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Bro. Bill Nichols
Okay I'm going to go ahead and begin. First I'd like to let everyone know that we're having a little bit of a technical difficulty with regard to sound which will get rectified in about five to ten minutes.
Until then I'm going to try to speak loud and hope that everybody can hear me and that I don't burn your brains too much with my voice and I'll repeat this in a few minutes for anybody tunes in late. But we're going to this morning begin with Hebrews chapter 10 verse 1.
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 offer year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. I'm going to read the S5.
For the law can never make the comers there to perfect. Let's pray. Most gracious heavenly father thank you for this day and thank you for giving us the technology to reach out and meet people where they are and thank you for giving us people here that I meet in person.
We may study your word and glorify you and your son. Let's just repeat this to go through all the services today. In Jesus' name we pray. So we'll begin. The law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things.
So what's saying is the law is but a shadow of the new covenant and although a shadow can indicate the presence of a concrete thing like the shadow of a tree reveals that a tree is present, the shadow of a building reveals that a building is present, the shadow is not the concrete thing itself nor is it even as close as a picture of it.
If I take a picture of my house and I develop the picture and hung it on my wall I would have something that represented the picture and would itself be concrete even though it would not be the same concrete thing as that which I took a picture of.
This is even more shadowy. William R. Newell, anybody know that name? Oh I'll bet you will know when I tell you that he wrote a very famous film and that's one of my favorite songs and I'm going to actually read the lyrics of that in a few minutes but before that he had been addressing the difference between a shadow and a real thing told this story.
Now you have to remember he was born in the 1850s and died in the early 1900s so the common method for heating a house was burning wood and so I'm going to pick up you need a little wood this is why he said you need a little wood so you go to the woodman and he takes you to a large oak tree in the far corner of the lot.
Now here in Texas we would say in the far corner of the timber street where we used to go and cut our wood. Pointing to a long shadow that he cast he offers to sell you this shadow. The question is would you take it?
Would you buy the shadow of the tree? Not if you wanted to take it home with you and not if you wanted to burn it for heat or for light. It's not the real thing and so he says now God says that the law was a shadow not even the real image of the thing and of course not the things themselves.
Why would you hold on to it? Why would you hold on to the shadow of something that's real when the real thing is available? Now fortunately for us the real thing is available today. At the time that whoever wrote the gospel the letter to the Hebrews whenever he wrote it the real thing was available to them.
At the time that Jesus was on the earth prior to this crucifixion the real thing was not available. All they had was the law the shadow of the better things to come. So there's a difference. So I thought I would just go ahead and read the lyrics of that Calvary.
If you're here it's uh I forgot to look it up but I'll just read it and you all will remember it when I read it. Years I spent in vanity and pride. Caring not my Lord was crucified. Knowing not the gospel made me die on Calvary.
And then mercy there was great and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. There I heard soul found liberty at Calvary. By God's word at last my sin I learned. Then I trembled at the law I'd spurned.
Till my guilty soul imploringly turned to Calvary. Now I've given to Jesus everything. Now I gladly own him as my king. Now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary. And then oh the love that grew salvation's plan.
Oh the grace that brought it down to man. Oh the mighty gulf that brought it's span at Calvary. That is a wonderful message. It's a message that tells us three or four things. It tells us that were it not for the grace of God we would not even know that we had a need for sin.
The grace of God gave us the law so we might know that there was a need for sin. It tells us that there came a time when the Lord himself came down and paid the price of that burden of sin. And now it is no longer even seen by God the Father.
And it's been borne by God the Son. So now we're going to go back to Hebrew and start looking at details. Well the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of those things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
John MacArthur said this, as much as those living under the law desired to approach God, the Levitical system provided no way to enter his holy presence. Verse two, for then they would not have ceased to be offered.
I read that wrong. For then would they not have ceased to be offered. I read that wrong two or three times. Just to be certain I made it right this time. That is a question not a statement. For then would they not have ceased to be offered.
If it had taken care, if the law had taken care of the sins, the law, the sacrifices would not have been needed to have been done year after year after year. Because that the worshipers once purged should have no more conscious of sins.
