Hebrews 10 - Matt Grillo - September 9th, 2026

All right, well I've got six o'clock.

So we will go ahead and get jumping in.

Um I don't know where Kyle is.

Anybody know where Kyle is?

He asked if I could fill in for him a couple weeks ago.

So I knew he'd be out, but he didn't tell me where he was going.

Going to the beach.

Well, anyways, he asked if I would fill in, and I said absolutely.

So glad to be here in place of Kyle.

And from what I understand, you guys have been working through Hebrews.

Is that right?

Yeah.

So my assignment was Hebrews 10, verses 1 through 18.

Hebrews 10:1–18

So that's what we will plan to cover this evening.

Um yeah, we got about an hour to do so.

So um I will pray for us and then we will read through the passage and jump right in.

Lord, uh, we never want to take for granted um the freedoms that we have, the liberty that we have to assemble and to worship.

I know that that is a luxury that not everyone has.

In fact, most of the world does not have um that luxury, whether it be for reasons of safety or access to your word.

Um, and we have both.

And so um, as the author of Hebrews reminds us, Lord, we are not to give up on meeting together.

And that is for our benefit, so that we might spur one another on towards love and toward good deeds, Lord.

We want to uh persevere in the faith.

We want to finish the race well, and we know that we cannot do that alone.

Um, the walk of faith is a team sport, and we need one another um by our sides, and we need uh your Holy Spirit, and we need your word.

And so we come to it tonight, Lord, um to be nourished, to be filled, to be encouraged, and to be spurred on.

So would your word speak tonight, Lord?

Um may we see new things that we perhaps have not seen before, and um would it sustain us today and in the days ahead?

And we pray all these things in your name.

Amen.

So I will start by reading the passage.

Uh so again, we're in Hebrews 10, working through verses 1 through 18, and then we'll kind of do a quick recap of the first nine chapters so that we're all on the same page, kind of know where we've come from and where we're where we're going.

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 worshippers, 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 have you prepared for me, and 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 for me in the scroll of the book.

When he said above, You have neither desire nor taken pleasure in the 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 set 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 sins.

But when Christ has 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.

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.

So, eighteen verses to get through, and just by way of review, um chapters one through nine of Hebrews, as you've studied those, I'm sure you've seen this theme repeated that Christ is superior.

Uh, Christ is superior to the prophets, the angels, to Moses, to Joshua, um, to the Levitical priesthood, which we'll get into tonight.

Um, and because he is the son, the perfect high priest, he is the mediator of this new and better covenant, which we'll also look at a little bit tonight.

Um, and so I would say that is the argument that the author of Hebrews is making in chapters uh one through nine of Hebrews.

If I were to put it in a sentence, I would say something like this: that Jesus is the superior son, the great mediator, the perfect high priest, and the once-for-all sacrifice who establishes the better covenant and gives his people direct access to God.

So that's my that's my sentence summary of verses one through, or excuse me, chapters one through one through nine.

I'll read it again.

Jesus is the superior son, the greater mediator, the perfect high priest, and the once-for-all sacrifice who establishes the better covenant and gives his people direct access to God.

And so we will be focusing on really the last half of that sentence summary this evening.

Um, if we were following a story arc, which I think all good stories have an arc, um my wife is a language arts teacher at the high school, and so they're working through all that, just different elements of a story.

We've got the setting and the beginning, and then the climax and the problem and the resolution.

Um, if we were following that story arc of Hebrews, I would argue that Hebrews 10 is the climax of the book.

Um, you know, in the first nine chapters, the author has told us all of these wonderful truths that Jesus is better than Moses, he's better than Abraham, he's better than you know the high priest, he's our perfect high priest.

But chapter 10 is really getting into the meat of it and explaining why he is our great high priest, why he is better than all of these old, um, all of these older saints, and why he is better than the old covenant.

So we'll break this into sections.

So we'll start by looking at verses one through four together.

And then we'll look at verses five through ten.

And then lastly, we'll cover verses 11 through 18.

And if I were to, well, it's already titled, I would agree with the title that they gave it, at least in the ESV.

If I were to title these four verses, uh, I would call it Christ's sacrifice once for all, or the law and the once for all sacrifice.

