It Is Finished

Hebrews 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 offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshippers, once purged, should have no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices, there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.

Wherefore, when He cometh into the world, He saith, "Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldst not, but a body hast Thou prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast 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." Above when He said, "Sacrifice and offering, in burnt offerings and offering for sin Thou wouldst not, neither hadst Thou 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, that He may establish the second.

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering, oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down at the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool. For by one offering hath He perfected forever them that are sanctified.

Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us. For after that He had said before, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days," saith the Lord. "I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them. And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh. 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 conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised.

Let us consider one another to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.

As is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy of who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God and hath accounted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

For we know him that hath said, "Vengeance belongs unto me, I will recompense," saith the Lord. And again, "The Lord shall judge his people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

But call to remembrance the former days in which you, after you were illuminated, endured a great fight of afflictions, partly while you were made a gazing stock, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly while you became companions of them that were so used. For you had compassion of me in my bonds and took joyfully the spoil of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.

For you have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith. But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Let's pray. Lord, a beautiful passage of Scripture here that you've laid before us this morning. I ask that you would speak to us by your Son, by your Word this morning. Give us understanding into this passage, Lord. Make it clear that we would understand what you desire to speak to us by your Spirit today. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

You can be seated. The tenth chapter of the book of Hebrews brings us really to the summation of the doctrinal portion of this book. As the writer, who I believe is Paul, presents many points that we can see throughout this book, some that we'll look at this morning, Paul brings us to this point where he now...

The focus is on the sacrifice that was offered. As we've already looked at Jesus being superior to angels, superior to Moses, superior to the Aaronic priesthood, superior to the tabernacle, and superior to so many things throughout the book of Hebrews, we come to the sacrifice that God had called for in the Pentateuch.

The offering for sin was to be given by those who would sin. They would bring their lamb, their ram, their goat, or their bull—whatever the law required—to the tabernacle before the temple was established, and then to the temple, to the priests. There, they would lay their hands upon the lamb and confess their sin. The lamb would be inspected, which is a beautiful aspect of the process; it was the lamb that was inspected, not the person bringing the lamb or the offering.

Then, the lamb would be offered, sacrificed for their sin, but only as a covering. It was only meant to cover the sin that they had committed. This could become a very costly thing if you think about it. You could find out who the real sinners were by how many sheep they brought year after year. If you sinned a lot, you might find that it was hitting you in the pocket as you brought that lamb to the temple.

The writer, Paul, I believe, states in verse 1 that the law, having a shadow of good things 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. In Romans chapter 8, some of you may know the verse, Romans 8:3, we read, "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

The law was weak; it was but a shadow—just a shadow of the good things to come. It wasn't the exact image of that which God had ordained from the foundation of the world, but rather a dim picture.

A silhouette cast on the wall represents what God desired to do in sending the Lamb, the one Lamb, His only Son. However, the law had its purpose. As Paul would tell the church in Galatians, in Galatians chapter 3, verse 24, he stated, "Wherefore the law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." The law was our schoolmaster; it was our tutor to bring us to Christ, to bring us to Him. It was the shadow that would lead us to the feet of Jesus and show us the one who could truly take away sin—not just cover it, but remove it and redeem us.

Yet, so many became hung up on the law, on the external works, on the sign that was pointing to Jesus. They fell in love with the shadow. It would be as if next week, on Saturday, when the minister says, "Nick, you may kiss the bride," he fell down on the floor and began to kiss the shadow. She would look at him and begin to wonder, "Have I chosen the wrong person?" The shadow is not the express image; it is not the actual. The law was not what God desired for man to live by; it was just to point to the good thing that was to come.

Those sacrifices and offerings that they presented year by year could not continually make the comers thereunto perfect. The sacrifices could not perfect those who brought them. For if they could, then they would never have ceased to be offered, as verse 2 tells us. If those offerings and sacrifices were good enough in the eyes of God, He would never have called for a new covenant. He would never have sent His Son. Jesus would have had an answer in the garden of Gethsemane that night if there was another way when He cried out, "If there be any other way, let this cup pass from me." But there was no other way. The heavens that night were silent; they were as brass.

