christ, prepared by home prepared by God the father prepared in a similar way that all bodies are prepared in the womb from conception on sacrifice and offerings. You did not desire you say wait a minute I thought he regulated that I thought he commanded that while he did but it's tied to that other part. There in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. He had pleasure in the sense that they were offered from the heart of a believing person but he has. There's no pleasure with God because it doesn't put away send it only covers sin again were in that anticipatory stage of salvation God wasn't satisfied with it back there because it was pointing to the person and work of Jesus Christ to God prepared a body for the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me give you four reasons why think that's true. Number one because the offering that Christ came to make was by death.

He was going to die in the place of sinners, so God prepared a body for him whereby that might be accomplished.

Pretty straightforward. That's I think what it's getting out of that second reference to the body in verse 10 by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. The second reason the God prepared a body for the Lord Jesus because the covenant was to be confirmed by blood.

Remember what Jesus said this cup is the new covenant in my blood.

It's the blood of Christ that secures redemption. It's the blood of Christ that takes away sin.

It's the blood of Christ that reconciles sinners to a holy, righteous and just God is the blood of Christ that establishes peace. It's the blood of Christ that establishes a new covenant wherein we enter a new and living way. So God prepared a body for his son that the covenant might be inaugurated. God prepared a body for his son. Number three to testify that the sacrifice was visible. God did this in a visible way so that men could see he didn't do it in some heavenly realm hid from our perception. This transpired on earth with a real man you notice the emphasis in this entire passage on the humanity of Jesus Christ. God prepared a body for mentioned that's mentioned twice. Verse 12 in contrast to the old testament Levitical priest verse 12 but this man doesn't say, but Jesus Christ, but this man referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was not a phantom. He was a real man if you had been there, you could've seen him, you could've touched him. You could have heard him. That's part of John's testimony as he begins to write John chapter 1 verse one. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, we have looked upon in our hands of handle the word of life.

It's beyond our comprehension.

When God could not find a man to satisfy his holy justice, God fourth reason the God prepared a body for his son was to satisfy his justice. How can a holy God forgives sin and remain holy, righteous, just, it's God who decreed the soul that sin if it shall die.

The wages of sin is death to house at payment made. How is sin debt paid for without there being a sacrifice Galatians chapter 3 and verse 13 tells us Christ half redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. So there are four reasons a knife we gave thought we could probably find other reasons, but there are four prominent reasons why God prepared a body for his son and as we consider the body of Christ. We've seen some reasons for in particular why God prepared a body for his son. But let's answer another question. What kind of a body was what kind of a body did the father prepare for his son number one, a body that had the same nature as we have turned back to Hebrews chapter 2 with me for a moment.

Hebrews chapter 2 again this is in the section where Jesus is better than the Angels, beginning at verse 14 inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed he does not give aid to angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham.

Therefore, in all things he had to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people, for in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted.

Why did God prepare body for his son so that he might be a sympathizing high priest see Jesus took the body of humanity didn't take on the form of angels.

He took flesh and blood so that he could help us so that he could identify with this so that he could come to our aid so they could minister to us. Listen, Jesus is not a stranger to humanity is not a stranger to the woes of this world. Yes, we live in a broken world. But he came into a world that was broken became undo his own and what his own received him not know this is this is a poor illustration but it's one it's been going around in my mind's eye trying think about this time of the year where we have discovered that it's better to give than receive. And we find great joy in giving gifts and think of a gift that you have labored over and prayed over and worked at and you prepared this gift with imperfection, days, months, maybe years to prepare it and you give it to the person it's intended for and I say no thanks. I want to can you get your mind around how you would respond to that. The Bible says he came unto his own and his own received him not. Talk about rejection.

So you this morning know what rejection feels like some of your living in the reality of it. Jesus, the perfect son of God.

The central son of God was rejected don't want to. A gift best suited for the greatest need a man might have his sins to be dealt with and rejected wasn't received. He became a man, to enable us to draw near to God, he became a man to help us knows what were facing. He knows fear. He knew fear, a new painting new hurt, not because he was omniscient, but because he had experienced pain he suffered trial, the temptation, the rejection, the loneliness, the misunderstanding the abuse and yet yes he suffered death itself. Why God ordained all of that so that he would be a help to us as we live this life. He also had a body that was free from the pollution of sin that's critical for we have verse chapter 4 verse 14 seeing then that we have a great high priest was passed through the heavens, Jesus the son of God.