That is to say they shouldn't have a guilty conscience about the sins. Why? Because Jesus Christ has forgiven them all. We should be aware that we still sin and we still should be aware that even those sins that the Lord knew in advance that we would do and we haven't done yet, we will do but we need to have remorse on those and we do because he provides for us an understanding of our sin.
So if the sacrifices prescribed under the law were able to adequately deal with sin then two results would occur. One, under the law God would have forgiven all sins and not simply push them forward to the next year to be dealt with at some and two, the sacrifices would never need to be repeated.
But in these sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. Every year when the high priest goes in to the oldest to offer a sacrifice for the people and he effectively pushes those sins forward to the next year or the next time priest to push it forward again the next time the atonement comes.
And that was done year after year until there was one final. Now the old covenant sacrifices do not remove the sin. Moreover their constant repetition was a constant reminder of that every time they received the day of atonement that every day that every time the high priest went in to the holy of holies to offer a sacrifice for the people.
Every time that happened the people reminded that the sin was not disposed of. The sin was only pushed forward one more year. Now that's different in the new covenant. The promise of the new covenant is that sin would be removed and even God would remember their sins no more.
And that was something no sacrifice of animals could ever accomplish. And in verse 4 it says for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin. And then I decided to go to Galatians chapter 3 and I'm going to read most of it and it will tie in so well with Hebrews that you might think that Galatians were written by the same man.
That's kind of what I think. I think Paul, I know Paul wrote Galatians because he wrote at the beginning and Paul was right. He didn't say that for Hebrews. But in any case what he says is oh foolish Galatians who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth.
Before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you. This only what I will learn of you. Receive ye the Holy Spirit by works of the law or by hearing of that. So he's asking the Galatians how did you receive the truth in the first place?
You received it by either works of the law or hearing of the faith. Well how do they receive it? By hearing of the faith. And he says are ye so foolish having begun in the spirit that you now may be perfect?
Have you suffered so many things in vain? It be yet in vain. He therefore that ministereth to you the spirit and worketh miracles among you doth he it by the works of the law or by the hearing of the flesh.
Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness know ye therefore that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the evil through faith preaching forward the gospel unto Abraham saying in thee shall all nations be blessed.
I'm going to pause there and ask a question. When did God first teach the children of Israel that God through faith would save the Gentiles? Isaiah teaches it. Isaiah teaches it way before Isaiah was Abraham.
Oh yeah. And what did he say? And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith preach before the gospel unto Abraham. So God told Abraham and he said this in thee shall all nations be blessed.
Not just Israel not just Israel and Judah but all the nations including all of the dogs as you think them the Gentiles. Okay maybe maybe things would be way better. At least I can talk softer and maybe last through the 45 minutes.
Is it showing up well now? And so okay everything's good now let's go ahead and continue. Okay so God first taught Abraham that he would save the Gentiles. He would justify the heathen through faith the same way he's going to justify the Jews.
Not through work but by through faith. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse for it is written. Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all the things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
So if you're going to be under the law how many laws are you under? All of them. But it's but but that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident for the just shall live by faith. When's the last time you heard that or have we gotten to that yet?
Have we gotten to that in Hebrews? The just shall live by faith. If we haven't we will. That exact same quote is in Hebrews. Now two different men could have quoted the same Old Testament scripture but it's evident the just shall live by faith.
And the law is not a faith but the man that doeth them shall live in them. So if you choose the law you choose them all. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. For it is written cursed is everyone that hangeth on the tree.
So what do we have? Yes we have the curse but we don't have to bear it. Christ bore it for us. Verse 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
So how did the Gentiles get the blessings of Abraham? Through Jesus Christ the same way that everyone that gets the blessings gets them. Now to Abraham and his seed where the promise is made. He saith not to seeds as of many but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ.
Now there are two places where Jesus is referred to well I'll just read them. Genesis 3 15 and I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed and it shall bruise thy head and thou shall bruise his heel.
That's speaking of Jesus Christ and then another time the word seed is used to only relate to Jesus Christ. Genesis 22 verse 18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice.
That's what I just the passage I just read out of Genesis. That's where Abraham was informed by God that all the nations of the earth would be blessed not just the Jews and why because he obeyed the voice of God.