Um, so we'll start at the beginning here, and there's one word in this first verse that I really want us to key in on.

I'll read it for us again, verse one.

It says, for since the law has but a shadow, and that's the word we're gonna start by looking at, 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.

Uh, so let's talk for a minute about uh shadows.

So, what does the word shadow mean to you, just in general, when you think about a shadow?

What are some things that come to mind?

Okay.

So the shadow is uh in some ways, yeah, it's not the real thing itself, but it's it's showing something of of the real thing.

Good.

Anything else come to mind?

It's always behind.

Always behind?

Behind what?

Whatever the object is.

Like it's just it's not out front, it's right.

Yeah.

Okay.

Other ideas, thoughts.

Yeah.

Yeah, kind of like Roger said, it's not it's not you.

So there's there's light, like I'm standing in front of all these bright lights, and then you see my shadow, kind of somewhere behind me, and we know that like if I move, the shadow moves like it's there.

It's in some ways it feels like there is some reality to it, but we know that it's not it's not that's right, it's not it's not real, there's no there's no substance to it.

It's always attached to you, yeah.

So there's there's a a source of light, and then something is standing in between that light source and and the shadow, and really the object in between the shadow and the light is uh it's what's causing that shadow or that reflection, kind of like Roger said.

Um, so why do you think the author um uses this idea of a shadow?

Well, thing of context here the shadow is much smaller, much greater things are coming, something bigger, more powerful is coming.

It's just a shadow of that.

So it basically try to say something big and something small.

Yeah, I think you're right on.

I think that's right where I was headed.

Um, why do you think he uses that idea of a shadow when he's talking about uh the old covenant?

So remember, when we talk about the old covenant, um we're thinking primarily in terms of um the priesthood, the sacrifices.

So, in order for um our sins to be atoned for, there would have to be an animal sacrifice, the blood of some animal spilled.

Um so when we're when I'm talking about old covenant, those are like the types of things that that I'm referring to.

And so, why is that idea of an old covenant referred to as a shadow?

I think Jeff gave a pretty good, or not Jeff.

Jesus now is the domain of now, not super officer exposed to the high priest.

He is the high high priest.

Yeah.

He died on the cross for our sins versus him as sacrifice for our sins.

Right.

Any other thoughts that come to mind?

I'll read verse one again.

It pretty much spells it out for us.

The law, the old covenant law, was but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities.

Uh, it can never make perfect those who draw near.

And so I think the the author of Hebrews, which we don't know who it is, some say Paul, some would argue Barnabas, um, but whoever it was, the author I think is trying to draw our attention to the inadequacy or the insufficiency of the old covenant.

Um, this idea that, like, the old covenant making animal sacrifices to atone for our sins was never intended to be the main thing that atoned for our sins.

And it says that if we go on and read uh further into chapter or verse two through four, um they can never make perfect those who draw near.

Otherwise, he's basically saying, wouldn't they have stopped offering sacrifices if they'd been cleansed?

Like there would be no reason to continue coming back um over and over again, but that was not the case, they had to continue coming back.

Um, and then down to verse four, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

So, why if we have this imperfect system um in place that begs another question, um, which is why?

Why why would God implement this uh imperfect system called the old covenant if he knew it wouldn't ultimately wash away their sins?

Any ideas on that?

Why um why a broken system, you might ask?

Well didn't they the old priests and everything, didn't they?

People started sacrificing like blind blind animals, you know, in fear stuff, you put some sacrifice for your best of your stock and they were just taking advantage of it.

They were more about the law than they were about yeah, sure, it should work God.

Yeah, that could be that could be some of it.

Like, man, I worked hard to raise this goat.

Cost me a lot of money.

Well, if they were those sacrifices would have worked in mining Jesus.

You know, if they were to sacrifice those animals and you know, that was the purpose of Jesus, you know.

Well, why don't you think that's a good thing?

That's right.

Yeah, I think that's spot on.

If the animals if the animals' sacrifices were sufficient, there would be no need for Christ.

And so I think that this old covenant, um it does just that.

It's it demonstrates that this doesn't work and we need something greater.

Like there's something greater that is still needed in order to um in order to take care of this.

We live on this side of the new covenant where that's that's a very unfamiliar, probably foreign uh idea for us.