As He cried out to the Father in anguish, He began to sweat blood and cried out three times, "If there's any other way." Each time, all He heard was silence. Thank God there were no cell phone rings during that moment; that would have been a bummer.

If it could have been by the law, then it would have been by the law, and those offerings would never have ceased to be offered. But verse 2 goes on to say that the worshipers, once purged, should have no remembrance, no more conscience of sin. However, every single time you would go and offer your sacrifice, you would leave with that remembrance of sin because it was but a covering. It didn't remove your sin from you; it just covered it for a time. You knew very well that the next time you sinned, you would have to bring another lamb, another ram, another goat—something else to purge, to cover your sin. It was never fully done away with.

In those sacrifices, there is a remembrance made for sins year by year. Every year, every single month, every week—whatever it may be, however often you sinned—you would go and offer a sacrifice. But then, at the end of the year and on the Day of Atonement, you would remember your sin again. It was ever before your eyes, always in your remembrance, always in your conscience—those dead works that you or I had done. Why? Because it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin. It is impossible that those lambs offered could take away the sin.

As I consider that verse in verse 4, I think, why did God ever establish that? If it was an insufficient system, then why would He set it up? Did He establish the Levitical system in the Pentateuch, in the book of Leviticus, and then realize over time that this isn't working? Is that what God did? Did He come to a conclusion after thousands and thousands, maybe millions of rams and lambs had been sacrificed, that this just isn't good enough? No. Revelation chapter 13 tells us...

In verse 8, it is stated that they saw the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The last book of the Bible tells us that there was a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This fact is proclaimed in the last book of the Bible, and it is prophesied in the first book of the Bible, specifically in Genesis chapter 22.

Some of you know the story of Abraham, who waited so long for the promise of his son. His son was given, and Sarah bore Isaac. After Isaac had grown for a period of time, the Lord was silent; He had not spoken to Abraham for many years. However, some believe that about 30 years later, when Isaac was a full-grown man, Abraham one day heard a voice he hadn't heard in a long time. The voice called out, "Abraham." He responded, "Yes, Lord, here I am."

The Lord spoke to him in Genesis chapter 22, verse 2, saying, "Take now thy son, thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I will tell thee of." God, the Father, speaks to Abraham, the father of our faith, instructing him to take his only begotten son, Isaac, the one he loves, and go into the land of Moriah to offer him as a sacrifice on the mountain that He would specify.

Abraham rose up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men, along with Isaac, his son. He also took the wood for the burnt offering and set out for the place that God would show him. On the third day, Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. He said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and we will come again to you."

Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac, his son. He took the fire in his hand and the knife, and they both went together. Isaac spoke to his father Abraham, saying, "My father." Abraham replied, "Here I am, my son." Isaac continued, "Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answered, "My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering." So they went both of them together.

In the last book of the Bible, we see that the fact is proclaimed: the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world. In the first book of the Bible, we see the fact prophesied about that God would provide Himself the Lamb for the burnt offering. Then, in John chapter 1, verse 29, in the Gospel, we find a significant moment. On that great day when John the Baptist was baptizing, the next day, John, seeing Jesus coming down into the water, said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world." Behold the Lamb of God—the one that was prophesied about, the one for whom the sacrifice was made from the foundation of the world.

This theme is seen throughout the entire Bible: in the first book, in the last book, in the Gospel, and even in Psalm 40, as Hebrews chapter 10 will quote shortly. Throughout Scripture, we see this over and over again. God had a plan, and the Levitical system was but a shadow of that plan; it was not the very image. He did not mess up by ordaining that system.

Why did God set up this plan in the first place? Why did He give them the Levitical system? What was the purpose of it? God knew man because He created him. He understood very well the way that man would think, starting with the very first man, Adam. What did Adam do when he sinned and realized his sin? He hid himself. But what did he do when he realized his nakedness? He tried to cover it. He tried to fix it. He tried to clean it. He sought a way to get rid of it.

