"O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:24-25)
"For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, "Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared Me." (Hebrews 10:5; Psalms 40:6-8)
Earlier in Hebrews, we read that "of the things which we haves spoken, this is the sum." In other words, this is the total of what we are saying, in case one is struggling with what this particular passage means. Continuing, the scriptures inform us that:
"We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle -- which the Lord pitched and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices; wherefore, [it is] of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if He were on earth, He should not be a priest, seeing there are priests that offer gifts according to the law -- who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle; for, See, saith he, [that] thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount." (Hebrews 1-5)
But now under the new testament -- God's last will and testament to us if this analogy is easier to understand --"hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises, for if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second." (Hebrews 8:5-8)
In other words, if the old testament law (and its related sacrifices) were sufficient for us to obtain salvation, then there would have been no need for our Lord God to become our Saviour. But as we see from the epistle to the Hebrews, the same God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets -- believed it necessary in these last days to speak to us by Son, "whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds, who being the brightness of glory and the express image of His person and upholding all things by the Word of His power when He had by Himself purged our sins ..." (Hebrews 1:1-3; John 1:1-18; I Timothy 3:16)
(Clarification note: I removed the multiple uses of the "added" word "His" from Hebrews 1:1-3 above so that the scriptures more accurately reflected the original text.)
But the Lord knew that we needed further instruction on this point, because to us, living in the modern day to day, an understanding of the two covenants wasn't always an easy read. This might explain why the epistle to the Hebrews (with the exception of Hebrews 11) is rarely preached in congregations. But I digress. Continuing in Hebrews 10, the scriptures state:
"In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, "Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when He said, "Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law." Then said He, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once [for all]." (Hebrews 10:6-10)
"And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can NEVER take away sins: but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God -- from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool -- for by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:11-14)
[Whereof] "the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that He had said before, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,"saith the Lord, "I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 10:15-17; Jeremiah 31:33-34)
"Now where remission of these is, [there is] no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and [having] an high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works." (Hebrews 10: 18-18-24)
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." (Proverbs 3:5-10)
And most of all, stand in the offering plate.
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