WEBVTT 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:02.959 Well, this morning we're back in the book of Hebrews. 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:06.639 We've been studying and contemplating our way through the book of Hebrews. 00:00:06.799 --> 00:00:08.560 We're in Hebrews chapter 10. 00:00:08.640 --> 00:00:09.759 We're going to jump in at verse 1. 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:11.759 We're going to work our way through these verses this morning. 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:14.640 We're going to read a little, make a few points, and work our way through. 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:16.000 Verses 1 through 4. 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:28.800 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. 00:00:29.519 --> 00:00:37.359 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshippers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins. 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:47.119 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. 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:50.719 Now let's talk about what this could possibly mean for us. 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:58.799 Point number one is this religious ritual and performancism will always exhaust you toward a grace-centered life. 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:00.079 That's where it's always going to lead. 00:01:00.159 --> 00:01:07.280 Now, that performancism could be in a performance-based spirituality or faith, or it could just be in a performancism in the secular world. 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:14.959 Either way, this idea of earning your way unto validation or worth or approval with God, it will crush you and exhaust you. 00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:18.400 I love that word in verse one, shadow. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:22.239 So in this case, that word shadow, it speaks of a foreshadow, right? 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:23.680 You remember English 101? 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:24.719 You learn that. 00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:28.560 And so we see foreshadows in literature, we see them in movies. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:34.000 I'm like way deep diving into The Mandalorian on Disney Plus, so I'm into Star Wars right now. 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:36.000 Do you remember The Empire Strikes Back? 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:38.640 There's like five of you that remember The Empire Strikes Back. 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:46.159 And there was a scene where Luke sees his face inside the mask of Vader, right? 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:50.159 And then later he learns, sorry to ruin it, it's been like 30 years. 00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:51.280 Sorry to ruin it. 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:54.239 He learns Vader is his father, right? 00:01:54.400 --> 00:01:55.439 Like he learns that, right? 00:01:55.519 --> 00:01:56.879 So it's a foreshadow, right? 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:02.959 The first scene leads us to expect and understand the second scene. 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:06.560 That's what this Hebrews writer is doing when he says it's a shadow. 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:16.479 So all of the covenant of law, we read that in the Old Testament, seems so strange to us, all these sacrifices and stuff, the blood of these bulls and goats, all of that, and the demands, right? 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:17.840 Just the demands of holiness. 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:21.599 All of that, it's a shadow, a foreshadowing. 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:32.000 It builds in us an expectation and an understanding of what's to come, and that's Jesus, the final sacrifice, the final priest, the covenant of grace. 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:36.879 So it gives us the law and its holiness and our imperfection to us. 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:41.039 It helps us understand that a performance-based life is just never going to work. 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:45.120 The law always leads us to Jesus. 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:47.680 The law always leads us to a grace-centered life. 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:49.039 Now, what's a grace-centered life? 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:49.680 What would that look like? 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:51.680 What would be some descriptors of that? 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:54.240 Well, we have eight descriptors in our church on our website. 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:57.360 If you go through our new member class, you actually learn these and we read these. 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:07.680 And so I want to read these to you, and not just by like reading it to you or you reading it, but sort of like, I want you to like contemplate it as I go. 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:11.439 Let it read you because there might be two or three that you really connect with. 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:15.680 You don't have to write them down, you won't be able to keep up, but they're all on our website. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:25.680 Number one, grace-centered people understand that the gospel is not the ABCs of Christianity, the beginning, but the A to Z, the totality. 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:30.560 Meaning the gospel of Jesus is both for the Christian and non-Christian. 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:41.039 Number two, grace-centered people understand that obedience to God's ways and transformation of any kind, especially heart transformation, cannot happen apart from the good news of God's grace. 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:48.479 Number three, grace-centered people rest in and focus on what has been done by Christ, not on what we do. 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:57.759 Number four, grace-centered people believe the Christian life is about deepening the return to God's grace, not moving on to a list of what a Christian should do. 00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:05.039 By deepening our return and abiding in Christ, fruit is born in the life of the Christian. 