Knowing man, God gave him the institution of the Levitical system to show that he could not do it by his own efforts. God knew that man would try. I was thinking about this this week: Why didn't God, immediately after Adam had sinned, give Himself as the sacrifice since it was already a done work from the foundation of the world? Why didn't He just do it right then and there? Because if He had, man would still try to perfect himself. Instead, God gave man 4,000 years to attempt to do it on his own, to try to figure out how to get to God until he had exhausted every effort.

He had seen that there is no other way. He had fallen short of the glory of God time and time again, and the offerings did not seem to work. The consciousness of sin was still there. There was nothing that he could do to get rid of it. So God instituted a system to show us that we cannot do it. Then, at the right time, at the perfect time, He sent His Son. He didn't send His Son kicking and screaming. Abraham didn't drag his son Isaac up to the top of Mount Moriah kicking and screaming either. Isaac went willfully.

As we see here in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 7, Jesus is speaking. This is a quote from Psalm 40: "Lo, I come in the volume of the book; it is written of me to do Thy will, O God." It was His delight and His desire to come to save us. It was Jesus's delight and His desire to be the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He would not only cover our sins but remove our sins and redeem us from sin. His delight and desire were to come to fulfill the work, to fulfill the righteous requirement of the law that you and I could never do. It was never intended that we could.

The Levitical system, the law, was always intended to be a schoolmaster to bring us to Jesus. It was always intended to show us our weakness, that we cannot do what God requires. It was never intended to become something that we would latch onto and think that we could save ourselves. The purpose of the law was to show us our wicked, vile nature before God.

We sang several songs this morning that exalted the holiness of God, that He is perfect, that He is whole, that He is above all things. In singing those songs, we should realize how low we really are and how much grace we have been given. This God has brought us near. It was His delight. God did not delight in sacrifice or burnt offerings; He had no pleasure in those things. Rather, it was His delight to come to lay down His own life.

That he could save us. And yet, so many got focused on the offering, and that became the centerpiece. We have the temple. We have the sacrifices. Not just the Jews, but paganism and all these other religions. What were they trying to do? They were trying to somehow make themselves better.

It hasn't changed. We don't have little temples where we offer goats and rams today, but we have self-help books. We have all sorts of different things to try and improve ourselves. What can you do to make yourself better? But there's always the consciousness of sin, is there not? You can try and try and try to clean up your outward works, but every day when you look in the mirror, you realize that it's still there. Nothing can be done to purge this, to take this away. Nothing that you can do. Nothing that I can do.

But He said, "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God." He takes away the first; He takes away that old system that He may establish the new, that He may establish a second one. By that will, we are sanctified. You see, the law could justify them before God for a time. It had the power to make them just in the eyes of God until they sinned again. It was a covering that covered over them for just a period of time. But it never had the power to sanctify, and it never had the ultimate power to glorify the person who offered a sacrifice.

But in Jesus, through His offering, we are sanctified, cleansed, and cleaned through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once. Underline that there in verse 10: once for all. Just one time.

Now, worldly priests, as it speaks of in verse 11, every priest stands daily, ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. Worldly priests are going all the time, working, working, working, offering sacrifice after sacrifice. The same sacrifices day by day, week by week, year in and year out. Busy about much service, trying to keep up.

With the demands of the people, because they sinned, as we do too, under the Levitical priesthood, it was all about works. The priests were continually working and doing. Pastor Richard mentioned this last week that on the day of Passover, Josephus notes that at one time there were 250,000 lambs offered in one day. Two hundred fifty thousand lambs in one day! The blood would flow down off the Temple Mount into the Kidron Valley like a little river.

Have you ever smelled blood? I'm not just talking about a little bit of blood. Imagine that: 250,000 lambs in one day. It's a disgusting thing to think about. God made it disgusting so that we would realize the disgustingness of our sin and understand that this is sick. Sin is sick. But they would offer those same sacrifices, ministering daily, standing constantly on their feet.

