Sacrifices to Avoid, To Embrace & To Offer

Take your Bibles this morning and turn with me to Hebrews chapter 3. I'll be reading verses 1 through 19. You follow. Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. remember those who are in prison as though in prison with them and those who are mistreated since you also are in the body let marriage be held in honor among all and let the marriage bed be undefiled for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous keep your life free from love of money and be content with what you have for he has said I will never leave you nor forsake you so we can confidently say the Lord is my helper, I will not fear.

What can man do to me? Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods which have not benefited those devoted to them.

We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.

For here we have no lasting city but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Obey your leaders and submit to them for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account.

Let them do this with joy and not with groaning for that would be of no advantage to you. Pray for us for we are sure that we for we are sure that we have a clear conscience desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. Let's pray. O God of heaven, we come now to your word that enlivens us, your word that communicates grace to us, your word that brings to us Jesus again and again.

And we pray that today it would have its effect on our hearts, that we might be strengthened by grace, and that we too might serve you well. So help us, Lord, not just to learn something today, but that it might change us in the way we think and what we do. For your glory, help us now in these next few minutes. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, here we are again. standing in the last chapter of the book of Hebrews, of this magnificent book.

And the pastor who's written this exhortation now adds this epilogue. What kind of an epilogue would you write with a book like this? What would you be saying? How would you wrap it up? Here he is as he reviews the magnificent themes of this book about Jesus as being superior, as Jesus our only hope, and the fact that we must remain true and loyal to him.

What would you say? What does he say? Well, as you look at it, what he does is he distills down for us some distinctives and directives. That is, distinctives. Because of what Jesus has done, what's going to make us distinctive in the world? How will we look in this world?

And then some directives. A few directives as well. with all this in mind, all that Jesus has done, and how we must remain loyal to him, what are the last few directives that he tells us? What should we be doing? Here's what he said so far. He said you need to be loving and hospitable people to brothers and strangers and those who suffer. He says that those around us should see pure marriages. he says even if you're in financial distress because of your faith you must remain free from the love of money and you're free from the love of money if you believe that God is always with you and will never forsake you he says to us you will listen to your shepherds and seek to live holy lives that they model and now in the section our text that we are today verses 8 through 16 let's look at that again verse 8 jesus christ is the same yesterday and today and forever do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace not by foods which have not benefited those devoted to them we have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp so jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured for here we have no lasting city but we seek the city that is to come through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to god that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his names do not neglect to do good and to share what you have for such sacrifices are pleasing to God What does he tell us in our text Let me tell you the four things he tells us in this text First of all, put your trust in Jesus.

Put your trust in Jesus. Next, avoid useless sacrifices. And then embrace the powerful sacrifice. And finally, offer the necessary sacrifices. So these are the four things he tells us in his text. Here's the first, trust in Jesus.

Put your trust in Jesus. Now he's saying this in the context of change. Change seems to be woven into the fabric of life. And have you noticed the heartbreak, the confusion, the anger, and the despair that happens because of change, primarily because of people changing? Your friend sobs to you and says, Frank was such a kind and gentle man I never thought he would end up being such a harsh and cruel husband and father.

People get angry because the governor who was once so strongly pro-life now seems to be pro-transgender. The pastor you counted on whose advice and teaching helped you navigate through life is dead. He's gone. And the ministry you once supported all those years now seems more interested in politics than planting churches life is full of changes in a world of flux where people and things you counted on seem to have no permanence where do you find help and hope where do you find help and hope well our pastor writer says to you look to Jesus you can trust Jesus he never changes he's the same yesterday and today and forever now it seems that maybe this idea of Jesus being unchanging just popped into his head and he decided to jot it down before he forgot it but I think he's he's mentioned this because he's just talked about the leaders they've had who are gone who have gone before them as we saw as we talked about that that verse some weeks ago they're gone these are pastors of a previous generation the ones who were your anchor who helped you navigate life through their teaching and the lives that that they live they're gone and so he says there's no reason to lose hope because jesus is the same yesterday today and forever leaders may change but jesus remains the same and you need to keep that in mind in the ensuing year right leaders may change but jesus remains the same the source of hope comes from Jesus.

He is our source of hope always. He remains that source of your hope even when your leaders change. And listen, life still brings the same challenges that it did when this was written. The fear of death still plagues mankind. When death approaches, men try to escape it. You ever notice that?

