Christ’s Perfect Work (Part A)

It makes more inch Fatah court emphasizes the point does he so the Old Testament could not perfect us could not finish the work could not make us fit for heaven. So we read in Jude 24 now to him who is able, that is Jesus Christ to keep you from falling here it comes to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Only Christ is. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Hebrews. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 as he begins his message. Christ's perfect work. Hebrews chapter 10 verses one through 18, 356 words. I believe two minutes 24 seconds if everything goes as planned. So if you have your Bibles open to Hebrews chapter 10 and would you please stand for the reading of the word of God or the law, having a shadow of good things to come, and 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 for then with a not have ceased to be offered the worshipers once purified would have had no more consciousness of sins, 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. Therefore, when he came into the world.

He said sacrifices and offerings. You did not desire, 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 come in the volume of the book it is written of me to do your will. All God previously saying sacrifice and offering burnt offerings and offerings for sin. You did not desire nor had pleasure in them which are offered according to the law. Then he said, behold, I come to do your will.

All God takes away the first, that he may establish the second. By that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And 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 sins forever set down at the right hand of God. From that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool for by one offering he has perfected forever. Those who are being sanctified, but the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us or after he had said before, this is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says Yahweh. I will put my laws into their hearts and their minds. I will write them. Then he adds their sins and their lawless deeds. I will remember no more. Now there where there is remission of these there is no longer an offering for sin. Please be seated.

If you get nothing else out of that section you understand the word of's the word sin is repeated that it is being considered and dealt with by Jesus Christ in the end it is he who deals with sin. Everything else was leading up to him. So we are discussing this morning the perfect work of Christ. Christ perfect work perfect as in finished is incomplete and so we are shown the meaning and the depth of his death and all of his riches throughout Hebrews, the writer remains on subject he doesn't forget he does not lose sight of what he is doing in this letter, and he is is a battlefield for the souls in the minds of those he is writing to trying to demonstrate to them the superiority of Christ because without that understanding Christianity is doubtful his death death of Christ perfect sacrifice.

So for those of you who may not be aware of what's happening in this Hebrew letter. Those of you who are please bear with me, but just a quick review, the temple of the Jews are still standing.

That means it's before 70 A.D. when the temple will be destroyed. There were Jews who had become Christians and were now thinking about either returning to Judaism or mixing in Judaism with Christianity right of the Hebrews finds this out, and he writes this Hebrew letter that we now have, to deal with this and from the beginning right up to this very point he has been slamming such a notion. He is been telling them if you go back to Judaism if you try to mix Christ with anything else you are done.

Your soul is doom is going to pick it up after the 18th verse even more intensely wash. I should say that he will intensify his dealing with this behavior after the 18th chapter what we're going to get through chapters 1 through 18 and so that's what's that's the background as to what is going on in this Hebrew writing don't think Christ is inferior to anyone. He is superior to everyone is no need for ritual in the blood of bulls and sheep or whatever else they were sufficient in Christ death would not of been necessary.

So now we look at the first verse again the law having a shadow of the good things to come, and 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.

Well, he says the law, having a shadow of good things we talked about this in earlier chapters, the shadow, but were going to hit it again because the writer feels it's necessary and of course the writer is led by the Holy Spirit. Shadows are indicators of something greater.

Shadow is a real shadow and really that's it what it is pointing to is something that is more important Jewish sacrifices spoke of sinners separated from God, but they offered no solution they were anticipating God resolving this issue of sin through the Messiah. Colossians Paul writing, trying to deal with these very things and and with his audience.

He says let no one judge you in for a drink regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbath, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ is what Paul says is with the right of the Hebrews is trying to say that whole Old Testament system was a shadow which spoke of a greater thing. It anticipated Christ coming, but he is the thing. He is what is all about. Even today, people struggle to be satisfied with faith and they look to make up trust in what God has said they look to make up for a life that is not walking with him with ritual and works in other forbidden practices so they can feel secure with God when all the while they are distancing themselves from him. This was the temptation of the Jews at this time in history. They just want to give a raise with going down to the temple and offering the sacrifice would Christ now fulfilled all that. That's not necessary, but something in the arts.

I still want to do it and it was faithlessness that was in their heart telling them Christ really you know you guys good but but I need more I need to feel it this way. I need to be in touch with my roots again.

The writer is saying don't you dare, don't you dare suggest that his death on the cross wasn't enough but you still can go back and do these things and so to retain that which is obsolete, or to have that which is forbidden practices of faith is to reject Jesus Christ and his perfect work.