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:16.319 Number five, grace-centered people keep the focus of their faith centered on the riches of God's grace known through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the new life imparted to us by his Spirit. 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:28.240 Number six, grace-centered people believe the gospel must be understood from every text of the Bible because our human nature, in our human nature, we constantly are reverting to self-reliance and self-justification. 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:34.959 So that'd be a way to say we're constantly reverting back to that covenant of law, that which should be the shadow, the foreshadowing force. 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:41.199 Number seven, grace-centered people understand grace to be one way love from God to us. 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:50.399 It is this unconditionality that places us in a position of humility, granting us freedom, peace, and security. 00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:58.720 Number eight, grace-centered people live as light in the world by repentance and continued astonishment of God's grace. 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:04.240 Now, this past Wednesday was quite a day, right? 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:09.759 I mean, what a disappointing and disturbing day for all of us. 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:18.720 I was personally, me, I was incredibly angry and sad about the reckless leadership and language of our president. 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:32.399 I was angry, I was sad about that mob, just that gross mob that disregarded civil authority, sieged our capital, damaged our capital. 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:38.399 And then there was this part of me that was so proud of Vice President Pence to stand up. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:52.160 And then Pence and Pelosi together to unite so brave leadership and leading our Senate and our House, all of which were so brave during those hours, and for them to fulfill their governing duty, right? 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:53.279 I was so proud of that. 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:56.000 And then I was back into like anger and like being disturbed. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:00.480 Just sort of like cycled through all those things over and over again. 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:04.639 Now, we would not probably agree on what caused that mob, right? 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:05.600 Like that's pretty clear. 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:06.560 We're not going to agree on that. 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:12.160 There's probably like four or five working theories in the room if we went around and be like, yeah, like I kind of agree a little bit about that one, a little bit about that. 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:13.680 We'd just probably end up arguing. 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:21.360 But what we know is we do know we would unite on the chaos we felt when we watched it. 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:26.639 Or you went back and looked at the pictures and the chaos that we feel with that. 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:31.759 And now the other thing that we'll always agree on is the chaos that we have in our hearts. 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:32.879 Right? 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:34.079 Like we know. 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:45.519 Like we know what it feels like to want to storm into a place or over somebody, like with our will to just like just impose that no matter what. 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:47.279 We know what that feels like. 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:54.879 We know what it feels like to be so upset about something, to exert our will when we shouldn't. 00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:56.560 We know that chaos. 00:06:57.360 --> 00:06:59.519 And that's where we all need to be calmed, right? 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:02.319 Like that's where we all need to be forgiven, right? 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:03.519 Even just a normal day. 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:05.199 Like not even insurrection day, right? 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:07.279 Like that's what Wednesday was, an insurrection. 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:11.120 Not even a day of insurrection, just a normal Tuesday, right? 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:12.480 Like just a normal day. 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:17.519 There's enough in a normal day for us to need full forgiveness. 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:27.600 Just the amount of just sort of like building our identity on things we shouldn't, and then like just defending it and doubling down, or just our jealousy and greed and lust and anger and impatience. 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:29.439 I mean, we can go down the list. 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:35.920 That's just normal human behavior because we're all we're all sinners. 00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:41.199 And sometimes that's a major offense, like being in a mob. 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:45.680 Or just like the major offense that you don't talk about anymore, that one also. 00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:49.680 And the message of the gospel is just so radical. 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:53.759 And it's just so offensive to my sense of justice, right? 00:07:53.920 --> 00:08:02.480 Because what I'm seeing the pictures of like, and getting the names of the people now who are in the mob, and like it's just full justice for me right now toward them, right? 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:04.000 That's all there is right now. 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:13.439 And like, even toward them, now they will receive the justice of this world, mind you, but the gospel says to their hearts, all's forgiven, even to you. 