Good morning, church.
If you will join me in your copy of God's Word, we'll be in Hebrews chapter 10.
!
Hebrews chapter 10, verses 1 through 18.
So far in Hebrews, especially the last couple of chapters, we've seen the superiority of
Christ's priesthood over the Levitical order, the Levitical priesthood, the superiority of
the new covenant He ushered in, and of the heavenly permanent tabernacle, or dwelling
place with God, over the man-made tent and temple.
And today, we'll continue to see the superiority of Christ's sacrifice over those offered in
the Old Testament.
So let's read our text.
Hebrews 10, 1 through 18.
And this is the Word of God.
And it reads,
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come, instead of the true form of
these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered,
every year, make perfect those who draw near.
Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once
been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sin.
But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year, for it is impossible for
the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said,
Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me.
In burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the
scroll of the book.
When He said above, You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings
and burnt offerings and sin offerings.
These are offered according to the law.
Then He added, Behold, I have come to do your will.
He abolishes the first in order to establish the second.
And by that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all.
And every priest stands daily at His service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which
can never take away sin.
But when Christ had offered for a single time, a single, sorry, for all time, a single sacrifice
for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies
should be made a footstool for His feet.
For by a single offering, He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us.
For after saying, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares
the Lord, I will put my law on their hearts and write them on their minds.
Then He adds, I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Amen.
So, to understand this text this morning, we're actually going to do it by answering a series
of questions.
The first two questions, the text explicitly answers.
It's really obvious and straightforward.
And then there are four questions I believe the text begs for us to understand the old and
new sacrifices under the old and new covenants.
So, normally I try to have points of very practical applications as I prepare for teaching.
But in many ways, the next chunk of text after our text this morning provides the application
for our passage.
That doesn't mean that there's not application.
It just means that you may have to wait a little bit to really answer the question, what
do I do about that today?
So, the application of a text like ours, which focuses on the superiority of Christ, specifically
in His sacrificial work, demands a generic but often overlooked response of awe, of worship,
and of obedience.
So, our first question that we'll be answering this morning, in what ways were the old sacrifices
inadequate?
In what ways were the old sacrifices inadequate?
Two reasons that appear obvious in the text this morning.
First reason, and I'll repeat them as I go, they could not bring access to God.
And second reason, they could not remove sin or guilt.
So, first sub point, they could not bring access to God.
This is in verses 1 through 2.
And it reads,
So, this morning, as I was, not this morning, but as I was deciding what book we would read
in the Aletheia way, today was actually the day for the church history moment.
But I decided that we'd read a book that actually demonstrates a point that I wanted to make in the sermon,
that the entirety of Scripture, you could argue, is themed by and is characterized by this idea of dwelling
or communing with God.
Man dwelt with God in the garden.
And as Tim Mackey from the Bible Project puts it, God's space and man's space over here were totally overlapping.
So, if you think about God's space and man's space like a Venn diagram, it would be two perfectly overlapping circles in the garden.
And then as man fell in sin, those spaces were separated.
Man could no longer be in the presence of God.
And thank God this is not the end of the story.
And in fact, we actually have a picture or viewpoint of the end of the story in Revelation.
So, listen to these words from chapter 21.
It says,
So, from the beginning, from God immediately sacrificing an animal to clothe Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 after the fall,
until this beautiful snapshot into the future from Revelation,
God has been working out His plan to create a place for God and man to dwell together once more.
And throughout history, especially in the Old Testament history,
there were these pockets of space where this Venn diagram,
where God's space and man's space could overlap.
God and man could draw near to the presence of God.
Namely, those spaces were the tabernacle and the temple.
This Old Testament access was there,
but it was extremely limited.
One man, once a year, could access to God.
All others had to stay outside of God and man's overlapping space.
And so it remained until the right sacrifice would appear.
So, reason number two,
why the Old Testament sacrifices were not adequate.
They could not remove sin or guilt.
And this is found throughout a couple of different places in our text,
verses 2 through 4 and verse 11.
