Heb 10:1-14
For me, one of the biggest blessings of
turning my life over to Jesus Christ was
getting a fresh start!
I remember the way it became real to me...
I was driving along one day and I saw the
blue flashing lights of a police car in my
rear-view mirror.
For just a second my muscles tensed up,
but then I relaxed! I had nothing to worry
about!
I wasn't speeding, I hadn't been drinking,
there were no illegal drugs in my car, and I
had a clean conscience!
I got excited! It was really cool!
But here's the important thing:
My clean conscience was the result of
God's grace in my life, not my good
behavior!
God had cleansed me, and the effect of that
inner cleansing was that I had stopped
doing things which were out of harmony
with His plans for my life!
Hebrews 10:1-14 says:
"For the law, having a shadow of the good
things to come, and not the very image of
the things, can never with these same
sacrifices, which they offer continually year
by year, make those who approach perfect.
For then would they not have ceased to be
offered? For the worshipers, once purified,
would have had no more consciousness of
sins. But in those sacrifices there is a
reminder of sins every year. For it is not
possible that the blood of bulls and goats
could take away sins. Therefore, when He
came into the world, He said:
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of
Me—
To do Your will, O God. ’”
Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering,
burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did
not desire, nor had pleasure in them”
(which are offered according to the law),
then He said, “Behold, I have come to do
Your will, O God.” He takes away the first
that He may establish the second. By that
will we have been sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for
all. And every priest stands ministering daily
and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins. But this
Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for
sins forever, sat down at the right hand of
God, from that time waiting till His enemies
are made His footstool. For by one offering
He has perfected forever those who are
being sanctified."
Today I only want to talk about a couple of
points from this passage of scripture.
The first point is that only God can give you
a completely clean conscience!
Going back to verse 1, the Bibles says: "...
the law, having a shadow of the good things
to come, and not the very image of the
things, can never with these same
sacrifices, which they offer continually year
by year, make those who approach perfect.
For then would they not have ceased to be
offered? For the worshipers, once purified,
would have had no more consciousness of
sins. But in those sacrifices there is a
reminder of sins every year. For it is not
possible that the blood of bulls and goats
could take away sins."
It's talking about the sacrificial system
under the Old Testament law, but it also
applies to behavior modification today!
Let me explain:
When I decided to turn away from a selfcentered lifestyle and begin trusting and
following Jesus Christ, I stopped having
sex.
I wasn't married, and the Bible teaches us
that sexual intimacy is something God
designed for a man and woman to enjoy
within the context of a life-long commitment,
so I stopped violating that principle.
I realized that God loves me, and that the
principles in His written Word are there to
bless and protect me, not to keep me from
enjoying the gifts He Himself gave me!
So I began to obey them!
But that didn't change my guilt. I was guilty
of adultery and all kinds of immoral
behavior.
When I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus I
also stopped lying, but that fact didn't clear
my conscience of the past deceptions of
which I was still guilty!
Now, I could keep going, but hopefully you
see my point!
The fact that I no longer lied, or had sex
with other men's wives, didn't clear my
conscience of the guilt!
What cleansed my conscience was God's
grace!
Understanding that God loves me so much
that He dispatched Jesus to die in my
place...
...accepting the fact that my sin was paid for
with His blood, that His punishment was the
price of my forgiveness, THAT is what took
away my guilt!
Romans 8:1-4 says:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not
walk according to the flesh, but according to
the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has made me free from the
law of sin and death. For what the law could
not do in that it was weak through the flesh,
God did by sending His own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin:
He condemned sin in the flesh, that the
righteous requirement of the law might be
fulfilled in us who do not walk according to
the flesh but according to the Spirit."
Which brings us to the second point. Going
back to Hebrews chapter 10, verse 8 says:
"Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering,
burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did
not desire, nor had pleasure in them”
(which are offered according to the law),
then He said, “Behold, I have come to do
Your will, O God.” He takes away the first
that He may establish the second. By that
will we have been sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for
all. And every priest stands ministering daily
and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins. But this
Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for
sins forever, sat down at the right hand of
God, from that time waiting till His enemies
are made His footstool. For by one offering
He has perfected forever those who are
being sanctified."
The word "sanctified" refers to being made
holy, being set apart from the world around
you!
The Bible says that we have been
sanctified & perfected in Christ!
Past tense! It's a completed reality!
But it also says in this same passage that
we are being sanctified; present tense!
An ongoing reality!
Is that a contradiction in scripture!? No!
Both are true for the person who is trusting
and following Jesus Christ!
It's like this; when a person makes the
sincere decision to turn away from serving
themselves and start looking to the Lord to
direct their lives according to HIS plan, He
sends His Holy Spirit to make them
spiritually alive!
That begins an inner work in you which He
will not stop until it is completed!
Phil 1:6 says:
"...He who has begun a good work in you
will complete it until the day of Jesus
Christ;"
That fact sanctifies you!
It sets you apart as Holy; different from
those around you who are still spiritually
dead, still serving their human emotions
and desires!
But it is a process!
Genesis 1:26 says:
"Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our
image, according to Our likeness; let them
have dominion over the fish of the sea, over
the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over
all the earth and over every creeping thing
that creeps on the earth.”
Again, it's a process which is being
described!
An event occurred, in which man was
created, but the work of creating man in
God's own image began with that event,
and will not be completed until the Day of
Jesus Christ - Judgment Day!
On that day all evil will be eliminated, and
God will complete the redemption process
in His children!
Ephesians 2:19 tells us:
"Now, therefore, you are no longer
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints and members of the
household of God, having been built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner
stone, in whom the whole building, being
fitted together, grows into a holy temple in
the Lord, in whom you also are being built
together for a dwelling place of God in the
Spirit."
We who know Him are growing in grace,
being built together, the Body of Christ,
being purified and perfected by His Spirit!
One day you, who have decided to trust
Him, will be completed by Him and will be
everything that He designed you to
become!
But it's process which is inextricably linked
to fellowship with other followers of Christ!
We are being built together!
You and I need each other, if we are to
become all that He intends!
This is much more than merely a practical
reality, it is a spiritual principle!
We were designed to grow together!
Marriage and family demonstrate that fact!
Husbands and wives are intended to grow
together into a Oneness in the Spirit which
provides the safe and nurturing
environment in which children are nurtured
and trained!
Children were designed in such a way as to
be completely dependent upon their
parents, in the same way that we are all
completely dependent upon our Father in
Heaven!
Jesus said, in Matthew 18:3...
"Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are
converted and become as little children,
you will by no means enter the kingdom of
heaven. Therefore whoever humbles
himself as this little child is the greatest in
the kingdom of heaven."
All that means is that you sincerely
acknowledge that you need God to be
YOUR God!
You stop ignoring Him and making all of
your decisions without His input &
guidance...
And you begin to look to Him for everything
in life, in exactly the same way a small child
looks to its mom and dad for everything!
Many of you didn't grow up in a safe and
healthy home.
But, in a healthy home environment a child
trusts the love and devotion of the Mom and
Dad!
The child trusts that there will be food,
water, protection, affection, and instruction!
God wants you to look to Him & trust Him
just like that! Every day!
If you've not yet made the decision to do
that, here's your chance!