Never Alone

(Note--I'm experimenting with a slightly new format. You can find music to enjoy and the audio version of this lesson at bottom of the page)

Introduction

            Let me just state the obvious—life can be really hard sometimes. If you’ve ever been overwhelmed at school or lost your job, you know life is hard. If the money never stretches far enough to make ends meet, you know life is hard. If you’ve endured the heartache of a broken relationship, you know life is hard. If you’ve lost a cherished loved one, you know life is hard. If you’re hated simply because of the color of your skin, you know life is hard. If you’re battling an illness—physical, mental, or emotional—you know life is hard. If you’re hated because of your faith in Jesus Christ, you know life is hard. I’m guessing if you haven’t yet felt that life is hard, you’ll eventually get there. However, do you want to know what is particularly hard, going through any of these things believing you are alone? That can make the hardship seem unbearable.

            I have a confession to make, I have been struggling under the weight of an illness for almost a year now that has grown progressively worse. Not many people have been aware of my condition except my family and some close friends. I thank God for my friends and family because during the really bad times when I’ve been hospitalized, they have been there to care for me and pray for me. In that respect, I was Never Alone. But a person’s faith can get stretch when life gets hard enough and it doesn’t appear that God is doing anything to mitigate the hardship. I know my faith has been stretched over the last year as I have prayed for healing that has been elusive to this point. I have found myself on more than one occasion wondering if God is even listening. However, whenever my wife makes a special meal for me that I might be able to tolerate or a friend calls to let me know they are thinking of me and praying for me, I know God is listening. It’s one of the ways He says, you are Never Alone. However, when friends and family are not near, His Spirit reminds me of His promise that He will never leave me or forsake me and that He will be with me and near me always as His Spirit resides within me.

Subject Texts

Matthew 28:20

²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Hebrews 13:5

⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Context

            For those of you who have been reading my lessons for any length of time, you know that I don’t teach on multiple texts at the same time. However, these two texts are so closely related that I just couldn’t help myself. The texts demonstrate that God has been and will continue to be faithfully present with His people in all circumstances and for all time.

            The text from Matthew is found at the very end of his Gospel as Jesus commissions the disciples, and by extension all of us, to go out and make disciples. Jesus knew what awaited them as He commissioned them to go out and proclaim an unpopular message to a hostile world. Jesus knew there would be a time for each of them when the crucible of hardship would cause them to feel isolated. Jesus wanted them to know that in those moments when life gets really hard, they are Never Alone.

            The text from Hebrews speaks to primarily Jewish Christians who were undergoing severe persecution and were contemplating whether or not they made a mistake abandoning the Jewish system of animal sacrifice in exchange for Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice on the cross. The writer of Hebrews is reminding his readers that no matter what they are experiencing. God’s faithfulness to His promises remain unchanged and one of those promises is that even in the midst of their pain and suffering, the are Never Alone.

Text Analysis

Matthew 28:20

²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

            I have often said that becoming a follower of Jesus is easy—or at least it was for me. I recognize that there are many of you that had to scratch and claw your way to belief but it really wasn’t that way for me. However, being a follower of Jesus is never easy. I have never met anyone who has said that being faithfully obedient to everything Jesus taught has been easy. But you know what, I think it is supposed to be hard. I think Jesus knows we will fail, sometimes often, because failure, even more than success, brings us to the point of intimate connection with Jesus. It forces us to seek Jesus more deeply. Paul said that it was in his weakness; in his failures, that Christ’s strength would reveal itself.

            Jesus knows what He is asking when He asks us to follow Him. He knows that it will be hard to follow Him in our relationships. He knows that it will be hard to follow Him at work and at school. He knows it will be hard to follow Him in midst of people who hate us. He knows that it will be hard to follow Him when the money runs out or especially when the money never runs out. He knows that it will be hard to follow Him when we are grieving a loss. He knows that it will be hard to follow Him when we are sick and tired. Jesus knows that being faithful can be very lonely. He knows because He experienced that loneliness on the cross when not only His closest followers abandoned Him but even the Father turned His back on the Son when the Son took our sin upon Himself. On the cross, Jesus experienced that intense loneliness so we would never have to. Knowing how hard life can get, Jesus wanted His disciples and all of us to know that He will always be with us spiritually so that we are Never Alone.