Let's read those.
Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered sacrifices,
since the worshippers, having once been cleansed,
would no longer have any consciousness of sin.
But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sin every year.
For it is impossible for the blood of goats and bulls to take away sin.
And then he repeats it in verse 11,
offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sin.
So in order to access God, to draw near to Him,
one must be completely sinless.
We know that all have sinned,
choosing to define right and wrong for ourselves,
and all have rebelled against God.
We know that God, being just,
cannot simply look past sin,
or even forgive sin just willy-nilly.
But to be just, He must punish sin,
so our sin must be paid for.
Animals were not adequate for this task.
A person who did not have a debt to pay himself
had to take our place,
to pay our debt,
to take our sin,
and to give us His righteousness.
The Old Testament sacrifices were a mere shadow
of the true sacrifice, Christ.
And the shadow of something is meaningless
without the substance itself.
So if you remember who this book is being written to,
it's this church of primarily Hebrews
who are being tempted to practice
the culturally acceptable version of Christianity,
which at that time basically meant practice Judaism,
and tag Christ on to the end of it.
And so the author is writing a response to that,
saying,
no, the old has passed away,
the new has been ushered in.
And so again,
the shadow of something is meaningless
without the substance of that shadow.
So these sacrifices had to be offered continually,
which meant that they were unable to cleanse
the worshiper from their sins.
And these continual sacrifices
were a constant reminder of sin
and lacked real atonement.
They were unable to perfect the conscience
of the worshiper,
so they were left feeling guilty.
They were wondering,
they would have been left wondering
how it was that they could actually
enter into the presence of God.
And I think looking back
into the Old Testament,
you might assume,
if you aren't paying attention to this idea,
that the people are continually
offering sacrifices
as if they were atoning for sin.
But God sent prophets over and over
to tell them that this was not the case.
So in Psalm 51,
David talks about this.
Let's go ahead and turn there this morning.
Psalm 51.
Starting in verse 16.
He writes,
For you will not delight in sacrifice,
or I would give it.
You will not be pleased with the burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
a broken and contrite heart.
O God, you will not despise.
Then skipping down.
He says,
Then you will delight in right sacrifices,
and burnt offerings,
and in whole burnt offerings,
and then bulls will be offered on your altar.
So, how is it that these Old Testament sacrifices
were pleasing to God?
David clearly understood that the animal itself
did nothing to take away the sin.
Why else would he be running to God,
begging for mercy in verses 1-2,
if you look back.
He says,
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love,
according to your abundant mercy.
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
So, David is saying
that these Old Testament sacrifices,
he knows that they don't atone for sin,
because if he did,
he would just offer the animal,
and that would be the end of the story.
But he's going to God,
begging him for mercy.
He's doing the action,
but he knows that he has to go to God,
for he's the one who grants mercy.
And so, this was the point.
God had made promises to his people
that a redeemer had come.
Israel was meant to be waiting for this Messiah,
but instead settled for the shadow over the substance,
for empty ritual rather than repentant hearts.
They took what was supposed to be
an outward symbol of faith,
and made it into a substitute for faith.
So again,
they took what was supposed to be
this outward symbol of inward faith,
and made it into a substitute for faith itself.
So back to our text today,
our second question.
And I have to admit,
this is the one that,
if I was going to regret framing
the sermon around questions,
this question is probably the worst worded one.
It says,
Jesus' sacrifice was effective in what ways?
So Jesus' sacrifice was effective in what ways?
Some of these are going to be brief.
There are six of them found in our text this morning.
So firstly,
the six ways.
It reflects God's eternal will.
This is found in verses 5 through 7.
Before I read it,
I want to emphasize the importance
of what's going on in this text.
So this is from Psalm 40,
which Doug read this morning.
And note that the author is saying
that Christ said these words
when he came into the world of himself.
So what David wrote in first person
a thousand years ago,
Christ is saying,
I am the fulfillment of these words.
