Be confident series

The Superior Sacrifice

Hebrews 10

-This chapter emphasizes the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ

3 benefits that explain why Jesus Christ is Superior to the old covenant sacrifices

I.                   Christ’s Sacrifice Takes away sin (10:1-10)

1.                  We are not sinners because we sin, We sin because we are sinners

B.                 The need for a better sacrifice (vv. 1-4)

1.                  The very nature of the old covenant made them inferior

2.                  Animal sacrifices could never completely deal with human guilt

3.                  Day of Atonement was not to accomplish the remission of sins but to remind of sin

4.                  Desperate need for a better sacrifice

5.                  Blood only covered sins never took it away

C.                The provision of a better sacrifice (vv. 5-9)

1.                  God provided the sacrifice not man.

a)                  Man provided the goat or pigeon …

D.                The effectiveness of the better sacrifice (v. 10)

1.                  The believer is set apart or sanctified.

2.                  Under O.C. the person had to constantly be purified

II.                Christ’s Sacrifice need not be Repeated (10:11-18)

A.                By Christ “sitting down” at the right hand of God symbolizes that it is a finished work

B.                 The sacrifices were repeated day after day

C.                You don’t need to take aspirin anymore.

III.             Christ’s Sacrifice Opens the way to God (10:19-39)

1.                  The Holy of Holies was closed

B.                 A gracious invitation (vv. 19-25)

1.                  Christ’ blood allows us to be bold in entering the HOH

2.                  “Let us draw near”

3.                  “Let us hold fast”

4.                  “Let us consider one another”

C.                A solemn exhortation (vv. 26-31)

1.                  Despising the word

a)                  The evidence of this despising is a willful sin

b)                  This cheapens the sacrifice

D.                An encouraging confirmation (vv. 32-39)

1.                  The Just shall live by FAITH

Be Confident Series

The Superior Sanctuary

Hebrews 9

I.                   The Inferior Old Covenant Sanctuary (9:1-10)

1.                  5 questions to answer what made the tabernacle inferior

B.                 It was an earthly sanctuary (v.1)

1.                  Made by man

2.                  Needed repair

3.                  Limited geographically

C.                 It was a type of something greater (vv. 2-5)

1.                  The furnishings listed carried a spiritual meaning (Hebrews 9:23)

a)                 Lampstand= the nation of Israel was supposed to be the light of the world. It was situated outside the Holy of Holies and it was pitch black except for the lamp

b)                 Table of the showbread=reminds them that God has sustained them

(1)              Bread of life= refers to Jesus

c)                  Golden Altar= picture of prayers ascending to God (Ps. 141:2

d)                 Ark of the Covenant= mercy seat

D.                It was inaccessible to the people (vv. 6-7)

1.                  Only the Levites were allowed in the sanctuary

E.                 It was temporary (v. 8)

1.                  The veil was torn from top to bottom

F.                  Its ministry was external, not internal (vv. 9-10)

1.                  All of the ceremonies had to do with the outer man and not the inner man.

II.               The Superior Heavenly Sanctuary (9:11-28) matched with the inferiorities

A.                 It is heavenly (v.11)

1.                  The tabernacle was patterned after the sanctuary in Heaven.

2.                  No need for repair, it is eternal

B.                 Its ministry is effective to deal with sin (vv. 12-15)

1.                  Ceremonial cleansing vs. conscience cleansing (vv.13-14)

2.                  Temporary blessing vs. eternal blessings (v.15)

C.                 Its ministry is based on a costly sacrifice (vv. 16-23)

1.                  Under the old covenant sins were covered by blood- Jesus’ blood covers our sins

D.                It’s ministry represents fulfillment (v. 24)

1.                  New covenant things are “made without hands”- whereas the old was made with hands.

a)                 The temple does not stand today

E.                 It’s ministry is final and complete (vv. 25-28)

1.                  The work of Christ is a completed work

Today’s Reading Romans 12-16

When someone strikes you on the cheek and you strike them back, that’s expected – the natural reaction. When someone strikes you on the other cheek and you still don’t retaliate even after running out of cheeks, that’s remarkable – the supernatural reaction.

