Hebrews 10:1-18

Hebrews 10:1-18

It is done…..

There is so much to do at Christmas, isn’t there?

Presents to wrap.

Cards to write.

Family to endure.

Meals to prepare…..and so on………

I don’t know about you, but I look forward to just sitting down at the end of the day, dishes done, mess cleared away and just sitting.

Probably sitting, watching the Die Hard movie again.

It is so satisfying to sit after your work is done.

It less satisfying to sit, knowing that you have to still clean and do the dishes.

Well, this Christmas time, just spare a thought for the priests back in the days of Moses who served in the tabernacle and later in the temple.

The priests never got a chance to sit down, because their work was never done.

There was no chair in the tabernacle were they could just rest after they had just sacrificed another animal, because another animal would be brought after another sinner came to the tabernacle.

They would have been constantly washing, constantly burning the wood on the altar, constantly slicing and dicing animals- it was constant, no time to sit, they never finished their work and you may even question………. for what?

What were they constantly working for?

Chapter 10 of Hebrews tell us in verse 1, that these sacrifices were unable to make the sinner perfect, verse 4 tells us that is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, verse 8 tells us that God didn’t even take pleasure in these sacrifices……and so you have to question…..why were the priests doing what they were doing?

Friends, this is a good question for you to ask yourself again this Christmas time.

Why do you do what you do?

What is the purpose of what you do?

Well, thankfully, the writer of Hebrews tells us why the priests did what they did and it comes in two parts.

The first part is found in verse 3.

Look at verse 3 with me:

But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 

These sacrifices were unable to purify the sinner, but they were at the very least able to remind the person, that they were a sinner. This sacrifice was a bloody business. Every time a sacrifice was made, the person would have been reminded of the seriousness of sin. A person’s sin was and is so serious, that someone had to pay for it, and often it was the animal.

Friends, perhaps this Christmas time, you don’t need to be reminded that you are a sinner, and if you don’t praise God. But perhaps some of you do. Perhaps some of you down play your sin, or worse don’t think that you are a sinner- and if you don’t think you are a sinner, then the next part of the answer of why the priests carried out the sacrifices doesn’t apply to you.

You see, the purpose of the animal sacrifices, was not only to make people aware of their sin, but to make them aware that they needed something better than an animal sacrifice that could totally and completely set them free from the bondage of sin- and that sacrifice was the body of Jesus Himself.

The sacrifice of Jesus Himself was so much better than the animal sacrifices that Jesus only had to offer himself once and that one sacrifice covered all of our sins.

Look at verse 10 with me:

And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Interestingly Hebrews 10:6-8 is s direct quote from Psalm 40:6-8, which are the words spoken by David, but more importantly through the Holy Spirit. You see even back in the Old Testament times, God, Jesus, David, showed that they were looking forward to a better sacrifice than animals, the body of Jesus Himself.

And when Jesus offered himself as the sacrifice, his work was done.

The reason he came into this world was accomplished, as he said on the cross as he died “it is finished”

The work of atonement for sin, had finally been completed and so what did he do next….

He sat down.

He sat down, his work was done.

Look at verses 12-14 with me:

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 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.

Don’t you just love the picture of this reality now.

Christ has completed his work and he now sits at the right hand of God in heaven and God is making his enemies a footstool for his feet.

There is no sign of panic here, there is no sign of chaos, Christ just sitting, ruling, while all things are put under him.

And so this Christmas time, you may have still some work still to do, a dinner still to cook, a trip still to travel, but remember, Christ has already done the most important work for you, as it says in verse 14, he has perfected you….In God’s eyes through the lens of his son Jesus- you are perfect, you are forgiven, you are a child of God, not because of any of your work, but purely because of the work of Christ, which he has completed.

This Christmas, when you get time to sit, remember that Christ is seated at the right hand of his father, ruling, watching and caring for you.

Let us pray.