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:16.639 And that's why it can say to me, right? 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:21.199 Like that's why it can say to me, and it can say to you, all's forgiven. 00:08:21.519 --> 00:08:23.199 And Jesus, all is forgiven. 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:26.399 That's where this passage is taking us in verses 10 and 12. 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:32.720 Once for all, the single sacrifice, all that was needed, they don't have to work their way out of their sin. 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:35.600 President Trump has to work his way out of poor leadership. 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:39.759 I don't have to work my way out of all my issues in order to be forgiven with God. 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:41.360 All is forgiven. 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:44.080 Verse 5. 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:56.240 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. 00:08:56.399 --> 00:09:02.080 Then I said, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, and it is written of me in the scroll of the book. 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:04.960 Point number two is this. 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:16.399 That order really, really matters. 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:32.240 These verses pull from Psalm 40, and that's a psalm of David, and he's writing from his heart in that psalm, teaching us that God wants our hearts, not simply external behavior compliance. 00:09:32.480 --> 00:09:34.639 Now, I see that so often in parenting. 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:37.120 For me, that's where I get it over and over again in parenting, right? 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:43.679 Maybe you said in parenting or grandparenting or you babysat or you have a niece or a nephew or whatever, you're tucking in that little person, right? 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:52.879 That little person, you're tucking that little buddy, and you're like, hey, buddy, uh, you how you talked to Johnny today, you can't do that. 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:54.799 You cannot do that. 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:56.240 Okay, good night. 00:09:56.320 --> 00:09:57.279 Let's see in the morning, right? 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:58.399 Like that's option number one. 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:03.039 Like option number two would be, hey, buddy, you hey, tuck in. 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:06.320 You can't you can't talk to like Johnny like that. 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:14.000 What was going on in your heart for you to want to talk to Johnny like that? 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:15.919 Right? 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:18.240 I mean, that's two two different methods, right? 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:22.879 I mean, I mean, one stays in the external, the other goes to the heart. 00:10:23.039 --> 00:10:25.519 Both are calling wrong wrong. 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:36.799 But the one begins in behavior, and therefore you never know if it reaches the heart, but the other begins in the heart, and it will always eventually affect behavior. 00:10:37.120 --> 00:10:40.080 And that is how Jesus works with us. 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:44.639 That is how the Holy Spirit works for us in God's grace, in the covenant of grace. 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:46.240 Verse 8. 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:53.919 When he said above, you have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings. 00:10:54.159 --> 00:10:55.919 These are offered according to the law. 00:10:56.080 --> 00:10:58.720 Then he added, Behold, I have come to do your will. 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:01.519 He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:03.039 So he's talking about these two covenants there. 00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:10.240 Verse 10, and by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:16.320 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:36.240 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, wanting from 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. 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:39.519 Point three, number three, last one, such good news. 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:47.200 In Christ we get to confidently walk, knowing it is God who actively sanctifies us. 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:51.679 It is the Holy Spirit of God that is actively sanctifying us. 00:11:51.840 --> 00:11:53.759 Now that is in the already, but not yet. 00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:59.600 We're already fully sanctified and holy in Jesus, and yet we're not yet that now, right? 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:04.639 And so the Holy Spirit is working in us to convict and comfort us. 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:06.960 Sanctification is one of those big Christian words. 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:11.519 All it means is you are in the process of becoming more like Jesus. 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:15.840 Verse 14 places us as the passive agent. 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:18.159 We are being worked upon. 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:21.279 So God is sanctifying us. 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:26.480 That's incredibly good news if you've ever tried to put yourself to work within a religious framework. 00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:31.279 So we're active, but we're actively passive. 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:34.799 We're actively passive. 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:40.879 Here's how Steve Brown speaks about this notion of sanctification, is from his book, Three Free Sins. 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:50.399 One of the questions asked of those being ordained in the Methodist church, I was ordained a Methodist minister, is this Are you moving on to perfection? 