Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP220009S
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00:01 Hello, friends, welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
00:03 If you've been following us this quarter, you know, 00:06 we've been talking about the Book of Hebrews 00:07 and the theme has been, 00:09 "In These Last Days The Message of Hebrews." 00:12 But today lesson number nine is about Jesus, 00:15 the Perfect Sacrifice. 00:17 We have enjoyed so much studying the Book of Hebrews. 00:20 And if you've been following week to week, 00:22 you know that it has been exciting, 00:24 revealing, uplifting Christ as our only hope. 00:29 If you'd like to follow us by having a lesson, 00:31 you can do one of two ways, 00:32 you can download it by going to 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 00:36 and download a digital copy. 00:38 Or better yet, find a local Seventh-day Adventist Church, 00:41 walk in and say 3ABN sent you 00:43 and you can have an excursion together 00:45 as a group walking through this exciting 00:47 and revealing book. 00:49 But nonetheless, don't go away. 00:50 We'll be right back in just a moment 00:52 to begin this journey together. 01:25 Hello, friends, and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:29 We are at lesson number nine 01:30 and that welcome might be welcome back. 01:33 Because if you've been here from week to week, 01:34 you know, we've been walking through a book 01:36 that has just been, oh, I says exponentially 01:41 revealing to us things that we knew, 01:43 but we really know now and praise the Lord. 01:46 It's been a blessing, hasn't it? Amen. 01:49 And our Sabbath School Panel has done their homework. 01:51 But there's something that happens when we get together. 01:54 I could only compare to saying, 01:56 you know, you can watch Thanksgiving on television 01:58 it might look good, but you got to be at the table 02:01 to enjoy how it tastes. 02:03 And it tastes so good at this table 02:04 because I thank the Lord for the diligent work 02:07 put in the hours and the time and the prayer 02:11 to try to communicate to you, as clearly as we can, 02:14 what the Word of God says, 02:15 and specifically on this quarter 02:17 what the Book of Hebrew talks about. 02:19 Today we're talking about Jesus, the Perfect Sacrifice. 02:22 Is there any sacrifice better than the sacrifice of Jesus? 02:26 The answer is absolutely not. 02:28 But before we go any further, first let's go ahead 02:30 and reintroduce you, 02:31 if you're new to our family be introduced, 02:34 but if you've been here week to week, 02:36 you know these are family members. 02:37 To my immediate left is Jill Morikone. 02:39 Good to have you here, Jill. Thank you, Pastor John. 02:41 Privileged to be here and excited about the study. 02:43 And what are you covering today? 02:44 Diverse kinds of sacrifices. Okay. 02:47 And, Ryan, good to have you here, Ryan. 02:48 Amen. It's always a blessing to be a part of this panel. 02:51 And today, 02:52 I'm going to be covering on Tuesday's lesson, 02:53 Jesus' Perfect Sacrifice. 02:55 Shelley, always good to have you here. Thank you. 02:57 It's always good to be here when I can. 02:59 Today I cover The Cross and the Cost of Forgiveness. 03:04 I like that. James? 03:06 Judgment and the Character of God. 03:07 Good to be here too. 03:08 See James and John, 03:11 we have the ends taken care of. 03:13 There you go. 03:14 But it's always good to have each one of you here today. 03:16 And, Jill, I'd like to ask you to pray for us today. 03:19 Holy Father, we're just grateful 03:21 that Jesus was our perfect sacrifice 03:23 and through Him, we have the gift of salvation. 03:26 Right now we open up our minds and hearts to receive 03:30 what Your Holy Spirit wants to teach us 03:32 through Your Word in Jesus' name. 03:35 Amen. 03:36 Amen. Amen. Thank you so much, Jill. 03:38 Let's go to that particular lesson. 03:41 And if you have your quarterly, I would encourage you 03:43 to just kind of pull that down off the shelf 03:46 and follow along with us as we talk about Jesus, 03:48 the Perfect Sacrifice. 03:50 The memory verse for today 03:54 is from the Book of Hebrews 10:14. 03:57 Hebrews 10:14, 04:00 I'll go ahead and read that. 04:01 And here it is. 04:04 "For by one offering, 04:07 He has perfected forever 04:09 those who are being sanctified." 04:13 I don't want you to miss that, 04:14 those who are being sanctified. 04:17 We have been sanctified, we are being sanctified, 04:21 and we will be sanctified by the eternal aspects. 04:25 We are saved, we are being saved, 04:28 and we will be saved. 04:29 Amen. 04:31 The beauty of the work of Christ, 04:32 it is not only immediate, it's continual, 04:35 and then it has an eternal and immortal impact on us. 04:39 I've been thinking about this, why were sacrifices needed? 04:42 That's a huge question. 04:44 Why were sacrifices needed? 04:45 And the short answer is 04:47 where there is no shedding of blood, 04:49 there is no remission of sin. 04:50 In one of our prior lesson Shelly made the statement 04:52 that God established the penalty for transgression. 04:57 And the Bible says the wages of sin is death. 05:00 So when you stand before the judge in any court setting, 05:04 if you are guilty, what do you ask for? 05:07 And if you're innocent, what do you ask for? 05:09 If you're guilty, don't ask for justice. 05:12 Want mercy. You want mercy. 05:14 But if you're innocent, what do you ask for? 05:16 Justice. 05:17 And so when we look at what the Lord has done, 05:22 the Apostle John says, 05:24 "Love has been perfected in this, 05:27 that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment." 05:30 And I thought about that, you know, come boldly, 05:32 before the throne of grace, 05:33 have boldness in the Day of Judgment. 05:35 And it almost sound to some degree, 05:38 we will have, 05:40 I don't want to use the word arrogance, 05:41 but it seems like we could just run to the Lord. 05:43 Well, in fact, that's exactly what it saying. 05:45 It's an assurance. Yes. 05:46 Abba Father, 05:48 when the covenant relationship has accomplished 05:50 the mending of both hearts to one, 05:53 when you and your father are one, 05:56 and there is no gap between you because you love each other, 06:00 he loves you and provides for you, 06:02 you love him and are obedient to him, 06:05 then you can run to him for any and everything. 06:08 So I want to say to you today at the very beginning 06:10 of the outset, 06:11 because of the efficacious sacrifice of Jesus, 06:14 we can run to Him, 06:16 and know that we are going to be received 06:18 by an Eternal Father, and a Lord that keeps us 06:22 and strengthens us all the way. 06:24 Hebrews 9:15, 06:26 let's look at this together, Hebrews 9:15. 06:30 The Bible says, "And for this reason 06:32 He is the Mediator of a new covenant, 06:36 by means of death, for the redemption 06:39 of the transgressions under the first covenant, 06:43 that those who are called may receive the promise 06:47 of the eternal inheritance." 06:49 You know, the first covenant was continually practiced. 06:54 But it was just to be the foundation 06:58 or the ground work to remind people that when Jesus comes, 07:04 He would be able to ratify all of that. 07:07 He would be able to, 07:08 as was the case for many truckers, 07:10 He would be able to seal everything 07:13 that we have put inside of the trailer. 