But this man, verse 12, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down. He sat down. There on the cross, as he died that day, he cried, "Tetelestai." It is finished. It is accomplished. It is complete. It is done. He bowed his head and gave up the ghost, and he died that day. But he's not dead. He rose from the grave and now is seated. He offered one sacrifice. He doesn't stand like the worldly priests in their human efforts, continuing to offer the same sacrifices year by year and day by day. He offered one sacrifice, and after it was offered, he sat down at rest on the right hand of God.

A little boy was driving home with his parents one day after church. His mom turned to him and asked, "What did you learn in Sunday school today, Timmy?"

"Well, Mom, today we learned that God created the whole world with His left hand." She looked at her husband, thinking, What are they teaching our kids at that church? He looked back and asked, "Timmy, where did you come up with that?"

"Well, Dad, it says in Hebrews chapter 10 that Jesus was seated on the right hand of God, and so He created the whole world with His left hand."

"Is that what that means?" the father questioned. "I don't think that's what it means. He's seated in a place of honor, in a place of authority on the right hand of God. For He cried that day, 'It is finished. It is accomplished. It is done.'"

A teenage boy, whose mother was away on a visit one day, had the sudden urge to read something. She was a devout believer, so he decided to go into the family library and get a book. He wasn't a believer, but he figured, "Well, I want to read something, and I'm sure that one of these books, although it's going to be filled with sermonizing, is bound to have some good stories in it."

This young boy sat down and began to read through the book. As he did, he came across a curious phrase that stuck out to him: the finished work of Christ. This boy, who had grown up in church, thought to himself, "Why did the author say that? Why did he use the finished work of Christ? There are so many other terms, like the propitiatory work, the atoning work of Christ. Why did he use the finished work of Christ?"

As this young man pondered that thought, he realized that the work is done. The words of Jesus, "It is finished," went through his mind. He thought, "Well, then what else does one need to do if the work is finished? If it's complete, if it's been accomplished, what does somebody need to do?"

He realized that there was one thing he had left to do. He fell on his knees and gave his heart to the Lord. J. Hudson Taylor was saved that day, the founder of the China Inland Mission. And that is the rest of the story. When he realized...

That the work is finished, that it has been accomplished. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down. From henceforth, he is expecting or waiting until his enemies be made his footstool. The work is done. He is just waiting. The work of redemption is finished.

However, the rebellion of Satan continues, and it will continue until he wears himself out. We will come down to the end, and rebellion has been tried from every angle possible. The realization is that it will never work. You can rebel against God. You can try and try again, but you will never win. In his foolishness, Satan believes that somehow, in some way, he will prevail. But he is a beaten foe by the work of Jesus on the cross. Because it is finished. It is done. Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, waiting until that day. He continues praying for us.

By one offering, he has perfected forever them that are sanctified. The Holy Ghost also is a witness to us. After he had said before, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days," saith the Lord. "I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds, I will write them. And their sin and their iniquity I will remember no more."

So the Holy Ghost is a witness to us. In Romans 8, verse 16, we see that the Spirit himself bears witness that we are children of God. It is God's Spirit that bears witness to us that we are those who are sanctified.

You may come to me and say, "Well, I don't know if I'm saved." I'm not going to assure you of your salvation. I'm going to tell you to go and sit down, begin to pray, and seek the Lord until his Spirit bears witness with your spirit that you are indeed a child of God. And he will do that because he promised to.

It's not my job to assure you of your salvation. If I can assure you of your salvation, then someone else can come along and tell you that you're not saved. But when you grab hold of the Holy Spirit of God and realize that he has borne witness to you that you are a child of God, you will never doubt that again. Although the enemy will come against you with many doubts, and you will come up with some very odd questions, I assure you. But he gave his Spirit.

As a witness to us, after He had said that He was going to establish a new covenant with His people, we find this in Jeremiah chapter 31, verse 31. The prophet prophesied, "Behold, the days come," says the Lord, "that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers."

