An Offering Once for All

We have an opportunity to continue in God's Word today on this remarkable day of atonement. The title of our second message today is, An Offering Once for All. An Offering Once for All. And if you have your Bibles, let's open up your Bibles and turn to Hebrews chapter 10, verses 4 through 7. This is where we're going to begin, and this is where we find that phrase, actually. Hebrews 10, verses 4 through 7. And as you turn there, let me just say there is something absolutely remarkable and deeply moving between the relationship between Passover and the Day of Atonement.

Of course, both point us to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Both teach us about how reconciliation with God is possible only by that sacrifice of Christ. But what's so interesting is that within God's Holy Day plan, while both are similar, they are uniquely different. In that both the Passover and the Day of Atonement bring two different perspectives and give us two different perspectives.

Where the Passover focuses most directly on those to whom God is calling now, the firstfruits. You know, just as the firstborn of Israel were redeemed by the blood of the Passover Lamb, those to whom God calls in this age are brought under the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and reconciled to him now.

But the Day of Atonement causes us to lift our eyes beyond ourselves. Because Atonement looks forward to a future when reconciliation, the reconciliation that we have been privileged to receive today, will be extended to the world. It's remarkable. That's the remarkable uniqueness of all that is the Day of Atonement. It points us to the reconciliation of the world, ushering a future reality.

And as we've mentioned, we know that future reality must also include another aspect. Because there is a great deceiver out there, Satan the devil, the primary cause of humanity's sin and suffering, the primary cause of humanity's broken relationship with God will be finally removed. His influence will be removed and taken away.

All of humanity, then, will have the opportunity for salvation. Humanity as a whole will begin the process and have the opportunity to choose life, to choose to have the opportunity to understand his truth, the opportunity to repent, to be reconciled by him. Of course, all that is pictured in the remarkable eighth day that we'll observe at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles in that second resurrection. But that's what makes Atonement such a hopeful day. Because we look around and our heart breaks, we see the billions of people who do not know God have not received that reconciliation and been ushered into that relationship.

Not yet, at least. But God has not forgotten them. The Day of Atonement reminds us that God's plan is much bigger than the firstfruits. The Day of Atonement begins the process by which the salvation will come to the world. To the world. And so, if you wanted to put it in a statement or two, at Passover we realize he died for us. At Atonement, we realize he died for them also.

And it was an offering once for all. For all. All right, let's get to that phrase here. Hebrews 10. And let's begin reading in verse 4, and we'll read down to verse 17. The writer of Hebrews says, For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when he, Jesus, came into the world, he said, Sacrifice an 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 an offering, burnt offerings, the offerings for sin you did not desire, nor had pleasure in them, which were 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 until all of his enemies are made his footstool.

For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us, for after he had said before, This is a covenant I will make with them. After those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts and into their in their minds I will write them.

And then he adds, Their sin and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Let's stop there. It's quite a remarkable section of Scripture here. And I think perhaps if you were looking for this overall exposition of this passage and you were looking to try to summarize it in some way, I think it could be summarized in one phrase that Jesus Christ spoke from the cross. It was the one word written in the Greek tetelestai. One phrase in the English, it is finished. It's finished.

And while this word, that word is not in this passage, I believe that if you were to summarize this passage and perhaps even summarize atonement itself, it would be with that phrase, it is finished. It is finished. Because what occurred there on the cross was the sufficient and completed work of Jesus Christ, where the atoning work for mankind was achieved. And here in Hebrews, we see that he works through the writer here, works through that atoning work, and he's attempting to reveal to his readers exactly what was accomplished. What was exactly accomplished in and through this once and for all offering. And while you might break it up into several different ways, I believe there are at least four things which are revealed in this passage, which Jesus's atoning sacrifice accomplished for all of humanity. And I want to give them to you today. So from this passage, we have revealed four things which Jesus's atoning sacrifice accomplished for humanity. Let's go through them. Number one. Number one. First, what was accomplished in and through the Jesus's atoning sacrifice for humanity. Number one is that Jesus accomplished all in relation to sin. Okay? That's the first overarching accomplishment which was achieved. Number one. Jesus has accomplished all in relation to sin. Sin. So think about sin itself. All of sin's power. All of sin's penalty. Jesus addressed it all. Because you'll notice there in verse four here, it's laid out for us the impossibility that this could be accomplished through any other way. Namely, the blood of verse four, it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Let's just get that right out there, he says. In contrast to verse 12, if you allow your eyes to go down to verse 12, where it says, But this man, Jesus, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, he sat down at the right hand of God. So there's the contrast there. And we see this throughout this chapter. Allow your eyes to go up to verse one, where we see, yes, the blood of bulls and goats was ultimately insufficient. Verse one, For the law, having a shadow of 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. Let's stop there. So it's not going to happen. Those sacrifices could not accomplish this. All that took place prior was a shadow. And even the inadequacy was seen just in the repetition of it. You see, they were a foreshadow, those sacrifices, but could never accomplish what Jesus Christ accomplished in his once one offering of himself for all.