07:15 If the seal is not there, then we have no guarantee 07:18 that the work He has done is sufficient. 07:22 But when Paul says that His grace is sufficient for us, 07:27 he brings out another component that I want to emphasize, 07:29 which was very much a part of the first covenant 07:31 because of the people. 07:33 Why is His grace sufficient for us? 07:34 Because in our weakness, His strength is made perfect. 07:38 And that's something that the Israelites missed. 07:41 They thought that the sacrifice was sufficient 07:44 for their weakness. 07:45 But it wasn't because the sacrifice 07:47 and the people, they were both weak. 07:49 That's why there was a need for a more perfect sacrifice, 07:53 there was a need for a more perfect lamb. 07:58 Nothing that the people could have done 08:00 could have made their work sufficient. 08:03 So Jesus had to come. 08:05 So we find in Hebrews 9:15, it explains that 08:08 the death of Jesus as a sacrifice 08:10 had the purpose of providing redemption. 08:12 It was providing something, not just substituting, 08:15 but it was also a sacrifice of provision, 08:18 providing redemption of the transgressions 08:21 that were committed under the first covenant. 08:23 What is that saying? 08:24 Think about how many thousands of years 08:26 those sacrifices were going on. 08:29 And then somebody, 08:30 let's just say 3000 years later say, 08:35 "Was that okay? 08:37 Do we do that? Do we do okay?" 08:39 And, and then the response is, "If He's victorious, 08:43 everything you did is not in vain." 08:45 Amen. That's right. 08:46 "But if He's not victorious, 08:48 you just did 3000-4000 years of work 08:50 for no apparent benefit." 08:53 That's how the salvation of humanity teetered, 08:57 like the fulcrum point on a seesaw. 09:00 Jesus became the fulcrum point between the first covenant 09:03 and the second, or the more perfect covenant. 09:08 But the covenant hadn't changed. 09:09 It was continuous all the way through. 09:11 That's why Jeremiah made it very clear. 09:13 Let's go to Jeremiah 34. 09:15 And I want you to see how in verse 18, and 19, 09:19 he points out 09:21 why the sacrifices were necessary to atone for sin, 09:24 and ratify the covenant made between the parties involved. 09:28 Jeremiah 34:18-19, 09:30 "And I will give the men who have transgressed 09:34 My covenant, 09:35 who have not performed the words of the covenant 09:38 which they made before Me, 09:40 when they cut the calf in two 09:43 and passed between the parts of it." 09:46 It was in fact an exercise 09:47 whenever there was a covenant made, 09:48 they would separate the animal and walk between them 09:51 as a sign of I'm accepting this covenant, 09:54 I agree to this covenant. 09:57 But look at verse 19, "The princes of Judah, 10:00 the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, 10:04 and all the people of the land 10:05 who passed between the parts of the calf." 10:08 Now why did He mention the princes of Judah, 10:10 Jerusalem, the eunuchs and all the priests? 10:13 He says, as they made a covenant with one another, 10:16 and with me, I'm making a covenant with them. 10:19 Now He becomes, and when you go to Ephesians now, 10:22 the Bible says He broke down that middle wall of partition, 10:26 because walking between there was a separation 10:29 between one portion of the temple and the other. 10:34 And that curtain even itself, 10:37 Jesus became that middle partition. 10:40 So He removed the temporary partition, 10:43 He made all of those who were separated 10:45 by the ceremonial systems. 10:47 And let me add this component. 10:49 You had to be an Israelite, you had to be a Jew, 10:51 you had to be circumcised 10:52 to participate in the ceremonial services. 10:55 But when the Gentiles came in, 10:58 the circumcision of the heart was more important to Christ 11:02 than the circumcision of the flesh, 11:04 which was a necessity under the first covenant. 11:07 We find in Hebrews Chapter 9, 11:10 let's look at verse 6 and 7 11:13 why the sacrifices were necessary. 11:16 Hebrews 9:6-7, 11:18 "Now when these things had been thus prepared," 11:22 that is the sacrifices, 11:23 "the priests always went into the first part 11:26 of the tabernacle, performing the services. 11:29 But into the second part 11:31 the high priest went alone once a year, 11:34 not without blood, which he offered for himself 11:37 and for the people's sins committed in ignorance." 11:41 I want to add something here. 11:42 This is something we don't often focus 11:43 on committed in ignorance. 11:46 Paul the Apostle says, if we willfully sin, 11:49 there's a difference between a sin and iniquity. 11:51 Iniquity is this continual willful sin, 11:55 but in the growth aspect of preparing 11:59 for that eternal day, in our journey, 12:02 as David the Psalmist says, 12:03 a righteous man falls seven times, 12:05 but he gets back up. 12:07 The falling aspect is not the Bible saying, 12:10 just go ahead and intentionally fall, 12:12 intentionally participate in things that's going 12:14 to make you fall. 12:15 No, because it says in Jude 24, 12:16 "Unto Him who was able to keep you from falling." 12:18 Amen. 12:20 A lot of people think that I'm going to be a sinner 12:21 continuously until the day that I'm perfected. 12:24 No, overcoming by the blood of the lamb is available now. 12:28 That's right. 12:30 He says, "My children, I write to you that you not sin." 12:32 So He's not saying just keep on sinning, 12:34 that's not what He told the woman at the well. 12:35 He said, "Go and sin no more." 12:38 So whatever you are confronted with, 12:40 whatever challenge you had in your life, 12:42 because Jesus is the one who provides the sacrifice, 12:46 He doesn't just provide a sacrifice 12:48 to forgive you of your sin, He provides the grace 12:51 and the strength to make you an overcomer over that sin. 12:55 Amen. So a lot of people say that's just how I am. 12:59 And we make excuses for continuing 13:01 and a broken character, not seeking the sufficiency 13:04 that is in Christ. 13:06 So when He says, His grace is sufficient for us, 13:08 in our weakness His strength is made perfect, 13:10 it's not saying keep on being weak. 13:12 No, it is saying that in Christ, 13:14 I can do all things 13:16 that is also including the overcoming 13:18 of the transgression, that at one point, 13:20 cause you to stumble so easily, 13:22 laying aside every weight, 13:24 and the sin that so easily besets you. 13:27 Don't carry the weight, lay it aside. 13:30 That's why Revelation 12:11, says, 13:32 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, 13:34 and by the word of their testimony, 13:36 and they did not love their lives to the death." 13:38 Now what does that mean? 13:39 Did not love their lives to the death? 13:41 It is also a comparison to the dedication 13:45 and the obedience of Jesus. 13:47 He was obedient unto the death of the cross. 13:49 It's not just saying that they are willing 13:51 to be martyrs for their faith is far deeper than that. 13:54 They are willing to be obedient even if it means 13:56 giving their lives to maintain an unbroken relationship 14:00 in obedience to Christ. 14:02 A lot of people are not obedient to the death, 14:04 because when death is mentioned, 14:05 they're ready to give it up. 14:07 I'm not dying for that, no, true dedication to Christ. 14:11 And an example of our gratitude for what He has done 14:15 would make us obedient even unto the death. 