            “Matthew closes his Gospel with Jesus’ promise to be spiritually present with his followers until the end of this age, that is, until his return, when he will once again be present bodily. John describes how Jesus had explained this provision in much more detail as the ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 13-17). Acts 2 will describe the decisive moment of the fulfillment of this promise at Pentecost. Matthew chooses to leave his readers here. The disciples represent everyone in the church to which he writes and, derivatively, everyone who professes to follow Christ in any age. The Lord is now risen! He calls his people to become disciple makers, and he promises to be with them irrespective of their success or failures…In Jesus, God remains with us for now and eternity! What more do we need to persevere in Christian living? We must go out and obey his commission. But the final word of the Gospel remains Christ-centered. Even when we fail, he remains faithful.”[1]

Hebrews 13:5

⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

            As I explained earlier, the Jewish Christians we enduring intense persecution for their faith in Christ. We tend to think that Christian persecution always involves physical brutality. And while that’s true in many, even most, cases, some types of persecution are more discreet and insidious. For example, Jews who became Christians were often isolated economically. If they had businesses, no one would buy from them. If they relied on other businesses to provide for their needs, no one would sell to them. Currency, in whatever form, has always been a necessary part of any functioning society.

            This might surprise you but Jesus talked more about finances than He did about heaven or hell. George Barna of The Barna Research Groups found that there is essentially no difference between believers and unbelievers in how they spend their money. Specifically, believers and unbelievers alike amass money to build wealth for their personal comfort and benefit. The giving patterns of believers and unbelievers are eerily similar. Christians have always gotten themselves twisted around what is and what is not biblical with respect to finances. At root of the matter isn’t money in and of itself, it is a matter of faith and trust in God’s provision.

Paul told Timothy that it isn’t money that is evil but the love of money that is evil. Believers tend to love money for the same reasons as unbelievers—because of the perceived security it offers. With enough money, we never have to worry about having a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, or food on our tables. Don’t get me wrong, having money, even lots of money, isn’t in and of itself wrong. What God is more interested in is how open you are to giving it away. However, this isn’t really a matter of financial parity. God doesn’t care if everyone has the same amount of money. God wants to know if your faith is in Him or in your money to provide for you. Let me know if this sounds familiar: “Wow that person looks like they really need help but I need every penny I have to provide for my own family.” There’s certainly nothing wrong with providing for your own family but don’t you think God knows that? What if, when you come across someone in need God is presenting you with an opportunity to demonstrate that you trust Him more than you trust your money.

            The text from Hebrews is another verse were the Law of Double Reference applies. The readers of the Epistle would have recognized this right away as coming from Deuteronomy 31:6 where Moses is encouraging the people to not be afraid as they prepare to cross the Jordan River to take possession of the Promised Land. God provided for their deliverance out of bondage, He provided for them as they wandered forty years in the desert, and He would provide what they needed when the time came to drive the Canaanites out of the land promised to them. God has always provided for His creation; He has never abandoned His creation. God has been faithful from the very start to care for His people. They never had to wonder if God was present to guide them, protect them, and provide for them. They were Never Alone. The writer of Hebrews’ use of the words from their distant past (+/- 1,500 years) reminds his readers that God remains unchanged with the passage of time. His promise to Israel that He would never leave them or forsake them applied to them and it applies to us as well.

            “The love of money was a theme regularly addressed in contemporary moral teaching. Jesus warned against the danger of making money or possessions the centre of one’s affections (Matt. 6:24; not Luke 16:14, where the Pharisees are called ‘lovers of money’), linking this attitude with a lack of trust in God’s care and provision for his children (Matt. 6:25-34). The love of money and trust in God are mutually exclusive.

            “The issue has special relevance for the listeners of Hebrews. In ‘earlier days’ when they had been subjected to public abuse and arrest, and some had been imprisoned, they remained steadfast in their faith even though this meant losing some of their possessions. The prospect of renewed suffering may have encouraged some members of the congregation to seek greater material security. But love for Christian brothers and sisters and for the foreigner or stranger stands in contrast to the love of money since the latter is ‘an ugly expression of deep-rooted selfishness’ (1 Tim. 6:10).

            “The call to contentment is based on the solemn and sure promise of God’s unfailing presence and care. God himself speaks directly to them in the Scripture:

            ‘Never will I leave you;

                        never will I forsake you.’

“This declaration that he will never abandon his people nor leave them desolate is equivalent to the covenant promise of the Old Testament, ‘I will be with you’…This covenant promise turns up at key points in Israel’s salvation history and is reiterated in a variety of ways throughout the Old Testament to assure the Lord’s people of his presence and protection.

