The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe
"One Sacrifice"
Certainly, it was not the will of God that the Jewish believers to whom the epistle to the Hebrews was written had failed to mature in their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and were thus being tempted to return to the law of Moses. "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat" (Hebrews 5:12). However, the Holy Spirit took advantage of our brethren's wandering in the wilderness of unbelief to inspire a portion of Scripture that powerfully exalts and reveals 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). The most wicked of sinners can come to the Lord Jesus through faith, and the most wayward of saints can return to fellowship and faithfulness through trust in the Savior's sacrifice. "We have access with boldness and confidence by the faith of Him" (Ephesians 3:12). 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).
Born again believers live self-sacrificially for God and others as the fruit of the Holy Spirit's presence in us. Never, however, do we sacrifice for the purpose of atoning for our sins, or perceive that we draw closer to God by our own offerings. 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 heart trusting solely in Christ, our Heavenly Father beckons and welcomes our approach. There is no other way, there is "no more sacrifice," and there is no 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 "sit together with Him" with complete confidence in the perfect sufficiency of "so great salvation" and "one sacrifice for sins forever," as provided by so great a Savior (Ephesians 2:6; Hebrews 2:3).
"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
He is the Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are judgment, a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.
(Deuteromomy 32:4)
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