You remember in chapter 2 he says that Jesus is the liberator of slavery, of our slavery to the fear of death men are afraid of dying and if you look around you see all kinds of things that people do in order to escape the fear of death without the gospel you know one of the main things right now is and i've been doing some research in this psychedelics psychedelics are the big thing now when it comes to end of life strategies because people can take these psychedelic drugs and they have what's called a transcendent experience so that they're no longer afraid of death it's amazing to hear some of these things there's this fear of death there's even people even seek medical treatment to the max as if they can push off death longer and longer and longer but god made jesus he says in chapter two do you remember he made jesus like us in order to deliver us from the slavery of fear of death. But no matter what man devises to escape that fear, Jesus is still the only liberator from the fear of death because he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Persecution still comes our way.

You remember in chapter 4 we talked about this. Persecution comes our way. It's hard to stand for Jesus, but what do we have? We have a high priest who cannot help but sympathize with us in our weaknesses. He knows what it's like to suffer and he will always be a sympathetic high priest because he is the same yesterday and today and forever. At times you say my sin is so great how do I approach God?

How can I even go to God? I've done it again. I've fallen. I can't do it. How can I go to God? Well, here's why.

Because Jesus is the priest who lives forever to always make intercession for you. And he remains your intercessor because he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. You say, how can you have confidence on Judgment Day that God will not hold any of your sins ever against you? because he's told us we're under a new covenant where God makes the promise that he'll never hold your sins against you.

And who guarantees those promises? Jesus does. So how can you know that you will not answer for any of your sins on judgment day because you're under a new covenant where God's made the promise and Jesus is the guarantor and Jesus remains the same yesterday and today and forever. and so he says put your trust entirely in jesus for he what remains the same yesterday today and forever but he goes on he kind of changes on us here and he starts talking about all these sacrifices and here the first thing he tells you avoid useless sacrifices Avoid useless sacrifices Now in these verses our writer contrasts differing sacrifices verses 9 and 10 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods which have not benefited those devoted to them.

We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. He says avoid useless sacrifices. He's contrasting sacrifices in these verses. He speaks of these competing sacrifices. He tells us of strange teachings based on sacrifices that are not ours. Now how do I know that?

Because he talks about eating and foods and serving the tent. It's a reference to the old sacrificial system. In eating in particular, eating, here he's talking about these particular sacrifices called the peace offerings or the Thanksgiving offerings or the fellowship offerings. And in those offerings you would bring this animal to the priest. And what he would do is certain parts, the kidneys, the lobe of the liver and the fat, was burned on the altar as a sweet aroma to God. as if you're smelling good food coming from the kitchen.

The picture is God smells that and he's pleased with that. And then when that sacrifice is over, when that's over, then the priest and the worshiper eat a meal together from that sacrifice. They eat a meal together. Those are the peace offerings, the thanksgiving offerings, the fellowship offerings. That's what he's referring to. And they symbolize fellowship with God, between symbolize fellowship between the Lord and his people as they eat together as he joins them in that feast by the way we have something that's like that what is it called it's called the Lord's table where we meet with Jesus right but anyway that's what that was and the pastor says our our Hebrew pastor says if you devote yourself to the old system you will be carried away with strange and diverse teachings that come with it.

Now, when he says strange and diverse, he's not talking about unfamiliar, because they're very familiar with these things. When he uses the term strange and diverse teachings, he's talking about the fact that when you devote yourself to these things, the teachings then are strange and deviant. They deviate from the gospel of Jesus. they don't lead you there now that Jesus has come those sacrifices don't point they lead you away there's they they come with them strange and and diverse teachings and so they have a tendency to teach you devote yourself to these religious exercises and you will find help and hope you will find grace if you do this you will find it because these rigid these these old system this old system will bring you fellowship with and access to God the power you need to please God the power to live a holy and distinctive life and so he says these things diverge from the gospel because they try to give you grace in a way that you can't find grace and you know what nothing's changed we still have the same thing going on we still have people saying follow this prescribed method and you will have fellowship with God.

You'll have the grace you need to live for God. Follow this prescribed method. Our Catholic friends do this all the time. There's the mass. You go through the, it doesn't matter what your heart is like, you just come to mass. Eat Jesus, eat of Jesus and find grace that way, if you do it the right way.

