October 2, 2020
Practice Makes Imperfect
Hebrews 10:1–18
Alan Maner
Central Truth
God's law was never about producing redemption; it was about producing reminders and repentance. When we begin to look at our inability to measure up, we begin to look up.
Key Verse | Hebrews 10:1
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.
Hebrews 10:1–18
Christ's Sacrifice Once for All
1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Consequently, when Christ 1 10:5 Greek he came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
6
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ 2 10:12 Greek this one had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16
“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”
17 then he adds,
“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Dive Deeper | Hebrews 10:1–18
One of the things I enjoy most is being at the beach on vacation with my family. However, one of the things I enjoy least is driving to the beach on vacation with my family. It's not that I don't cherish time for us all to be together on the adventure of road trips. But 11 hours . . . sitting in the same spot in a car.
So at the point on each trip when I see the sign that points to our destination finally being close, I feel excitement and relief.
But imagine if I stopped the car there, had the family get out, and told them to spend the next week trying to experience rest and joy vacationing at that road sign. It was pointing to life, but it wasn't life.
That's what Paul is trying to help me understand: The Old Testament presents the REMINDER; the New Testament presents the REDEEMER (Hebrews 10:14). The law was never going to purify Israel for required perfection (Hebrews 10:4). It was intended to keep them focused on the grotesqueness of sin and point to the needed provision of a Savior outside themselves (Hebrews 10:3).
It reminds me of a C.S. Lewis quote that says, "It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures . . . like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." Anything less than grace and we've missed EVERYTHING (Hebrews 10:18).
I am Israel. I fall into patterns of prideful self-sufficiency, instead of solely relying on Christ. My heart cheapens grace each time it minimizes or justifies my sin of control. I can prioritize "doing things" I believe are pleasing to God over simply pursuing Him. And every time I do, I miss out on life He promises. Thanks be to our God whose "[mercies] are new every morning." (Lamentations 3:23)
Discussion Questions
1. Do you recognize Israel in yourself, falling into the error that there is something you can offer to God in exchange for His grace and redemption?
2. What are the areas of your life—your patterns, priorities, pursuits, and pitfalls—where God would say to you that He has "taken no pleasure" (Hebrews 10:6)? What is your next faithful step to change them? Humbly ask a friend or your community group to help you answer that and share with them what the Lord reveals to you.
3. Is the picture you have of God when you think about Him truly as a loving Father who says to you He "will remember [your] sins and lawless deeds no more" (Hebrews 10:17)? If not, what is it? What do you believe is beyond His forgiveness and why? Have you asked Him (i.e., confessed sin)?
4. The sacrificial system was intended to be a constant, vivid illustration of the grotesqueness of sin, and yet, by God's grace, He did away with it (Hebrews 10:9). Does its absence result in gratitude and celebration of grace, or does it produce "cheap" grace in which sin is easier to overlook?