And this is not the only example
of this happening in the scriptures.
Psalm 16 and Psalm 22
are some other examples
of this type of phenomenon taking place.
So let's read verses 5 through 7.
It says,
Consequently,
when Christ came into the world,
he said,
Sacrifices and offerings
you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me.
In burnt offerings,
in sin offerings,
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said,
Behold,
I have come to do your will,
O God,
as it is written to me
in the scroll of the book.
Now,
if you're an astute listener
and you are listening to
Pastor Doug
read from Psalm 40
this morning,
you'll notice that there's actually
a slight difference
in what's in this text
as the Hebrew author
records it
in what is in
Psalm 40
in the Old Testament.
Namely,
in verse 5,
our translator
or our writer says,
A body you have prepared for me.
In Psalm 40,
it says,
Ears you have given me.
And so that's kind of,
it seems like it's a different thing,
but in Hebrew,
there was an idiom
of this idea.
Literally,
he's saying,
Ears you have dug for me.
So it's this idea
that God prepared a body.
It was a Hebrew idiom again
for the entire body.
So he's saying the same thing.
So as the author of Hebrews
is writing now in Greek
to these people,
he's saying what
the Old Testament author meant
as he's recording it
in this passage.
Just want to point that out.
So again,
Christ's sacrifice
reflects God's eternal will.
Paul speaks of this idea
in Ephesians chapter 3
verses 8 through 12.
So if you'll turn with me there,
we'll note a couple of things.
He writes,
To me,
though in the very least
of all the saints,
this grace was given
to preach to the Gentiles
the unsearchable riches of Christ
and to bring to light
for everyone
what is the plan
of the mystery
hidden for ages in God
who created all things
so that through the church
the manifold wisdom of God
might now be made known
to the rulers and authorities
in the heavenly places.
This was according
to the eternal purpose
that he has realized
in Christ Jesus our Lord
in whom we have boldness
and access with confidence
through our faith in him.
So it says here
that the eternal purpose of God
has been realized
in the sacrifice
and then in the resurrection
of Christ.
The eternal purpose.
So everything else
in all of time and creation
centers around Christ
as a supreme priest,
king, servant,
and sacrifice
for his people.
Why?
So that the manifold wisdom
of God might be on display
for all to see
as we bow down
in worship
and in awe.
So the second reason
why Christ's sacrifice
or what Christ's sacrifice
accomplishes
it replaces
the inadequate system
before it.
And this is really simple
and straightforward.
Verses 8 through 9
back in our text.
The author is expositing
this quote from Psalm 40.
He said,
When he said above,
You have neither desired
nor taken pleasure
in sacrifices
and offerings
and burnt offerings
and sin offerings,
these offered according
to the law.
Then he added,
Behold, I have come
to do your will.
He abolishes the first
in order to establish
the second.
And by that will
we have been sanctified
through the offering
of the body
of Jesus Christ
once for all.
So he explains
that Christ came
to do away
with the shadow,
the old sacrificial system
to now reveal
the substance
of God's purpose
for his people.
So Christ replaces,
his sacrifice
replaces
the old inadequate system.
Thirdly,
Christ's sacrifice
removes sin
and does so permanently.
His sacrifice
removes sin
and does so permanently.
This is in verses
11 through 12.
There's a comparing
and contrasting
going on
between the old system
and the new.
And it reads,
Every priest
stands daily
at his service
offering repeatedly
the same sacrifices
which can never
take away sins.
But when Christ
had offered
for a single time,
I said that last time,
for all time,
a single sacrifice
for sins,
he sat down
at the right hand
of God.
So we have
repeated sacrifices
offered by
continually standing
priests
for there was
no place to sit
since there was
always more sin
to sacrifice for
given over time
which couldn't
take away sin
compared to
one sacrifice
for all time
which perfectly
removed sin
from God's people.
This had been
completed as Christ
wrested from his work
at the right hand
of God.