Baptism, do it the prescribed way and you'll be right with God. Confession, come and do this thing and you'll be absolved of your sins there's these these methods that come that say here here's what you need those are strange and diverse teachings they deviate from the gospel but before we wag our finger at the catholics too much we protestants have our own methods for example i just found this the other day 40 days to a joy-filled life you want a joy-filled life read this book here's here's a description of the book you ready drawing on the core message of the New York Times best-selling. Right away that convinced me.

This is good for Christians. It made the New York Times best-selling list. Anyway, let me continue. Drawing on the core message of the New York Times best-selling The 4-8 Principle, 40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life is a fun and highly practical action plan providing readers with time-tested strategies and exercises for experiencing joy by design. God's design.

Fans of the 4-8 principle will love the fresh format and timeless reinforcements offered in 40 days to a joy-filled life, while new readers will be introduced to the life-changing power of the 4-8 principle for the first time. Right? we all can find methods that promise to communicate something to us. You can handle your grief if you only go through this method of handling the stages of grief or whatever.

And the message is put your hope in the program, the method, the religious exercise. But our writer tells us that they have no benefit. These have no benefit. They don't deliver. and he says those who do not trust Jesus saving sacrifice have no right, have no permission to eat of the benefits of that sacrifice there's no permission to draw spiritual benefit from his death because they devoted to something else that devoid of grace he says Jesus sacrifice is your altar and it strengthens your heart by grace Think about, what has he told us in this book?

Because of Jesus' work, you can draw near to the throne of grace to find grace to help you in your time of need. You don't get that through some kind of a method. Because of Jesus' work, you have the grace of a clear conscience. Your conscience is clear because of what Jesus has done, not because of some helpful self-talk that you can do. Because of Jesus' work, you can have confidence in the face of death, not because you've performed some religious duty.

You see, it's only at the altar of Jesus' death that you will find grace that strengthens your heart. So avoid useless sacrifices that drag you away with deviant teachings. Remember, Jesus is the source of your grace. Then in verses 11-14 he says, Embrace this powerful sacrifice. Embrace this powerful sacrifice. Verses 11-14 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.

So Jesus also suffered outside the camp in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore, let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Embrace the power of this powerful sacrifice. Now, he wants you to recall the great day in the Old Testament called the Day of Atonement.

We read about part of that in Leviticus 16. That's where the blood of the bull and the goat are sprinkled in order to deal with the sins of the high priest and the people of the nation of Israel. And then the body of the bull and the body of the goat that was sacrificed was taken outside of the camp, outside the camp, and burned. You heard that today.

That bull, the carcass of the bull then is taken outside the camp and it is burned. And it's taken outside the camp. That's key here. Outside the camp. Outside the camp is the realm of the unclean. It means it's the realm, it's unfit to be seen by the Lord who walks in the midst of the camp.

The Lord walks in the midst of the camp and outside the camp is the area that's unclean. Flagrant violators of the covenant were taken outside the camp and executed. It was the place of defilement and banishment from the holy presence of the Lord. That's what outside the camp. And as you read through the Old Testament, you see that. You're outside the camp.

Take him outside the camp and stone him. take the carcass outside the camp and burn it and so he says like that bull jesus offered in like manner as that bull jesus offered the final perfect sacrifice outside the gate out in that wasteland in other words the cross stood in the realm of the defiled and the banished that's where the cross was that's where Jesus was executed that's where he was but his sacrifice accomplished what those old sacrifice could never accomplish and that is finally fully sanctify a people for God you remember in the Old Testament as we saw in this very book as we've gone through this very book we saw that those Old Testament sacrifices never completely got the job done. It would take care of defilement so that they were allowed to approach God, but only for a certain time, and they had to be offered over and over and over again. You see, they could never accomplish what Jesus did, which was to accomplish the fact that now he has finally fully perfected or made us holy.

And there's nothing else we can do to be holy, to be set apart. He actually sanctified, set apart a people for God. He purged them from the defilement of sin. Have you thought this thought? That your sin brings corruption with it. you become nothing but a stinking mess in God's nostrils. But because of what Jesus has done, that spoilage, that corruption, is no longer true of you in God's sight.

