Classic Christianity – A Closer Look at The Finality of The Cross P31 (10-18-21)
Enter the Reality of the Sabbath, which is in Christ Alone, Who Did All the Work For You, Who Made You Perfect or Complete, Pure, Holy, Blameless, Righteous, Sanctified, or Set Apart, and Seated You in the Heavenlies
As you ponder over these passages of scriptures, Hebrews 4:1-11, Hebrews 10:1-14, Hebrews 7:11-28, and Hebrews 8:28, what do you conclude in regarding this Sabbath rest that we can enter into?
Hebrews 4:9-11
9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience [unbelief].
What has Christ said? And if what Christ said is true, what can you conclude about what you have to do to draw near to God in worship? Do you have to do this or that, such as going to church on Saturday or Sunday, or abstaining from eating meat on Friday, or observing this special celebration, whether a New Moon festival, confirmation or baptism or whatever it might be, to draw near to God? Would doing anything, your 1 John 1:9 confessing or your going to mass, make you more acceptable, holy, pure, sanctified, set apart, blameless or exalted to the heavenlies before God?
Hebrews 10:14
14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
If you have been made perfect by God, can you add to that? Of course not. Can you subtract from that? No. These are the therefore’s I am talking about. It is in those therefore’s that you can enter into that Sabbath rest. There is a rest for you and me.
Galatians 2:21
21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Hebrews 7:11
11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood — and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood — why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?
If the Levitical priesthood could do it, and God gave the law to the people, and you had to have a priest in order to represent the people to God, and if that was getting the job done, how come there was a need for another priest? What was wrong with that system? Perfection could not be obtained through the law. All the law can do is condemn. You can never draw near to God as a perfect person.
Hebrews 7:18-19
18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect)
What did the law do? What was the law for? To condemn. It was there to show you your sinfulness? For what? So you can turn to God for what? Your perfection. If the law could have made anyone perfect, then Christ could have stayed at home. We would just gut it out and try to obey the law and hope to be perfect some day. But we could not do that.
Hebrews 7:18-22
and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
What does the better hope produce? The ability to draw near to God. What did the law do? Prohibiting us from ever drawing near to God. You could never draw near to God because the law could never make anyone perfect, or complete. When we are talking about being made perfect, you are talking about being made complete. You could never be made complete under the law. There was always something there that is going to convict you. You could never walk knowing there is no condemnation for me who belongs to Christ Jesus. You could never make us have right standing before God under the law. Today, we have a high priest that meet our need.
Hebrews 7:26-28
26 Such a high priest truly meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
The reason that the Israelites could not enter into that rest after being in the desert is strictly because of their unbelief. They did not believe God when He told then to go in there.
Hebrews 4:2
2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.
Today, the message of God’s grace is of no value to many of you because you never combined it with faith. You are still trying to work for what God said is finished. You do not trust it. You are still trying to work for what God said is finished. We are still trying to make ourselves holy and blameless and pure and set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens and perfect forever.
Hebrews 7:26-28
26 Such a high priest truly meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Through our identification with Christ what has He made? When I stepped out of Adam into Christ and Christ stepped out of heaven into me, what did He give to me? What is my inheritance, not in the sweet bye and bye, but right now? By that one will we have been made holy by the sacrifice of Jesus once and for all. What is the therefore? Through our identification with Him, He made me holy.
What is another therefore? I could not make myself holy even if I wanted to. To try to do so is an exercise in futility. It is also looking right into the face of the God and calling Him a liar. The very one you are trying to draw near to you cannot draw near to, calling him a liar. He is blameless.
Ephesians 1:4
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight
Not only have we been set apart, but He made us blameless.
Romans 8:1-2
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Because in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation.
We have a priest who is pure, so what did He do? He made us pure.
1 John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light [saved], we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:5
God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
The result of you being translated out of darkness into the light is that you are now in the light, and therefore are walking in the light. You could not get into darkness if you wanted to. You are in Christ, Christ is God, God is light, and you are in Christ, then you are always in the light. So if you sin, you have to sin in the light. That is why it does not feel so good.
1 John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
We have a priest who is pure. So what did He do? Made us pure. He is a priest who is set apart from sinners. So what did He do with us? Through our identification with Him, as some of you were, but you were washed, you were sanctified. You were set apart is what sanctified means.
1 Corinthians 16:11
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
What is the therefore to that? Well, I do not need to go out and sanctify myself. I am already sanctified. So go out and be who you are. People are out trying to sanctify and purify themselves. We are trying to make ourselves blameless and holy by our actions and deeds.
He is exalted above the heavens. So what did God do with us?
Ephesians 2:6
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
That is about the only one that we are not trying to do right now. I am sure if someone could figure out how they could, they would try. So they are out there trying to think of how to be seated with Him in the heavenlies, but He says we are already are. We just realize He has done that.
He is a high priest who is perfect forever, so what did He do with us? He made us that way. Hebrews 10:14 talked about that. Not by our efforts but His.
Hebrews 10:14
14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified [the set apart].
That is the good news of what Christ has done for man. Our part is to enter in that by faith. That is what the Sabbath rest is all about.
