Jesus Ascended and Sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty Part 2
We Believe: The Apostles Creed • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Hebrews 10 Page 1193
INTODUCTION:
In the OT there was three separate offices that lead the nation of Israel. Prophet, Priest, and King. An these offices were to be separate. But Jesus became all three
He operated in the divinely ordained munus triplex, the threefold office of Prophet, Priest, and King.
This is why He is called "the faithful witness" (as Prophet);
Jesus, as the final and sufficient Prophet, has done all of these for us.
He came not just proclaiming the Word of God; He is the Word of God (John 1:1).
He came to the world because of sin (Matt. 1:21).
He proclaimed our need to repent and believe on Him (Mark 1:15).
And He proclaimed our pardon and forgiveness for sin (Col. 1:14).
"the firstborn of the dead" (as Priest);
Christ, as our Mediator and High Priest,
not only offered the sacrifice (once and for all),
but He is the sacrifice.
and "the ruler of kings on earth" (as King)
Christ came in the line of David as David's son and yet also as David's Lord (Matt. 22:42–45).
He is "the ruler of kings on earth" (Rev. 1:5) and "King of kings and Lord of lords" (19:16), including David.
He rules with perfect justice and equity.
As our King, He has fought our battles and now rules in such a way that sin never can reign over us (Rom. 6:7–14).
Not only is Jesus our Better King, He is our better High Priest..
Jesus has completed our redemption.
Jesus has completed our redemption.
Hebrews 10:1 “1 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.”
Past sacrifices were ineffective and incomplete
Past sacrifices were ineffective and incomplete
it was only a shadow of the good things to come—verse 1.
It wasn’t the reality.
It exposed the problem—sin separates us from God.
It also pointed to the solution—we need a bloody substitute.
But never did it bring the substitute we really needed.
The “good things to come”
are things like real forgiveness;
open, unhindered fellowship with God;
new hearts that love God and gladly obey his word.
That’s what the shadows pointed to.
But they could never make them happen.
They could only anticipate.
Hebrews 10:2 “2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?”
they had to be repeated.
They were “continually offered every year,” it says.
The fact that they had to be repeated proved they weren’t effective.
Effective in what?
Effective in making us perfect, so we can draw near to God.
Don’t think perfect in the sense that you’ve never done anything wrong;
think in terms of everything necessary to make you whole before God’s presence.
That perfecting work has to occur before anyone can draw near to God.
If those old sacrifices actually worked,
then they wouldn’t have had to continue.
But they did continue; so it’s clear they didn’t work.
The worshipers weren’t cleansed inwardly.
The guilt remained.
He’s simply saying that from the beginning they were only provisional.
They pointed beyond themselves to another.
Hebrews 10:3 “3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.”
They only reminded the people of their sins.
Every year, you watch the high priest make the sacrifice.
You watch him enter the tent,
and then the most holy place with the blood.
But never does that sacrifice take away your sins.
It only reminds you of them.
They didn’t remove sins. They reminded of sins.
It reminds you of what you need to get rid of them,
but it never actually gets rid of them.
They function more like a bunch of IOUs.
like only paying the interest on a house loan there is a big payment due
It delays the payment,
but they just keep stacking up.
Every year, you become more keenly aware of how much you owe, but they never actually make the payment.
Every year you’re reminded that your sins keep you from entering God’s presence.
The old covenant sacrifices were ineffective.
Christ sacrifice is effective and complete
Christ sacrifice is effective and complete
Nevertheless, there was in them a shadow of the good things to come. The true form of these realities came in Jesus Christ.
That’s where he goes next: Christ’s sacrifice is effective and final.
He develops this from two Old Testament psalms. Christ comes to fulfill what these psalms anticipated.
Psalm 110 Psalm 40 It too anticipated a better king in David’s line,
but this king would also be a priest. (enemies of sin, death, and disease because of sin)
So it becomes a very fitting psalm for Hebrews as it shows how Jesus’ priesthood is so much greater than the old priesthood.
Here’s the specific point he draws out, though: Jesus sat down at God’s right hand.
Listen to the way he develops it.
Hebrews 10:11–18 “11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16 “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,” 17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.”
The old priests had to stand daily.
Again and again they had to slit the animal’s throat and sprinkle the blood and offer the sacrifice.
Same thing next day—always standing.
Why’d they keep standing?
Their work was never finished
By contrast, Jesus sat down after making his sacrifice.
Why? Because another sacrifice isn’t needed.
His death was sufficient, complete.
Nothing more needs to be added.
All our sins are taken away.
So he sits.
It’s finished. It’s final. That’s Jesus’ mic-drop moment, isn’t it?
Hebrews 10:12–13 “12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.”
The Son didn’t stay dead.
God raised him up.
Even more, he seated him at the place of highest honor.
And what that means is this:
“he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
Nothing more needs to be done for God’s people
to enter God’s presence.
Jesus opened the way for us. He enables us to draw near.
God remembers our sins no more
God remembers our sins no more
Do you know what else makes it way better? Jesus’ sacrifice means that God remembers our sins no more.
Remember how this began in verse 3?
Hebrews 10:3 “3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.”
Now look at this in verse 15,
Hebrews 10:15–18 “15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16 “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,” 17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.”
It’s one thing for you to remember your sins.
It’s another thing when God remembers them.
In the Old Testament, there’s a lot of things you want God to remember.
You want God to remember his promises.
You want God to remember mercy.
You want God to remember you in the face of suffering.
But you didn’t want God to remember your sins.
It’s not that he forgot in the sense that it slipped his mind.
He’s omniscient.
It’s covenant language.
For him to remember was for him to act according to his covenant; and his law-covenant demands punishment for covenant breakers.
For God to remember your sins was for him to call them to mind for judgment.
But this is what the cross of Jesus Christ means:
God will no longer call your sins to mind for judgment.
He already called them to mind, and punished them all in Christ.
There’s no reason to call them to mind anymore.
They’ve all been dealt with in Christ.
There’s no longer any offering for sin; Jesus’ was sufficient.
That record of debt you owed—God erases every trace of it.
Your offenses, your guilt—it’s all cleared from your record; and in its place is the righteousness of Christ.
Since Christ’s work is finished, our salvation is certain.
Since Christ’s work is finished, our salvation is certain.
This is the necessary conclusion from our text.
The priests stood because their work was never finished,
and they offered the same sacrifices over
and over because sin was never removed.
But Jesus, having offered himself as the sacrifice for sin forever,
sat down in heaven because his work was done.
Let’s put it this way.
If you could lose your salvation, you would.
If it depends on us to any degree, none of us will ever make it to heaven.
I love the words of Jack Wyrtzen: “I’m as sure of heaven as if I’d already been there 10,000 years.” That’s how a Christian talks.
In 1878 Ira Sankey, D. L Moody’s song leader, published a book called Sacred Songs and Solos that became hugely popular. When he put the book together, he added a song by Elvina M. Hall. Though it was hardly known at all, once the book came out, this song became popular around the world. We still sing it today:
1-I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
ind in Me thine all in all.”
3- For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.
All to Him I owe
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
Aren’t you glad Jesus paid it all? We’re going to heaven because we have a sit-down salvation, bought and paid for by the Son of God.
That’s God’s answer to the problem of guilt.
Hebrews 10:11, 12 says:
Every priest stands ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He [Jesus] having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.
Prayer: Jesus, Son of God, we give thanks that your perfect sacrifice has covered our sins past, present, and future. As we take this loaf and cup in memory of your body and blood, we are reminded again of the mercy and grace of God that saves us from sin. Amen.