And so,
the Old Testament,
some Old Testament
Jews had this idea
that there was
something mystical
about the sacrifice
that the animal,
as it was given
to be sacrificed,
that somehow
our sin
was imputed,
literally imputed
to that animal.
And this was the picture
of what was supposed
to be going on
but wasn't actually
what was happening
as David expresses.
And so,
we need to then
be able to answer
the question,
how then does
man's death
on a cross
or a man's death
on a cross
appease the wrath
of God?
And in a word,
the way that this works
is through substitution.
So,
let's turn to
Romans 3
verses 21
through 28.
we'll see this idea
of Christ's
substitution
on our behalf.
And I know
most of us
know this to be true,
but what a beautiful thing
to glory in
and to revel in
this morning.
Romans 3
21 through 28
reads,
But now the righteousness
of God
has been manifested
apart from the law,
although the law
and the prophets
bear witness to it.
The righteousness
of God
through faith
in Jesus Christ
for all who believe.
For there is no distinction
for all have sinned
and fall short
of the glory of God
and are justified
by His grace
as a gift
through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God put forward
as a propitiation
by His blood
to be received
by faith.
This was to show
God's righteousness
because in His
divine forbearance
He had passed over
former sins.
It was to show
His righteousness
at the present time
so that He might be
just and the justifier
of the one
who has faith
in Jesus.
Then what becomes
of our boasting?
It is excluded.
By what kind of law?
By a law of works?
No,
but by a law of faith.
For we hold
that the one
is justified
by faith
apart from
the works
of the law.
So Paul says here
that Christ
was a propitiation,
which means
that His death
was not merely physical
but was spiritual
as His perfect communion
with God
from eternity past
was cut off
and the Father
poured out
His white-hot
eternal wrath
on His only Son.
Christ bore the weight
for every sin
committed by His people
past,
present,
and future.
And our text
this morning
says that by a single
offering,
He perfected
for all time.
And Paul writes
here in Romans
that God passed over
or looked beyond
the former sins,
delaying His judgment
to be poured out
either on Christ
or on us.
He took our place
under the crushing
weight of sin
so that we could be
justified
before God.
Christ died,
but the grave
could not hold Him.
The greatest act
of evil ever committed,
the murder
of the only innocent man
ever to walk this earth,
was the death blow
to Satan.
The only power
He had over humanity
had just been swallowed up
as a man was killed
and the Father
poured out His wrath
on His only Son.
So this leads to
the fourth way
that Christ's sacrifice
is effective.
It destroyed
His enemies.
It destroyed
His enemies.
So this is in
verse 13
of our text
this morning.
Verse 13,
it says,
Waiting from that time
until His enemies
should be made
a footstool
for His feet.
So this is actually
quoted or referencing
back to a psalm
that we've talked about
in Hebrews,
Psalm 110,
where it talks about
how Christ would be
after the order
of Melchizedek.
This is from
that same psalm.
So Paul reflects
on the fulfillment
of this prophecy
in Psalm 110
in Philippians 2
verses 9 through 11.
He says,
Therefore God
has exalted Him,
Christ,
and bestowed upon Him
the name that is
above every name,
so that at the name
of Jesus
every knee should bow
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth,
and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory
of God the Father.
So the question
then becomes
not if we will
submit to God,
but rather
when we will
submit to God.
Will it be voluntary
and will we rule
in the new heaven
alongside Him,
or will we be forced
to bow as His opposition
and footstool
for His feet?
So Christ's sacrifice
destroys and disables
His enemies.
Fifthly,
His sacrifice
sanctifies
and perfects
the saints
forever.
This is found
in verses 10
and verse 14.
Verse 10,
And by that will
we have been sanctified
through the offering
of the body
of Jesus Christ
once for all.
And skipping to verse 14,
By a single offering
He has perfected
for all time
those who are being
sanctified.
So our status
before God
has been set
through Christ's sacrifice.
He not only took
on our guilt
and shame,
but He also
imputed to us
His righteousness
so that we
could have
His status
as a perfect
child
before God.