He is changing the covenant, not like what used to go on in the day that He took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which His covenant they broke, although He was a husband unto them, says the Lord. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with them. In Jeremiah 31, verse 33, it states, "This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days," says the Lord. "I will put my law in their inward parts and I will write it upon their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

They shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," for they shall know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says the Lord. "For I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more." It will no longer just be covered, but I will cast their sin as far as the east is from the west to be remembered no more. They will no longer have to go and teach their brothers and sisters, saying, "Hey, come on, know the Lord. Let's go know the Lord," because they'll know me from the least of them to the greatest. I will write my word upon their hearts.

In Hebrews 10:18, it states, "Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin." When sin has been removed, when it has been remitted, there is no more offering; there is no more need for an offering. Therefore, we have boldness, as stated in verse 19, to enter into the holiest of the holy by the blood of Jesus. We have this boldness now to come before the Father by a new and living way, which God has consecrated, which He ordained for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh.

Jesus would tell His disciples in John chapter 14, "I am the way, and no one comes to the Father except through me."

He established for us a new and living way, better than the old way. The old way, there at the tabernacle and at the temple, had a huge veil that covered the holy place, the place where the presence of God dwelt. They were always separated between God and man. There was this separation; ultimately, it was our sin, but physically, it was the veil in the temple.

When Jesus cried that day, "It is finished," the veil was ripped from top to bottom. The way in which the veil was broken opened up for us unto our God so that we can have fellowship with Him. The new and living way has been ordained by God; it's not something that we did. There weren't a whole bunch of Levites in there trying to rip that veil. It was God; He did the work and opened the way.

Now, having a high priest over the house of God, we have this high priest, Jesus, who never dies and intercedes day and night for us. Let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled with His blood, His cleansing blood. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from an evil conscience, and our bodies are washed with pure water. The washing of the water of His word is spoken of in Ephesians chapter 5.

We can come before Him boldly because we have been cleansed by the work that Jesus did, but only for those who have believed upon Him. The rest of the world continues in a work-centered relationship under a Levitical system, trying to do things to obtain something, to get to God, doing their works. But the writer of Hebrews shows us very clearly that that's impossible. There's no other way. The new and living way, Jesus Christ, has opened a way through the veil that we can come. Since we have this high priest, we can approach God with confidence.

Let us draw near. Let us get close to God. Why go after anything else? Now that you've been redeemed, now that you've been saved by the blood of Jesus, why would you ever think to go after any other thing? Rather, let us draw near to Him in full assurance of faith, knowing that we have this hope, this confidence that we can come to Him, that we can come before Him.

Let us hold fast to this profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised. Hold fast to this truth. Don't let it go, because there will be those who will come against it. As in the day of Paul, after he preached this beautiful gospel to people, there were others who would come in and say, "Well, there's some other things that he didn't tell you, and we're here to let you know that now you need to be circumcised. Now you need to do this work to really be saved."

There are those who will try to distract you from the liberty that we have in Christ, the freedom that He's given by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship. He's the one who's working. It is God who works in you to will and to do for His good pleasure. It's not by the works that Miles has done, can do, or will do. It's impossible because all of my righteousness is as filthy rags.

So let us hold fast to this profession of our faith without wavering, without being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, by all the other things that may come against it. Don't be tossed about because He is faithful that promised. He is the one that promised it, and He is the one who will faithfully make good on that promise. When I am faithless, He remains faithful. He remains faithful still because He cannot deny Himself. It's not because of what I can do, because I can't. All that I can do is sin, and anything that is not of faith is sin.

And so let us hold fast. Don't let it go. Let us consider one another to provoke one another to love and to good deeds. When someone comes along and says, "Yeah, that's great, I went forward at that crusade, and that's wonderful," but I don't mind continuing doing these things.