So now we're back to Galatians 17 and this I say that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ. That's the Abrahamic covenant. The law which was 430 years after cannot disannul. So the law the requirements of the law couldn't make void and null the lack of requirements for Abraham.
In the Abrahamic covenant there were no requirements only that the Lord chose you. That's the only requirement. Under the law there were many things you had to do but the things that you had to do under the law did not disannul the fact that the elect were elect by faith not by works.
For if the inheritance be of the law it is no more a promise but God gave it to Abraham by promise. And then we get to the next verse. Verse 19. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions till the seed.
Now here the seed is different. Here the seed is used in the collective sense to indicate those to whom the Abrahamic covenant was applied. And who would that be? All of the elect both Gentiles and Jews.
That's the seed he's talking about here. The seed should come to whom the promise was made. To whom is the promise made? To the seeds of Abraham both Gentile and Jews. Both those that were adopted into his family and those that were born into his family.
But not all of them. But not all of either group. Only some of them. Till the seed should come to whom the promise was made. And it was ordained by angels. I pushed the wrong button and I went way back up.
So I'm going to start again on 19. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions till the seed. And here again he's talking about the elect. Should come to whom the promise was made.
And it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one. But God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid. For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that by the promise of faith of Jesus might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should be afterwards revealed.
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. But after that faith has come, we are no longer under the schoolmaster, for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.
So that's Galatians. All of that goes on to tell us the promise. John MacArthur said this, the Levitical system, the law, was not designed by God to remove or forgive sins. It was preparatory for the coming Messiah.
In that it made people expectant, it revealed the seriousness of their sinful condition. In that even temporary covering required the death of an animal. Even to push the sin back a year required the death of an animal.
It revealed the reality of God's holiness and righteousness by indicating that sin had to be covered. And finally, it revealed the necessity of a full and complete forgiveness so that God could have desired fellowship with His people.
You see, we can't come near to God until we are in the new covenant. There was a wall of separation built between God and man that only the high priest could breach once a year and then under strict conditions.
But when Christ died on the cross, that veil was ripped from top to bottom and the way was open for man, some men, to approach God. Which men? Those that He chose to approach Him, the elect. Verse 5, back in Hebrews, Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offerings thou wouldest not, but a body thou hast prepared me.
What he's saying is more animal sacrifices would not please God, the Father. The only thing that would please God, the only thing that could please God or would please God could only come through Jesus, God the Son, who came in the form of a man to offer for Himself an acceptable sacrifice, acceptable to God, the Father.
No one else was capable of doing that. Verse 6, In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou 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.
Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. That's what Jesus said. I come to do thy will, O God. Jesus submitted to the will of God, and His ultimate submission to the Father had its fulfillment in His obedience to the cross.
In fact, in the garden, He prayed, If it is thy will, let me escape from this. Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done. So He put His own will secondary to the Father's will. So He submitted to the Father's will on the cross, and that was done in the garden of Gethsemane.
Above when He said, Sacrifice and offerings and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither had His 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, the law, that He might establish the second, which was really the first, because it was a takeoff of the Abrahamic covenant, which was before the Mosaic covenant. But that's not the way we label them, and that's not the way the author was referring to.
The first is the law, and the second is the new covenant. By which we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. And if you want to, in your Bible, highlight that once and for all, that is a theme that runs throughout this whole book to the Hebrews.
And one other thing, the sacrifice of Jesus was determined when? When was that sacrifice determined? From the beginning, from before the foundation of the world. So if I were to quibble, Mrs. Mitchell, I would only say from before the beginning.
If there was such a thing as before the beginning, I'm not sure I could even say that. We don't know. But Peter said this in 1 Peter 1 18,. For as much as ye know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, that conversation is lifestyle life works, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and spot, who was verily foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
So I guess Peter could use the word before the foundation of time, so we can too. Before the foundation of the world. Who by him do you believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God.
But still, it was an act of Jesus' will to submit to the cross at the appointed time. And that will, and that by that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. You see, it was not only that he was willing to do that, and he committed to doing that at Gethsemane, but the fact that he actually did it.
He died on the cross at the appointed time. It was still an act of will that he did. Now, verse 11. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
But this man, Jesus Christ, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down on the right hand of God. Now John MacArthur tells us that this is a contrast between the old and the new covenants.