Maybe not all of us, a lot of us are hunters um or farmers, and so you see a lot more of the up close and personal of um of animals and blood and things like that.

Um, but I just try and put myself in that context of like I sin regularly, and so I would I'd be spending a lot of my time, man, offering up sacrifices.

Well, you're just worried about all the manns you go in the extinct, you know.

So that's right.

Yeah.

So I I it's a very bloody, a very gruesome, a very violent um act.

And similarly, I think it was intended to be.

It was intended to show the severity and the seriousness of of our sin and the need for it to be um atoned for.

Um so that kind of answers my next question, which was what does the passage teach us about um the seriousness of sin?

Um I think, yeah, it's it's serious.

Something has to die in order for our sins to be pardoned, in order for our sins to be atoned for.

And uh we should not we should not take that lightly.

Um I don't mean to suggest, though, that the author is saying that the the old testament sacrifices were meaningless.

I don't think that that was the case at all.

Like I just said, they were um instituted by God.

And I think that they were designed to be these um these pictures that God gives us to point forward and point us toward Christ.

Um, and I think the contrast, if you break it down and kind of look at it, you can see it a lot more clearly.

Um, so if we've got the old covenant, we were just told that in verse one, the old covenant is a shadow, and then we have Christ, which is the reality.

So we've got contrast of shadow and reality.

Under the old covenant, we've said it was a repeated process, would happen continually over and over again.

Under the new covenant of Christ, uh, it is a once-for-all sacrifice.

Under the old covenant, there was the shedding of animal blood.

Under the new covenant of Christ, Christ's blood was poured out uh to make atonement for our sins.

Under the old covenants, you were constantly reminded of your sin every time you offered that sacrifice.

So there was this repeated over and over and over again.

Whereas by nature of Christ's sacrifice and the new covenant, um, we're not reminded of our sin over and over again, but rather we're reminded of the removal of our sin, that Christ, because of his work on the cross, um, our sin is removed.

And so we don't think of, when we think about the new covenant and what Christ has done under the new covenant, um, it is a removal of sin, more so than it is about this constant reminder of sin and our sin having to be atoned for.

Um, and then lastly, for this portion under the old covenant, um, it was temporary, whereas under Christ in the new covenant, it was a once for all.

Did it once, it's final, it's complete, there's no more need for um for any more sacrifices.

Last question for this section, uh, verses one through four, then we'll move on to the next part.

Why is it important or significant that Christ's sacrifice actually takes away sin rather than say like just covering it like it did under the old covenant?

Because the old covenant couldn't didn't change a person's nature, didn't change their heart.

It's a heart issue.

And Christ said, uh, once you once you come to me for what I've done, it changes your heart.

And that's what he's happy.

And that's the reason that he said that if if the first old covenant was gonna accompany some, yeah, he wouldn't have had to had to go.

But uh the people's hearts were changed.

Yeah, that's really good, Roger.

And I think it's the that point is the perfect segue into the next section.

It reiterates the point Roger was just making.

So if we look at uh verses five through ten, 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, and 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 for 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 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.

So if you were a Jewish Christian under the old covenant, um, and you read that portion that we just read in chapter five, sacrifices and offerings you have not desired.

And then in six, burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure in.

That's got to be a little bit um jarring, I would think, if if I read that and I were a Jew back then, because it makes you kind of think, like, what am I what do you mean you take no pleasure in this?

I thought that's why I was doing this.

Wasn't that the purpose of these sacrifices?

Like to bring to bring pleasure to you, to bring you honor.

But you're saying you don't take pleasure in my sacrifices, and you're not taking any pleasure in my offerings.

So, like, what am I doing them for?

What's the what's the purpose of doing them?

And we see the answer to that question um at the end of verse 5 says, But a body have you prepared for me.

So it's this idea, like Roger alluded to, that it's not so much, and it was never intended to be about the animal, the thing itself.

It was it was God's uh it was our heart that God was after.

It was our uh it was our nature, it was never intended to be just this outward act that would somehow magically atone for our sins, but like it was uh it was a heart transformation, it was a it was a change in our our nature that that God was after.

Um does anybody know where uh these verses five through seven originally appear?