14:17 And so we see Romans 12:1, "I beseech you therefore, 14:20 brethren, by the mercies of God, 14:22 that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, 14:24 holy, acceptable to God, 14:27 which is your reasonable service." 14:28 Only in Christ and through the better sacrifice 14:31 is that made possible. 14:33 Amen. Amen. Thank you so much, Pastor John. 14:35 I love that beautiful foundation. 14:37 I'm Jill Morikone and I have Monday's lesson, 14:40 Diverse Kinds of Sacrifices. 14:43 Now, to me, this is an incredible study. 14:45 We know as Pastor John said so beautifully, 14:48 without shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins, 14:52 and Jesus died to fulfill the claims of the law. 14:55 The wages of sin is death, 14:57 but the gift of God is eternal life 14:59 through Christ Jesus our Lord, through His shed blood. 15:02 But as we look at Monday's lesson, 15:04 Diverse Kinds of Sacrifices, to be honest with you, 15:06 I learned a lot, 15:08 because I have not spent a great deal of time 15:11 studying the sacrificial system. 15:14 The overarching themes, of course, I've studied, 15:16 but not really super in detail. 15:18 So this has been a great study for me. 15:21 We're going to look at the five major types 15:24 of sacrificial offerings. 15:26 We're going to look at the meaning 15:28 of each one of those types, what it represented, 15:33 how it was fulfilled in Christ, and then the application. 15:36 So we're going to do the meaning, 15:38 the representation, and the application. 15:40 And those five types are all found in the Book of Leviticus. 15:44 Type number one, I'll tell you the five 15:45 and then we'll unpack them all. 15:47 Number one is the burnt offering. 15:49 Number two is the grain offering. 15:53 Number three is the peace offering 15:56 or the fellowship offering. 15:58 Number four is the sin offering, 16:01 or the purification offering. 16:03 Number five, 16:04 I call it the restitution offering, because to me, 16:07 that makes more sense, 16:08 but you could call it the reparation offering. 16:12 So let's unpack those. 16:13 What in the world does all this mean? 16:14 Let's look at the burnt offering. 16:17 We will find that in Leviticus Chapter 1. 16:19 What is the meaning of the burnt offering? 16:22 They actually offered, the Israelites, 16:25 they would offer a sheep, sometimes it was a goat, 16:28 sometimes it was a boar, sometimes it was a bird, 16:32 it always had to be without blemish. 16:35 This was an atonement offering. 16:38 The burnt offering, 16:40 the key point in the burnt offering 16:41 is that the entire animal was to be consumed on the altar. 16:45 Everything was to be burned except for the hide, 16:48 or the skin of the animal. 16:50 Everything else was to be burned. 16:52 Of course, the person would place their head, 16:54 their hand on the head of the animal, 16:57 and then that animal was accepted 17:00 to make atonement for them. 17:02 This is, of course, looking forward by faith 17:04 to Jesus the coming Messiah. 17:07 So what's the representation of the burnt offering? 17:10 Christ's entire life was consumed for you and for me. 17:15 Remember, the entire animal was consumed on the altar, 17:18 Christ's entire life is consumed, 17:20 Hebrews 7:27, "Who does not need daily," 17:24 this is referring to Jesus, 17:25 "as those high priests to offer up sacrifices, 17:28 first for His own sins, and then for the people's, 17:31 for this He did once for all, when He offered up Himself." 17:35 Jesus gave Himself completely, 17:37 entirely, His entire life was consumed for our salvation. 17:43 We also say we don't have time to read it. 17:45 But in Philippians Chapter 2, 17:47 we have this reference of Jesus being God, 17:50 being equal with God, giving up that station, 17:54 coming down to this earth, taking the form of a servant, 17:58 and then humbling Himself to death on the cross. 18:02 We see that entire sacrifice of Himself 18:07 when He came down. 18:09 What is the application for us today? 18:12 The blood of Jesus is to cover all of us, 18:14 not just one piece, but entirely. 18:17 Forgiveness is complete, forgiveness is total, 18:21 but surrender and submission 18:23 to God are to be complete in total. 18:26 Many times we'll only give a portion of the offering. 18:28 We don't give a burnt offering. 18:30 Okay, God, You can have this portion of me, 18:33 but I'm keeping back a portion for myself, 18:36 because I don't want my entire life 18:38 to be consumed or to be surrendered 18:41 or to be given to God. 18:43 Let's look at offering number two, 18:45 this is the grain offering. 18:47 And this was not an offering for atonement, 18:49 and this offering had no blood, 18:52 no flesh, 18:54 there was no death involved in this offering. 18:58 It did not have the purpose of providing atonement. 19:01 It was actually a gift of gratitude 19:03 for God's provision in sustaining His people. 19:08 Now what's interesting with all the offerings, 19:10 I just thought this is an interesting side note, 19:12 they added salt as a preservative, 19:14 symbolizing the permanence of God's covenant 19:17 with His people, all the offerings, 19:19 they added salt. 19:20 So what is the representation of this? 19:22 Remember, this grain offering is a gift of gratitude 19:25 for God's provision in sustaining His people. 19:28 Christ is the one who provides eternal life, 19:31 He is the bread of life. 19:32 The grain offering, He is the bread of life. 19:35 John 6:35. 19:37 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. 19:41 He who comes to Me shall never hunger. 19:43 He who believes in Me shall never thirst." 19:47 You see, Christ sustains us. 19:49 Christ provides eternal life for us. 19:52 That's right. Jesus is the bread of life. 19:56 And what's the application for us today? 19:58 We need to feed on Jesus, the Word, 20:01 we need to feed on Him and His Word. 20:06 In addition to that, I believe we need to walk in recognition 20:09 of His provision for our lives. 20:11 If this offering is a gift of gratitude 20:14 for God's provision and sustaining His people, 20:17 clearly every day, I need to recognize 20:20 He is my God, He is my Creator, He is my Savior, 20:24 He is my Redeemer, and soon coming King. 20:27 Let's look at offering number three. 20:28 This is the peace offering, or the fellowship offering. 20:33 Now, in this case, 20:35 the offer ate not just the priest, 20:39 so the person bringing the offering would partake 20:43 of the flesh as well. 20:45 Now they did not partake of the fat or the blood, 20:47 but they would partake of certain portions. 20:50 The purpose of the offering was to praise God, 20:52 this was not an atonement offering either, 20:54 the grain offering is not atonement, 20:56 and the peace offering is not an atonement offering. 20:59 They could bring a male or a female animal, 21:01 which is interesting, without blemish to the Lord. 21:06 This would be a communal meal with friends and family 21:10 to celebrate the well being provided by God. 21:14 So what's the representation of this? 21:16 Remember, the offer would partake of the meal together, 21:20 the representation, you and I, 21:23 are to spiritually partake of Christ. 21:26 Now this is really fascinating. 21:28 Remember, this is called the peace offering. 21:29 I've always thought of Jesus sacrifice in terms 21:32 of blood, right? 