            “The assurance of God’s unfailing presence is intended to strengthen the listeners so that they will trust in the Lord’s help, be generous rather than greedy, and be faithful in their lives with one another. But the divine promise is wide-ranging and can address all of the listeners’ needs…In fact, the Lord’s constant presence in the midst of his people is ultimately the greatest blessing to them…The singular you in the address represents the whole people, but the promise is at the same time for each one of them. The affirmation of total commitment to his people corporately and individually is all the more powerful because it comes from the God who is ‘a consuming fire’ (Heb. 12:29). It is ‘a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God (10:31),’ but it is also, paradoxically, the safest of all places to be.”[2]

Application

            I want to issue a warning to all of you who believe you’re in the clear when you see someone straining under the hardship of their particular struggle and simply tell yourself that God will take care of them because God is always present. You are treading on dangerously unbiblical territory even if there is some truth floating around in that idea. Do you want to know what I have heard people cry out to me when they’ve been told that they should look only to Jesus? What they tell me is that they do trust Jesus but what they really need at that moment is Jesus with skin on. Does that sound strange to you? Well what they are saying is that the need more than the spiritual presence of Jesus at that moment during their struggle. Nothing vanquishes loneliness in the crucible of hardship like Jesus with skin on.

            I want to challenge you this week to be Jesus with skin on for someone who is laboring under the weight of their pain and suffering. For some of you who are struggling with your own pain and suffering, what I’m asking you to do may be an additional burden that is too heavy for you carry right now. In that case, I pray that God sends someone into your life to be Jesus with skin on. The point is, take the opportunity, if you are able, to be present with someone struggling—go visit, make a phone call, write a note of encouragement. Do something for someone that will let them know that they don’t have to struggle by themselves and then let them know, if they don’t already, that through Jesus Christ, they are Never Alone.

            This week I read a story of Judge Lou Olivera and retired Green Beret Joe Serna that is a perfect example of what it means to be Jesus with skin for someone whose dread of loneliness and isolation had the power to break his mind.

“Gulf War veteran Lou Olivera, a district court judge who presides over the Veterans Treatment Court in Cumberland County, North Carolina, sentenced retired Green Beret Joe Serna to spend the night in jail for a probation violation earlier [that] month.

"He did his duty," Serna tells PEOPLE [Digital Magazine]. "He sentenced me. It was his job to hold me accountable. But what he did next," Serna continues, "it sounds like I'm making it up – and I'm not."

Judge Olivera persuaded another veteran, the jailer, to allow him to "stay in the foxhole" overnight with Serna.

"He is a judge, but that night, he was my battle buddy," Serna says. "He knew what I was going through. As a warrior, he connected."

A Decades-Long Connection

The warrior connection has played an important role in Serna's life for decades. As a young soldier going through the grueling Special Forces selection process, Serna and a buddy devoured the book Five Years to Freedom by legendary Green Beret Nick Rowe – a POW in Vietnam who escaped captivity and later was assassinated – and ripped the book in half so that the pals could read it simultaneously.

"It inspired me," Serna says. "The Vietnam guys are my idols."

Like many of his idols, Serna went into combat repeatedly. Each deployment brought honor – and a measure of pain.

"I lost so many friends," Serna tells PEOPLE. "I was medevaced [medically evacuated] after some guy dropped a grenade on me. In the process, I lost a bunch of guys right next to me."

In one horrific incident, Serna and his fellow soldiers were trapped overnight inside a vehicle submerged in water. Everyone but Serna died.

"I lost my whole crew," Serna says. "They were in the water with me. That tore me up. I couldn't escape that truck. I stayed there until somebody saved me."

Later, Serna was wounded and required surgery. Afterwards, when he was medically retired, he paid attention only to some of his ailments.

"Physically, I was taking care of myself," Serna says. "I didn't think about the mental."

Still, mental ailments made themselves known.

"I was having issues, and would feed that with alcohol," Serna says. "I thought I was going down the right path. I didn't know I was going the wrong way."

Serna's path eventually brought him to the Veterans Treatment Court, a relatively new branch of the court system in various jurisdictions, including Cumberland County, North Carolina.

The special courts aim to help struggling veterans get back on track.

The court officials are mostly veterans who understand the dynamics of military service, says Judge Olivera. "We jell as a team," he says.

Olivera saw the team's positive impact on Serna, who was on probation for several alcohol-related offenses.

"When Joe first came to my court, he was so tight," Olivera says. "His shoulders were so tense. Over time, you could see his shoulders relax."

But, Olivera says: "Everybody is human. People make mistakes."

When Serna violated his probation over a urinalysis test, Olivera knew he had to hold the veteran accountable.

Olivera also knew that being locked up and unable to escape a windowless steel box could trigger painful memories of the night Serna was trapped inside a small space with fallen companions.

"Joe was a good soldier and he's a good man," Olivera says. "I wanted him to know I had his back. I didn't want him to do this alone."

Without telling Serna what he planned to do, Olivera personally drove Serna to neighboring Robeson County. There, Olivera consulted jail administrator George Kenworthy – another veteran – and told him he wanted to spend the night in lockup with Serna.

"He looked at me like I was crazy," Olivera says. "He gave me the stinkeye, and said, 'I don't know what you're thinking, son. I can't lock up a judge.' "

"I never heard of such a thing," Kenworthy tells PEOPLE.