The final chapters of Romans deal with supernatural reactions to everyday situations – the kind possible only when Christ is in control. Can you think of a 20th- century example from your life that illustrates the kind of reaction Paul is calling for with each of the following exhortations?

Prefer one another (12:10)__________________________________________________
Be patient in tribulation (12:12) _____________________________________________
Give no man evil for evil (12:17) ____________________________________________
Avenge not yourself (12:19) ________________________________________________

Remember, anyone can act like a Christian, but it takes a true Christian to react like one!

Today’s Reading Romans 9-11

One of the interesting patterns you’ll note in Scripture as you continue through the Epistles involves content and application.
You see, God gave us the Bible not merely for our information, but for our transformation. As the New Testament clearly teaches us, knowing and not doing is really not knowing at all. That’s why Jesus frequently ended His talks with the words, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
This crucial movement from content to application, underlies all the New Testament letters. For instance, in Romans, the apostle Paul outlines the basic truths of the Christian faith in chapters 1-11, then it applies it in chapters 12-15. Ephesians 1-3 reveals doctrine, then moves to duty in chapters 4-6.
Paul is not the only author who consistently takes the profound truths of the faith into the realm of the everyday life. John, James, and even Jesus in His recorded sermons consistently spend at least half their time applying the content they have taught.
The lesson here is obvious. Knowledge must always lead to something even more important – obedience.
That may may not be easy, but it’s what God calls us to do. As Mark Twain once said, “Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand; but the passages that bother me the most are those I do understand.”
Here is something to think about:
Are you letting your Bible reading become just an intellectual exercise, a means of gaining more information? Or are you letting its truths sift through your own life, so that you wrestle with the will of God in your own life every day?
The Biblical pattern is clear: In God’s eyes, knowledge requires obedience. Take some time to examine your own life in light of that pattern, and talk it over with God.

Today’s Reading Romans 6-8

A do-it-yourselfer went into a hardware store and asked for a saw. The salesman pulled a chain saw from the shelf and commented, “This is our finest saw. Guaranteed to cut ten cords of lumber a day.”
“I’ll take it!” responded the customer jubilantly.
Next day he came back, haggard and exhausted, to return the chain saw. “Something must be wrong, he moaned. “I could only cut three cords of lumber a day with that thing.”
“Let me try it,” urged the salesman, pulling on the cord to start the motor. “Vvvvvrrrroooooommmm,” went the chain saw. “What’s that noise?” exclaimed the customer.
Chapters 7 and 8 may remind you of the plight of that do-it-yourselfer: wanting to do the right thing but failing to apply the power for victorious living that God  has supplied in the person of the Holy Spirit. See if you can find five promises in chapter 8 regarding the Holy Spirit’s role in your daily life. Then select one and draw upon it today. That’s why they’re there.

Today’s Reading Romans 1-3

Two Christians were talking about the president of a corporation who died recently. The executive had been a moral man and a philanthropist, but an avowed atheist who had made no pretense of believing in Jesus Christ as his Savior. One friend mused, “It’s hard to believe he won’t be in heaven. He was such a good man, so thoughtful of his employees, so generous.” To which the other gently responded with the words of John 3:18, He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Perhaps you, too, have difficulty coming to gripes with the lost condition of sinful people… or with you own lostness apart from Christ. Read Romans 3 again thoughtfully, until the solemn truth of human depravity sinks in. Humanity’s only hope – and yours – is faith in Christ’s finished work. It’s simple as accepting God’s offer of “salvation to every one that believeth” (1:16). Will you in believing faith come to Jesus Christ right now?

Tomorrow we will be looking into Romans 4-5 “Provision of Righteousness”