21:33 Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sins. 21:35 His blood covers my sins, His blood covers my debt. 21:38 That's how I have processed it. 21:41 But also there's a lot in peace involved with His death. 21:45 Romans 5:1, "Having been justified by faith, 21:48 we have peace with God," why? 21:50 "Through our Lord Jesus Christ." 21:52 Does that mean that Jesus' sacrifice 21:54 provides peace for us? 21:56 Think about Isaiah 53. 21:58 This is, of course, referring to Jesus. 22:01 He was wounded for our transgressions, 22:04 He was bruised for our iniquities. 22:06 The chastisement for our, what's that word? 22:08 Peace was upon Him, by His stripes, we are healed, 22:12 His sacrifice provided peace for us. 22:15 Ephesians 2:14, 22:16 "He Himself is our," what's that word? 22:18 "Peace who has made both one, 22:21 and broken down the middle wall of separation." 22:24 Now, that's something I want to study more, 22:26 is the sacrifice of Jesus providing peace. 22:30 You and I participate in this sacrifice 22:33 by eating His flesh and drinking His blood, 22:36 we see this in John 6. 22:37 Now let's look at the sin offering 22:39 or the purification offering. 22:41 This is offering number four. 22:42 Now, this is most definitely an atonement offering. 22:46 Of the five offerings, three of them were atonement offerings. 22:49 The burnt offering was for non-defiant type of sins. 22:54 The sin offering, which we're discussing right now 22:56 was for non-deliberate sins. 22:59 The restitution offering, which is offering number five 23:02 was for misusing holy things. 23:06 And you can see this in Leviticus 4 and 5, 23:08 the sin offering. 23:09 The interesting point is that the blood was applied 23:11 to the outer altar in the courtyard. 23:14 So the blood in this offering is more prominently displayed 23:18 than in the other offerings. 23:20 The representation, Christ redeemed me, 23:24 His life was provided, 23:26 His blood redeems us from sin. 23:30 He says in Matthew 26, 23:31 "This is My blood of the new covenant, 23:34 which has shed for many for the remission of sins." 23:39 What's the application for you and I today? 23:40 We are to accept His blood that can cover our sin. 23:44 Finally, number five, we're running out of time, 23:47 the restitution offering or the reparation offering. 23:50 Now this was also an atonement offering. 23:53 But the interesting thing is that the person 23:55 who brought the offering was required to make restitution. 23:59 Not only did they bring the sacrifice, 24:01 but they had to pay a penalty of 20% to restore 24:06 what was wrongfully taken. 24:09 It represents that Jesus Christ has paid the debt for my sin. 24:14 He does not just redeem me by His blood, 24:17 but He paid the debt that I owed. 24:20 And it says that you and I today, 24:22 even though we come to God and we ask for forgiveness, 24:25 there are times when, 24:26 if we have wronged someone else, 24:28 God requires us to make restitution 24:32 for what we have done and to pay that back. 24:35 That is the restitution offering. 24:37 Amen. Wow, Jill, thank you so much. 24:40 And I'm so glad the way you did that, 24:41 unpack that because I kind of lead into by seeing 24:44 the sin of ignorance and how powerful it is. 24:47 You know, we have a lot more to go. 24:49 So don't go away. 24:51 We'll be right back in just a few moments. 24:57 Ever wish you could watch 24:58 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 25:00 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 25:03 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 25:08 A clean design makes it easy to find the program 25:12 you're looking for. 25:13 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:16 so you can follow along. 25:18 Sharing is easy. 25:19 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 25:23 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:27 Welcome back to our Sabbath School Panel. 25:28 I am going to give the time now 25:30 to Ryan Day as he talks about... 25:33 Jesus' Perfect Sacrifice. Okay. 25:36 That's the title of the overall lesson. 25:37 And I certainly appreciated that foundation. 25:40 It was very, very precise 25:41 and very helpful in us understanding deeper 25:45 what this means by Christ or Jesus' perfect sacrifice. 25:48 I have Tuesday's lesson, of course, 25:50 and the lesson starts out by having us read Hebrews 7:27, 25:55 as well as Hebrews 10:10. So let's go to those passages. 25:59 Hebrews 7:27, 26:02 and notice what the Bible says. 26:05 It says, "Who does not daily need daily," 26:07 this of course referring to Christ, 26:09 "as those high priest to offer up sacrifices for, 26:12 notice, first for His own sins and then for the people's, 26:16 for this He did once for all, 26:19 when He offered up Himself." 26:21 I love that. 26:22 He did this once for all, when He offered up Himself. 26:26 I love that. 26:27 And, of course, going to Hebrews 10:10, 26:29 the same message is echoed. 26:31 Hebrews 10:10 says, "By that way, 26:34 we have been sanctified 26:36 through the offering of the body of Jesus," 26:39 there it is, again, "once for all." 26:42 Of course, Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, 26:44 which is why He could only be offered up once 26:47 and only for all 26:48 because He is the perfect sacrifice. 26:50 The Levitical priest daily 26:52 as brought out in Hebrews 7:27, 26:54 as well as every year 26:56 as brought out clearly in Hebrews 9:25, 26:59 offered gifts and sacrifices that cannot perfect 27:03 the conscience of the worker. 27:04 And, of course, this is also clearly communicated 27:07 in Hebrews 9:9-10, as well as Hebrews 10:1-4, 27:11 there's going to be lots of scripture, so get ready. 27:13 Hebrews 9:9-10. 27:15 Notice what the Bible says, 27:18 again, bringing out the fact that this cannot perfect 27:21 the conscience of the worshiper. 27:23 So Hebrews 9:9-10, 27:25 "It was symbolic for the present time 27:27 in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered," 27:30 there it is, "which cannot make Him 27:32 who performed the service perfect in regard 27:35 to the conscience, concerned only with food and drinks, 27:37 various washings and fleshly ordinances 27:39 imposed until the time of reformation." 27:42 Of course, Jill covered that a little bit in depth there. 27:44 She went through the different sin or the different offerings, 27:48 but Hebrews 10:1-4 27:50 goes a little deeper in expressing this as well. 27:53 Notice, Hebrews 10:1-4, it says, "For the law, 27:57 having a shadow of good things to come, 27:59 and not the very image of the things 28:01 can never with the same sacrifices, 28:05 which they offer continually year by year, 28:08 make those who approach perfect. 28:11 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? 28:14 For the worshipers, once purified, 28:17 would have had no more conscious of sins. 28:20 But in those sacrifices, there is a reminder 28:23 of sins every year, for it is not possible 28:27 that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sin." 28:30 All of that, of course, 28:32 as the Bible makes it very clear, 28:33 we're types and shadows pointing forward 28:35 to the perfect sacrifice which we find in Christ Jesus 28:39 who died once for all, as the scripture plainly says. 28:43 Jesus' sacrifice is superior to the sacrifice of animals 28:47 because, notice this, Jesus was the Son of God, 28:51 He was perfect and in of Himself 28:52 who perfectly fulfilled God's will, 28:55 according to Hebrews 10:5-10. 