The two men went outside to talk. Olivera explained Serna's story.

"Give me 10 minutes," Kenworthy told the judge. "I'll get y'all a cell."

Locked Inside

Unaware of what was transpiring outside, Serna settled in for his stretch in jail. He began to think about the night he was trapped with his fallen men inside the submerged vehicle.

"In the truck, I didn't know I would get out of there," Serna says. "I only had one option that night, and it wasn't a good option. In the cell, I reflected on that."

As his mind went into dark places, Serna heard his cell door rattle. He looked up and, to his shock, saw the smiling face of Judge Olivera.

"I said, 'Judge, what are you doing?' He said, 'We're in the foxhole together.' "

Olivera stepped inside. Kenworthy brought in mats so that the judge could sleep on the floor, as per his request.

"They closed the door and locked it," Serna says. "I said, 'This is serious.' He had the ability to get out, but they locked the door."

Serna asked his new cellmate: "Judge, are you afraid?"

"No," Olivera replied. "Are you?"

"No," Serna told him.

"I was at peace," Serna says. "When he came in, I knew everything was going to be okay."

The two spent the night talking about their service, their families and their lives.

The next day, the veterans left lockup together. Olivera drove his cellmate home, and stopped off to buy donuts for the Serna family.

Time to Reflect

The jail sentence is over, but now all three men say the experience enriched them.

"I'm a judge and I've seen evil," Olivera says, "but I see the humanity in people. Joe is a good man. Helping him helped me. I wanted him to know he isn't alone."[3]

---

[1] Craig L. Blomberg, Matthew—The New American Commentary, (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1992), 433-434.

[2] Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews—The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2010), 511-512.

[3] Keating, Susan. “North Carolina Judge Sentences Fellow Veteran to Jail—Then Goes Behind Bars With Him: ‘We’re in the Foxhole Together’”, PEOPLE, 4/27/17, Accessed 9/24/16, http://www.people.com/article/north-carolina-judge-joins-veteran-jail.

(Audio version; Music: "Street Called Mercy" and "Oceans" by: Hillsong United)

The Lamb Of God

 (Audio version; Music: "In The Name Of" by: JJ Weeks Band and "Nothing But The Blood" by: Matt Redman)

Introduction

           I read a disturbing article this week about an event in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Muslims were celebrating the festival of Eid al-Adha. The celebration requires animal sacrifice. The local authorities designated hundreds of sacrifice locations around the city. In case you are unaware, Bangladesh receives approximately six and a half feet of rain annually. So it shouldn’t really be a surprise that it was raining during the festival. The result was a visual spectacle when the rain mixed with the blood from hundreds of animal sacrifices. Streets were often flooded in Dhaka so water running through streets wasn’t all that unusual. However, on this day, rivers of rainwater became rivers of blood.

            Since humanity’s fall in the Garden of Eden, we have been looking for ways to make things right with God. Even civilizations who don’t recognize the God of the Bible realize that they fall short of the standard established by some deity. Whether it was the ancient Grecians who wore themselves out trying to appease their many gods or Buddhists who believe they will be reincarnated again and again until they do life right, humanity has tried to atone for their mistakes; their sins. Even atheists seek reconciliation even though they would choke before admitting it. You can see it when they hurt someone and say, “I’m sorry.” The fact that they are sorry betrays the belief inherent in all humanity, whether they admit it or not, that there is right and wrong and when you do something wrong, you have to make things right. It made me think of the Old Testament practice of animal sacrifice; the shedding of blood, and it’s central significance in the life of faith of Israel.

            Animal sacrifice as a means to reconnect with God began long before the cultic practice outlined in the Book of Leviticus. The first animal sacrifice occurred in Genesis 3:21 right in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned. Remember that after Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they realized that they were naked. After God confronted them about their sin, He provided them with clothes made of animal skin. Unless there was a skinless animal wandering around the Garden, an animal was sacrificed so Adam and Eve could have what they needed. Thereafter, Abel sacrificed the firstborn of the flock, Noah offered animal sacrifice, and Abraham offered animal sacrifice. Clearly animal sacrifice was practiced as a means to worship and honor God long before it was formally instituted as part of Israel’s cultic ritual system. However, it wasn’t until the Law was formally established that animal sacrifice, specifically for the forgiveness of sin, was instituted in Leviticus 16.