And there at the end of verse 12, after his offering, he sits down. He sits down, signifying that the work had been completed. So this is what Jesus accomplished in relation to sin. The priests of the Old Testament, as they would make a sacrifice, in a sense, they would make their sacrifice and go to the back of the line so that they could come forward and offer it again, and again, and again, and again. And they never sat down. Why? Because the work wasn't complete. But when Jesus came, he offered a sacrifice for sin, and he sat down.

So that is when the reality of sin's power and the penalty was addressed fully, sufficiently. So where do we look for salvation? We ultimately look to the one who dealt with sin in its complete sufficiency. His offering gives us the ability to have victories over sin, only made possible by himself. So very important to remember this first accomplishment, because when Satan comes and he tells you of your guilt, he reminds you and tempts you to despair, how do we ultimately answer that? How do we answer Satan's accusations? Well, by pointing to and looking upon the ultimate sufficiency of Christ's atoning sacrifice. You look upon him. You look upon him. And that's given to us. That phrase is given to us a few chapters forward. Just really quickly, we're going to come right back, keep your marker here, but look at Hebrews 12, verse 1 and 2, just a few chapters forward, continuing on in this theme.

Here is written Hebrews 12, verse 1 and 2, where we are to look to finish the race, perhaps when despair comes because of sin. Hebrews 12, verse 1, therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us. Lay that aside and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Let's stop there. So when sin comes to ensnare you, this is the first thing you do. Think of the atoning work that Jesus Christ accomplished there on the cross with regards to sin. And it was sufficient. It was sufficient. Put your affections onto him in those moments. What he has done, and that will help us then turn from the sin so that it doesn't continue to ensnare us. He sufficiently dealt with it all. So one of the things that you, when you kneel for prayer, when you bow your hair for prayer with regards to the sin, and perhaps you're praying for that that bondage, that chain to be broken, perhaps the sin that's been with you forever, since you can remember, one of the first things to acknowledge and to believe in your heart is that sin has, that Jesus has broken the power of that. And he lives in you through the Holy Spirit, so you have that power to break it. Sometimes just that belief is where you need to start. And it will banish any thoughts of, here we go again. I'm trapped again. I've got to put on those dirty clothes again. I've got to take off these white righteous robes. No, don't return to that trash bin of forgiven sin. You're a new man. You're now, you've received the atonement, the reconciliation from the Father through Jesus Christ. He is the finisher of our faith, a better translation. He's the author. He's the example of faith. So when Satan tempts me to despair and tells me the guilt from within, we look to him who made an end to sin's power and penalty over us. Okay, that's number one. That's number one of four. Number two, as we consider all that Jesus accomplished in his atoning sacrifice, number two is that Jesus has accomplished everything in relation to the Father's will in opposition to sin. I'll repeat that. Number two, Jesus Christ has accomplished everything in relation to the Father's will in his opposition to sin. Jesus accomplished the Father's will. Turning back to chapter 10, again, we notice where Jesus sat down there in verse 12 again. He sat down at the right hand of God, and he could only sit there in a place of acceptance. The Father accepted his sacrifice according to the Father's will. And we see in the beginning narrative here, it was all due to the Father's will that Jesus was accomplishing here on earth. It's amazing.

Sitting at the right hand signifies the Father's acceptance. Jesus accomplished everything according to the Father's will there.

And we could ask, why did Jesus have to do this? Why did Jesus have to do this? Why couldn't we have just continued in the sacrifices of bulls and goats, if you will? Well, it is because, ultimately, a person was needed to substitute for people.

