Pastor T. J. de Ruiter, The Netherlands
"But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God." Hebrews10:12
Introduction
Did you ever ask
yourself the question what the difference is between a small sacrifice
and a great one? A small sacrifice is giving something that cost us little
or is of small value. A big sacrifice is giving something that costs much
and is of great value. You will agree with me that the greatest thing we
can sacrifice is our life. Christ made therefore the biggest sacrifice
when He gave up His life and died voluntarily on the cross. The sacrifice
of His life was greater still because of some unique qualities and values
of his life and death.
1. The sacrifice of Christ was great because His life was of precious wholeness
Israel received in the law of Moses an elaborate system of instructions for its sacrifices. One of the instructions was that the animal to be offered had to be without blemish; it had to be whole, complete, without any impediment; read e.g. Leviticus 1:3; 4:3; 5:15.
Israel did not keep this instruction, not even after the return from the Babylonian exile. The post-exilic prophet Malachi spoke a clear condemnation about this practice of offering inferior animals on the altar. We read Malachi 1:7,8. "You say: How have we despised Thy name? By offering polluted food upon my altar. And you say: How have we polluted it? By thinking that the Lord's table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that no evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that no evil? Present that to your governor; will he be pleased with you or show you favour? Says the Lord of hosts."
This is the great question, that must now be asked: Why did God take it so serious when lame or sick animals were offered? The answer is: Because each sacrifice on the Jewish alter was a type of the Christ, giving His life to atone for sins. Each animal with an impediment or blemish that was offered was a inferior type of the wholeness, the perfect nature and character of Christ. He was as a Lamb without blemish or spot, as the apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:19.
Because the life
of Christ was morally and spiritually without blemish, without sin, He
could take our sins and faults and bear them on the Cross as our substitute,
as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For our sake He made Him to be sin,
who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
2 The sacrifice of Christ was great because the divine fullness dwelled within Him
The Bible teaches that Jesus was more than only a human being. Jesus Christ was a real man, He a real, physical body and the normal possibilities, natural limitations weaknesses. He got tired sometimes and knew normal emotions. At times He was happy and sometimes He was sad and knew fear. The last emotion He felt in Gethsemane when He was facing the cross.
But, He was more than a man, God dwelled in Him. He was God in the flesh, God in human form. The apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 2:9, "The fullness of God dwelled in Him." We can understand this truth about Christ, because His Mary, his mother claimed that she had received the child from the Holy Spirit and not from a human father. She confided in the doctor and writer Luke as she told him the story of the conception of Jesus.
The religious leaders of the Jews understood quite well His claim on divinity, because they condemned Him to death on the accusation of blasphemy. "He says that He is the Son of the living God."
Now, when we realize this claim on being the Son of God, we realize also that God hung in Christ on the cross of Calvary. Is this not a reason to call the sacrifice of Christ a great sacrifice? Of course it is! God was in Christ, reconciling the world with Himself, wrote the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:19.
I m reminded of the lines of a great hymn:
O, how I love
Him,
How I adore Him.
My great Redeemer,
my all in all.
The Great Creator
became my Saviour
And all God's
fullness dwelleth in Him.
Yes, adore the Christ,
the Son of the living God, who sacrificed His body and blood to atone for
our sins and reconcile us with the Almighty God.
3. The sacrifice of Christ was great because it is all sufficient
How many sacrifices have not been brought in the course of world history to appease the gods above. In the original Jewish religion as we find in the Old Testament, thousands of animals must have been slain to atone for sins and reconcile with the true almighty God. Were those sacrifices sufficient to remove the guilt and appease with God? The answer is "No." For if such a sacrifice had been sufficient, no more would have been needed. The problem of guilt in the sinner remained and also the feeling of an angry God above.
This made even saints in those days of sacrifices think about the true answer to this great and fundamental problem of sin, guilt and reconciliation. A saint like David received the answer by prophetic inspiration. Read Psalm 40:6,7: "Sacrifice and offering Thou dost not desire; but Thou hast given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering Thou hast not required. Then I said, Lo, I come; in the roll of the book it is written of Me. "I delight to do Thy will, O my God."
This truth is powerfully stated in an English hymn:
Not all the blood
of bulls and goats
On Jewish altars
slain,
Could give the
guilty sinner peace,
Or wash away
my stain.
David knew that the blood and flesh of bulls and goats could never atone for the sin of human beings. But somebody perfect would come and sacrifice His life to make the necessary reconciliation, according to the will of God.
David did not know about whom He prophesied, but because Christ has died, a true historal fact, we know. Please, read Hebrews 10:5-14. I quote verse 14: "For by one single offering He - this is Christ - has perfected for all time those who are sanctified."
I want to make this powerful biblical statement here:
The great sacrifice of the life, the body and the blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient for the forgiveness of all sin of all human beings of all times and all races.
Will you say "Amen," to this statement and confess your faith in the power of the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of the living God?
No more sacrifices
of animals need to be made. Every animal or human being that is slain on
an altar to appease the gods above is an denial, a negation of the great
all-sufficient sacrifice of Christ. It is an insult, an affront of God.
Once again I proclaim with Biblical authority that the sacrificial death
of Christ atones for the sins of all men of all times. So, join me in proclaiming:
"The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all sin."
In closing, an invitation
In closing I want to ask some personal questions in order to help you to find peace in your heart and peace with God.
Dear friend, are you tormented with the question, coming out of a guilty conscience if there is forgiveness for your sin?
Dear friend, do you struggle with the problem of continually falling in the same sin and consequently with the problem of guilt?
Dear friend, are you suffering, physically, mentally and spiritually and, maybe, the root is deeply seated in a guilty conscience? Even some schools of psychology admit today that a guilty conscience makes the mind and body sick.
If this is you, my friend, why not come to Christ, confess your sin, admit the wrong, realize that sin caused the separation with God, the Giver of life and health. Please, believe that Christ bore your sin on the cross, took away your guilt and now you can be free. Just believe it and receive it.
Now, why not express
your new faith in a prayer of gratitude from your heart and say: "Thank
You, Jesus Christ, for dying for me. I receive peace with God and believe
Him to be my heavenly Father through You. Amen."
Sermon, November 2003, T. J. de Ruiter, Pentecostal Pastor and Bibleteacher in The Netherlands
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