HEBREWS 20


     We will begin this lesson in 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 is such a difference in the shadow, and the real, that the
shadow comes from. A shadow is a distorted view of the real thing the
shadow comes from. These sacrifices were no different. These
sacrifices of the blood of animals could not do away with sin. They
could only cover the sin. Day of Atonement is the sacrifice mentioned
above, when the high priest went into the holy of holies with the
blood of an animal for his sins and the sins of the people. For this
particular sacrifice, he wore nothing but his white linen garment from
head to foot. The plainness of the garment, itself, was telling God
that we have nothing within ourselves to offer God. Our only
righteousness is in God's forgiving heart. Truly even the garment was
symbolic of the robes which the Christians will wear in heaven. They
are white because they have been washed in the blood of the
Lamb.  Colossians 2:17 "Which are a shadow of things to come; but the
body [is] of Christ." We see here that all the ceremonies were a
shadow of Jesus' great sacrifice for us.

     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."

     We see clearly that this sacrifice of animal blood on the day of
Atonement, did not clear the conscience of the person offering the
sacrifice. The sin was still there, it was just covered. It seems that
every year, when they sacrificed, they still had the sins of previous
years on their conscience. The blood of Jesus washes the sin of the
people away, and clears their conscience. Look at the following
prophesies of what Jesus' sacrifice did for all of us. Psalms 103:12
" As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our
transgressions from us." Isaiah 43:25 "I, [even] I, [am] he that
blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not
remember thy sins." Isaiah 44:22 "I have blotted out, as a thick
cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me;
for I have redeemed thee."  Micah 7:19 "He will turn again, he will
have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt
cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."  You can easily see
from this that there is no comparison, between what the sacrifice of
these animals' blood could do, and what  the sacrifice of Jesus'
blood could do.

     Hebrews 10:3 "But in those [sacrifices there is] a remembrance
again [made] of sins every year."

     Exodus 30:10 "And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of
it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements:
once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your
generations: it [is] most holy unto the LORD."  The big problem with
this type of sacrifice is that there was no new birth in the person
sacrificing, and they went right back into sin after they sacrificed.
Notice in the following Scripture the fear that goes along with the
remembrance of their past sins. I Kings 17:18 "And she said unto
Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come
unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?"  What a
tremendous difference in their atonement and ours through the blood of
Jesus Christ. Matthew 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new
testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."  This
prophecy in Scripture of the great sacrifice Jesus made for us
explains it so well. Jeremiah 31:34 "And they shall teach no more
every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the
LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the
greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity,
and I will remember their sin no more."

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

     Remember here that neither can the blood of a mere man. If Jesus
was no more than a mere man, then you and I are headed for hell. The
blood of Jesus was pure, undefiled blood. So many people are saying
that Jesus was just a man when He walked on the earth; if He was we
who have trusted in His blood saving us would be lost. Jesus was born
of a virgin. The Holy thing within Her was the Spirit of the Living
God. GOD THE WORD took on the form of flesh and dwelt among us.
Matthew 1:23 "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring
forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being
interpreted is, God with us." The blood of animals and man is defiled.
This blood shed at Calvary was the blood of the sinless Son of God.
Look at the next few Scriptures and see just how angry God had gotten
at the people for their sacrifices without true repentance. Isaiah
1:11 "To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices unto me?
saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat
of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of
lambs, or of he goats." Isaiah 1:12 "When ye come to appear before me,
who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?" Isaiah 1:13
"Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the
new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with;
[it is] iniquity, even the solemn meeting." Isaiah 1:14 "Your new
moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble
unto me; I am weary to bear [them]." Isaiah 1:15 "And when ye spread
forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make
many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood."  You can
easily see from this that God was fed up with their form of religion
without their heart being in it. We should take a warning from this.
In the 3rd chapter of 2 Timothy we read of a similar happening in the
last days. Men having a form of religion; we are warned to turn away.

     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:"

     The He, spoken of here, is Jesus. He took on the form of a body,
that He might take our sin on that body. The body of Jesus Christ
which took our sin on His body died on the cross. In a figure, sin
died on that cross for all who look to Him for salvation. Jesus
defeated sin for the Christian on the cross, just as He defeated
death, for the Christian, when He rose again. Sacrifice and offering
would have been sufficient, if it had changed the heart of the one
doing the sacrifice. It did not bring new birth and could not do away
with sin, so the person sacrificing went right back into the sinful
way of life, until the next day of Atonement. We see that the law
could not, and would not, free man from his sinful nature, so God sent
us a better plan in His Son Jesus. I Timothy 3:16 "And without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the
flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

     Hebrews 10:6 "In burnt offerings and [sacrifices] for sin thou
hast had no pleasure."

     God was not disappointed with the sacrifice, as much as He was
with the attitude of the people, when they sacrificed. To obey is
better than sacrifice. I Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD
[as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying
the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice,
[and] to hearken than the fat of rams."

     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."

     We know that the desire of Jesus was to do the will of the
Father. He was obedient even to the death on the cross. Matthew 26:39
"And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed,
saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou [wilt]."  To be the Christian
that we should be, we too, must say, not my will O Lord, but thy will
be done in me.


















                             Questions 20

1.  What is the law called in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 1?
2.  How often was the sacrifice in Chapter 10 verse 1 done?
3.  What was it called?
4.  What is a shadow?
5.  What was the only thing the sacrifice of an animal's blood could
    do?
6.  What did the high priest wear, when he offered the blood of the
    animal for his sins and for the peoples' sin in the holy of
    holies?
7.  What did the plainness of this garment symbolize?
8.  What were all the ceremonies conducted in the temple symbolic of?
9.  Why was the conscience of the person sacrificing not cleared?
10. How far away does Jesus put our sin, that He died for, from us?
11. Where does it say that our sin is blotted out?
12. Why are these Scriptures about Jesus' sacrifice found in the Old
    Testament?
13. Where is the specific Scripture telling the Hebrews that they were
    to sacrifice once a year for the sins of the people?
14. What was wrong with this type of sacrificing animals?
15. In first Kings chapter 17 verse 18 what makes the woman afraid?
16. In what prophetic book do we find the promise that all of them
    will know God and He will remember their sins no more?
17. What is another thing we should remember when we read that the
    blood of animals cannot do away with sin?
18. If Jesus were no more than mere man, what would happen to us at
    our death?
19. What makes Jesus' blood different?
20. What name means, God with us?
21. In Isaiah chapter 1 how does God feel about the animal sacrifices?
22. This was a form of religion without what in it?
23. What are we warned of in 2 Timothy chapter 3?
24. Why did Jesus take on the form of a body for His stay on earth?
25. At what point did Jesus defeat sin?
26. At what point did Jesus defeat death?
26. What would have made the sacrifice and offerings acceptable unto
    God?
27. Where do we find the Scripture that tells us to obey is better
    than sacrifice?
28. Quote Hebrews chapter 10 verse 7.
29. What lesson can Christians learn from this?