“Blood Sacrifice at the Cross”
SERMON Title: Blood Sacrifice at the Cross
SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 10:1-14 (NLT)
Introduction:
The Bible shows two different aspects of blood: the senseless blood of war and the redemptive blood of sacrifice. There are many stories of the former caused by our sin, but we should remember that the later blood sacrifices come with a very loving purpose, especially the blood sacrifice and redemptive work of Jesus on the cross.
Overview:
The writer of Hebrews previously made a case for the supremacy of Jesus by contrasting Him to important people and traditions of the Old Testament days: Jesus is the better prophet, the better high priest, the ultimate tabernacle, and the better covenant. Now the writer argues that Jesus was the better and ultimate sacrifice.
Animal blood sacrifices were established in Leviticus by God as a way for the people of Israel to atone for their sins. God established this system so that God could dwell with his people He loved for the Holy God cannot be in the presence of sin.
However, the sacrificial system only atoned for sins - it did not take away sins (v. 4). If the sacrificial system took away people’s sins, there wouldn’t be a need to continually offer sacrifices (v.1-2). God established this system not as a permanent fix to people’s sin, but as a foreshadow to the ultimate redemptive actions of Jesus. Once Jesus came and died on the cross, He offered a single sacrifice for all sins (Himself) that sanctified all of God’s people. And we have been perfected by this sacrifice forever (v. 14).
Application:
We don’t provide animal sacrifices anymore, but we offer other tributes to cover our sins. Maybe it’s trying to accomplish more in life, achieve higher status, earn more money, meet beautiful people, or shroud our consciousness in addiction. However, there is no amount of sacrifices we can make that can take away our sins that we struggle with.
But Jesus is the only person that knows how to wash us from our sins, and He already did that through his death on the cross. All He asks you to do is trust in Him alone. He did this as the most ultimate act of love to let us experience a true relationship with God again.
Sermon reflection questions:
For any sins that you struggle with, how do you respond when you do that sin? How are you covering your sin?
The Bible says that the blood of Jesus is enough to completely take away our sins. Is this something you believe or struggle to believe? Why?
What are ways you can encourage each other this week?