You say, "No, come on, let's go. Let's draw near to the Lord. Don't go after those wicked things of the world any longer. You don't need that." And so we provoke one another to love. Come on, let's follow the Lord, draw near to Him, fall in love with Him, and do good deeds. Let's serve Him, not forsaking the assembly, the assembling together of ourselves, as is the manner of some.

There were some at this point in time in the church who had decided that they didn't want to go to that assembly any longer. They felt the need to go back to the Levitical system, to return to the temple. So, they had forsaken the assembly. They walked away to go back to the old system. There are those in our day, and there are those from our church who have left this establishment. They have left the assembly, the gathering together of the body of Christ, to go back out into the world.

And maybe not to commit wicked, vile sins that we look at and say, "Oh, that's bad," but to return to some religious system to try and perfect themselves. It won't do; it won't work. But we are to exhort one another. Why? Because we see the day approaching. The day is fast coming when Jesus is going to call His church home. We see that day coming, and we call for Him to come.

He goes on and gives a great exhortation and a caution in verse 26. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins. This verse is one that many have stumbled over ever since it was written. It has been a thorn in the sides of many different denominations and many different people. Can we lose our salvation, or are we eternally secure? This passage suggests that if we sin willfully after we receive the knowledge of the truth, we are done; there remains no sacrifice for sins.

If you know the Levitical system, this makes a little bit more sense. As you read the book of Leviticus, you find that there was no sacrifice for willful sin under the Levitical system.

If I went out and sinned on a high hand, the Scripture says, it would be akin to saying, "I don't want anything to do with God. I'm going after this thing over here." Under the Levitical system, there was no atoning sacrifice for that sin. What was done to that person? Capital punishment. So even for those under the Levitical system, there was no sacrifice for sin.

However, for you and me today, there is a caution we need to take note of. Maybe you remember the story in the early chapters of Joshua when the two spies were sent into Jericho and met Rahab, the harlot. She hid them when the king of Jericho came. As they were leaving and climbing out of her window by the scarlet thread she had hung there, they told her that since she had dealt kindly with them, they would deal kindly with her and her family as long as they remained in that house when they came to take over the city. They would be safe. She needed to keep the scarlet thread in the window and stay inside the house to be okay. But if her family went out from that house, their blood would be upon their own heads.

Now, in the flow and context of this Scripture, what does it say? In verse 25, it talks about some who have left the assembly; they have gone out from the church. The very next verse states that if someone sins willfully, if they continue willingly sinning and going back out into the world, they are not covered.

1 John 2 tells us that those who went out from us were not really of us. They left us, they left the church, so that it might be made manifest that they were never truly of us. Do I believe that a person can lose their salvation? Absolutely not. I don't believe someone can lose it. Do I believe someone can reject it? Yes, I do, and I believe they would be absolutely foolish to do so.

I can't understand why anyone would want to reject it, but I believe that someone can. They can say, "I don't want to stick around in the assembly of the body of Christ. I don't want to be a part of the body of Christ." I'm not just saying to come into Calvary Chapel; I'm saying that when we gather together, we are the body of Christ. If you leave and say, "I want nothing to do with that," you are removing yourself from the body of Christ. You are saying, "I don't want Him," and there is no more sacrifice for sin.

What does that mean? There's nothing you can do to save yourself at that point. The only way of salvation is Jesus. You have to come back into the body of Christ. If you leave, there's nothing for you to do. You can knock on as many doors as you want to. You can hand out as much literature as you want to, but if you're not in the body of Christ, if you're not in that house on the day of judgment, it was the same for the children of Israel as it was for that heathen Gentile woman named Rahab.

You remember a few years before that, on the day of Passover, when they put the blood upon the doorpost of their house, the family had to stay within the house or else what? Judgment. Don't go outside. I believe you are eternally secure as long as you abide in Christ, in the body of Christ. You go outside, and I don't even want to begin to think about what will happen to you because what does it say? What do you have to look forward to?

Verse 27 states, "but a certain fearful looking of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries." He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much more sorer punishment suppose you shall be thought worthy who has trodden underfoot the Son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace.