            God commanded Israel to perform various sacrifices according to certain procedures. The animal had to be spotless, the person offering the sacrifice had to identify with the animal, and the person offering the animal had to shed its blood. When the sacrifice is done in faith, a temporary covering of sins is provided. Another sacrifice called for on the Day of Atonement, demonstrates forgiveness and the removal of sin. The high priest was to take two male goats for a sin offering. One of the goats was sacrificed as a sin offering for the people of Israel, while the other goat was released into the wilderness. The second goat is where we get the term “scapegoat” from. The sin offering provided forgiveness, while the other goat provided the removal of sin. What’s important to remember is that sacrifices for the forgiveness of corporate and individual sins had to be repeated regularly. However, just as God provided a sacrificial system for the forgiveness of sins that the people could practice regularly, God would provide one final sacrifice for the sins of all humanity that would put an end to the need for all other sacrifices. God Himself would become the sacrifice—God would become The Lamb Of God that would take away the sins of the world.

Subject Text

Hebrews 10:1-18

            ¹The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. ²Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. ³But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. ⁴It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. ⁵Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; ⁶with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. ⁷Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God.’ ” ⁸First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. ⁹Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. ¹⁰And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ¹¹Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹²But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. ¹⁴For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. ¹⁵The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: ¹⁶“This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” ¹⁷Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” ¹⁸And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

Context

            Hardship has a way of making a person question some of their choices. The letter to the Hebrews was written primarily to Jewish Christians but applies to all of us as well. These Christians were undergoing intense persecution from both the Jews and the Romans. Add to this the fact that Christ hadn’t returned, as so many anticipated, and many of them were beginning to question if they made a mistake abandoning the sacrificial system prescribed by the Law. Sin and its spiritual and eternal consequences were serious matters for the believers who took their relationship with God seriously. They no longer practiced animal sacrifice for the forgiveness of their sins because they sincerely believed Jesus was the sacrifice for the forgiveness of humanity’s sins. However, under the pressure of persecution, some of them were understandably questioning that decision. As a result, the author of Hebrews reassures them that Christ was indeed the once-for-all sacrifice for humanity’s sins and that no additional sacrifices are necessary because animal sacrifice merely foreshadowed Jesus’ sacrifice. The blood of animals was ultimately ineffective to accomplish the eternal forgiveness of sins made possible by the shed blood of The Lamb Of God.

Text Analysis

            ¹The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. ²Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. ³But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. ⁴It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

            I love how the author of Hebrew begins his argument in vv. 1-4. Remember who he’s talking to—they’re trying to figure out if they should go back to what they were doing before Christ came and died on the cross, or maybe combine their faith in Christ AND continue to offer sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins. I know it sounds ridiculous but the mind under duress can rationalize almost anything. The best way to help these believers get back or stay on the right track was to remind them of some very important truths of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments.

People often think that the New Testament was necessary because God didn’t anticipate that the Old Testament wouldn’t accomplish what He wanted to accomplish. But that’s not how redemption works. You have to remember that God is moving people toward redemption without over-ruling their freedom to choose. If you think about it, God could have avoided everything if He hadn’t placed the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden in the first place. So why didn’t He do it? Because He wanted Adam and Eve to be in obedient relationship with Him by their own choice not by manipulation or coercion. Adam and Eve chose to be disobedient. Once sin entered creation God put in motion the plan for redemption. Every event from the time Adam and Eve sinned until creation reaches its Final Glory travels along the Trajectory Of Redemption. It looks something like this:

 

     

            All the events after humanity fell because of sin, travel along the Trajectory Of Redemption (Figure 1). Additionally, certain events during the Old Testament Era foreshadowed the events that would take place during the New Testament Era. The sacrificial system was one of those events. The Old Testament practice of animal sacrifice for the temporary forgiveness of sins foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice by Jesus. Later in our Subject Text there will be more examples of how the Old Testament voices speak into the New Testament.

            It makes perfect sense that if the sacrifice of animals sufficed to take away humanity’s sins, then it wouldn’t have been necessary to repeat the sacrifices year after year after year. As it was, the practice of animal sacrifice prepared God’s people to advance along the Trajectory Of Redemption until they could experience the ultimate redemption provided by Christ. “As with the old covenant tabernacle, the law’s sacrificial system can only be seen as an imperfect copy of what God ultimately had in mind, since it contained elements that had a degree of ineffectiveness. That it constitutes a ‘shadow’ suggests that the earthly system mimics enough of the original to point God’s people to greater, heavenly realities. Nevertheless, by its perpetual need for new sacrifices, it demonstrates its inadequacy…

            The law’s sacrificial system, rather than delivering worshipers from guilt, actually has the effect of reminding them of their sinfulness and, thus, their constant separation from God. Why is this the case under the older covenant? Because the sacrifice of that system—‘the blood of bulls and goats’—do not have the ability to remove sins…

            The idea of ‘removing’ sin speaks of the burden sin placed on the worshiper’s conscience being lifted in a decisive, perpetually effective cleansing, which establishes one’s status before God. This is what the old covenant sacrifices were unable to do, which is why sin remained a separator, a perennial, detrimental force disallowing a permanently right relationship between God and his people.”[1]

⁵Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; ⁶with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. ⁷Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God.’ ” ⁸First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. ⁹Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second.