That's what this is all about. And as I mentioned he's been hitting this throughout is almost saying the same thing every chapter we have discussed from Hebrews because it was necessary if you've ever tried to dislodge something that was stuck. I mean really stuck. You have to hit it over and over and you have the pride and yet the work on it.

Will these folks it was stuck in their heads that was okay what they were doing. He is hitting it over and over to dislodge these lies that they were falling for.

Who was the mastermind behind all of this, Satan, and he finds the portal in the flesh that part of the human being that is given to sin. That part of us that really is not interested in what God says, but what it wants. Says here in verse one. These can never can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, so being the shadow of what was coming.

They had to do it over and always talking about the day of atonement will will come back to that moment but still on the shadow thing. That's why they had to do it year by year was just the shadow did not satisfy a shadow of a key cannot unlock anything it cannot get a prisoner out of jail. A shadow of a meal cannot satisfy hunger.

It can talk about the food. Of course symbolic of it, the shadow of Calvary would Christ was crucified can redeem no one. And that's what the Old Testament is a shadow of Christ of a greater thing to come, but it could not save souls, it could not open the gates of heaven to sinners even if they were righteous in this life, as sinners go, and so before Christ's crucifixion and his liberation of the saints, and ascension to heaven before that when a righteous person died they went to righteous. She old he did not go to heaven and it wasn't again until Christ was risen that he set the captives free will to crucified so the system of sacrifices were incapable of accomplishing what they symbolized that you had to have Christ try lifting a heavy burden off of yourself with your shadow. Try having your shadow help you do anything and you will find it is incapable of doing anything but speaking about you.

So he says make it.

It was could never with the same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. Now that Greek word for perfect is complete.

That's the definition of the were not perfect. When we think of perfect we think without error. What it does mean that it does mean that without error, and in this sense it is finished what it was supposed to do and that is unlock the gates of heaven for sinners law couldn't do it. But in God's eyes. The work of Christ is made us complete perfect John's gospel chapter 17 Jesus speaking to the fathers that I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do that Greek word there finish the work finished is the same Greek word translated perfect.

You can do that you have alternate translations alternate words hooked up to translated means going the same places no contradiction.

Often times it makes more emphatic or emphasizes the point as it does here so the Old Testament could not perfect us could not finish the work could not make us fit for heaven and so we read in Jude 24 now to him who is able, that is Jesus Christ to keep you from falling here it comes to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Only Christ is all of the writers of the New Testament, saying the same thing Jesus Christ and no other is worthy of our praise is the Savior of our souls. Verse two for then would they not have ceased to be offered for the worshipers once purify would have no more consciousness of sins. One of the Old Testament sacrifices were sufficient then you would only have to offer them. One time it was done, but they did not every year. And yet, the day of atonement they have to offer again to cover their sins. And so, that is, he is saying your own religion preaches this of the writer is Hebrew, but is no longer practicing Judaism is a Christian, ethnically, a Jew, spiritually a Christian and he is writing to those who supposed to share. In fact, those of you who is writing to. They were willing to suffer for Christ. But in time. Other Jews were getting to them. You need to come down to the temple yell. Cannot you think Jesus was the Messiah, but you still need to keep up your offer and it would just packet them and packet them until they began to cave.

The only defense against someone who is wrong is no, you're wrong.

I don't believe that this is what I believe and I think you are the one that needs to fix and here is why I believe and you will, I promise. Make enemies that way, but you also make friends. You will probably make more enemies than friends, but because this is what they were not doing. They were succumbing to the culture how easy, how many Christians behave like the world does. How many Christian looks to the world to see. How should we behave, how should we raise a family. As we do this out of the church run assess the world as he would we should do list talk has God don't go to the Scripture that will make us different. I'm not questioning the sincerity of their love.

A person can love Christ, to be sincerely wrong nonetheless about the things that Christ wants them to do. Otherwise, we would all be perfect. So again this very real life not removed from centuries ago. What we are seeing struggled. The struggle here with the Jews before Christ goes on today in the church would be no need for the crucifixion of the Old Testament sacrifices did the job they were not perfect.

They were not complete. So he says in verse two for the worshipers once purify would have had no more consciousness of sin, the consciousness, the awareness that the guilt is there, the whole guilt. This is not settled in the Old Testament. So John's gospel chapter 8 verse 36 Jesus says that the son makes you free, you shall be free indeed free from your sins yeah you will commit from time to time you will stumble across the line you will trespass you will be where you're not supposed to be. But that will send you to hell anymore because the blood of Christ watches your sin does not applaud it ever got doesn't think there's anything funny about a little sin.

