In this 2-part sermon, One Sacrifice For Ever of the Better: Key to Understanding the Old Testament series, we learn about true sacrifice at the cross of Jesus Christ. The true sacrifice that was pictured by the animal sacrifices for thousands of years was made and completed when Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished.” And it is. Learn about this fascinating biblical truth in this 2-part sermon:

Part 1: This Page

Part 2: Watch on YouTube

Part 1 Key Verses:
Hebrews 10:1-10

I ask you to take your Bible, if you will, and turn with me now to Hebrews chapter 10, Hebrews chapter 10. God willing, we’ll be looking at verses 1 through 10 this evening. But to begin with, I want us just to look at that 10th verse. That is the theme that we want to emphasize this evening, Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 10, where the writer of Hebrews penned:

Hebrews 10:10: “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

I want to call your attention to those last three words: “once for all,” one sacrifice forever.

Book of Hebrews: Better

I want to remind you before we get into the text proper tonight that “better” is the key word in the Book of Hebrews. There are 13 chapters in The Book of Hebrews, and guess how many times the word “better” appears? Thirteen. Thirteen times, you find the word “better.”

They say, “Well, I do. I find it in every chapter.” Actually, you don’t. It’s twice in one chapter, but yes, 13 times the word “better” is in the Book of Hebrews. There are 13 chapters, so it works out numerically to once per chapter.

I’m going to give you a quick rundown, and I do plan to be quick with this, of what the Book of Hebrews teaches us is better. In chapter one, verse four, Jesus Christ is better than the angels. In chapter 6:9, there are better things that accompany salvation. Better than what? Better than things that have happened before.

In chapter 7:7, Jesus Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek and is better than the priest of the Aaronic order. He predates the law, and they are ordained under the law. He is eternal, and they are temporary. He is the Lord from Heaven, and they are men. His sacrifice is what all of their sacrifices pictured. So, in four different ways in that chapter, He is better than the Aaronic priest.

In chapter 7:19, He brings a better hope of access to God than the priest under the law. A couple of verses later, in chapter 7:22, He is the surety of a better Testament. The New Testament is better than the Old Testament. In chapter 8:6, Jesus Christ is the mediator of a better covenant established on better promises in the old covenant.

By the way, we’re not saying that the Old Testament is not God’s Word. We’re not saying that it’s devalued. We’re declaring what the Bible says. In chapter 9:23, we learn that the true tabernacle and the true altar are in Heaven, and they are purified with better sacrifices than the earthly tabernacle and the earthly altar. In chapter 10:24, the treasure that we have in Heaven is better than any treasure we could have on Earth, and Jesus had already said that. In Luke 12:33 and 34, He said:

Luke 12:33: “Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.”

Luke 12:34: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Hebrews 11:16, Abraham and Sarah were called to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go to a land that God would show them, and yet it tells us that they, Abraham and Sarah and their descendants who followed them with faith in the promises made to Abraham, look for “a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” This country and city are said to be better. Than what? Better than the earthly land of Israel.

We’re not speaking badly about the land of Israel, but there’s a better country, a heavenly country, and better than the earthly city of Jerusalem because we’re told that there is a New Jerusalem. Again, we’re not saying the Old Testament is no good. Throw it out. We’re not saying Israel’s no good. Throw it out. Jerusalem’s no good. Throw it out. We’re not saying that. We’re saying that God tells us of even better things.

Hebrews 11:35 tells us that through faith, Old Testament believers suffered greatly so that “they might receive a better resurrection.” Who receives a better resurrection? These Old Testament believers. In chapter 11:40, no one is made perfect apart from the faith, from faith in the Savior. There is no other way. There has never been another way to be saved other than faith, faith in the Savior. Chapter 12:24, the blood of Jesus Christ is the blood of the New Covenant, “and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” Abel, whose blood cried out from the ground.

So, we get to the rest of chapter 10 and chapters 11 and 12. We’ll take a closer look at some of these things, but once again, I want to remind you that the epistle to the Hebrews is the key to understanding the Old Testament.

Be Ye Perfect

Now, with that in mind, look at chapter 10 and verse one, it says:

Hebrews 10:1: “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.”

There are several things that are said to us in that first verse. Number one: the law is but a shadow of good things to come. What does that mean? Well, when the lighting is just right, and it has to be just right for this to happen. But when the lighting is just right, you may be able to see the shadow of someone approaching before you ever see the person. Now, again, it’s not always going to be the case. But if the lighting’s just right, that does happen.