            Let me guess, some of you are very confused by vv. 5-9 because you can’t find anywhere in the Gospels where Jesus said these things. Just relax and take a deep breath. These words are spoken by David and come directly from Psalm 40:6-8:

            Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—but my ears you have opened— burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”

            You might recall that I taught you in a previous lesson that this is understood as the Law of Double Reference. It means that a text has both an understanding in its original context and also in a future context. This is a magnificent example of the beauty of God’s Word. In its original context Psalm 40 praises God for His saving acts. David is saying in Psalm 40 that God doesn’t desire sacrifice and offerings even though those things are prescribed by the Law. God desires relationship and He demonstrates that desire by saving us when we are in dire need and being faithful to do for us what He says He will do. David was obedient to the will of God by proclaiming God’s salvation and deliverance within the great assembly of God’s people and Jesus was obedient to God’s will by being humanity’s salvation and deliverance. We are obedient to the will of God when we proclaim that message of salvation and deliverance—the Gospel—within the great assembly that is the world around us.

            “Applying to Christ the words of Psalm 40:6-8, Christ came to offer his body on the cross for us as a sacrifice that is completely acceptable to God. God’s new and living way for us to please him comes not by keeping the laws or even by abstaining from sin, but by turning to him in faith for forgiveness and then following him in loving obedience. This is what set Christ’s sacrifice apart. He followed God’s will, obeyed him, and offered the perfect sacrifice of perfect obedience.

            The entire Old Testament (the Scriptures) had written about Christ and his coming. The law and the sacrificial system was a shadow of what was to come. Christ fulfilled the law as well as the prophecies that announced the coming of the new covenant…

            God did not want the sacrifices required by the law of Moses. God had never planned for the old system to be the final system. Instead, he provided a new way, a new covenant through Christ, who obeyed God and willingly gave up his life as a perfect sacrifice. Christ cancels the first covenant in order to establish the second. Setting aside the first system in order to establish a far better one meant doing away with the system of sacrifices contained in the ceremonial law. (It didn’t mean eliminating God’s ‘moral’ law, contained in the Ten Commandments.) The ceremonial law prepared people for Christ. With his coming, that system was no longer needed.”[2]

¹⁰And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

            Let me just say that the importance of v. 10 can’t be overstated. The “will” referred to in this verse is God’s will that Jesus would pay for our sins by dying on the cross in our place. Here is a very, very important theological principal: We (believers) are holy because of Jesus’ sacrifice. Not because of anything we have done or will do. We are saints the moment we put our faith in Christ. Why is this understanding important? Because it combats the awful heresy that says we have to do something to earn our salvation and holiness. For example, recently the Catholic Church conveyed sainthood upon Mother Theresa. This is another in a relatively long list of unbiblical practices by the Catholic Church but this one is particularly heinous in light of our Subject Text generally and v. 10 specifically. Mother Theresa was deemed a saint because of all the work she did in her life. Can you see the ramifications of that heresy? If you or I don’t do enough, we won’t be saints and if we aren’t saints then we aren’t saved and if we aren’t saved then Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t sufficient to make us holy. Do you see how something so seemingly benign can wound someone’s faith? I know this from personal experience.

Just last week while visiting my mother, she said, “Did you hear that they made Mother Theresa a saint?” I watched her expression as she held this new “saint” in such high esteem. My mother is 81-years old and has been a Catholic her entire life yet doesn’t realize that she too is a saint. So she goes to church more, goes to confession more, prays more and serves more. What a terrible burden to act not in response to God’s favor but in order to earn His favor. Conversely, what a tremendous burden is lifted from our shoulders when we no longer try to earn God’s favor but instead recognize what He has done for us and to us through Christ’s perfect sacrifice. I want you to try something for me and see how it feels. Look at your self in the mirror and say, “Because of Jesus, I am holy. Because of Jesus I am a saint.” It might seem silly to most of you but for those of you who are like me, I can acknowledge those words in my head but I seldom believe them in my heart. I know that doesn’t sound very good for a pastor but a lifetime of trying to earn the favor of important people in my life has transferred to my relationship with God and it will probably take the rest of my life to get to the place where I can say those things and believe them in my heart not just know them in my head. But I’m going to keep saying them and if you’re having trouble believing them then you need to keep saying them as well.

            “The only complete fulfillment of the will of God appeared in Christ’s perfect obedience. Because we who have trusted Christ are identified with him, we also have fulfilled the will of God. God received us on the basis of Jesus’ complete fulfillment of God’s will. Once for all showed the finality of the transaction.