You ever thought about it that way? A person was needed to substitute for people. Because, in fact, the Old Covenant sacrifices, they were non-consenting.

Couldn't we say that? The animal didn't consent, didn't adhere, had bend their will to the sacrifice. No, it was non-consensual, you see. And we could say it was forced against their will, perhaps. But the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ, was voluntary. An offering was voluntary in submission to the will of God. Jesus willingly accepted the punishment in our place. So that God would not count our sin against us. And how was it possible for him not to count our sin against us? It is because he counted our sin against him, his only beloved son. And, by the way, we should never think that the Son's will was different than the Father's. You know, there are some commentary that says, that is more secular in nature, that says, oh, you know, Jesus was recoiling there in the garden, hesitating, they would say. But not so. It is true he was recoiling in his humanity, as he considered the absolute awfulness of what was to come. But then Jesus spoke these words, in a great display of fulfilling the Father's will, Father, if it is your will, take this cup from me.

Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. That's in several of the Gospels, but Luke 22, verse 42, for your notes. Luke 22, verse 42. Amazing! But not my will, your will be done. And at the very heart of that is the fact that God is a holy God, and Jesus accomplished everything in relation to the Father's will in opposition to sin. Another, by the way, by the way, when we consider the magnitude of what he accomplished in bending his will to the Father's, our logical response, then, is to bend our will to the Father's will. As we are firstfruits, we're living out our reconciliation right now. We're Christ's representatives here on earth. We model him, and we are to do that so we can show humanity what this looks like. What does atonement look like? That's what we're accomplishing today. Number three. Third, perhaps, aspect if we were to do an extraction from this passage in looking at all that Christ's sacrifice accomplished. Number three, we could say, Jesus has accomplished all in relation to Satan. So that's the third aspect when we consider the sufficiency of Christ's atoning sacrifice. Number three, he, Jesus, has accomplished all in relation to Satan and victory over him. Victory over him. And we see that in we see there in Hebrews 10 verse 13. That phrase that we've read a few times from now, from that time, verse 13, after the time of his sacrifice, from that time he's now waiting at the right hand of God until his enemies are made his footstool. It's very important to understand where Jesus is right now.

You know, Jesus is at the right hand on the throne of God. Sometimes I think one of the most discouraging aspects you see in many of the churches around the world is that they do have the huge paintings and murals of Jesus's sacrifice, and there he is hanging on the cross still.

Well, brethren, he's still not hanging. He's not on that cross anymore. He's not at the crucifixion. He's not hanging up there in that state anymore. Rather, he is ascended to the right hand of the Father, and he now waits, and he sits, and he's waiting for his enemies to become his footstool.

One way I've heard about its put—I don't know if any of you are chess players— he's already achieved checkmate against the devil. If you know chess, even though you can declare checkmate, there can still be some moves that take place. But what's interesting is the conclusion is inevitable. Checkmate has been declared and achieved. So, likewise, the devil can be making his moves with his different pawns and bishops and rooks, but he ultimately cannot change the eventual, inevitable outcome because Jesus has accomplished all in relation to Satan and victory over him. He has not yet been chained up. We know that, and so we still experience the challenges, the wrestling with the devil and his influences, but Jesus is waiting contently until that conclusion will come to an end. I don't know if I've told this story before, but one of the first jobs I've really ever had was my senior year of high school. I had enough credits where I could go to school in the morning, but then go to work in the afternoon. It's kind of a school work program. It's pretty cool. I recommend it. But the job that I received was a cable TV installer. They gave me a truck and everything. So cool. Although I didn't know how to drive stick shifts, so that's another story. But I went through several trucks.