Let us hold fast our confession, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin.

What kind of a body did this father prepare for the sun one that was sinless and it was his sinlessness that enabled them to offer up a sacrifice that would be acceptable to God the father.

Number three. It was a body with a rational soul.

He was a person with all the faculties of personhood yet mind he had emotions he had a will and that brings us to the third consideration in our text on what you consider with me the obedience of Christ. The obedience of Christ.

Verse seven. Then I said, behold, I have come in the volume of the book is written of me to do your will owe God verse nine and is repeated then he said, behold, I have come to do your will owe God, Jesus Christ, and coming to the earth in the incarnation, willfully and voluntarily submitted himself, subordinated himself to the father's redemptive will. What if Jesus had come and been unwilling to yield himself had come and been unwilling to submit to the father's will will be no salvation for us so clear way in your mind's anti-confusion that there was any disagreement in the Godhead about the sun coming became willingly. He came voluntarily and he came and throughout his earthly life evidence a life of submission to the father's will. Said on numerous occasions recorded in the gospel of come to do your will is doing the will of the father, over and over and over again even in Gethsemane, not my will but thine be done.

We have here the superior high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ being contrasted with the ironic Levitical priesthood there in verses seven through nine in this contrast is been drawn out for us this between the passive involuntary animal sacrifice that was offered under the Levitical priesthood with the active voluntary willful obedience of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice of himself across Jesus gave himself perfectly, voluntarily, willfully and obedience to the father's will. So, if considered what the Old Testament Scriptures spoke in terms of anticipation of Christ. We've looked number two at the body of Christ. We looked number three at the obedience of Christ. Let's fourthly consider the sacrifice of Christ the sacrifice of Christ. The first thing I want you to see about the sacrifice of Christ is that it replaces the old covenant system.

That's why it's falling to find worship and find activity meaningful activity in the old covenant because the old covenant is been made obsolete. Notice what it says there in verses 89 previously saying sacrifice and offering burnt offerings and offerings for sinew did not desire nor had pleasure in them which are offered according to the law.

Then he said, behold, I have come to do your will. He takes away the first, that he may establish the second takes away the first the first. What takes away the first covenant.

He takes away the old covenant, he makes the Old Testament obsolete. That's why for new covenant believers were not under the ceremonial law were not under the Levitical law is been made obsolete were no longer under the Mosaic law on you say wait a minute, wait a minute. No law for new covenant Christian all yes there's law for the new covenant Christian, but the law for the new covenant Christian is the law of Christ is a superior law doesn't just deal with the extra remember the old law in terms of stealing. Thou shalt not steal. But Jesus said if you come you're guilty of sin, the old law, adultery, thou shalt not commit adultery. What did Jesus say if you've looked with a woman with lust in your heart you're guilty so the love Christ is a higher law, it goes beyond behavior and deals with motive deals with heart issues. So we got yes were under the law, but to the point here Christ sacrifice replaces the old system it was not meant to be permanent. It was only temporal.

It was part of the shadow that's mentioned in verse one God's focus was always on the second covenant on the new covenant.

Again, the first was what it was preparatory it was preliminary it pointed forward now that the new covenant is here.

The first is obsolete. It has served its purpose God has set it aside, what else about the sacrifice of Christ.

It satisfies God's demands for us.

It makes you and I only the Old Testament had no way of making a man holy sacrifices were offered continually in the best they could do was cover sin and postpone judgment and had no way of making a man holy, but notice what the sacrifice of Christ by that will, that is the will of the father of the will of the son to give his life by that will we have been made sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all been perfected.

We been made holy in God's sight. The verb tense there used the verb tense used there in verse 10 emphasizes that the believers in a state of continual permanent salvation. You have been permanently made holy.

We been sanctified, set apart what else is the sacrifice of Christ do. It removes sin. And every priest stands ministering daily. Now this is the old Levitical system. The old Levitical the old priest. Every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down at the right hand of God. Notice the contrast between the old priest. Every priest stands ministering daily. Why does he stand because he's constantly offering sacrifices, what about Christ.

This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down. His works done that doesn't continue.

That's why it's blasphemy to project Christ still on cross to go through a sacrament that is crucifying the son of God all over again every time no he offered himself once for all.