Now, that shadow, of course, is not the actual person, but it’s an indication that that person is near and that their arrival is near. They’re coming, and they’ll be here very soon. They have to be if you see their shadow. I don’t think anybody has a mile-long shadow, and so, when you see their shadow, you’re going to see them in just about a second.

So, what the verse is saying here, in the beginning, is that the sacrifices made in obedience to the law continually year by year could never make those who presented these offerings perfect. Look at it if you will, “For the law having a shadow of good things to come,” – it was the 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.”

The law could never do it. There was never a time, never a hope, when the law could make people perfect. But in Matthew 5:48, Jesus said:

Matthew 5:48: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

Now, the word “perfect” found in Matthew 5:48, and the word “perfect” in Hebrews 10:1, there’s actually a little difference in the two Greek words. They’re the same root word, a little difference in the two Greek words, but they both carry the same meaning, and that is something that is complete, something that is pure, something that has matured, it has grown to its perfection, and something that is lacking in no manner whatsoever, lacking nothing. There’s nothing that could be added to it, nothing needs to be added to it, nothing can be added to it – that’s perfect.

Now, how perfect is Jesus telling us to be? Let’s think about it again:

Matthew 5:48: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

How perfect is that? How complete? How mature? How in need of nothing is that? That’s being as perfect as the Holy Almighty God is. Do you wonder then why in both the Psalms and in the Book of Romans it says, “There’s none righteous, no not one”? The word “righteous” comes very close to the same meaning as perfect. Of course, it says, “There’s none righteous no not one.” How can we be as perfect as God himself?

If the Law Could Make Perfect

Now, look at verse two: “For then,” – if the law could have made people perfect, “For then would they not have ceased to be offered?” Now, you think about that. If the Old Testament sacrifices could have made anybody perfect, why would you keep doing them? They had yearly sacrifices, and that’s the emphasis of this passage’s message. But they also had daily sacrifices. And if you gave a sin offering, whether you’re talking about the yearly offering or a daily offering, you give a sin offering, and that was sufficient. Well, you can just walk away as happy as can be and know that that sin is already paid for, and there’s no more penalty for it. Nothing bad’s going to happen, and you’re in great shape. But notice what it says. We didn’t finish verse two.

Hebrews 10:2: “For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.”

Not only would they be forgiven, they wouldn’t even remember their own sin. They wouldn’t even think about it. Why? Covered, pay for it if those sacrifices would do it.

Now, that brings up a question. The question is, if the sacrifices and offerings made according to the law could not make anyone righteous, what was the point of making those sacrifices? Why even do it at all? We said it’d be great if you could just make those sacrifices, and that’s it. No more penalty, nothing to do, it’s covered, it’s gone. But if that’s not true, and it’s telling us here that it isn’t, then why make them at all? Well, the key to that is back in verse one where it says:

Hebrews 10:1: “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.”

So, it’s a shadow, it’s a prefiguring, it’s a vision, if you will, of things to come.

A Reminder of Sin

Look at verse three:

Hebrews 10:3: “But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.”

In other words, the old sacrifice, instead of taking those sins out of your conscience, you get reminded of them every time you have to come and make another sacrifice. You remember again your sins. So, they would know again with every sacrifice that they were making atonement for their sins. Now, there’s a difference between an atonement and a payment in full. And we’ll say more about that in a moment.

But even on the Day of Atonement, when the high priest goes in to confess his own sin, make a sacrifice for himself, and then he would go in to make a sacrifice for the people. Even then, there’s a remembrance of sin because it is an atonement. An atonement is a covering. Therefore, the sins are brought to remembrance each time the sacrifices are made. Those sacrifices were shadows and not the good things to come. So, those sacrifices pictured and pointed to the real sacrifice.

Sacrifices Could Not Erase Sin

Now, in verse four, “For it is not possible,” – watch this carefully:

Hebrews 10:4: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”

Do you understand what that’s saying? It’s not possible. There is no possibility that those animal sacrifices ever took away sin. They covered it and put it out of sight temporarily, but they never erased it. It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin. The blood of animals, which are not created in the image of God, could never pay for the sins of human beings who are created in the image of God.