28:57 In fact, let's go to Hebrews 7 again, 28:59 we've read this text many times 29:01 that again this amplifies this message 29:03 and communicating what we're establishing today 29:05 as Christ's perfect sacrifice. 29:06 So Hebrews Chapter 7, we're going to read verses 26 to 28. 29:10 And notice what the Bible says here, 29:11 "For such a high priest was fitting for us 29:14 who is holy, harmless, undefiled, 29:16 separate from sinners, 29:18 and has become higher than the heavens, 29:21 who does not need daily as those high priests 29:23 to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins 29:27 and then for the people's, for this He died," 29:29 here it is again, "once for all, 29:32 when He offered up Himself, 29:33 for the law appoints as high priest, 29:35 men who have weakness, but the word of the oath 29:38 which came after the law appoints the Son 29:41 who has been perfected forever." 29:45 I love that. He has been perfected forever. 29:47 My mind goes back to that beautiful prophetic text 29:50 of the 70 weeks prophecy, where it says He, 29:53 speaking of Christ, confirmed the covenant 29:55 with many for one week but in the midst of that, 29:56 He brought an end to sacrifice and offering. 29:59 Only Christ can confirm the covenant. 30:02 Only Jesus' blood can bring in into all sacrifice 30:05 and offering. 30:06 It is very, very clear. 30:07 Hebrews 10, and we're going to read verses 5 through 10. 30:10 Hebrews 10:5-10. 30:13 It says, "Therefore, when He came into the world, 30:15 He said: 'Sacrifice and offering 30:17 You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.' 30:22 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin 30:24 you had no pleasure. 30:26 Then I said, 'Behold, I have come, 30:28 in the volume of the book it is written of Me, 30:31 to do Your will, O God.' 30:33 Previously saying, 'Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, 30:37 and offerings for sin You did not desire, 30:40 nor had pleasure in them, ' 30:41 which are offered according to the law, 30:43 then He said, 'Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.' 30:47 He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 30:51 By that will we have been sanctified 30:54 through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ," 30:57 there it is again," once for all.'" 31:00 My friends, once Jesus Christ died, 31:02 it was done once for all, He completed the work 31:04 because His sacrifice was indeed a perfect sacrifice. 31:09 First, Jesus' sacrifice is perfectly effective 31:12 and never to be surpassed. 31:14 The sacrifices of the Levitical priests 31:15 were repeated because they were not effective. 31:18 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered 31:20 since the worshipers having once been cleansed, 31:23 as we read earlier, would no longer have 31:25 any consciousness of sins? 31:27 Second of all, okay, this is important, 31:29 the different kinds of sacrifices 31:31 of the Old Testament found their fulfillment at the cross. 31:34 Thus Jesus not only cleanses us from sin, this is huge, 31:38 please get this, not only cleanses us from sin, 31:41 He also provides sanctification 31:43 as we see there in Hebrews 10:10-14, 31:46 which I believe we're going to read in just a moment. 31:48 It says here, lost my place. There we go. 31:52 Jesus not only cleanses us from sin, 31:54 He also provides sanctification 31:56 by putting sin away from our lives. 31:59 This is huge. And pastor alluded to this earlier. 32:01 And I just want to reemphasize and imply, 32:03 apply here very clearly, that a lot of people's idea 32:06 of the gospel is that Jesus died on the cross simply 32:09 for the means of forgiveness. 32:11 You know, Jesus died on the cross 32:13 so that I might have forgiveness and that's true. 32:15 Christ did die so that we might have forgiveness. 32:17 But He died, my friends, 32:18 for much more than just forgiveness. 32:20 Christ also died, that we might have complete 32:23 victory over sin. 32:24 That's where that sanctification process comes. 32:27 In fact, it's implied and very clearly communicated 32:29 in 1 John 1:9, when it says, 32:31 "If we confess our sins, 32:32 He is just to forgive us our sins," 32:34 and then people stop right there. 32:35 But they don't read the next part. 32:37 "And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 32:39 My friends, the cross, 32:41 the perfect sacrifice of Jesus was yes, 32:44 to pay the penalty, yes, 32:45 to provide a way for forgiveness, 32:47 but to also pave the way 32:49 and to make it a reality that just as Christ 32:52 was able to overcome the sin of the world, 32:54 we also through Him and through His shed blood, 32:56 and through His power can also overcome sin. 32:59 Before the priests could approach God in the sanctuary 33:02 and minister in behalf of their fellow human beings, 33:05 they had to be cleansed and sanctified or consecrated. 33:09 And when you read about this in Leviticus 33:10 Chapter 8 and 9, we're not going to read it. 33:12 I'm just referencing it so you can go read it for homework, 33:15 Leviticus 8 and 9. 33:16 Jesus' sacrifice cleanses us and consecrates us 33:19 so that we may approach God with confidence 33:22 and serve Him as a royal priesthood. 33:26 So now we go to Hebrews Chapter 10, 33:28 and you see this very clearly 33:29 communicated in Hebrews 10:10-14, 33:32 as well as 19 through 23. 33:34 So let's notice what the Bible says here in Hebrews 10:10-14. 33:38 It says, "By that will we have been sanctified 33:42 through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ," 33:43 there it is once more, "once for all. 33:46 And every priest stands ministering daily 33:49 and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, 33:51 which can never take away sins. 33:54 But this Man, 33:55 after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever," 33:59 I love that, once for all, forever, 34:02 "He sat down at the right hand of God, 34:04 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 34:08 For by one offering He has perfected 34:10 forever those who are being sanctified." 34:13 And then now you go down to verses 19 through 23. 34:16 It continues, "Therefore, brethren, 34:17 having boldness to enter the Holiest 34:20 by the blood of Jesus." 34:21 Notice, you're not going into the Holiest 34:23 unless it's by the blood of Jesus Christ. 34:25 "By a new and living way 34:27 which He consecrated for us, through the veil, 34:29 that is, His flesh, 34:31 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 34:34 let us draw near with a true heart 34:36 in full assurance of faith, 34:38 having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience 34:41 and our bodies washed with pure water. 34:44 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, 34:47 for He who promised is faithful." 34:50 And the lesson has this final comment here. 34:52 It says finally Jesus' 34:54 sacrifice also provides nourishment 34:58 for our spiritual life. 34:59 I love that. 35:00 It provides an example that we need to observe and follow. 35:05 Thus, Hebrews invites us to fix our eyes upon Jesus, 35:09 especially the events of the cross 35:12 and follow His lead. 35:14 That's why the Bible says in Hebrews Chapter 12, 35:16 we've quoted this so many times. 