One time, never to be repeated, and when he offered himself. He is what seated at the right hand of God on high. What else did Christ sacrifice to do well. It destroyed his enemies. Notice verse 13. From that time. He sat down at the right hand of God. From that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool know Paul tells us in Colossians that Christ made an open spectacle of the devil, defeating them at the cross. So what's this about making his enemies his footstool will remember about the stages of salvation that I mentioned that we are living in the already in the not yet anticipating the salvation consummated. Yes, at the consummation every enemy of God of Christ will be submitted to him the be no anarchy to be no disobedience that we know rebellion it will all be settled. It destroys his enemies, what else is a do tongue, but the sacrifice of Christ. It accomplishes the perfection of the saints forever. Verse 14 for by one offering he has perfected for ever.

Those who are being sanctified by one offering he has perfected forever. Those who are being sanctified. The notion that Christ came and offered his himself on the cross of Calvary to make salvation possible.

Just fails to accurately communicate what Christ did is never secure salvation whilst without writer of Hebrews speak this way for by one offering he has perfected for ever. Those who are being sanctified. If you're conscious of the spirit of God at work in you both are willing to do according to his good pleasure that the goddess sanctified you making you more more more holy. There's a sense in which God is already perfectly made you holy now it's working it's way out in this life is guaranteed to happen. You will one day be glorified but can't fail or happen. So Christ's death was efficacious. It was satisfactory met the father's requirements so we set Christ before you hear we've seen the writer of Hebrews to do that this wonderful way to cease far superior to any shadow, any picture of the Old Testament factories the fulfillment of it all. He satisfies the anticipation of all the saints who lived before the cross got prepared a body for his son perfectly suited for the work that he sent him on this earth to do a thankful we need to be for the obedience of Jesus Christ his voluntary sacrifice of himself and it gets to the heart of the essence of what a real Christian is a Christian is not someone who simply believed given mental assent to some truths. Christian is one who is marked by obedience, not perfect obedience but there's this principle that God has placed within a desire to live an obedient life.

Jesus said if you love me do what keep my commandments. The contrast between the foolish builder and a wise builder both heard the word both heard instructions both build a house. Both live the life but the full man he heard the word Eddie did nothing with it. The wise man he heard the word and he obeyed it. So don't be fooled, don't be deceived. The mark of true biblical Christianity is obedience how we doing in that regard is that the trajectory of your life is that the principle that God is placed within the you know when you disobey your greed by that you go to God you confess that you repent of that you recommit yourself to life of obedience. This notion that you can be a Christian and live in habitual long-lasting disobedience and still think you're a Christian is a lie is folly is a deception, no obedience, and the wonderful thing about it is if we elevate obedience to the pinnacle and say will you've got to live an obedient life swam emphasizing that you have this principle within, that's your disposition that's what you're wanting to do now given the remnants of sin that remain live in a broken world were not going to do that perfectly see your acceptance before God is not based on your merit or your demerit your acceptance before God is on the merits of Jesus Christ, and he came and obeyed the law perfectly something you could never do.

I could never do. No other man could ever do, but he did it as a substitute he did it in our place and therefore were accepted before God. So we obey him not to earn merit. We obey him because we want to please him. That's it.

So this Christmas season. As we think about the Lord Jesus and the incarnation may this passage help us to think beyond the incarnation and the babe in the manger to realize why he came for what purpose did he come because this passage ties those things together. He came in order to die. The father didn't spring. That autumn after he was here. I was determined he was that was agreed upon in the covenant of grace. In eternity past, God the father gave a people to a son. The son said father I will go I will die in their place to secure redemption for them in the spirit of God said for everyone for whom Jesus dies. I will bring them to even father the son and the Holy Spirit working in concert to bring about this drama of redemption.

No wonder we love the saying James Montgomery voices him how marvelous how nice how great I what infinite to contemplate Jehovah's saving plan would try to do that this morning. It's marvelous, it's wise it's great. And yes, it's infinite. The contemplate we could never get to the bottom. Let us pray father how we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. How we thank you for him, though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich make. May Christ be more more more precious to us than ever before this Christmas season.

May we have occasion to speak of him to our lost family members and those we gather with and made the aroma of Christ permeate our gatherings, that he might have not just prominence but that he might have the preeminence. Pray in Jesus name, amen