“The Heavenly Will”

Scripture: Hebrews 10:1-18

Last week, we considered the power and promise that comes in the blood of Jesus Christ – that it is the evidence that is offered on behalf of the new covenant that we now have. The first covenant was made in the blood of animals, and had to be renewed over and over again. The second was made in divine blood – that of Jesus Christ – and therefore was made once and for all, never needing to be reenacted or refreshed.
Today, we look to the reason and purpose for that holy offering of Divine Blood.

Read Hebrews 10:1-7

“The law is only a shadow of the good things to come – not the good things themselves.” Does this mean that we can ignore the law? Not on your life! Scripture says that it is a “shadow” of that which is coming, not a perversion of it, not a false representation of it. A shadow is not an exact replica of the original, but it can’t exist without that image. A shadow can, of course, have other images imposed on it without the viewer being able to easily differentiate which is which. But no matter how distorted the shadow may be, the original image is still there, and with skillful study, can be discerned.

But the imperfect law and the imperfect sacrifice continue to be strictly followed by many today. But now that we have moved into the 21st century, and now that we have a new covenant in Jesus Christ, shouldn’t we see both the law and sacrifice as no longer pertinent? Aren’t they obsolete? Aren’t we, who are in Christ Jesus, allowed to reject the law and sacrifice? Again, no. Much of the law is still relevant for our lives, and sacrifice must still be a part of our Christian walk. But the law that we follow must be in sync with the teachings of Jesus Christ, and our sacrifice is no longer made in animal blood and grains, but rather in those things that we need to remove from our life. The “shadow” of law, as imperfect as it may be, is still the best guide that we have until the day when the Christ returns.
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, .. with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.” It is no longer about the things that we can do – it is about what Jesus Christ has already finished for us.

Read Hebrews 10:8-10

“Here I am, I have come to do your will.” (v. 9)

The author Paul Jones wrote:
At the heart of [life] is the bottom line to every account: [and it reads] overdrawn. All that is left to offer are the empty hands of a derelict spirit. That is precisely what Jesus did -- not as a hero, but as a broken reed, a dampened wick. In so doing, it was a perfect sacrifice, not as 'full and sufficient,' but as broken and empty -- and thus enough.
--W. Paul Jones, Theological Worlds: Understanding the Alternative Rhythms of Christian Belief (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989), 213.

It was God’s Will, his Divine Will, that Jesus should come into this world and empty himself , surrender himself to the world’s hate and spite, and he did it solely for our benefit. Human made sacrifice can never do what a God created gift will do. In Genesis 15, The Lord calls Abram to make a sacrifice of 5 animals - a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove and a pigeon. He was to cut the first three in half, and laid them out opposite each other and beside the other two. And in the darkness, the Lord speaks to Abram and tells him of all that will come to be for his descendents, and then the Lord, seen as a smoking fire pot, moved between the pieces. The significance of this act is that God makes the covenant, and then in preparing the blood and walking through it, he is saying that this is the covenant, and even though it will be stretched and violated and dragged to the breaking point by the people, he will be the sacrifice (he will walk in his own blood), to set all things back on track.
It is only God’s Will that can always trump our sin, and this is why Jesus said “Here I am, I have come to do your will.”

Read Hebrews 10:11-18

Did you hear that – that because of Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary, those who believe in him have been made perfect and holy. Perfect and Holy! A lot of folks I know struggle with that concept – are there any “strugglers” here today? We’re told over and over that only God is perfect, that only God is holy, but now we read that those descriptives just might pertain to us!
But please don’t equate the earthly concept of perfection with the heavenly one. On earth, “perfection” means no blemishes, no faults, no mistakes, no weakness, no sin, and the word “holy” is used to define only God, and by these definitions, we are neither! But in God’s eyes, all who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have been made as thought we are perfect, and have been granted access to the throne of God, a place where only the holy can go to worship the Almighty.
In Christ and through his redemptive forgiveness, we are perfect in the sight of God, and we are holy in Divine eyes, and we can never deny that. It is by his blood that we have been perfectly cleansed, and by his grace, we have been justified, or in other words, vindicated of our imperfections. It has nothing to do with anything that we have done or anything that we are or have been. It is completely and solely about Jesus, and what he has done for us, and what he has become for us!

So what does that mean for our lives? James Chase writes:
It is time to ask a very important question, and it's time to seek the answer. What does God really want of you? Have you ever wondered? Perhaps you have heard the church talk about surrender and sacrifice. Do you understand what surrendering to God means? Do you know what Paul means when he writes about presenting ourselves as living sacrifices before God (Romans 12:1-2)?

In human terms, surrender means give up or give in. Maybe you've surrendered to your friends' influences from time to time. You know, God wants us to surrender, too. God wants us to surrender to his influence. When we do this, we don't lose: We win! When we give up control of our lives, God gives back some incredible gifts. You have been given very special and unique gifts, and [the Lord] wants you to develop them. It's true! You have hopes and dreams, right? God wants you to tell him about them! God wants you to trust him! God will work in your heart to bring focus to your dreams and hopes, showing you how to maximize your spiritual gifts to their greatest potential.
--James A. Chase, What Does God Want of You? January 6, 1999, www.integrityonline12.com.

Think of it this way - when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, the judgment that we receive and the sentence that is pronounced are ones of “perfection and holiness”. And it is only by this “sentence” that we can come into the Lord’s glory. And you just might be wondering why God would go to such great lengths and to such extremes to bless us. That’s a pretty good question, and the only answer that I have is “Because he wants to!” It is God’s Blessed Will for our lives!

And what are we to do about it?
First, we don’t take our new life as a Christian for granted. We can never live our life in the attitude that “Well, now I’m saved, so I don’t have to worry about church any longer.” The truth is that for the new Christian, church has only begun! It takes on a whole new meaning, and will lead us in a whole new direction.
Second, it means that we must now share our faith and joy with others. All too often people seem to be afraid to tell others about Jesus, or they may simply think that they don’t have to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and this is a terrible mistake. It’s true that Jesus died for us, but he also died for “them”. And if they never hear what your new life in him has brought, why should they ever give the Lord a second thought? If you love the Lord, and appreciate all that he has won for you, why wouldn’t you want to tell others?
Third, we can never think that we know everything that we need to know. We have only begun to learn about the Father and his Son and his Spirit. Study and growth and service must be seen as lifelong efforts, because getting to know Jesus is not a simple thing. We have to get closer and closer to his will, every moment of every day.

A new covenant, a new way, a new high priest and a new sacrifice – all by the hand of God, and offered at no cost to us! A holy and eternal gift from God, not out of obligation, but out of the all consuming love and will that he has shown to us. How can anyone say “No thank you” to a gift like that? How can anyone turn their backs on God’s blessing? How can anyone say it doesn’t work for them?
It is the only hope that the world can truly count on.