You have been purged from the defilement of sin. Only Jesus could accomplish that. You are now acceptable to God. Not because of what you have done, but only because of what Jesus has done. without him you're abhorrent to god but now because of him you're pleasing to him you see isn't that marvelous news he took upon himself the sin and the guilt of his people and he absorbed the wrath of god so that as you trust in jesus you will not suffer the wrath of god not because of what you have done but because of what he has done.

You see? He has sanctified a people with his sacrifice. But note for you to receive the benefit of the sacrifice you have to go outside the camp. You have to go outside the camp to where he is in order to receive the benefit of that. But you know what that Why was Jesus sacrificed outside the camp? Because he is repudiated by his people for who he was and who he claimed to be.

And so he says, for you to receive the benefit means that your people will repudiate you because you're going to Jesus. And you must be willing to bear the reproach that Jesus does. but what's fascinating about this do you know what he's drawing a picture here he says the place of god's holy community is now in the wasteland do you see the almost the marvelous irony of that the holy community of god lives in the land of repudiation and banishment in the wasteland you say wow to be repudiated by people because i want to follow jesus but that's a pretty steep price to pay in order to get into the wasteland right that's a pretty steep price to pay. So what hope does he give us here?

What hope does he give us? For here we have no lasting city but we seek the city that is to come. Once more God reminds you of the promise of this new city. You may go outside the gate of this city but you have this promise. You can go outside the gate of this city. People will hate you.

They repudiate you. They don't want you in their city anymore. but he says so what there's a new city coming again it reminds me remember what we've learned from this book the fuel for perseverance for staying loyal to jesus when the pressure is on when the heat is applied does not come from you just gritting your teeth and gritting it out. Remember what we have learned.

The fuel for perseverance comes by faith in the promises of God. You will persevere if you believe the promises of God. And he says there's a new city coming. They may kick you out. You may leave this city, but there's a new city coming. And it's coming and you will be in that new city.

That's the promise from God. One writer put it this way. When compared to the promise of being welcomed into the coming city that abides forever to be expelled from a community that has turned its back on God's grace in Christ is no great loss you will not count it as a great loss if your heart is in that new city if you really believe something new is coming so what our writer tells us is embrace this powerful sacrifice no matter what the cost you embrace this powerful sacrifice and then the last thing he tells us in verses 15 and 16 is you need to offer the necessary sacrifices let's look at verses 15 through him that is through Jesus let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name do not neglect to do good and to share what you have for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Yes. After this entire book where he says all those old sacrifices they don't do any good. There's only one sacrifice. Then he turns around and says, by the way, you need to be offering sacrifices. Isn't that amazing? I love this part.

Believe it or not God expects you to still offer sacrifices He saying to you because of what Jesus has done you stand as priests before God to offer sacrifices God requires sacrifices from you, but they're not the old sacrifices. They're based on what Jesus says. What's the first he mentions? The sacrifice of praise. cleansed by the final and perfect sacrifice of Jesus, you now have the priestly privilege to offer sacrifices of praise to God.

The sacrifices of thanksgiving, the sacrifices of adoration, sacrifices that acknowledge Jesus as Lord, sacrifices given individually and sacrifices given corporately when we're gathered together. these praises that we can give to God, we offer to Him individually. We offer them to Him as we come together and we praise Him. These are sacrifices that are pleasing to God.

Do any of you neglect these sacrifices? Do any of you neglect these? What about singing with the congregation on the Lord's Day? Now, I sit in the front row. My back is to you. I don't see you when you worship but I can say the few times that I've been somewhere else I've seen some of you as we stand to sing stand there like this some of you refuse to sing hmm well I'm not very good at singing my voice isn't very good or I don't know I'll be embarrassed singing around these people I don't want to do that yes Jesus died for me he gives me access to the Father he sympathizes with me and my weaknesses he's purged me of sins corruption but I'm not going to make a fool of myself and sing in front of these people is that what you're thinking you need to think that listen God requires you to praise him and even even if your voice is horrible and you can't carry a tune guess what you offer it through Jesus which makes it perfect when it gets to God okay listen you know what I love singing in this congregation.

I love singing. And when you sing, what do you think you're doing? Two things are going on, by the way. We're teaching one another through our songs. And what are we doing? We are singing to God.

