ICS Daily Devotions
Jesus the Perfect Sacrifice
Hebrews 10:8 -10 (NKJV) Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will,O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
According to the law, the Israelites were supposed to offer burnt and sin offering in accordance to the Old Testament. Though ordained by God, the offerings and sacrifices were unsatisfactory because they were merely shadows and symbols.
When it comes to offering, it includes showing kindness and bestowing benefits.
Today, people are still using kind deeds to earn a better life in the future but the sad news is there isn’t another life on earth. It will be either eternity with or without God. We will not be able to bribe any angels with money or gold.
Hebrews 10:11-18 (NKJV) And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly 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 that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
Jesus the perfect sacrifice had done it once and for all through His blood. God will not remember our sins and lawless deeds anymore , neither do we need to do anything to benefit from His work because it is all given through the GRACE of God.
We know that the answer to the problem of mankind that separated us from God was resolved through the work of Christ. This included the Israelites’ problem too. However, they were still using the law to attempt to make themselves righteous before God whereas the Gentiles were embracing the salvation plan of God.
Therefore when Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath, they were very offended and angry. But what Jesus did was righteous and good but their hearts were blinded by legalism, self -righteousness and the tradition of men. Thus they did not believe that what Jesus did was right because it was contrary to their tradition. Their self- righteousness prevented them from coming to the Saviour.
Sermon Series: Lengthen the Cords – Our Nation
