Hebrews 10:1-18

Good morning, church.

If you will join me in your copy of God's Word, we'll be in Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

!

Hebrews chapter 10, verses 1 through 18.

Hebrews 10:1–18

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,

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.

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

Ephesians 3:8–12

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

Romans 3:21–28

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

Philippians 2:9–11

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

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

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,

Hosea 6:6–7

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.