Listen to this. If the law of Moses was a shadow of good things, then understand the punishment under the law of Moses was a shadow of the judgment that shall come upon those who do not follow Christ. It was just a little silhouette on the wall in comparison. See, under Moses' law, if you committed sin willfully, then you would die without mercy. Your physical body would be put to death, capital punishment, without mercy under the witness of two or three.

But under Christ, if you reject Him and turn away from Him, do not fear those who can take away your body, Jesus said, but fear Him who can cast your soul into hell. Of how much sorer punishment shall come upon him or her who rejects the saving work of Christ? That person who counts the blood of the covenant an unholy thing, just a common thing. I don't need that. Yeah, that Jesus thing.

That's great. I'm glad you have your religion, and it's neat to hear that you have your way, but I have my own thing. That's the day we live in. In this post-mortem, modern society, that is what we experience. We live in a place, a time, and a society where people say, "That's good for you, Scott. I'm glad that you have that, but I've got my own way."

No, you have a Levitical priesthood that will not stand on the day of Christ Jesus. Whether you believe it or not, it's still true. You might say, "Well, that's so condemning and that's so harsh." Absolutely. Amen. Why do you have to raise your voice? I made someone cry, and I feel so bad.

Why do I raise my voice? Because I know Him who has said, "Vengeance belongs unto me. I will recompense," says the Lord. Again, "The Lord shall judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

I'm not condemning you; it's the word of God. A great man of God once said that fear is good office work in leading a man to repentance. It's a good start. Charles Spurgeon said, "Dangle them over the fires of hell. They'll repent." I'd rather you feel a little uncomfortable today than burn in hell for eternity.

It's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, and maybe some of us need to understand a little bit more of that fear. We don't have to fear that, but perhaps we should realize that this is what our family members and friends who don't know the Lord are looking forward to: a certain fearful looking for judgment and fiery indignation.

Now, those are big words, which boiled down to me just mean a lot of pain for eternity—nothing that we could ever imagine, nor do we ever have to imagine.

Why? Because we've been sanctified by Christ and His work. However, there are many who are continuing to try and save themselves, and it will not work. It will not stand on the day of Christ Jesus.

You see, there were those at that time who were believers in Christ and had come out of Judaism. They were being tempted to go back to their former way, and Paul says, "Listen, don't go back because there's no other way. There's no other name under heaven whereby men must be saved but that of Jesus Christ." There is nothing else for you to do, nor can you do anything. If you go back to that thing, all you have is certain fearful judgment.

If you say, "Yeah, that Jesus thing is great, but I really like the temple, and all my family members are still going there," it can be really hard. They look down upon you and judge you. In fact, you may feel dead to them, and they want nothing to do with you. You might think, "If I just go back to the temple, I'll have my family back."

Paul would say, "But call to remembrance the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great fight of afflictions." You've already gone through all those afflictions. Don't go back to that. Partly, you were made a gazing stock while they pointed their fingers at you and said, "What do you think you're doing going after this Jesus? You fool."

Partly, you became a companion of those who were so used to being looked down upon. Imagine Paul the Apostle for a second. He was highly regarded as Saul of Tarsus in Judaism, and now he was hanging out with the very people that others were spitting upon. Surely, he went through a great time of affliction.

One of the reasons I believe it's Paul who writes this in verse 34 is that he says, "For you had compassion on me in my bonds and my chains and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and enduring substance."

Some people say, "I don't want anything to do with that Jesus thing because the world just seems so much better to me." Well, you know what? If you go after the things of this world, in the long run, they lead to death. Follow the Lord and hold fast to Him because you have in heaven a better and enduring substance that will last forever.

So cast not away therefore your confidence, which has great recompense of reward. Don't let go of the confidence, the faith that you have in Christ. Don't cast it away and become a castaway. Follow after Him.