            In Christ believers receive complete cleansing of their sin. They are equipped to enter God’s presence. They can offer acceptable worship to him. They are accepted!”[3]

¹¹Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹²But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.

            There are a few things going on in vv. 11-13 that need some specific context in order to understand properly. V. 11 is a continuation of the previous verses and serves to emphasize the futility of the priests’ religious duties of offering sacrifices over and over and over; sacrifices that can, nevertheless, not remove the peoples’ sins.

            When v. 12 refers to “this priest” it is referring to Jesus. It might seem like an odd reference but it was earlier that the author of Hebrews taught us that Jesus is our Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14-16) when he said:

            Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Jesus, our Great High Priest, is the priest from v. 12 of our Subject Text. Now think about that in the context of our Subject Text. The Jewish priests offered animal sacrifices day after day, year after year. Jesus, not just any priest but our Great High Priest, didn’t offer animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins, He offered Himself as the “once-for-all” sacrifice that is sufficient to cleanse us from our sins for all time.

            It is a little more difficult to understand v. 13 because it seems a little out of place unless we remember that the people reading the letter were thinking of returning to their old way of life because Christ hadn’t returned yet. I’m guessing they went from wondering when Christ would return to why He hadn’t returned yet. I’m guessing they were wondering how much longer they would have to endure the persecution that was pressing in around them every day. Although v. 13 doesn’t tell them when Christ will return, it does tell them why He hasn’t returned. Christ will not return until His enemies are all identified and He issues His final judgment of eternal condemnation over them. Who are His enemies? Unbelievers. When will that happen? Go back and take a look at Figure 1. Jesus’ enemies will be made His footstool right before the end of the Trajectory Of Redemption; right before those of us who believe in Him will enjoy Him in Final Glory for all eternity. V. 13 is also another example of the Law of Double Reference. In fact, it is one of the more interesting instances of the Law of Double Reference. The text comes again from one of the Psalms—Psalm 110:1. Read it very carefully because it’s one of those instances that takes your breath away because the Psalms were written hundreds of years before. If the Old Testament is a shadow of things to come then Psalm 110:1 is almost more than a shadow; it is almost a shadow with recognizable features; it is a shadow that is almost real enough to touch.

The LORD says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

            What an amazing foreshadowing of Christ and a vision of that point in time near the end of the Trajectory Of Redemption also referred to in v. 13 of our Subject Text. “From the time that Christ sat down at God’s right hand he eagerly awaits the final overthrow of his enemies by God. This waiting is not some passive thing but an eager expectation of the kind that our author commends to his readers. This ready anticipation suggests rest, but not inactivity, for the seated Christ powerfully intercedes for his people and saves them completely ([Heb.] 7:25; 4:14-16; 9:24). The enemies are not identified here, but in general terms they include every power that resists God’s gracious redemptive purposes. According to Hebrews 2:14-15, Christ’s exaltation was a victory over the devil. The solemn admonition that follows in 10:26-31 may imply a warning that urges the readers not to let themselves be counted among the enemies (v. 27) of the exalted Christ, but instead be reckoned as his friends and companions who follow him faithfully to the end (3:14).”[4]

¹⁴For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

            There are a couple of things going on here in v. 14 that can be sort of confusing. I don’t know about you but I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. So what does the author mean that we have been made “perfect” forever? This is the fulfillment of something Jesus said that is recorded by Matthew in 5:48 where Jesus commands us to be perfect the way our heavenly Father is perfect. Well on our own that’s not really possible no matter how hard we work at it. But who is perfect like the Father is perfect? Jesus! Right? So the Father is perfect and Jesus is perfect but how do we become perfect? It has to do with something that is theologically referred to as “substitutionary atonement.” It means that Jesus substituted Himself in our place as a sacrifice for our sins. As a result, our sins are washed away and we become spiritually perfect in the same way that Jesus is perfect. You see, confessing and accepting Jesus’ sacrifice in our place means we are connected to Him forever. It means that Jesus’ perfection becomes our spiritual perfection because of His sacrifice in our place.

            V. 10 clearly says that we have been made holy already so what does it mean when v. 14 says we are being made holy? This is part of the already/not yet of the spiritual life I thought you about before. For example, Jesus says that the Kingdom has arrived with His advent. However, we know that the Kingdom in its entirety couldn’t possibly have arrived because we are still surrounded by sin. I have already explained that once we accept Christ, we are saints. However, we are not saints in the fullest sense because we are still sinners. The Bible clearly states that we are saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved. In the same way, we are holy and we are being made holy. Let’s go back to Figure 1 above to fill out our understanding of some of the things that will take place at the Final Glory—Christ’s Kingdom will be inaugurated in it’s fullest sense, we will be fully saved, fully perfect, fully holy, and fully saints.

