Sermon notes from Sunday 30 December 2018 pm
Hebrews 7 verses 15 – 28
When we look through the book of
Hebrews we might well call it the book of comparisons. In this passage the thought is of looking
back into the old ceremonial laws of the Jews and comparing them with the New
Testament. There was great persecution
against these Hebrew Christians. Many
were turning away from their faith, turning back to the old religious system of
the Jews. Here the author tried to
affirm who Jesus is – he is better than the angels, he is better than Moses, he
is better than any animal sacrifice, he is better than the law. Consider here in these verses the work of
salvation is explained. He wants to
point us back to the Lord. Wouldn’t it
be awful to miss out on Christ and his sacrifice for sins? These verses bring us back to the sacrifice
the Lord made.
A sacrifice that was faithful.
The Bible tells us the Lord came into the world “to seek and to save
that which was lost.” (Luke 19 verse 19)
He didn’t come “into the world to condemn the world but that the world
through him might be saved.” (John 3 verse 17)
He came for a purpose – to become the sacrifice for sin, your sin and my
sin. You and I were in an awful state,
born in sin and shapen in iniquity, our faces were towards hell. The Lord left the praise of angels and came
down to this earth, he took the form of a servant and was nailed to that middle
cross. Nailed into his hands and feet,
his side was wounded – what was it for?
For you and I. Verse 26 here’s a
sacrifice suited exactly to our needs.
We need a Saviour and he is the only Saviour, he became obedient unto
death even death on the cross. How faithful
he was to his father. John 17 Jesus
lifted up his voice and said “I have finished the work that thou hast given me
to do.” (verse 4) In the Garden of Gethsemane he sweat great drops of
blood. If there was any other means he
asked if the cup could be passed from him but then added “nevertheless not my
will but thine be done.” (Luke 22 verse 42) He prayed and pleaded and would not
defer from the cross. “He set his face
stedfastly to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9 verse 51) In the Old Testament the priest did 2 jobs – he
represented the people to God in the Holy of Holies and he represented God to
his people. On the cross Jesus Christ
the sinless lamb of God was dying for you and I. He knew about rejection and ridicule during
those final hours of his life yet nothing would stop him going there. Remember when he announced his plans to his
followers how he must go to Jerusalem, suffer at the hands of the high priests,
he would suffer and die and be buried, then on the third day he would rise
again. Peter said “not so my Lord don’t
let this happen.” The Lord turned to him
and said “get thee behind me Satan.” (Matthew 16 verses 21 – 23) He knew Satan was behind this plan to hinder him
from going to the cross but he was faithful.
Every suggestion and attempt to keep you from the cross is from the
devil. It may come from a friend or a
family member, a loved one, someone you really trust and they have been trying
to put you of, hindering you from getting to the cross of Calvary. That is a plan from the pit of hell itself. It is a different thing to be told about your
eternal destiny. Many are quick to tell
you that if you die having done the best you can heavens door will open for
you. Why would Christ have wept in
Gethsemane? He knew the suffering before
him yet willing to do it for you. Would
you not trust the Lord tonight?
This sacrifice was faultless – verse 26. We find that Jesus was in every way tempted
as we are yet he did not sin. This man
was exactly suited for our needs. The
Bible tells us how far down we were, how we missed the mark for heaven. “All have come short of the glory of God.” (Romans
3 verse 23) The sin we were born in, we have missed the mark for heaven, that
God wants to share with us for eternity but Christ dying on Calvary brings us
right up to that mark. Remember that
night in Egypt the Lord told the Israelites all the first born would die unless
they applied the remedy of a lamb. It
was to not just be any ordinary lamb. It
was to be according to the size of the household. The Lord meets our needs in the same
way. He was the perfect, sinless
sacrifice. His sacrifice will save all
who come to him. This lamb was also
without blemish. When the priest came to
sacrifice the lamb it had to be perfect, had to have no cuts or blemishes. It was put to death for the firstborn in
Egypt that night, to lift the death penalty that night. The lamb had to meet the requirements of God “who
through the eternal spirit offered himself to God.” (Hebrews 9 verse 14) When the Lord died on the cross he was
faultless, offering this sacrifice on your behalf, offering it to God,
satisfying the just demands of a righteous God.
No-one else could do it. “It is
appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgement.” (Hebrews 9 verse
27) The Lord took our judgement on
himself. We see Christ in the Passover
Lamb offering himself to God on our behalf as the sinless lamb of God dying on
the cross for my sins on his own body.
Will you thank God for that sacrifice tonight? Lay your sin on him tonight, take eternal salvation
from him tonight? “What a wonderful
Saviour is Jesus my Lord, he hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, what a
wonderful Saviour is he.”
This sacrifice was a finished sacrifice. In the Old Testament the people would bring a lamb
or bullock to the priest, his sin would be transferred to the animal. Hebrews 10 verse 4 “it is not possible that
the blood of bulls and lambs should take away sin.” Only one way was through the blood of
Christ. If we are depending on anything
else we will be sorry, missing out. If
you take him as Lord and Saviour tonight you will be saved for all
eternity. Pilate said “I find no fault
in this man.” (Luke 23 verse 4) Judas
said “I have betrayed innocent blood.” (Matthew 27 verse 4) Presenting to you a
sacrifice that is faithful, faultless and finished. In verse 27 we read how these offerings had
to be repeated but not Christ. In verses
11 and 12 we see the comparison. The
priest would take the lamb, put it to death but the one who is guilty would
still have to keep coming back again.
When Christ died on the cross he died once for all time. Jesus on the cross cried “it is finished”. Religion today that offers Christ crucified
without that can be no salvation and saving of sins.
A sacrifice that was fruitful – verse 25. Christ takes away our sins and they are never
remembered any more. Remember the woman
with the issue of blood, for 12 years she had tried every doctor but one day
she heard that Jesus was passing by. She
reached forth and touched the hem of his garment and was immediately
healed. Today we try to do everything
possible to please God but it fails.
When we trust the Lord for salvation he make us a new creature. Sin shall have no more dominion over us. What a victory we have in Christ. You have to come and trust him as your own
personal Saviour though.
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