
Confidence in Christ’s Sacrifice
Hebrews 10
October 27, 2024
Andrew Boone
THE PROBLEM: No animal sacrifice is enough to make us right with God.
You have a sin problem as much as the readers did.
The law was good but incomplete – a “shadow.”
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 sins? 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. —Hebrews 10:1-4 ESV
THE SOLUTION: Jesus came to be the perfect solution for sin.
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you 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.’” —Hebrews 10:5-7 ESV
Jesus’ body and blood is a completely different category of sacrifice. No amount of animal bodies and blood could equal Jesus.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the “shadow” of the law.
Jesus REPLACES the old temporary system with a new permanent system to be made right with God.
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 does away with 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. —Hebrews 10:8-10 ESV
Sanctify means “set apart as holy.”
Jesus’ sacrifice is FINAL.
And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered 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. —Hebrews 10:11-14 ESV
Sanctification is both a one-time event (declaration of holy perfection) and an ongoing process of becoming what we have been declared to be.
This new system is called the New Covenant.
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 forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. —Hebrews 10:15-18 ESV
“Therefore” is a logical bridge from Christ’s sacrifices to APPLICATIONS.
Confidence is the foundational application of Christ’s sacrifice.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. —Hebrews 10:19-25 ESV
“The way you live as a believer matters. And one of the reasons it matters is that God uses your commitment to endure, with all of its regular habits of faith, as a tool to keep you by his power. So you work, you fight, you resist, you obey, you confess, you repent, you worship, you study, and you do it all over and over again. None of these disciplines would be enough to keep you forever in the Shepherd’s fold, but each is a tool the Father uses to keep us to the end. No, the doctrine of perseverance doesn’t teach us that the way we live doesn’t make any difference. It calls us to the very opposite.” —Paul Tripp, Do You Believe?
Another WARNING emphasizes the importance of the applications.
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. —Hebrews 10:26-28 ESV
Deliberate sin reveals (not causes) that a person is unsaved.
How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. —Hebrews 10:29-31 ESV
The person in vv 26-31 is an enemy of God, not a child who is struggling.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. —Romans 8:1 ESV
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. —Romans 8:28-30 ESV
Apostasy is rejecting Christ and His sacrifice when you were a professing Christian but not saved.
The author makes it plain that apostasy is deadly serious and the “let us…” applications are meant to fight against it.
The warning is sandwiched between applications to guide against it and ENCOURAGEMENT that the readers will avoid it.
But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. —Hebrews 10:32-39 ESV
The author assumes the readers are those who will hold fast.
Big Idea:
Hold fast to Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice to make you right with God.
Big Application:
Feed your faith to hold fast.
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Memory Verse: Hebrews 1:1-2a NIV
Long ago in many ways and at many times God’s prophets spoke his message to our ancestors. But now at last, God sent his Son to bring his message to us.
The goal of these questions is to foster meaningful discussion and to encourage participants to reflect on God’s Word to lead to heart transformation. Feel free to modify or expand upon these questions based on the dynamics and needs of your Small Group.
Read Hebrews 10:1-18
Jesus came to do God’s will. How do you discern and respond to God’s will in your life? Are there areas where you feel resistant or unsure? How does understanding Jesus’ complete submission to God’s will inspire you in your own life?
Explain what it means for believers to “be” made perfect forever and at the same time are “being” made holy. In other words, how does justification and sanctification work together? As you reflect on your own life, what area(s) do you feel Him urging you to greater levels of holiness?
Read Hebrews 10:19-38
How do you draw near to God with a sincere heart? When coming to God in prayer, what do you do to prepare your mind and heart? What distractions can prevent you from drawing near to God?
Knowing that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from a guilty conscience, why do Christians sometimes continue to struggle with feelings of guilt? When you have feelings of guilt, what gives you that feeling? Is there any guilt or sin from your past that you find difficult to let go of, even though you know you’re forgiven?
We are called to consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Who in your life has been a source of encouragement and inspiration for you? How might you be that person for someone else this week?
The passage warns against giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. Reflect on your own commitment to gathering with other believers. How does regular fellowship with other Christians impact your spiritual growth and perseverance? What kind of things can draw you away from meeting with other believers?
The author recalls the early days of faith and enduring struggles. Have you ever experienced persecution or ridicule of any kind because of your faith? If so, how did you respond? Have you ever ignored the spirit nudging you to share about Christ? What did you learn after that experience?
The closing verses call believers to live by faith and not shrink back. What forces or circumstances are pushing you to shrink back? What does it look like for you to live by faith in your everyday life? How can you share the message of living by faith with those who may not yet know Christ?