It's a sacrifice that he requires. Do you make a habit of praising God during the week do you make a habit of praising god during the week you should you should praise him in prayer and thanksgiving i think we don't sing or offer praise to our father because as often as we should because we don't realize all that jesus has done we we become cold and numb to it i think and we need to remember we have a whole book devoted to what jesus has done right here this this book of hebrews not to not to cause us to rejoice in god and please again notice it is offered through Jesus In our Sunday school today, we talked about how our good works are tainted by sin. Certainly they are.

And listen, I was brought up saying, unless you do it from a pure motive, it's not acceptable to God. Good night. Guess what? If that's true, I've wasted nearly 40 years of my life preaching. Because I can tell you right now often times there are mixed motives going behind this pulpit. Unless of course Pastor Andrew preaches.

Then we know that's not the case. You know, that moment that moment when you say to yourself well that was a good phrase. I hope they caught it. And then in your mind you're going, oh God. While you're talking to you, you're going, oh God, forgive me for that. Too late.

Mixed motives. Bad motive. I'm not going to take it. Is that what happens? How many things do you do perfectly motivated for the glory of God? No, they're acceptable to God through Jesus.

We offer our praise with our imperfect voices and our wandering minds through Jesus and God accepts it. so we have no excuses for not offering the sacrifice of praise but god also says don't forget to bring the sacrifices of doing good to others and sharing with others now remember he starts this chapter by talking about what hospitality right helping others and earlier we can look in throughout this book you remember in chapter 10 he talked about having compassion on those persecuted and caring for those who are in prison remember that do you remember in chapter 6 verse 10 one of them it's one of my i one of my anchor verses where where we noted that god is just which means he will not overlook one good thing you have done and serving others. That he looks at that and says, you loving others is you loving me. And he's the just God and he won't overlook any time that you've loved others.

In the New Testament Scripture this morning that you heard, Philippians chapter 4, what does the Apostle Paul say to the Philippians? He says, you know what? That offering, that money you sent to support me in this ministry is what? is a sacrifice whose aroma is pleasing to God. Isn't that amazing? The money you sent so I could eat and have clothes and minister the word of God, that God saw as a sacrifice that was pleasing to him.

Do you realize that your human-to-human ministry, your human-to-human service, always has a vertical dimension? God sees it all as sacrifices offered to him and he delights in them he delights in them when you interrupt your schedule to fix the car of that elderly brother in Christ God delights in that when you serve as a Sunday school teacher's helper God delights in that when you pull that money out of your pocket to buy some groceries for your neighbor God delights in that when you put that money in the offering plate so I can live God delights in that When I come home last night come home from the tournament and I'm saying I've got to make sure the straw bales are right around my fuel tank and around my water because I don't want my water to freeze. I walk in the backyard.

There it's all done. I walk to my fuel tank. Not only is there more straw, But there's this wrapping around my fuel tank that some young guy from our church did yesterday for me. And God delights in that. God delights in those things that you do. Do you ever think of God like that?

Now look, let's face it, we're all good Calvinists here. We believe in total depravity and the taint of the flesh. Oh, we're big on that. But we tend to forget things like this. God delights in those things that you do. He loves it.

He delights in that. I don't want to be sacrilegious, but yes. I love that. You ever think of God that way? Do you? I think we need to think more about God.

We need to think more like that about God. Right? He delights when you serve others, when you share with others. And remember, he can delight because it's all through Christ. Don't forget to offer the necessary sacrifices. You know, this morning as I look at all of you, you know what I'm looking at?

I'm looking at a congregation of priests. You thought of yourself that way? That's what you are, you're priests. You're all priests, not on the basis of your family, not on the basis of your personal qualifications, but because you've trusted in the one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And as priests, you have priestly duties. For one thing, you need to stay away from sacrifices that are useless.

Stay away from them. Right? Avoid those. It is only Jesus' sacrifice that strengthens you by His grace. You need to embrace the sacrifice that powerfully works, purging the defilement from you as you rest in Jesus. You have the priestly duty of resting in Jesus for what He's done. and you have the priestly duty of offering the sacrifices that God requires.

I hope you're encouraged today. You can do these things and find a God who delights in you all because of what Jesus has accomplished. Father, thank you for your word that gives us help and hope and grace that points us to the only source of grace, our Savior, who is the same yesterday and today and forever. And then on the basis of what He has done, you give us the privilege of serving before you as priests.

God, I hope your people are encouraged today in the fact that we as priests have the duty and the privilege of bringing delight to you. God, help us to be that way and to do those things for your glory. In Jesus' name, amen.