As His beloved
children,
we've been set
apart or
sanctified
for holiness.
And the last
way that Christ's
sacrifice
is effective,
sixthly,
it fulfills
the promise
of a new covenant.
It fulfills
the promise
of a new covenant.
So, again,
the Old Testament
believers,
the Old Testament
saints,
were to be
looking forward
to the day
when a new covenant
would come.
This covenant
is talked about
in several places,
Jeremiah 31,
the prophet Ezekiel,
and so forth.
So the author
of Hebrews
is actually
re-quoting
or recycling
a quote
that he's already
talked about,
Jeremiah 31.
He's making
a specific point
with it.
The point is
that the new
sacrifice
had to be made
and had to be
effective
because God
promised
that it would
be.
And this is
really simple,
but let's
read our text
and see
how the new
covenant
is fulfilled
through Christ.
Verses 15
through 18.
It says,
And the Holy Spirit
also bears witness
to us,
for after saying,
This is the covenant
that I will make
with them
after those days,
declares the Lord.
I will put my laws
on their hearts
and write them
on their minds.
Then he adds,
I will remember
their sins
and their lawless deeds
no more.
Where there is
any forgiveness
of these,
there is no longer
any offering
for sin.
So it is as if
the author is saying
to these Hebrews
who are tempted
to go back
to the ways
of Jerusalem,
God promised
long ago
that he would
make a new
and a better covenant
and here it is.
Under the old covenant
there was a constant
reminder of sin,
as we saw in verse 3,
but under the new covenant
because of the effective
sacrifice that has
been made,
God remembers
our sin
no more.
So the next question,
I believe this text
begs,
we've kind of,
if you're paying attention,
we've made our way
all the way through
the text
in its straightforward
fashion,
but I believe it begs
a few more questions
that will help us
to understand
the greatness
and the magnitude
of Christ's sacrifice.
So the next question,
question 3,
what was the role
of Levitical sacrifice?
If it didn't take away sins,
then what were they doing?
Why all the death
of animals?
To answer this question,
let's turn to Galatians
chapter 3,
as Paul writes
about this subject.
Galatians 3,
21 through 25,
and it reads,
is the law then contrary
to the promises of God?
Certainly not.
For if a law had been given
that could give life,
then righteousness
would indeed be by the law.
But the scripture
imprisoned everything
under sin,
so that the promise
by faith in Jesus Christ
might be given
to those who believe.
Now before faith came,
we were held captive
under the law,
imprisoned until the coming faith
would be revealed.
So then,
the law was our guardian
until Christ came,
in order that we might
be justified by faith.
But now that faith has come,
we are no longer
under a guardian.
So John MacArthur
comments on this text,
and I'll try to read
this quote well.
The Greek word for guardian
denotes a slave
whose duty it was
to take care of a child
until adulthood.
The guardian escorted
the children
to and from school
and watched over
their behavior at home.
Guardians were often
strict disciplinarians,
causing those
under their care
to yearn for the day
when they would be free
from their guardian's custody.
The law was our tutor,
which by showing us
our sins
was escorting us
to Christ.
The law was never meant
to give us access to God.
And over and over
in the Old Testament,
God says to His people,
if you keep my covenant
and obey my commands,
I will be your God
and I will have mercy
on you.
Yet over and over
we see Israel
and we see ourselves
breaking this covenant.
These sacrifices
were inadequate
to rectify the relationship
between God
and His people.
And this was the very role
of Levitical sacrifice.
Firstly,
to paint a picture
of the holiness of God,
who He is,
and what is required
to be in His presence.
So to paint a picture
of the holiness of God
and what is required
to be in His presence.
And to show us
that we could not
keep the law
or to undo sin
through good action.
So to show us
that we could not
keep the law.
So in a sad case
of sinful irony,
those Hebrews
who were clinging
to the sacrificial system
as a means
of inward cleansing
were missing
the primary lessons
they were meant
to learn through it.