So he's quoting, the author is quoting uh a passage from the Old Testament in verses five through seven.

anybody know where that comes from?

Psalm 40, bingo.

If I had a gold star, I'd give it to you.

It was a verse.

That's all right.

You don't have to tell us your sources or methods, you you got the prize.

Yeah, so uh this is a psalm of David that comes from Psalm 40.

And when you think about that, like if you kind of go back in your mind and think, okay, Psalms David, um like this was before Christ came, like this is a prophetic text.

And I think the author of Hebrews is using that text to make that connection for us.

Um, the the author quotes Psalm 40 and applies it to Christ to make the connection clear that God ultimately desired obedience and a willing sacrifice, not merely the external performance of the sacrificial system.

And in addition to that, we needed somebody to go be that perfect sacrifice because it wasn't us, like we couldn't do that for ourselves.

And so the author of Hebrews here, I think, is quoting Psalm 40 to make that connection.

Christ, because he he begins verse 5 with consequently, when Christ came into the world, and Jesus repeats this psalm in his own teachings, um, sacrifice and offerings like I don't desire, like, but I want I want your obedience, I want a willing sacrifice, I want your nature, your heart, your mind, your body.

I want I want that to change.

Um so I think a key verse for us is from this section, Hebrews 10, verse 7, where it says, Behold, I have come to do your will.

Hebrews 10:7

And that's the good news for us as we think about chapter 10 being the climax of the story arc of Hebrews.

Uh, the good news is that Christ has come to do the will of God and to offer himself obediently as the atoning sacrifice once for all for our for our sins.

Um any questions on that portion so far or insights, or anything else you want to add?

Or anything interesting as you read this week in your own time of study?

Anything jump out at you from those first ten?

I'm trying to remember exactly the portion of it, but where Christ says, Come to me, I will give you rest.

Is he also referencing back to the sacrificial system, but I will give you rest from by my sacrifice.

That's a good that's a good question.

Yeah.

And uh, like he said, he didn't abolish the law, but he came to fulfill the law, and I have this picture of the old covenant when they had their times that they had to sacrifice.

I mean we we're talking a parade because they referenced where hundreds of thousands of animals were sacrificed.

Yeah.

Jesus comes to earth, he one sacrifice.

This is all done.

Yeah, it's all done.

So could it be that I'm giving you rest from that?

Yeah.

Did everybody could everybody hear that?

I if I know they record this, and so it probably didn't pick it up for the recording.

But the question was like when Jesus says, Um, come to me and I will give you rest, um, my yoke is easy, my burden is light.

The the the question was, could he be referring to um the old covenant and the rest from that and the burden of the old covenant?

Because I would imagine, yeah, it's very burdensome.

Cruisome, gruesome, yeah.

I'd imagine it takes a lot of physical and emotional energy to do that over and over again.

Uh, I don't know the textbook answer to that, but I'm I'm in agreement with you.

I think that that's uh that's one of the things I think in my mind that when he says that I'll give you the rest right from it, among many other things.

Yeah.

It would be a much welcomed rest, um from my from my perspective.

Well, how how would you how would you feel if you knew, okay, uh I stole some money from my neighbor under the old covenant, I gotta go take an ox to the altar, sacrifice the altar, ox for the forgiveness of that particular sin.

Right.

But I also know that when this happens, that's not a permanent forgiveness.

I'm gonna have to do this over and over and over.

And Christ, when he gave himself up on the cross and shed the blood for us, that doesn't give us a license to sin, but through Christ we can receive the forgiveness that we're promised.

Yeah.

So I that's just sometimes I get a little crazy.

I don't know.

I don't think that's too crazy of a thought.

Um, I would add to that, I think in the same way that um the sacrificial system was uh you know, imperfect, temporary, um, a re recurring thing.

I think that that act in and of itself was intentional of pointing people's attention to like as inconvenient as as this is, as violent as this is, as ugly as this is, of having to do this over and over again, um, like my sin is so much worse.

That's so much more more vile.

Um, and I would imagine that there's probably a hopelessness that sets in.

Like, I'm gonna have to do this for the rest of my life, like until the Messiah comes um to offer this new new covenant?

If I may make one more comment and then I'll leave you alone.

Yeah, go for it.