And those blood sacrifices, again, shadows of the things to come, when the true Lamb of God would offer His sacrifice. John the Baptist was out one day. You’ll read about this in John chapter one, and he was with his disciples, and he saw Jesus coming. He pointed to Jesus, and John said to his own disciples, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” At least two of his disciples left him and began to follow Jesus. One of them was Andrew, and Andrew, in that same passage we’re told, went out and got his brother Simon, later called Peter. Andrew brought him, Simon Peter, to Jesus.

We have our soul-winning group that goes out, and we call it the Witness Club. I won’t take time to explain that name to you right now, but there’s a reason behind it. I know in many churches, they call that an Andrew Club. Why do they call it the Andrew Club? Well, the first thing Andrew did after he got saved, after he started following the Lord, was go out and get his brother and bring him to Jesus. Calling it an Andrew Club is not a bad idea, not a bad idea at all. Andrew sets a wonderful example for us.

God’s Blood Sacrificed

But then I want you to notice something else in verse five:

“Wherefore,” – because of everything that’s been said in verses one to four. “Wherefore when he cometh into the world,” – now you got to stop and ask yourself who is the “he” in this verse, “when he cometh into the world”? Well, there’s only one “He” that this could refer to, and it’s referring to the Lord Jesus Christ because He is the only one who could make an offering that would be great enough to take away the sins of human beings. He’s the only one who would be greater than any and all of the animals and greater than any and all of the human beings and could possibly make the sacrifice to a holy God. He is the one who came. He’s the one who Paul describes in Acts 20:28 when he says:

Acts 20:28: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

Who’s the “he” in that verse? That’s God. “So, you’re saying that the blood that was shed on the cross was the blood of God?” Actually, I’m not saying that Paul said it in Acts 20:28. But look what he did say. Look at verse 5 again:

Hebrews 10:5: “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:”

A couple of things I want you to notice there. First thing he says, “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not.” God was not satisfied with those sacrifices and offerings. All those sacrifices and offerings, again, were shadows of things to come. He says, “But a body hast thou prepared me.”

Fashioned as a Man

Now, follow me carefully here. God had to become a man so that He could die. “I don’t know, preacher, prove that.” Thank you, I’m going to. The Savior, the Son of God, existed before His incarnation, that is, before He became a man. Now, some people who debate that say, “Well, no. He just came into existence when the baby was born in Bethlehem.” That’s not true. It’s not true. “Well, give me some evidence of that.” Okay, listen to Philippians 2:5-8, and I’d suggest you read it carefully later on. Philippians 2:5-8, you’ve heard it, you’ve read it, you know it, where Paul writes:

Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”

Philippians 2:6: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:”

Only God can be equal with God. So, let’s back up and think about that again:

Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”

Philippians 2:6: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:”

Philippians 2:7: “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”

Philippians 2:8: “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

“Being found in fashion as a man.” What a wonderful mystery that is that God, who is eternal, took on a human body and is at the same time 100% God. Equal with God and yet with a human body. That’s not all:

Philippians 2:7: “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”

Philippians 2:8: “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Now, remember that last part: He “became obedient.” Did He have to become obedient? Well, yes and no. Could He have chosen not to be obedient? He could have because He has the supreme authority, but He did become obedient. Now, why? Well, look again, if you will, at the verse here.

Hebrews 10:5: “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:”

In John chapter 4 and verse 24, Jesus is meeting with the woman at the well. You know that story. He asks her for water, and then He tells her, “If you’d known who you were talking to, you would have asked me, and I would have given you the water of life. You’d never thirst again.” She says, “I want some of that.” But He began to tell her more and she said, “Well, I know when the Messiah comes, He’s going to tell us all things.” And He said to her, “I that speak unto thee am He.” And she put her faith in Him.

Spirit Cannot Die

But in John 4:24, Jesus said to that woman:

John 4:24: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

Now, a spirit cannot die in the sense that a human body can die. “Why did you say it that way?” Well, we know that Satan himself, who is a spirit, and his followers ultimately will be cast in the Lake of Fire, which we’re told is the second death.”

What is death? Death itself is separation. That second death is eternal separation from God. Now, notice we said eternal separation. There’s no end to that. The people who are there are not separated from God for a hundred years or a thousand years or 100 thousand years or a million years. They’re separated eternally.

But physical death, and follow me on this, is the separation of our spirit from our body. Now, a spirit, in that sense, cannot die. So, God had to take on a human body in order to be able to die. And so, He says, “A body hast thou prepared me.”

