The Better Sacrifice

The Better Sacrifice I. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is superior to the sacrifices of the Law. A. Christ's sacrifice puts away sin. HEB 10:4, 11-18. B. It perfects the sanctified whereas the law made nothing perfect. HEB 10:1, 14; 7:19. C. It purges the conscience for full service. HEB 9:9, 13-14; 10:2. 1. Our works apart from the blood of Christ are dead works, of no effect. 2. Christ did not die to exempt us from service to God, but to make our service acceptable. TIT 2:14. D. The offering is Christ Himself. HEB 8:3; 7:26-27; 9:14, 26; 10:4-10. 1. Christ offered Himself to God. a. It is commonly taught that Christ presently offers Himself TO sinners for the taking away of sin. b. But Christ once offered Himself to God FOR sinners. EPH 5:2. 2. No priest or church or any other offers Christ to God. a. In a supposed apparition of Mary to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain (circa 1617, it was 'revealed:' “Then She offered to the eternal Father the blood, which his Son shed in the Circumcision and his humility in allowing Himself to be circumcised in his sinlessness.” (Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Volume IV, The Coronation, pg. 565, para. 666) b. Mary had enough to do in making an offering for her own sins under the law. LUK 1:47; 2:22-24 c/w LEV 12:8. E. Christ's sacrifice needs to be made only once since it actually took away sin and eternally redeemed us. HEB 7:27; 9:12; 25-28; 10:11-14, 18. 1. The Catholic Mass supposes that Christ is sacrificed each time it is observed. 2. To counter the obvious conflict with the Scriptural position, it is promoted that the Mass is not a fresh sacrifice of Christ, but the same sacrifice repeated. 3. If that be true, then how is the sacrifice of Christ any different from the ineffectual, repetitive SAME sacrifices of the law? HEB 10:11. 4. Any doctrine that states or implies that Christ is re-sacrificed implies also that He did NOT obtain eternal redemption as Scripture declares. II. Christ's sacrifice procured the witness of the Holy Spirit to sins forgotten. HEB 10:3, 15-17. A. The Holy Ghost witnesses/speaks to us in the words of Scripture. ACT 1:16; HEB 3:7; 9:8. B. This witness is “to us.” 1. It is to those who fear God, loathe their sin and mourn over it. ACT 13:26, 38 c/w PRO 8:13; ISA 61:1-3; PSA 51:17. 2. It is to those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and obey the gospel. HEB 10:21-23. III. Observe how God deals with the sin of His people. MAT 1:21. A. He forgets it. HEB 10:17. B. He forgives it. EPH 1:7. C. He pardons it and passes it by. MIC 7:18. D. He remits it. MAT 26:28. E. He does not mark it. PSA 130:3-4. F. He purges it. PSA 65:3. The Better Sacrifice 12-10-23 Page 1 of 2  G. He washes us from it. REV 1:5. H. He cleanses us from it. 1JO 1:7. I. He covers it. PSA 32:1. J. He takes it away. ROM 11:27. K. He puts it off. COL 2:11. L. He blots it out. ISA 44:22. M. He subdues it and casts it into the depths of the sea. MIC 7:19. N. He casts it behind His back. ISA 38:17. O. He removes it as far as east is from west. PSA 103:12. P. He makes it impossible to find. JER 50:20. IV. A forgiven person is freed from the sin of the past and has a brand new record. A. Unforgiven people carry the guilt of the past into the present and future. B. Unforgiven people have the pain of guilt in the present and a dread of the future. C. The future belongs to forgiven people! D. Thus, it is important that we accept the saying of what God has done for us. 1TI 1:15. V. Remembrance of God's forgiveness through the sacrifice of Christ constrains us to love God. LUK 7:41-43; 1JO 4:10, 19. VI. The sacrifice of Christ is the pattern of our love to the brethren. EPH 5:1-2; 1JO 3:16; 4:11. VII. God's forgiveness is the pattern for our forgiveness of one another. EPH 4:32. VIII. The sacrifice of Christ is the basis of our confidence toward God. A. Through His sacrifice we are at peace with God; God is on our side. COL 1:20; ROM 5:1. B. Through His sacrifice, we know the lingering corruption of our nature has been mercifully addressed. ROM 7:24-25. C. We can boldly approach God in expectation of mercy, of grace, of all things that God has promised to give us. ROM 8:31-34; HEB 10:19; 4:16. The Better Sacrifice 12-10-23 Page 2 of 2