            “Three outstanding effects are thus ascribed to the sacrifice of Christ: by it his people have had their conscience cleansed from guilt; by it they have been fitted to approach God as acceptable worshipers; by it they have experienced the fulfilment (sp) of what was promised in earlier days, being brought into the perfect relation to God which is involved in the new covenant.”[5]

¹⁵The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: ¹⁶“This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” ¹⁷Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” ¹⁸And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

            You will search the Bible in vain to find where the Holy Spirit actually says the things the author of Hebrews attributes to Him in vv. 15-18. This is another use of the Law of Double Reference. The text attributed to the Holy Spirit is substantially the same words God spoke to Jeremiah about the people of Israel with a few alterations (Jer. 31:33-34).

            “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

            “Transformation of the human heart has its basis in the forgiveness of sins. This is especially apparent in the repeated reference to the promise of a new covenant from the book of Jeremiah. In Hebrews 8:7-12 the author cites the passage in order to establish the inadequacy of the Law, ‘the first, antiquated covenant.’ The inscription of the Law of God on the heart is summarized in Jeremiah as ‘knowing God,’ and this knowledge of God in turn is based on the forgiveness of sins. In his second recollection of the Jeremianic text (Heb. 10:15-18) the author underscores the finality of Christ’s sacrifice, which, by providing forgiveness of sins, sets aside the provisions of the Law. The author’s inclusion in this citation of God’s promise to implant his laws in the hearts of his people serves as a reminder of the inability of the Law to do so and implicitly presents inward renewal as a result of forgiveness of sins.”[6]

Application

            When Paul the Apostle was still Saul the persecutor of the Church, he was intent on defending God’s honor by putting to death anyone who aligned themselves with Jesus. Paul had everything invested in maintaining the status quo. He had all the boxes checked off: circumcised on the eighth day, born of Israel, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, and with respect to the Law he was a Pharisee—which means he meticulously kept all aspects of the Law including its sacrificial practices for the forgiveness of sins. Paul had everything to lose and for a while he fought like a crazed maniac to protect his way of relating to God. However, God intervened in Paul’s life in dramatic fashion and Paul’s heart was transformed. Paul went from believing that he was in complete control of the forgiveness of his sins through the sacrifice of animals year after year after year, to realizing that there was nothing he could do to rid himself of his sins and right his relationship with God. Ultimately, Paul reached the conclusion that it was only through Jesus’ sacrifice that his sins could be forgiven. Paul came to understand that no matter how much blood he shed, whether the blood of animals or the blood of Christians, his sins would only be removed as a result of Christ’s blood shed on the cross.

            Paul’s pattern of behavior repeats itself all around us every day. Muslims offer animal sacrifices until rivers of blood literally run through the streets or they shed the blood of anyone who doesn’t believe what they believe in order to protect God’s honor. Catholics wear themselves out doing more religious “stuff” in order to earn God’s favor. Atheists keep trying harder and harder to be “good” people—although I’m not sure why since they don’t believe they will have to answer to a final Judge for anything. Yet there is nothing any of us can do earn God’s favor; no religious act we can perform; no sacrifice we can make to pay for our sins. It is only through the sacrifice Jesus made once for all time when He allowed himself to be put to death on the cross that our sins will be forgiven if we are willing to accept it. No sacrifice is acceptable to God except Jesus who is The Lamb Of God who takes away the sins of the world.

            If you haven’t yet accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and you are done trying everything else to deal with your own sins, your sins can be forgiven right now if you will simply confess your faith in Jesus. You might not know how to do that and I don’t want to make it into something it shouldn’t be. Nevertheless, if you would like, you can click on “The Sinner’s Prayer” tab at the top of the page and it will lead you through the prayer of salvation. There’s nothing magic to the words, they are just a guideline to help you. Honestly, the simple words, “Jesus save me,” will suffice. In any event, if you have decided to turn your life over to Christ, and it is safe, please tell someone (me hopefully!), find an opportunity to be baptized, and find a church, if that’s safe and possible, where you can live out your new life as a perfect, holy saint within a community of other perfect, holy saints. I am praying for all of you who are reading this and are trying to decide if you want to make that leap of faith and believe. I know it can be scary but I promise you that it will be worth every scary second because you can look forward to eternity in Final Glory with Jesus; The Lamb Of God who took away your sins.

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[1] George H. Guthrie, Hebrews—The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), 326-327.

[2] Bruce Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, and Dave Veerman, Life Application New Testament Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 1,040.

[3] Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews & James—Holman New Testament Commentary, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1999), 183-184.

[4] Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews—The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2010), 356.

[5] F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews—The New International Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 247.

[6] Ralph P. Martin & Peter H. Davids, eds., Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), 277.