35:18 In fact, it's probably the theme of Hebrews, 35:20 Hebrews 12:1-3. 35:22 But I'm looking at verse 2 here, 35:24 "Looking unto Jesus, 35:26 the author and finisher of our faith, 35:28 who for the joy that was set before Him." 35:32 And why was that joy set before Him? 35:33 Why did He look into that with joy? 35:35 Because God is love, Christ is love. 35:38 "For the joy that was set before Him, 35:39 He endured the cross, despising the shame 35:41 and has sat down at the right hand 35:43 of the throne of God." 35:44 My friends, plain and simple, Jesus' sacrifice, 35:47 the only sacrifice was perfect. 35:50 Amen. 35:51 Oh, that's absolutely, once for all, 35:53 He is the perfect sacrifice. 35:55 I'm Shelley Quinn. 35:57 And my lesson today is The Cross 36:00 and the Cost of Forgiveness. 36:02 We always talk about the free gift of God, 36:06 which is salvation by grace through faith. 36:08 Grace is free to us, but I want you to know, 36:12 it cost God everything. 36:16 He had to become a man and die to shed 36:20 the precious blood of Jesus Christ. 36:22 That's the cost of grace, 36:24 but that's how much God puts a value on your life. 36:29 Let's look at Hebrews Chapter 9, 36:31 we're going to start with verse 22. 36:34 Hebrews 9:22, "According to the law, 36:37 almost all things are purified with blood, 36:39 and without the shedding of blood, 36:41 there is no remission." 36:42 You can think back to Adam and Eve in the garden 36:45 when they sinned, 36:46 and they lost that covering of light, 36:50 that they found themselves naked. 36:52 What did God have to do? 36:54 He killed an animal to provide skins to cover their sin. 36:58 So without the shedding of blood, 36:59 there is no remission of sin. 37:01 That's right. 37:02 Verse 23, "Therefore it was necessary 37:04 that the copies of the things in the heavens, 37:07 that would be the earthly copies, 37:09 the sanctuaries should be purified 37:13 with these sacrifices of the animals, 37:16 but the heavenly things, 37:19 the heavenly sanctuary should be purified 37:23 with some a better sacrifice than these." 37:26 And that was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 37:29 Verse 24, Hebrews 9:24," 37:32 For Christ has not entered into the holy places 37:35 made with hands like the tabernacle on earth, 37:38 which are just copies of the true 37:41 but into heaven itself." 37:44 Now to appear in the presence of God for us, 37:48 He sits at the right hand of the throne as the last Adam, 37:52 the new representative of mankind, 37:54 He intercedes for us continually. 37:57 And it says not that He should, at verse 25, 38:01 "Not that He should offer Himself often 38:03 as the High Priest does when He enters 38:05 the Most Holy Place every year 38:07 with the blood of another." 38:09 Then it says in verse 26, 38:11 "He would have had to suffer often since the foundation 38:14 of the world, but now, 38:16 once at the end of the ages, 38:20 ever since Christ showed up, this is the end of the ages, 38:25 things are coming to a culmination, 38:27 He came to perform God's will and achieve God's will. 38:32 So now at the end of the ages, 38:34 He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, 38:39 and as it is appointed for men to die once, 38:44 but after this the judgment. 38:46 So Christ was offered once 38:50 to bear the sins of many." 38:52 I have to pause here and say this, 38:55 He died for all, 38:58 but He will only bear the sins for many, 39:00 because it will only be those who receive Him 39:04 as Lord and Savior of their life. 39:08 "To those who eagerly wait for Him," it continues, 39:12 "He will appear a second time apart from sin for salvation." 39:16 Hallelujah. 39:18 You see, the old, the sanctuary of the Old Covenant 39:22 was nothing but a copy of the heavenly sanctuary. 39:27 Hebrews 8:5, God is talking about this. 39:31 And it says, "That those priests, 39:34 the earthly priests, the Levitical priests 39:36 served the copy and shadow of the heavenly things 39:40 as Moses was divinely instructed 39:44 when he was about to make the tabernacle 39:46 for God said to him, 39:48 'Moses, see that you make all things according 39:52 to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'" 39:55 The Ark of the Covenant when you saw the tabernacle, 39:59 there was the outer court, where the burnt, 40:02 altar burnt offering was, there was the Holy Place 40:05 where we had the table of showbread, 40:08 the incense that was before the veil, 40:11 and we had the seven-branched candlestick. 40:14 But behind the veil was the Holy of Holies. 40:18 Only once a year did the high priests go in there. 40:20 The Holy of Holies had the Ark of the Covenant. 40:24 This was the symbolic of the throne of God. 40:28 The Ten Commandments were inside the ark, 40:31 because the Ten Commandments are the foundation 40:34 of God's government. 40:35 It was in the Old Covenant, it's in the New Covenant. 40:39 And above the Ten Commandments was the mercy seat 40:43 because mercy always triumphs 40:46 judgment between the cherubim, 40:49 the Shekinah Glory of God would come down, 40:52 and He would sit on His throne, that throne, 40:56 that ark was a symbol of God's government. 40:59 Yes. 41:01 So Psalm 97:2 says, "That righteousness 41:04 and justice are the foundation of His throne." 41:10 As the omnipotent ruler, God is our judge, 41:14 He bears judicial responsibility. 41:19 To be fair, He's got to vindicate the innocent, 41:24 but He must judge and punish the guilty. 41:28 Let me tell you something, 41:31 justice is to get what you deserve, 41:34 mercy is not to get what you deserve, 41:40 but grace, 41:42 grace is to receive what you don't deserve. 41:47 In Exodus 34:7, it talks about God, 41:51 "He's speaking Himself that He keeps mercy for thousands, 41:54 forgiving iniquity, and transgression and sin, 41:58 but by no means clearing the guilty." 42:01 His way of judging affects the public perception 42:06 of righteousness of His government. 42:09 So to carry out just, 42:12 He's a just God and to carry out justice, 42:16 God had to become a man to take on our flesh, 42:20 so that He could die in our place, 42:24 paying that penalty. 42:26 And you know what? 42:28 That makes Him both just and the justifier 42:32 because He bears our sin. 42:35 In the original Hebrew, the word for forgiveness 42:41 means to bear, to carry our sin. 42:46 So under the Old Covenant system, 42:48 which pointed to Christ, everything about it, 42:51 there were two phases of cleansing from sin. 42:54 The first, the sinner brought an animal sacrifice, 42:58 he placed his hands on the little sacrifice, 43:01 the lamb, transferring his sins from himself to the substitute, 43:06 and then cut its throat. 43:09 Now, I'm saying that and I did that. 43:12 I don't mean to be disrespectful. 43:13 Can you imagine what it would be like 43:16 to cut the throat of a little baby lamb, 43:20 because you sinned? 43:21 Boy, make, I think you would think about it 43:24 twice before you sinned again. 43:26 But the blood of the animal was dobbed on the horns 43:29 of the altar, 43:31 and then that's the burnt offer, 43:35 the altar of burnt offering. 43:37 And then it was transferred before the veil, 43:40 it was sprinkled before the veil 43:43 that separated the Holy and Most Holy Place. 43:46 So the sin was symbolically transferred 43:50 to God Himself. 