Under the old, we have thousands of priests. Under the new, we have one priest. The old priests are continually standing versus the sitting down of the new. And it was repeated and repeated offerings versus a once and for all offering.
And the ineffective sacrifices that only covered the sin pushed it back another year versus the effective sacrifice that completely removes the sin. So that's the difference between the old and the new covenant.
Verse 13. From henceforth expecting, anticipating, till his enemies be made his footstool, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Now I've got two things. One is less important than the other, so I thought to put the less important one first.
Our sanctification, well I don't know if it's less important. Our being set apart to God is founded on the will of Jesus, not on our own will. It is founded on the offering of Jesus, not on our own offerings or sacrifices to God.
That's one thing. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Now look, we've looked at the one offering. Now let's look at the last phrase. For by one offering he hath perfected whom?
Them that are sanctified. Who? The sanctified ones. And that makes it clear that the work of Jesus is effective for whom? For his own, for those who are being sanctified. Now the work of Jesus is capable of saving every human being, and a lot of us seem to think that that's what it means, that every human being that ever exists will be saved by God.
His blood is capable of doing that, but that's not what he chose to do. What did he choose to do? He chose to take a remnant. He chose to take some of them. So the work of Jesus is capable of saving every human being, but is only effective in saving those who are being sanctified, who are being set apart for God, for the elect.
Charles Spurgeon said this, what a glorious word. What word is that? Sanctified. What a glorious word. For whom Christ... I'm sorry, the glorious word was perfected. What a glorious word. Those for whom Christ died were perfected, made complete by his death.
That does not mean he made them perfect in character so that they were no longer sinners. I'm not going to ask for a show of hands. I'll just raise mine on who has sinned since they were saved. And so you all saw that I raised my hand.
I actually raised them both of us, and many times far too many. And you know, Christ knew that we would do that. That's why he didn't say, I will put all of your sins that you have already accomplished on my shoulders, and when I die, and any other sin that you do, you're on your own, buddy.
He didn't say that. In fact, had he said that, I would have no chance at all, because he died 2 ,000 years before I was born. I had not done a single sin at that point, because I didn't even exist at that point.
But he said, it doesn't mean that he made them perfect in character so that they are no longer sinners, but that he made those for whom he died perfectly free from the guilt of sin. So the payment for sin, I am totally free of, because Christ paid for it forever.
And when Christ took their sins upon himself, my sins upon himself, sin no longer remained upon them, for he could not be in two places at one and the same time. I suspect that Spurgeon knew what he was talking about.
I'm not 100 certain that sin can't be in two places at the same time, but he seemed to think they can't, and I'm going to agree with him. When Christ took their sins upon himself, sin remained no longer upon them, for it could not be in two places at one and the same time.
Or four, the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us, for after that he hath said before, this covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their heart, and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities I will remember no more.
Now where the remission of these is, there is no more offering for sins. Now Spurgeon went on to say, the Christ who died on Calvary's cross will not have to die again for every new sin, or to offer a fresh atonement for any transgressions that I may yet commit.
This is Charles Spurgeon talking about himself. He won't have to die again for any new sin that I have, or to offer a fresh atonement for any transgression that I may yet commit. No, but once for all, gathering up the whole mass of his people's sins into one colossal burden.
He took upon his shoulders and flung the whole of it into the sepulcher wherein once he slept, and there it is buried, never to be raised again to bear witness to the redeemed anymore forever. Now he understood clearly well that Jesus did rise from the grave, left the grave behind, but he says what he, and I don't know where he got this, but he said all of the sins that he bore on the cross with us, he cast into that sepulcher with him, and they remain there buried forever, never to be pulled up anymore forever.
They are gone forever, even those that were yet to be committed. And then he goes on to say, this is still Charles Spurgeon, the work of Jesus for atonement is finished, and if it is not enough for us, then nothing will be.
God hath set forth Christ for you as guilty sinners to rest on, and if that's not enough for you, what more would you have? Christ has offered himself and died, and suffered in our stead, and gone into his glory, and if you cannot depend upon him, what more would you have him do?