“Well, I’m not convinced yet.” Alright, listen to Psalm 8 verses 4 and 5, listen carefully. David wrote this, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” He’s talking to the Lord. He says,

Psalm 8:4: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”

Lord, you’re so great. Why do you even think about little old human beings down here on the earth? Why we’re nothing compared to you. We’re just specks of dust, and yet you think about us.

Psalm 8:4: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”

You come and visit us. Why would the Creator, the King of the Universe, even bother to visit with us? But David went on to say this about man, “For thou hast made him.” Who? Man.

Psalm 8:5: “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.”

Now, that’s interesting. But factor in Psalm 8:4-5, Hebrews 2:9, where it says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels.” Isn’t that the same thing that David wrote about mankind?

Psalm 8:4: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”

“Thou has made him a little lower than the angels,” – lower in the creative order. It’s interesting. But then, Hebrews 2:9, again, says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels.” What does that mean? It means He became a man, a little lower than the angels. Why? Why would He do that? Listen to Hebrews 2:9 again. You can look it up. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.” So that He could die, and He’s “crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

Why did He take on that human body? So that He could taste death for every man. Now, that’s Hebrews chapter 2:9. So, it was absolutely necessary that God would take on a human body in order to die for the sins of mankind.

Sacrifices Don’t Save Souls

Now, look at verse six:

Hebrews 10:6: “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.”

Those sacrifices were only symbolic. It could never satisfy the standard of a holy God. They made sacrifices hundreds and hundreds of sacrifices every year. They made thousands of sacrifices because the years turned into centuries and the centuries into millennia, and they made thousands and thousands of sacrifices. And if you add all of those up, what does it say? It says in verse six:

Hebrews 10:6: “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.”

Back in verse four, it says it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin; it can’t happen, not enough. Verse seven:

Hebrews 10:7: “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”

Hebrews 10:8: “Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;”

Hebrews 10:9: “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.”

Verses 7 and 9 reference Psalm 40, verses 6-8, where it says this:

Psalm 40:6: “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.”

Psalm 40:7: “Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,”

Psalm 40:8: “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”

What is he saying? The sacrifices of all those animals never made the giver righteous, not for one second. No soul was saved by those animals. No soul could be saved by those animals. Well, how do you know that? Well, we just read it. Look at verse four:

Hebrews 10:4: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”

Can’t happen, it is never sufficient.

The Better Sacrifice

But that brings us to verse 10, where we started.

“By the which will,” – what will? Well, verse nine:

Hebrews 10:9: “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.”

What does that mean? The better sacrifice takes away the animal sacrifices. We said Wednesday night or two ago, why do they not give animal sacrifice anymore? And if you ask most rabbis, they would tell you, and there’s truth in what they say, “Well, we don’t have a temple now.”

I’ve heard, and I think I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, I’ve heard that they’ve begun on high holy days in Jerusalem to make sacrifices again. I don’t know that to be a fact, but that’s what I’ve heard. I’ve not seen it, just heard about it. But whether that is fact or not the real reason why we don’t have animal sacrifices anymore is they’re not needed. Those things serve their purpose. That purpose is long since finished. No reason to continue because the true sacrifice has been made.

Look again at verse 10, “By the which will we are sanctified,” set apart and cleansed and set apart for God’s service; that’s what sanctified means.

Hebrews 10:10: “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

One sacrifice forever. No need for any other sacrifices. None of those other sacrifices was anything more than a shadow, a prefiguring, a picture, if you will, of better things to come, good things to come.

What is that? The true sacrifice at the cross of Jesus Christ. The true sacrifice that was pictured by the animal sacrifices for thousands of years was made and completed. Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished.” And it is. He made the one sacrifice to take away the shadow of good things to come and to bring us the good things of salvation, sanctification, and more through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all. We have our salvation, our sins can be forgiven, and we need no other sacrifice.

An old hymn writer says, “I need no other sacrifice, I need no other plea; It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.” And that is enough, once for all, one sacrifice forever.

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Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the truth of your Word. Thank you for giving us your Word so that we can read it and understand it. And thank you for helping us with our understanding.

Forgive us, Lord, any pride or any other issues that would cause us not to understand. And, Lord, help us first of all to be thankful to you for that which you’ve given us. Secondly, help us to be faithful messengers of the truth that saves souls and gives eternal life, transforms lives, here on Earth.

Lord, bless each person here tonight. Help us to go out of here and serve you and bring us back together again in your fellowship. We do ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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