Cost the son of God, gruesome death have us forgiven, but the reality is were still stuck in the flesh in this world until we are glorified in and in heaven we will be prone to stumble but he is still able to present us faultless before his throne with exceeding joy inside the writer is saying is proof of what I'm talking about, that they offered these offerings every year. They said they knew that sin was there on them and they could not enter heaven. Hebrews 9 verse nine. It was symbolic for the present time, all that Old Testament system in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience. Maybe I should say it this way well or cleared up a little bit. We are in we are not saying the Old Testament has nothing to offer us is everything to offer. It is equal to the New Testament because it is God's word, however, there's been a development a progression in God's word and the rituals the things concerning salvation. These are now fulfilled. Making those shadows obsolete. So we have to ask. Should we have to separate that when we go to the Old Testament we look at the righteous lives we learn from them. We admire, then we pursue to be like them.

They can the characters, the characteristics of those characters that please God when it comes to salvation from sin. We do not use ritual.

It is by faith we come to Christ. He is the one that forgives us his blood, not the blood of bulls and goats and sheep. Leviticus 23 verse 27, the 10th day of the seventh month to be a day of atonement, it shall be a holy convocation for you. Another was a gathering of the nation. You shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh that was their day of atonement, a day of affliction to say before God would guilty we are sinners, we need to be saved, but Christ is fulfilled that now and so we Christians we do not celebrate a day of atonement. We have been atoned for by crisis, a one time deal is done. The animal sacrifices could never cleanse. They could only cover it could not deal with it and so we have a conscience and a conscience is painful, it alerts us that something is wrong says is an urgent matter.

There's an emergency is a moral emergency that you have to respond to a conscience is meant to bother us. You can't convict them if you can't hurt the conscience. In other words, you have a sinner out there who is not a believer in Jesus Christ. How you going to lead them to Christ, LSU, or defend their position against Christ LSU say you have to confess that you are a sinner before a holy God that he is not judging you compared to some other man is judging you compared to his son, Jesus, and he was perfect and you cannot match that. So you must confess and you must come just as you are and be changed be cleansed by the Christ, and that you do not do this, you're doomed in your sin, so conviction is supposed to alarm them you who believe in Christ.

Did you come to Christ when you came to Christ, did you not realize that you were headed to hell without him.

That was it not part of the turning point that he is Lord God Almighty, and I have offended him, but he makes a way back for me and I'm going to receive it.

Cannot earn it.

I have to receive it to say I can earn my salvation is to insult God you can earn it should not go to love you not clean enough if you could earn it. Why did my son die. I just let you go ahead and earn it. If that could happen. You must receive the flesh of many folks or flesh of all people good that I like that you feel like they paid for something for something good about me. But maybe there is next to someone else but ride again we been sent quoting this verse from Isaiah all my righteousness said the prophet is like filthy rags, so I'm not good enough. I need the Savior. He says in verse three but in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. Verse four for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Animals slaughtered animals represented involuntary death of the innocent animal didn't say when Adam and Eve sinned and realize they were new. The animals and is a you know what maybe Lord you should slay our skin us and then you can cover their sin. They had no choice.

God being God's prerogative so the animals skins and covered Adam and Eve, Jesus Christ, in contrast to the involuntary innocent animals is voluntary, he chose to come to deal with his life to be crucified and not only is he innocent, but he is holy is pure and perfect. He is the one that does not cover sins and he removes it. Thus, John's words about Jesus Christ. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Jews understood sin was not taken away was only covered call for word for their atonement. The Yom Kippur war day of coverings now. There is no inbuilt power and animal blood voodoo and witchcraft may think so, God is never thoughts. In fact, the blood drops of Christ had no inbuilt power in them, in and of themselves. In this sense the Roman soldiers when they crucified him, no question, got blood, his blood on them. They did not want to say no blood touched me magical feature to the blood. We speak of the blood. We speak of his sacrifice. His will, his power, the blood is the emblem of that otherwise we all have to get that blood sprinkled on this is spiritual is not physical and there's nothing like the blood.

When we said the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin we mean what he is done and who he is and how he has done it. You've been listening to cross reference radio the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick asked Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. As we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast. Today's teaching is available free of charge at our website. Simply log on to cross reference radio.com that's cross reference radio.com would also like to encourage you to subscribe to the cross reference radio podcast subscribing ensures that you stay current with all the latest teachings from Pastor Rick, you can subscribe cross reference radio.com or simply search for cross reference radio your favorite podcast to the next time as Pastor Rick continues teaching through the book of Hebrews right here on cross reference radio