So I want to reflect
on how animal sacrifice
was misunderstood
and misused
in the Old Testament
because I think
we have something
to learn about
their sinful tendencies
and how we might
see the same type
of sinful tendencies
in us.
So our next question,
number four,
if you're counting,
how was animal sacrifice
misunderstood
and misused?
So Old Testament Hebrews
were constantly
being corrected
for treating sacrifice
like many pagan religions
would,
a ritual method
to appease God.
So the idea was
that the gods
and the pagan religions
around them
were angry with them
and in order to please them
they would sacrifice
things.
Sometimes they would
sacrifice animals,
sometimes they would
sacrifice their own children
to try to appease
these gods.
And this is not the way
that God desired
Old Testament Jews
to sacrifice to him.
It wasn't that he was angry
and this made him happy
but it was something else
going on, right?
So our author firmly
asserts to that proposition
that the blood of animals
cannot take away sin.
This is not a new idea
but many Israelites
seem to believe
they could act
how they wanted
and simply go through
the religious ritual
to undo the wrong
that they had committed.
Many today
view the Old Testament
in this light
and sadly
many today
view Christianity
in a similar manner.
So let's take a look
at a couple of texts together
to establish this point.
Only one to turn to.
Isaiah,
the first one,
Isaiah 1.
And after reading this text
it would be hard
to come away
with the idea
that God
desires
animal sacrifice
as a means
in and of itself
to make one pure.
So Isaiah 1.
Verses 11-18.
This is pretty strong language.
God's speaking through Isaiah.
He says,
I have had enough
of burnt offerings
of rams
and of the fat
of well-fed beasts.
I do not delight
in the blood
of bulls
or of lambs
or of goats.
When you come
to appear before me,
who is required of you
this trampling
of my courts,
bring no more
vain offerings.
Incense is an abomination
to me.
When you spread out
your hands,
I will hide my eyes
from you.
Even though you make
many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full
of blood.
Wash yourselves.
Make yourselves clean.
Remove the evil
of your deeds
from before my eyes.
Cease to do evil.
Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Correct oppression.
Bring justice
to the fatherless.
Plead the widow's cause.
Then this beautiful
change.
Come now,
let us reason together,
says the Lord.
Though your sins
are like scarlet,
they shall be white
as snow.
Though they are red
like crimson,
they shall become
like wool.
So again,
Israel was seeking
to undo
the sin that they
had committed
by going through
a religious ritual.
As David already
reminded us
in Psalm 51,
that the sacrifices
of God
are a broken spirit
and a contrite heart.
Hosea adds to this
in Hosea 6,
verses 6-7.
He says,
I desire steadfast love
and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God
rather than burnt offerings.
But like Adam,
they transgressed
the covenant.
There they dealt
faithlessly with me.
Similar sentiments
are expressed
in 1 Samuel,
other places
in Isaiah,
Jeremiah,
Amos,
Micah,
and several
of the Psalms
and so on.
Religious actions
that they may be
commanded by God
cannot appease
righteous vengeance
against sin.
So,
the actions
that we do
are not to undo
sin that we've committed.
The obedience
that we have
doesn't cover
over our sins.
This is an important point
because we can have
this type of
debtor's ethic
towards God
where we do something wrong,
we have a bad day,
we make a poor decision
and we seek to
somehow balance out
the scales
through good works
and through action.
Even things
just like Israel,
doing things
that God had commanded
but doing them
with the attitude
that it somehow
puffs up
our position
before God
and God despises
this type
of attitude
and I think
we would do well
to consider
how we may be
doing this
in some regard today.
So,
our fifth question
that I believe
our text begs
this morning,
what made sacrifice
in the Old Testament
acceptable to God?
So,
what does
good sacrifice
look like
in the Old Testament?
In short,
what makes it acceptable
is the heart
and the attitude
of the worshiper.
Now,
Isaiah,
the text we just read above,
entreats us
to cast away sin,
to do good,
to seek justice,
to stand up
for those who are oppressed.