00:12:50.639 --> 00:13:00.799 When I was asked that question, I thought about it and decided that I might not be a very good and spiritual person, but I was, after all, being ordained, and that made me somewhat better than most others. 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:04.399 I figured that I was moving on to perfection, at least sort of. 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:06.080 So I answered, yes. 00:13:06.559 --> 00:13:10.000 I was very young, and now I'm old as dirt. 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:19.200 Over the years, God has granted me the severe mercy of failure, pain, and an awareness of how I'm about as messed up as anybody I know. 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:31.440 If I were asked that question again, the question of getting better, I would have to answer that I hoped maybe I was getting better, but frankly, I would have to say, who the hell knows? 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:33.919 It's a good point, right? 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:36.320 Because how can you know? 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:39.840 And if you think you're getting better, you're probably not getting better. 00:13:39.919 --> 00:13:45.039 And then if you think you're not getting better, you're probably getting better, but you're just probably not even aware of it. 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:50.159 Certainly, Paul's experience through the scriptures is a growing awareness of how he's not getting that much better. 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:52.080 And perhaps that's what it means to get better. 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:53.440 So who knows? 00:13:53.679 --> 00:14:02.000 The point is, is we are called into a confessional life of falling into Jesus and having our hearts and our minds set upon him. 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:09.840 In college, my buddies and I, we love to go backpacking, and one time, one weekend, we went up to Cloudland Canyon in northwest Georgia. 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:11.360 Here's a picture of it, a beautiful picture. 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:12.399 This is about what it looked like. 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:24.240 It was wintertime when we went backpacking up there, and we hiked our way down in that canyon, and there's a river stream down there, and we were hiked along it, and we started late in the day, and we were in college, so we weren't thinking everything through, you just went for it. 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:34.240 But we didn't think about the fact that we needed to hike back out before dark to get up to our campsite, up on the rim, and so it got dark while we were down there, and eventually we lost the trail, right? 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:37.679 We just lost it, and we didn't realize it, because that's how it works when you lose a trail. 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:43.360 You just keep on hiking, you're having a good conversation, you keep going, and you realize it later, and then you go, oh my gosh, it's getting darker. 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:44.879 We're trying to backtrack to get the trail. 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:47.519 Eventually we go back and we get the right trail. 00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:51.200 And the point is, is like it's easy to lose our focus. 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:56.399 It's just easy to get on a different trail, head down a different path. 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:11.919 And for us and the writers of Hebrews, he's building out for us this understanding to understand the difference of the covenant of grace and the covenant of law so that we understand that law is a foreshadowing to push us into and to live under the covenant of grace. 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:14.000 Now it's so easy, right? 00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:16.879 It's strong in us to return to law. 00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:18.320 Some performance. 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:19.360 We love that control. 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:21.840 Helps us feel better about ourselves. 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:33.039 But we have to allow it to guide us in what is right and wrong, and then also exhaust us into our great need of Jesus and God's grace for us. 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:37.840 This week my heart returned to the great hymn, Turn your eyes upon Jesus. 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:39.600 And I close with these words. 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:44.639 Oh soul, are you weary and troubled? 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:47.360 No light in the darkness you see. 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:52.320 There's light for a look at the Savior and life more abundant and free. 00:15:52.720 --> 00:16:02.879 Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim and the light of his glory and grace. 00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:04.399 Let's pray together. 00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:11.759 God, thank you that in the midst of a week of chaos that we can come before you in confession, we are no better. 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:15.679 We are no better. 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:19.120 There is chaos in our hearts. 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:33.039 And so we always begin with ourselves and say, forgive us of all the ways we have caused destruction in our personal lives and in our relationships and in our families, the ways that we cast judgment before we cast love. 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:34.240 Forgive us. 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:40.639 Thank you that your grace and kindness is so much bigger, perpetually bigger than any of our sin. 00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:43.919 Thank you that Christ is once for all. 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:45.759 Once for all. 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:57.279 And that all is forgiven in Jesus, and that we rest in that forgiveness and we can enjoy that forgiveness as we walk with you through this world. 00:16:57.440 --> 00:16:58.320 In Jesus' name. 00:16:58.559 --> 00:16:59.200 Amen.