When the questions ask about the old covenant, uh God is not imperfect, he's perfect, he's always right.

Could that sacrificial system under the old covenant been a a way to achieve obedience from the Jews and discipline from the Jews?

Uh I there again, I'm just going down another road.

Yeah.

How do you come to appreciate um like the sweetness of honey if you've never had vinegar or something like that?

You know?

Um there's I think tasting the bitterness of sacrifice um I think gives you a greater appreciation for the sweetness of the cross.

So I think that's a good good observation.

Uh last question for um this section, verses six through ten.

How should Christ's obedience affect our understanding of Christian obedience?

So we think about Christ's humble obedience and submission to um the will of his father.

He sees the cost, he knows the cost, and he humbly submits to that charge.

He's obedience to the command of God the Father.

How should that impact our our own walks and the and the faith towards obedience?

I don't know about anybody else.

It makes me realize I'm falling way short.

Yeah.

It's a lot uh it's a lot to ponder to think about.

Uh that again.

Goes back to this.

He set the example.

We're to follow that example in obedience, or to strive for the perfection that he had, that we won't ever achieve until we go to heaven.

But that should be a uh that should be a goal, even though it's an unreachable goal for a human being.

We should always go for that be like Christ as much as we can.

And we're gonna stumble.

Yeah.

I'm I'm kinda like what you're saying.

Every day I there's something or more that that there is.

There's multiple things I need to ask forgiveness on a daily basis.

And uh but the the end game is I should try to be as Christ-like in my conduct and my life, my obedience the best I absolutely can.

So maybe that's yeah, we will never do it perfectly, but faithfully, we can do it faithfully.

Um yeah, when I think about the the words of Paul, arguably one of the greatest men of the faith, he refers to himself as the chief of sinners.

Um and like when I think of Paul, I don't think of like chief of sinners.

I think like, you know, he was he's up there, you know, with some of the some of the great uh fathers of the faith.

Uh, but I think he views himself properly in light of of this and in light of the gospel and of the new covenant.

I think he sees clearly um Christ's obedience as the bar and as the example, and he's so aware of how short he falls of that.

Um that that's that's kind of how he how he sees himself in comparison to the cross.

All right, let's move to 11 through 18.

And the so again, just as my subheadings, verses one through four, um I think the big theme, the big takeaway from there is that the law and the once-for-all sacrifice, and verses five through ten, we saw that Christ came to do God's will and humble obedience.

And so my third subheading for verses eleven through eighteen would be one sacrifice forever effective.

So hopefully we'll see that more clearly as we read those verses again.

I'll read them for us.

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's 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 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 of sins.

And I would argue that this passage here, this section that we're looking at in 11 through 18, it's one of the most important sections of chapter 10.

Um the reason I say that is because it aims to make explicitly clear um the effectiveness of Christ's work on the cross.

And the way the author does that is by contrasting these two postures you might have picked up on in the first two verses of the section, verses 11 and 12, the author contrasts uh the standing position of the priest of the Old Testament with Christ, where it says he sat down at the right hand of God after offering his sacrifice.

And so uh my question would be what do you what point do you think um the author of Hebrews is making and using those contrasting postures?

The standing posture of the priest and the sitting posture of Christ once their work was completed?

Almost like the priest is not a deliberate or just just that you said it that it's he sits down because it's complete.

Or it's the priest is more likely to tread down.

Yeah, that's right.

So the the the completeness, um the satisfaction, like it's it's done, it's finished.

Um whereas if you're one of the priests, your work's never finished.

You're you're you're standing because there's more work to be done.

If the work were finished, the priest would sit down, but the priest doesn't sit down because it's an incomplete work that's repeated over and over again.

And so I think that that is uh uh should be a comfort to us as we think about just that that work that Christ accomplished on Calvary.

Um that it's done, it's sufficient.

I think about that song we sing, all sufficient merit.

Um what are the rest of the lay?

All sufficient merit, all sufficient something, merit not my own, something like that.

Um, but yeah, it's it's a pointed reminder of the sufficiency of Christ and his sacrifice uh that was made for us.

Yeah, I have here in my notes every priest stands daily, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices that can never fully take away sins.

But when God offered for all time his one single sacrifice for sin, he sits.