One of the things I quickly realized that wasn't great about this job is that going from yard to yard, I encountered a tremendous number of dogs. Sometimes they were in the front yard, sometimes they were in the back yard, sometimes they were on full display, sometimes they were hiding. Some were chained up, some weren't. It was just the worst. I have a great affinity for the postal service and all that they may encounter. But on one of the daily routes I had, I came back to the office and I had one job that was not done. I went on to explain to my boss that this particular house that I went into, I could just hear what I could imagine a huge dog on the other side of the fence. I tried to look over and you can only get a glimpse of the salava and the growling that's happening there. So I said, you know, I just couldn't get that one done. And he said, well, what is the address? And I told him, and he goes, oh, I know this house. Get back out there and get that done. And I said, well, you know, you knowing the house doesn't quell my worry. And he goes, no, I know this house because this particular dog, it's a big one and it's vicious, but it's given just enough chain to allow it to move. But if you stay on the path to the cable box, it can't reach you. And with full faith and trust, I returned to the house and it's true. The chain was just long enough to allow for the movement, but if I kept my eyes on the pathway, I was going to be protected and it couldn't ultimately destroy me.

Likewise, you may see where I'm going with this. Spiritually, Satan, we could say, has been chained to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And if you stay on the path, he can make a lot of noise, he can create a lot of chaos, but he can't ultimately destroy you.

Why? Why? It is because of the sufficient atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And Jesus has accomplished all in relation to victory over Satan the devil. I hope you believe that. I hope you believe that. And empowered with God's Spirit, we do not have to fear. We can walk confidently down the path and be protected, ultimately, knowing that Jesus now waits, and we certainly wait with great anticipation for his enemies to become his footstool.

Well, fourthly and finally, in all that the sufficiency of Jesus Christ atoning sacrifice, number four, Jesus has accomplished all in relation to us as we grow toward perfection. Number four, Jesus has accomplished all in relation to us as we grow toward perfection.

Staying here in Hebrews 10, look at verse 14 here. Verse 14. It says, for by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Okay. Now, there's some important truths here to consider when we think about all that Jesus has accomplished for us through his sufficient atoning sacrifice. Important truths here. Verse 14 again, for by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. So, yes, Christ's sacrifice was sufficient. It was once and for all. There's no additional sacrifice needed for the salvation of the world. Again, no additional sacrifice needed. His offering, his one offering for the salvation of the world was sufficient. So, the repentant Christian can stand forgiven and reconciled before God. You know, when sin has ensnared you, I want you to, after you stand asking for forgiveness, granted that forgiveness, asking for repentance, I want you to stand confidently with your shoulders back and moving forward. I want you to stand forgiven. I want you to stand understanding you've been reconciled before God. And as we think about the future, Christ has perfected us in this way. His sacrifice provides forgiveness and reconciliation with the ultimate possibility of eternal life. But that doesn't mean, of course, that we are perfect right now, of course. And that's where the second part of this phrase comes in there, verse 14. Crucial second half of the verse here, second half of verse 14. Those who are being sanctified, you see, perfection's not achieved. Sanctification is an ongoing process.

So let me put it this way. God has accomplished all with regards to us, but understand biblical sanctification is the work of God by which He sets apart those to whom He calls and believes in Him. He sets them apart. That's the sanctification process. And then progressively transforms those individuals to be like His Son, with the future hope to be sealed in perfection forever. Forever. So sanctification is immediate set-apart status for an ongoing spiritual growth process to occur through the Spirit. And so perfected forever points us to that final result, when all the character we've built to become like His Son will be sealed in perfection for all of eternity.

There. So it's quite remarkable, and that gives us a confidence. We are today the sons and daughters of God. You know, when Bible refers to us that way, it's not future tense. It's today. It's today. This sanctification process has occurred, has begun in us today. And so, yes, Jesus has accomplished all in relation to us as we grow towards perfection. And there is coming a time at Christ's return when we will be sealed in perfection forever, never to struggle again with human weaknesses. But we know that time is not yet, so we pray, God, would You continue the sanctification process in my life every day? Why? Why do we want to pray that? Why is the second half of verse 14, why should that speak so deeply to us? Well, it is because we are today showing the world what this process looks like to be reconciled to the Father, to go through this sanctification process, to slowly become more and more at one with Him. The world is watching. We are the example. Amazing to consider all of our responsibility in that way. And it's a great and good responsibility, and it's a good work that Jesus Christ is accomplishing through our lives.

So there you have it. Four things which are accomplished in and through Jesus Christ, atoning sacrifice for humanity, Jesus fulfilling it all, leaving nothing unfinished. So in closing, let the truth of the great Atonement move you from this day forward, because a great day of Atonement is coming, not only for us, but for all of humanity. And let us never forget, it is all because of Jesus Christ and His offering once for all.