Hosea stated
that steadfast love
and knowledge
were what God desired
and David said again
that the sacrifice
is of the Lord
or a broken spirit
and a contrite heart.
So,
without this attitude,
the sacrifice
was just an empty ritual.
Religious activity
with no change of heart,
going through the motions
because that's what
we're supposed to do.
But this is not
the attitude
that God desired
of His people then,
nor is it the attitude
He desires now.
Instead of seeking repentance,
forsaking sin,
and walking in the righteousness
God has called us to,
we try to undo sin
by going to church
or Bible study,
praying,
or reading the Bible.
And,
to kind of shift gears,
many parents
across the Southeast
and other pockets
of cultural Christianity
have the attitude
that getting their family
to church
or to youth group
is pretty much
what their role
as spiritual leaders
sums up to be.
And there's a common trend
over the last several decades
of teens
leaving the church
once they go off to college.
Many never return,
but a high percentage
of the ones
who do come back
once they have kids
and realize
that someone has to teach
them morality,
so they enlist the church.
And while it would be easy
to assume
that families
bring their kids
to church in this way,
they're not ideal,
isn't that positive,
and while certainly
God can
and has worked
through ill-intended worship,
I want to push back
on this idea
that God
wants worship
or wants the activity
without the heart
behind it.
So,
as I was studying this,
I just have this
like burning question,
which is our next question,
last one.
Why does God
despise
Israel's empty sacrifice
so much?
question six.
Why does God
despise Israel's
empty sacrifice
so much?
It would seem
based off of the text
that we've read
that worshiping God
in the wrong way
or with the wrong attitude
is actually worse
than not attempting
to worship Him
at all.
Right?
These Israelites
were trampling
God's courts
according to Him.
In Isaiah 1,
again,
He said He had
enough burnt offerings
to no longer
bring vain offerings.
The incense
is an abomination
that He says
I cannot endure
iniquity
and solemn assembly
together,
that my soul
hates them
and they are
a burden.
So,
Israel
attempting to do
the right thing
but doing it
seeking to gain
favor before God
was absolutely
unacceptable
to Him.
So,
however this idea
relates to our worship
today,
I'm not totally sure
100% what that
connection is
but however it
relates to us today,
we want to make sure
that we're not making
the same error
that these Israelites
were.
Keep in mind
that they thought
they were in the right
in some regard.
They thought that
their worship
was acceptable
because they were
doing the right things
but their understanding
was deeply flawed.
And as I explored
this question,
I was under a great deal
of conviction
in my own attitude
which if I'm honest
sometimes reflects
empty ritual
more than
a broken
and contrite heart.
It's really easy
to go through the motions
and it's really easy
to get stuck
in a rut
to come
and to attend
to be doing
the right things
but to do so
with the wrong
attitude.
So,
I think we can answer
this question
of why does God
despise it so much
in a couple
of right ways.
Certainly,
Israel's sacrifice
as an excuse
to continue
and known sin
was presumptuous,
dismissing
of God's holiness
and flippant
towards sin.
But I think
the answer
cuts even more
deeply
than apathy
and a lack
of zeal.
And I think
if we look
into Hebrews
more closely,
we'll see
the depth
of the corruption
both in the heart
of Israel
and if we're willing
in our heart
as well.
So,
I believe this concept
circles back
to the idea
of drawing near
to God.
In our text,
circling back
to chapter 1,
it says,
For since the law
has but a shadow
of the good things
to come
instead of the true
form of these realities,
it can never
by the same sacrifices
that are continually
offered every year
make perfect
those who
draw near.
So,
the purpose
of sacrifice,
again,
is to be able
to draw near
to God.
The author of Hebrews
has been dealing
with a great deal
of heavy doctrine.
While he has paused
to give us a few exhortations
along the way,
he's mostly been building
a case of Christ's superiority.
But if you look
after verse 18
in our text today,
the author turns
that focus
on the application
of this doctrine
that he's been teaching.