43:52 It allowed God to show justice 43:56 and mercy at the same time. 43:59 But the second phase of cleansing of sin was done 44:03 once a year on the Day of Atonement, 44:05 the only day that the high priest 44:09 and only the high priest 44:11 could go behind the veil. 44:13 Now we've got a whole study coming up on the veil. 44:16 It's fabulous. 44:17 But the high priest 44:19 went behind the veil to, 44:24 in the Holy of Holies to cleanse 44:27 the sanctuary of sin. 44:29 Now listen to what our author of our quarterly says, 44:33 "At the end of the year, on the Day of Atonement, 44:36 which was the Day of Judgment, 44:39 God would cleanse the sanctuary, 44:41 clearing His judicial responsibility 44:44 by transferring the sins from the sanctuary 44:50 to the scape goat, Azazel..." 44:53 Azazel. 44:55 Azazel, one day I'll pronounce that correctly. 44:57 "Azazel, who represented Satan." 45:02 You find that in Leviticus 16:15-22. 45:06 But then the author goes on and says, 45:08 "Those who confessed their sins during the year 45:11 showed loyalty to God by observing a solemn rest 45:15 and afflicting themselves on the Day of Atonement. 45:18 Those who did not show loyalty would be cut off." 45:24 Wow, that's eye-opening. 45:27 It makes sense that Jesus, 45:30 as our substitutionary sacrifice, 45:35 cleansed the heavenly temple. 45:37 Everything was a pattern. 45:39 So it had to be done. There had to be a cleansing. 45:43 What happened at that time, 45:46 the vindication of God's character, 45:49 because the cosmic conflict has all been about God's character, 45:53 and what happened is Christ transferred sin 45:59 to its rightful author, Satan. 46:01 Amen. Amen. 46:04 Praise God. 46:05 These lessons have been incredible. 46:07 They've been such a blessing, the Book of Hebrews. 46:09 I have Thursday's lesson, 46:10 which is really going to pick up Shelley 46:12 where you left off. 46:13 It's entitled Judgment and the Character of God. 46:16 My name is James Rafferty, 46:18 and we're looking here in Romans 3:21-26. 46:22 Now, we are going 46:23 to be staying in the theme of Hebrews. 46:25 But for this day, 46:27 we haven't really been given Hebrews to look at. 46:29 But if you want to think about 46:31 as we read through these verses, 46:33 what we're talking about, 46:34 what we're going to be focusing on judgment 46:36 and the character of God, 46:38 the overall foundation for this is going 46:40 to be Hebrews 11 and Hebrews 12. 46:42 We haven't really gotten there yet. 46:43 We're still at Hebrews 10, 46:44 kind of moving towards that direction. 46:46 But we'll see how what we're going to look at now 46:48 connects with Hebrews 11, and Hebrews Chapter 12. 46:51 Okay, Romans Chapter 3, beginning with verse 21. 46:55 "But now, the righteousness of God, 46:59 the justice of God, the righteousness of God, 47:01 the fairness of God, without the law is manifested, 47:04 being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 47:07 even the righteousness of God 47:09 which is by faith of Jesus Christ, 47:13 unto all and upon all them that believe, 47:15 for there is no difference." 47:17 There's no difference between believers 47:19 and those that don't believe when it comes to God 47:22 doing what's right. 47:24 That's right. The righteousness of God. 47:25 God has to do what's right. 47:27 And He does this through the faith of Jesus. 47:30 Now, the faith of Jesus is something 47:32 that Jesus wants us to have. 47:33 But before we have it, He has it. 47:35 It's His faith before it's our faith. 47:38 The Bible says that Jesus Christ 47:40 is the author and the finisher of faith. 47:43 And that's, of course, Hebrews 12:2. 47:46 So Jesus Christ has this faith toward us 47:50 before we have faith back toward Him. 47:52 And that faith causes Him, 47:54 well it says here to be presented, 47:56 for those who are awe and for those who believe, 48:00 that is according to Romans Chapters 1 and 2, 48:02 everyone, all we like sheep have gone astray, 48:05 we turned everyone to His own way 48:06 and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." 48:10 Isaiah 53:6. 48:12 Then it goes on to say, for all have sinned, 48:14 that's past tense, and come short, present tense, 48:18 continue, of the glory of God. 48:20 All have sinned, 48:21 and come short of the glory of God 48:24 being justified freely by His grace... 48:26 Hallelujah. 48:28 Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 48:29 Grace is getting what we don't deserve. 48:32 That's right. 48:34 "Whom," it says in verse 25, "God has set forth Jesus Christ 48:37 to be propitiation through faith in His blood, 48:39 to declare His righteousness for the remission 48:41 of sins of the past through the forbearance of God 48:43 to declare I say, at this time, His righteousness, 48:46 that He might be just and the justify Him 48:49 that believes in Jesus." 48:50 These are the verses that we're looking at here 48:52 in Thursday's lesson. 48:54 I want to read from the NIV these last two verses, 48:56 verses 25 and 26. 48:58 Here is what the NIV says, I think it's a little clearer. 49:00 "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement 49:04 through His blood, excuse me, through the shedding 49:08 of His blood to be received by faith. 49:10 He did this to demonstrate His righteousness, 49:13 or we could say to demonstrate His justice." 49:16 Why? Why did God need to demonstrate His justice? 49:19 Because in His forbearance, 49:22 He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. 49:25 Now let's just stop there for just a second. 49:28 This verse is telling us that up until the coming of Christ, 49:31 we might even say even to our time, 49:33 no one has been punished for sin. 49:36 No one has been punished for sin. 49:37 You might say, "Well, what about the, you know, 49:39 the antediluvians, you know, God flooded the world? 49:41 And what about, you know, Sodom and Gomorrah, 49:43 you know, where God just brim fire and brimstone?" 49:45 Well, that actually wasn't punishment. 49:47 The ultimate punishment for sin is the second death. 49:51 That's right. Amen. 49:52 And the Bible indicates that there is no one 49:55 who has actually experienced that punishment but one, 49:59 and that is Jesus. 50:01 That's why in Psalm 51, 50:03 David is repenting of His sin with Bathsheba 50:05 and he actually says there in Psalm 51:4, 50:08 "Against Thee and Thee only have I sinned." 50:13 Because Jesus, God in the person of humanity 50:17 is the only one that has actually experienced 50:19 the ultimate consequence of sin. 50:22 God in His forbearance has not brought 50:24 that consequence upon the world. 50:25 Why? 50:27 Because the faith of Jesus says, "You know what? 50:28 If I die, if I become a man, if I take their sin upon, 50:31 if I carry that sin, 50:33 I believe that if they see that, 50:35 I believe that if I be lifted up, 50:37 John 12:32, that it'll draw all unto me, 50:40 I believe that." 50:42 That's my faith towards humanity. 50:43 And that faith towards humanity 50:45 is going to be rewarded in those that actually exercise 50:48 faith back to Jesus, who appreciate what He's done, 50:50 who respond to what He's done, 50:53 and who allow what He's done to be lived out in their lives. 50:56 And so the author here is saying 50:58 that this is the walk, 50:59 the reason why we have a judgment, 51:02 the reason why we have a judgment that's connected 51:04 with the character of God is because the character 51:07 of God is being revealed through Jesus 51:09 and that revelation actually causes us to make a decision. 