Sitting signifies that his sacrificial work is finished.

Um, and this was an interesting connection.

This echoes what Jesus says um on the cross when he's hanging there um before he dies, a reference to John 19, verse 30, he says it is finished.

John 19:30

So I think again, um drawing our attention back to that as well.

Uh question for us to ponder for this section.

How would this truth uh how might this truth affect a believer who constantly fears um that they haven't done enough to earn God's forgiveness?

So we're getting down to kind of more into the application part of um this glorious truth, this reality that we can know conceptually in our head and agree with.

But how does this or how should this affect our day?

In and day out uh living.

So you maybe you've got a friend, um, they fear that they haven't done enough to earn God's forgiveness.

Um, you know, man, I've just I've not been living right.

I've been doing such and such or so and so, and like I just I don't think that I've I don't think that God could forgive me.

I don't think I feel like I've done enough to earn his forgiveness.

What do you say to that, friend, in light of uh this this passage that we've we've looked over this evening?

Well first first John 1 9.

If we legitimately go to Christ and say, Lord, I I've I've sinned, you know my sin, it also is back to the heart, is she?

God reached the heart.

We know that through scripture, but if you say if you say up I'm sorry that uh I gambled my easier way and uh wasted my money, he's faithful and just to forgive us, the trends is and that's his that's his nature.

And all he all he wants is our bar.

It's it's almost like a marriage.

Uh I'm not married, but if I were to say to my wife, I love you with all of my bank account, with all my intellect, that wouldn't go as far as if I were to say, I love you with all my part, which is the seed of your emotion.

Yeah.

And that's what God wants.

Yeah.

And if you you really say yes to Christ and you want to follow him, the Holy Spirit, he will convict you.

He's a John.

He will convict you if you're doing something wrong.

And then you come back to him out and out of love he'll re he'll uh uh forgive you.

You just he just wants your arm.

I don't think it's a hard forgiveness, you know, it's not.

If work or no, if it's just he's good, he's good.

Yeah, that's right.

We can't earn forgiveness or whatever he's yeah.

I love that you picked up on that.

You kind of sniffed out the error and the and the way the question was framed.

If you know your fri if scenario here, your friend says, I feel like I haven't been doing such and such or living so and so, you hit the nail on the head.

It's it's never about what what we do when it comes to um standing clean, standing justified before God.

Um, our justification comes by faith and belief in God's word.

Um, so that is not to say um that how we live doesn't matter.

Um and we might probe a little more and ask our friend, like, hey, like, what do you mean?

What's going on?

What are and what ways do you feel like you're living that aren't measuring up?

And that's a conversation that you can have, um, because maybe there is some legitimate um indwelling sin that needs to be dealt with, or willful disobedience to God, and that's a different, you know, conversation.

Um but if there's uh if there's conviction and there's a pricking in that person's heart, um, and they feel remorse, like there is not a measuring up.

I think one important truth that we need to preach to ourselves and to those around us um is the truth of our justification being secured in Christ because of what he's done.

Um, too often we listen to ourselves instead of preaching to ourselves.

And I think we would all do well to preach to ourselves more the truth of God's word, the truth of these wonderful doctrines of justification, um, the sufficiency of what Christ has done on the cross, um, the beauty of the new covenant, that we don't have to wonder if our salvation is secure.

Um, we can remind ourselves that we are sinners and we will always be sinners until Christ returns.

Um but like Roger said, it's it's our heart.

If if our heart is postured in such a way that we uh we want to hate our sin, we want to put to death our sin.

We don't want to get comfortable with sin.

Um, we don't want to overlook or minimize sin in our lives.

Um I think those are some good indications that like our justification in Christ is is secure, and that we don't have to, and our friend in this scenario um doesn't have to wonder whether they um have done enough to earn God's forgiveness.

And you could tell that friend, you're right, you haven't done enough to earn God's forgiveness because God's forgiveness can't be earned.

Um it's a grace, it's a gift.

Um so may one more time, please.

Last Sunday, uh I mentioned to the class uh I don't doubt my salvation because I've asked Jesus to come into my heart.

Yeah, be the Lord of my life, and I've I try to be better, but when I give myself self-examination, I I come back with it.