Shall he come and die again? You have rejected him once, you would reject him again, though he died twice. In fact, Jesus said that to the rich man. He said, no, I'm not going to raise one of your brothers from the dead and have them tell you so that you might not fall into the same trap that he did.
You didn't believe me the first time, you won't believe me the second time. And now for a second time, the writer gives a summary of the arguments for the superiority of Christ's heavenly ministry. Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
On an earlier occasion, the writer addressed his Jewish brethren with an invitation to leave behind the Levitical system, and to appropriate the benefits of the new covenant in Christ. And so he's again offering them that same opportunity.
He sees talking to a mixed group. He's talking to a group of Hebrews, some of which have fully accepted Christ, and are obeying him, and are already suffering persecution. But he's also talking to a group of what we call lost sheep.
They have not yet received Christ into their life, and so they're not yet doing all the things they need to do. They have not yet taken to the way. By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say his flesh.
That's two things. Jesus's flesh, which was torn on the cross, and the veil of separation in the temple, which was split from top to bottom at the same time that he died. Those receiving this letter understood quite clearly that the writer is inviting them to become Christians.
To join those who had been persecuted for their faith. True believers in the midst of them were even then suffering persecution, and those who had not committed themselves to the way were asked to become targets of the same persecution.
That's kind of like what's going on today. Right now, true believers are now being subject to harassment by the government, and if you make clear the fact that you are a true believer, you very well may be subject to that as well.
So the question is, are you willing to do it? Are you willing to take on the way and suffer the persecution for a short time, or are you going to let it slide past you and never accept it and never receive it?
If that's your case, then you were not a lost sheep to begin with. You were always a goat. Verse 21, And having a 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 conscious, and our bodies washed with pure water.
John MacArthur says this, based upon what had been written, this was the heart of the invitation to those in the assembly who had not yet come to Christ. The same invitation is found in the first New Testament book to be written.
That would be the book of James, when in James 4, 8, he says, Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Aesop, one of the writers of one of the Psalms, taught that it's a good thing to draw near to God.
That he did in Psalm 73, verse 28. The full restoration of Israel to God's blessing is dependent upon drawing them near to Him. And we read last week in Jeremiah 30, 18 through 22, a passage about drawing near to God.
In other words, it is an eschological invitation coming to them in these last days. And that's one of the reasons I believe that brother David believes that we're approaching the last days just now, because of the coming things that are coming and coming so fast.
But let us hold fast to 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. Holding on is the human side of eternal security.
It is not something, however, to be done to maintain salvation, but rather it's an evidence of that salvation. You don't hold on. Holding on is an act. Holding on is work. Holding on is something you do because you are saved not to grasp the salvation.
The grasping of salvation is out of your hands. You are saved by God's hand. He grasped you and put you into salvation, and you grasp on to His works and do them to show that He has grasped you. And then for our final verse for today, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day approaching.
It's very easy, especially in this time when we can interact so well electronically and at a distance. It's so easy to stay home and not meet together. But meeting together is important. Meeting together is a necessity for the human condition.
We were made to assemble together. We're made to encourage one another. You encourage me. I encourage you, I hope. And that's what we should be here for, to encourage one another. And I think I've run a little bit over, but any questions or comments?
Whose faith is it? It's Jesus' faith. It was never ours until He gave it to us, and then it's ours. And not only did He give us our faith, He gave us everything else that was ever of any importance to us, or they will ever be of any importance to us.
We think our money is important, and when we die, it's gone and somebody else gets it. We think our property is important. It's gone. You build a nice big house, and you live in it for a short time, and then somebody else lives in it, and then somebody else lives in it, and then it falls down, and it's gone.
It was never yours. You were on borrowed time. Anything else? If not, let us pray. Most gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, and thank you for giving us this new covenant by which we understand that it is you that does everything.
You took us from the condition of being dead, unable to do anything for ourselves, and made us alive, made us able to do those things that you foreordained us to do. Thank you for allowing us to do those things.
Thank you for giving us a window of space where we can do it. Thank you for protecting us to the extent that you have protected us, and thank you for letting us suffer to the extent that you let us suffer, because by the suffering, we understand the patience that we need to deal with other people's suffering, as well as our own.
Bless us and keep us. Go with us through the rest of the services. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.