"No More Sacrifice"

(Thanks to Bill and Liz for inspiration on this one)

"No More Sacrifice"

  

   The epistle to the Hebrews proclaims perhaps more than any other portion of Scripture the perfect sufficiency of our Lord's atoning work on our behalf, as provided through His death, resurrection, and ascension.

   "He is able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:24-25).

    "Now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many" (Hebrews 9:26-28).

    "We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:10).

    "This man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12).

    "By one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14).

    God the Father accounts His Son's redemptive labors on our behalf as so perfect and complete that "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" (Hebrews 10:26).  Thus, the most wicked of sinners can come to the Lord Jesus through faith, and the most wayward of God's trusting children can return to fellowship and faithfulness through the Savior's sacrifice and His abiding intercession in the Heavenlies.  Our Lord died once, He arose once, and He ascended into Heaven once as the all sufficient Savior who provides an all sufficient salvation.  "It is finished!" He cried out on the cross of Calvary, triumphantly proclaiming the glory and power of His "one sacrifice for sins forever" (John 19:30).

    Through the indwelling love of Christ, born again believers live self-sacrificially as the fruit of the Holy Spirit's presence in us.  Never, however, do we sacrifice for the purposes of atoning for our sins, or perceive that we draw closer to God by our own offerings.  As the writer of Hebrews declares, only "the better hope" of the Lord Jesus provides our liberty to "draw nigh unto God" (Hebrews 7:19).  So long as we come with a  trusting heart in Christ, we may come in times of both faithfulness and unfaithfulness.  There is no other way, there is "no more sacrifice," nor is there need for any other.  Our Lord "sat down on the right hand of God" after His atoning work because His work was done.  He now calls us to the same posture of heart and confidence in the perfect sufficiency of "so great salvation" as provided by so great a Savior…

"There remaineth a rest to the people of God.  For he that hath entered into His rest hath ceased from his own labors."

(Hebrews 4:9-10)

Weekly Memory Verse

   Now unto God and our Father be glory forever and ever.  Amen.

(Philippians 4:20)