Because there is a great recompense of reward, you have need of patience. Yes, you're going through this trial right now, and things may be difficult while you're here on earth. But it's what, 70, 80 years, if by reason of strength? Romans tells us that it's but a vapor, and it's working out for us a far greater and eternal weight of glory. This is nothing. The things of this world are not even to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.

That was Mike Callahan's favorite verse, and now he has received a great recompense of his reward. He patiently endured. He had need of patience, and he went through that. Then, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise. He fulfilled God's will for him here on earth, and now he is there receiving the promise of everlasting life forever with the Lord. That's what we have to look forward to as well.

For yet a little while, it's just a little while, and He will come. He will not tarry. But now the just shall live by faith. While we're still here on earth, while we're waiting for His appearing, while we're waiting for Him to come, we can't turn back to those other things. The just shall live by faith; there's no other way.

Three times in the New Testament, "the just shall live by faith" is seen. It's a quote directly from Habakkuk chapter 2. The first time it's seen is in Romans chapter 1, verse 17. Then in Galatians chapter 3, and then here in Hebrews chapter 10. This is again one of the reasons why I believe Paul wrote this book, because he wrote the book to the Romans and also to the Galatians, and he quotes this three times.

Now, the first time it's mentioned in Romans, the book of Romans was written to a whole bunch of Gentiles that they might become the just. The just shall live by faith. It was written to Gentiles that they may become the just. The whole theme of that book is the just being justified freely by His grace.

The book of Galatians was written to a bunch of Gentiles who had become Christians but had fallen back into religious systems. The emphasis of the book of Galatians is that the just shall live by faith. The only way to live is by faith; there's no other way.

The book of Hebrews was written to Hebrew Christians who had become believers and were tempted to fall back into religion. The just shall live by faith is the emphasis in the book of Hebrews. It's by faith alone; no other way. And that's why.

Next week, we'll get into Chapter 11, where we will see faith as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We will explore the hall of faith and see those who obtained a good testimony by their faith. Do you know who the first person mentioned as having great faith is? The first group mentioned in the book of Hebrews, Chapter 11, does not include Abel. It states, "Through faith we understand."

If you want to be a part of the hall of faith, be a person who believes. The just shall live by faith, but if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. The Lord says He will not be well pleased with that servant who falls back into old religious systems and dead works. Live by faith; it's the only way. We are not of those who draw back unto perdition, waste, or destruction, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

Now, you may think this had application for those people that Paul was writing to, the Hebrew Christians. It had great application for them, but we are not so much tempted to fall back into those old ways. We are not working to try and earn our salvation. We don't go knocking on doors to get people into the church, thinking that will make us saved. We don't just pass out literature because we believe that will get us more saved. We are Calvary Chapel.

However, there is a great temptation within our hearts, and I know it's in my life, to fall back into this mindset. How does this happen? For example, I might think, "I didn't read enough of the Word yesterday. I really need to read more tomorrow because then the Lord is going to be happy with me." Or, "I didn't spend enough time in prayer today. I didn't spend any time in prayer today." Tomorrow, I might plan to wake up at four o'clock and be on my knees because I believe that if I'm on my knees, it will hurt, and I need to lay on my face before the Lord to make Him happy with me.

But you are not going to make the Lord happier through these actions. That is religious dead works. Does that mean we should say, "Oh, I don't need that"? No, we provoke one another to love and good deeds. We stir one another up and encourage each other.

Let's follow after the One who loves us so much that He gave Himself for us. He desires to have a relationship with us, and that should stir in my heart and stir in yours a desire to get to know the One who gave all for us.

Let's pray. Father, I believe that You are speaking to each of us today. There is the temptation, I know in my life, to get into a pattern of just trying to do things to make You more happy. But, Lord, there's nothing that I can do to obtain a better standing with You because You've accomplished it all. You said it is finished. There is no more offering—no more offering—except maybe the sacrifice of praise when we come to You, just praising You and thanking You.

But even that, Lord, does not give us a tighter grip on You. Lord, would You draw us closer to You this morning? Not by our own efforts, but by the work that You accomplished and the work that You did. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.