What on earth makes me even worthy of this?

I can't from a from a human point of view, I can't justify the gift he's given to me.

Um but he has freely and I have accepted it, and so I don't doubt that salvation.

I just doubt my worthiness.

And again, it's I'm not questioned whether or not I'm gonna go to heaven.

It's the fact that why me?

And I guess we could all say the same thing, why me?

Yeah, I'm not worthy of that.

I think about uh to that point, I think it was Peter.

They're out fishing, been fishing all night, pulling up nets empty, empty.

Jesus shows up and says, Cast your net on the other side.

We've been doing this all night, we haven't caught anything, but sure, we'll throw it over and throws it over, and you know how the story goes.

Their nets are so full they can't hardly pull in the catch.

And then what does Peter say to him?

You remember?

He says, similar to what you said, look away, like I'm not even worthy to be in your presence.

I'm not, I'm not even worthy.

And I think when we see ourselves clearly, like we ought to, in light of a perfect and holy God, um I think that's an appropriate reaction.

I think that's an appropriate response.

Um I think that when we see ourselves it in that way, it's it doesn't feel like a blessing, but I think that it is.

And it's a blessing because we know the remedy, we know the we know the the cure for that.

Um and you contrast that with our culture today.

Um, nobody thinks they have any problems.

How could, you know, I I think about my last years of teaching whenever I was um high school teacher.

This has been five, six years ago.

Um, there was this mindset of like, how could you not love me?

Like, how could you not love me?

I'm like so great, I'm so perfect, I'm so, you know, that's this this mindset we've become so absorbed in ourselves, and like we it's it's hard for I think this generation to see a need for a savior.

Like, I'm fine.

I'm nothing wrong with me, nothing wrong with the way I'm living.

Like, I'm fine.

I love who I love, I wear what I want to wear, I watch what I want to watch, I sleep with who I want to sleep with.

I do what feels good, I do what makes me feel happy, like I don't need help.

Um that should cause us to tremble with fear and trepidation that we have have become so removed from even remotely being able to see our need for Christ and a savior.

Um but yeah, I think I don't think it diminishes your faith any.

But I think most every cr Christian will ask for these questions of themselves.

I'm not I'm not worthy for this, but he's giving it to me.

Yeah.

And and again, I'm secure in my salvation.

But what what was it Paul said I'm dirty rags?

That's right, yeah, filthy rags.

Yeah, filthy rags.

Um here I am.

Yeah a filthy rag.

I've been washed in.

I still wonder why means sometimes.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think those are good questions to have, good things to wrestle with.

I think that these realities that we read in scripture ought to stir up something within us.

Um, God wants us to love him and to obey him with our hearts, minds, souls, strength.

Um, it is not enough just to to read God's word and to know what it says.

Um, but when we read it, it should stir our affections and help us to see reality more clearly, uh, the reality of, you know, the new covenant which we live under and be grateful for it, to be humbled by it.

Um and that should fuel our obedience because we're no better um than the Jewish Christians were under the old covenant.

If we're just doing the right things, if we're, you know, if we're reading God's word faithfully and we're coming to church Wednesdays and Sundays faithfully, um, and we go, you know, five years without missing a Sunday or a Wednesday, and we're basing our our security on our performance, like we're living under the old law.

It's it's no it's no different.

What was what was it?

Yeah, we think that our deeds and our acts, we're living as if our deeds, our works, save us.

Um no, your your works don't save you.

Our works should be the evidence um that we are saved.

The works come out of a gratitude and a grateful heart.

Um man, Lord, like you have been so good to me.

Like, how could I not, how could I not submit to your word, to your teaching?

Like, you've been so faithful, you've been so good, Lord.

I just I want to obey you, whatever it is, whatever it looks like.

Um I think that that's where we see, and we call that fruit, you know, the the faith produces fruit.

That's the evidence of our of our faith in a transformed life.

Any closing thoughts or anything I didn't cover that struck you this week.

I guess I'd I guess I covered it all then.

Well, it's been a joy to fill in um and be with you guys.

I got to do this once last uh last semester, so I recognized some of the faces.

So good to be back with you.

I'll return to my other study next week uh with Bill, but enjoyed being with you all this evening.

I'll close this in prayer.