51:13 Are we going to accept that or not? 51:15 And the judgment is where we figure out 51:18 if we accept that or not. 51:20 You see, we're not saved by our works, 51:21 we're saved by grace. 51:23 But our works testify as to whether 51:26 we've accepted that grace. 51:27 Amen. Have we accepted that salvation? 51:29 Because if we have, there's going to be fruit in our lives. 51:33 If we've accepted 51:34 what Jesus Christ has done for us, 51:36 if we have received the faith He's exercised toward us, 51:39 if we have the faith of Jesus that He exercised towards us, 51:44 we are actually going to keep the Commandments of God. 51:47 Amen. 51:49 That's why Revelation Chapter 14 closes out 51:51 with this beautiful picture in the proclamation 51:53 of the everlasting gospel. 51:54 Here are they that have or keep the faith of Jesus, 51:57 the faith that He's exercised toward us. 51:59 That's the gospel, and the Commandments of God, 52:01 the fruit of that faith 52:03 obedience in their lives. 52:08 So we look at this, it's powerful, 52:10 because what happens with God's people 52:12 is this mediation in the judgment applies 52:15 to all who receive the grace of Jesus Christ. 52:18 And as it is applied to them, their record comes up, 52:23 have they accepted, their record comes up. 52:25 And Hebrews Chapter 11 tells us what that record looks like. 52:27 You see Noah, who was faithful to preach for 120 years, 52:32 Hebrews 11 doesn't mention that he got drunk in his tent. 52:34 That's right. 52:36 You see Abraham who stepped out in faith, 52:38 you know, not knowing where he's going, 52:39 doesn't say he lied about his wife 52:41 being his sister twice. 52:44 You see Moses, who refused to be called Pharaoh's son 52:47 and suffered affliction with the people of God 52:49 doesn't say that Moses killed that Egyptian 52:51 and buried him in the sand. 52:53 There is no record in Hebrews 11 52:56 of the failures of God's people, 52:58 because they are standing in the faith of Jesus Christ. 53:01 They are standing in the blood of Jesus Christ, 53:04 the righteousness of Jesus Christ, 53:06 and all of their record has been blotted out. 53:09 Hebrews 11 could be a perfect example 53:12 of the investigative judgment 53:14 that vindicates the character of God because God said, 53:17 I believe if these people see me and accept me 53:19 that their lives will be transformed 53:21 and they will be returned to obedience, 53:24 they will be returned to faithfulness to My law. 53:26 There's a closing statement we want to look at here 53:28 it's in the quarterly speaking of this judgment, 53:31 Ellen G. White wrote, 53:34 "Man cannot meet these charges himself." 53:38 That is the accusations that Satan is bringing against us 53:41 in this judgment time. 53:43 "Innocence stain garments confessing his guilt, 53:45 he stands before God but Jesus, our advocate, 53:48 presents an effectual plea in behalf 53:51 of all who by repentance, and faith, the faith of Jesus, 53:55 have committed the keeping of their souls to Him. 53:58 He pleads their cause and vanquishes their accuser 54:01 by the mighty arguments of Calvary." 54:03 Hallelujah. Amen. 54:05 His perfect obedience to God's law. 54:10 Even unto the death of the cross, 54:12 has given Him all power in heaven and earth, 54:16 and He claims of His Father, 54:19 mercy and reconciliation for guilty man. 54:22 His perfect obedience is how we stand in the judgment. 54:26 Well, what about our obedience? 54:28 Well, our obedience testifies that we trust in His obedience. 54:31 Amen. 54:33 But why we should realize our sinful condition, 54:35 we have to rely wholly upon Christ as our righteousness, 54:38 our sanctification, our redemption 54:40 that's taken from 1 Corinthians 1:30. 54:42 We cannot answer the charges of Satan against us. 54:45 Christ alone can make an effectual plea in our behalf. 54:48 Why is that? Because He perfectly obey God's law. 54:50 And in the judgment, the law of God is the perfect standard. 54:54 And it has to be met perfectly 54:56 and only Christ was able to do that. 54:58 Amen. But guess what? 54:59 He did that so that we can put our trust in Him 55:03 and our lives and hearts can be transformed. 55:06 The perfect righteousness of Christ is not an excuse 55:09 to turn that grace into a license to sin. 55:13 Jude warns us not to allow people to convince us 55:17 that they're going to slip in among us. 55:18 But we got to earnestly contend for the faith, 55:21 Jude says in verses 3 and 4. 55:23 "Christ alone can make an effectual plea on our behalf. 55:26 He is able to silence the accuser 55:28 with arguments founded not upon our merits, 55:30 but upon His own." 55:32 And that's Testimonies for the Church, volume five, 55:35 pages 471 and 472. 55:37 And I would encourage you, copy that. 55:41 If you have access to those writings, copy that. 55:43 I have a copy of that in the front of my Bible. 55:46 I read it often because it reminds me 55:49 of this beautiful picture of the investigative judgment 55:52 and the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 55:54 And so when we look at our lesson for Thursday, 55:57 the title of this lesson, 55:58 The Judgment and the Character of God, 55:59 God's character is going 56:01 to be vindicated in this judgment, 56:03 because we're going to be seeing Jesus Christ 56:05 as He really is and the faith of Jesus toward us. 56:08 Amen. Amen. 56:09 Amen. 56:10 Thank you, James, thank you, Shelley, thank you, Ryan, 56:12 thank you, Jill. 56:13 A few closing thoughts, what do you have? 56:15 Monday's lesson, we looked at diverse kinds of offerings, 56:17 the five offerings burned, grain, peace, 56:20 sin and reparation, and they all point to Jesus. 56:24 Amen. 56:25 Scripture I didn't have an opportunity to read, 56:27 but Hebrews 13:12-13, says, "Therefore Jesus also, 56:32 that He might sanctify the people with His own blood 56:35 suffered outside the gate. 56:37 Therefore, let us go forth to Him outside of the camp, 56:40 bearing His reproach." 56:42 Let us be drawn to our Savior today. 56:44 Amen. 56:46 My lesson, The Cross and the Cost of Forgiveness. 56:49 Let me read 1 Peter 2:18-19, 56:52 "Knowing you were not redeemed with corruptible things 56:55 like silver and gold from your aimless conduct, 56:58 but with the precious blood of Christ 57:01 as a lamb without blemish, and without spot." 57:05 Amen. 57:06 We've heard the phrase, one for all and all for one, 57:08 I like to turn it on end and say, 57:11 one, the one Jesus Christ for all 57:14 so that all could be for the one. 57:17 Amen. I like that And thank you so much, everyone. 57:19 And thank you for joining us. 57:20 We have had an exciting study, 57:23 and we still have some more lessons to go. 57:26 But I'd like to just remind you 57:28 that when we talk about this beautiful sacrifice, 57:31 why sacrifices were needed, 57:34 let's not forget that the ultimate, 57:37 the pinnacle of our salvation is centered in Christ, 57:41 and Christ alone. 57:43 We find in 1 John 5:11, 57:45 "And this is the testimony 57:48 that God has given us eternal life, 57:50 and this life is in His Son." 57:53 So when you think about eternal life, 57:55 think about Jesus. 57:57 He's the only source of eternal life. 57:59 Join us next week for lesson number 10, 58:02 "Jesus Opens the Way Through the Veil." 58:05 Amen. Amen. |
Revised 2022-02-03