He sums up
what he has taught
so far
in Hebrews 10,
19 through 21.
He says,
Therefore,
brothers,
since we have confidence
to enter the holy places
by the blood of Jesus,
by the new and living way
that he's opened for us
through the curtain
that is through his flesh,
and since we have
a great high priest
over the house of God,
so again,
summing up
where we are so far.
He concludes,
based off of everything
we've studied,
let us draw near
with a true heart
and a full assurance
of faith.
So we've already talked
about access to God,
but this phrase,
drawing near,
is a favorite
of the author of Hebrews.
He uses it seven times
in his epistle.
Chapter 4,
verse 16,
he says,
Let us draw near
with confidence
through the throne of grace
that we may receive mercy
and find grace
to help in time of need.
Chapter 7,
verse 25,
he says,
He's able to save forever
those who draw near
to God through him
since he always lives
to make intercession
for them.
In chapter 11,
verse 6,
Without faith,
it is impossible
to please God,
for he who draws near
to God
must believe that he is
and that he is a rewarder
of those who seek him.
And again,
circling back to this idea
of access to God,
one of Christ's names,
Emmanuel,
God with us.
Christ drew near to us,
as John says in his gospel.
He literally,
it says,
he tabernacled with us
and made a dwelling place
with us
so that through
his perfect righteousness
imputed to us
and our sin imputed to him,
we might now draw near
to God.
And we can do this
to some degree now,
but Revelation,
as we read,
shows us that one day
we will dwell with God
perfectly
as our space
and God's space
can once again overlap
because Christ's sacrifice
was perfect
and actually took away sin.
So the point is this,
drawing near to God
is the essence
of the gospel itself
and the purpose
for which we were created.
So let's answer this question,
why was Israel's vain sacrifice
such an abomination to God?
They were attempting
to draw near to God
flippantly,
under their own merit
and for selfish gain
instead of for humble submission
and worship
for his great mercy.
So again,
they were attempting
to draw near to God
flippantly.
They weren't considering
what it took
for us to be
in the presence of God.
They weren't considering
who God was
and his holiness
and they were believing
that they could undo sin
through enough
good action
thus appeasing God.
And beloved,
I think sometimes
we have the same tendencies.
We walk into
the blood-bought presence
of God
as if we are owed something.
We go through
the empty routine
of church
glazing through scripture,
not taking the time
to get our mind right
before a holy God.
If we've had a good week
spiritually
by whatever measuring stick
we're using
and we feel like
we deserve God's love
and if we struggle
with sin
we feel ashamed
to approach God
as if we ever deserve
to be in his presence
in the first place.
And this is the exact opposite
of the message
of the gospel
and ignores
our great need of God
to show us
mercy.
Under the old covenant
they knew that God
was merciful
but they did not know
how it was
that he would deal
with sin
but on this side
of grace
we get to see it
and celebrate it
in all its glory.
Through Christ's sacrifice
we have a glorious
access to God
so let us draw near.
Piper writes
of this text
The great aim
of this writer
of Hebrews
is that we get near
to God
that we have fellowship
with him
that we not settle
for a Christian life
at a distance from God.
This drawing near
is not a physical act
it's not a building
the tower of Babel
by your achievements
to get to heaven
it's not necessarily
going to a church building
or walking to an altar
at the front
but it's an invisible
act of the heart
it's a directing
of the heart
into the presence
of God
who is as distant
as the Holy of Holies
in heaven
and yet as near
as the door of faith.
He is commanding us
to come
to approach him
and to draw near
to God.
Let us not worship
God vainly
as Old Testament Israel did
going through the right
actions
without forsaking sin
seeking to undo
that sin
by going to church
reading the word
and fellowshipping
with believers.
And this morning
if you're dealing
with guilt
and the weight
of your own sin
let us remember
that Christ's sacrifice
has removed our sin
cleansed this
from its effects
and absorbed
the wrath
of God.
It is finished
Christ has accomplished
this
so let's praise
the Lord together.
Let's pray.