Feeding the multitude

Feeding the multitude

Text: John 6:1-13.                              

“After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.

Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.

And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”

But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him,
“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”

Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten” John 6:1-13.

Our God is a God of miracles, and nothing is impossible with Him! He can meet every need that arises. Feeding tens of thousands with a couple of fish and bread sandwiches was a small thing for Jesus. How did He do it? Jesus increased what little they had, mouths were filled, and everyone one fed.

And He can meet your needs today, and is working miracles today in those who trust in Him!

1.    THE MULTITUDE. VERSE 2.

 “Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.”

Multitudes today are hungry.

A.   Physical hunger.

1/3^rd of the world is underfed, many even in our area, even in our town, go to bed hungry, and when they awake, they are no better off. Jesus said the “the poor are always around you.” Yet, Jesus met the physical needs of this multitude. 

Jesus met their physical need and included a prize inside even better. It was the bread of heaven, and living water though which they would never thirst again for all who would accept it that day!

B.   Emotional hunger.

      

Many are hungry for acceptance, understanding, and unconditional love. They are looking for the meaning of life and a purpose for their life. Self-help books are the best sellers by the thousands, as people search for something that is real.  

We need to share the love of Jesus with them He is the one that can help them. An entire generation exists today who have never known true love, no wonder they do not know how to love or to be loved. Emotional hunger is the need of many.

C.   Spiritual hunger.

Deep in the heart of man is a void which can only be filled with God his or her Creator. This is the need in our lives for forgiveness to be cleansed of sin. 

Remember the time in your life before you were saved? 

Remember the spiritual hunger?  

Remember the emptiness and the void in your soul?  

God filled it when you were born again!

Nothing can fill the void correctly except Jesus. They may have plenty of food, but they are starving spiritually, and their hunger can only be satisfied through Christ!

Jesus saw His opportunity to give them what they wanted, and it led to an opportunity to give them what they needed. This crowd did not deserve to be fed, but Jesus fed them anyway. And you and I do not deserve to be saved, but Jesus saved us anyway. 

          In verse 7 Philip calculated that it would take 6 month’s wages to feed this crowd just this one meal. But he was making a big mistake; Philip was looking at the multitude, when He should have been looking to the Lord.

2.    THE MIRACLE, VERSE 11.

          “And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.”

I like the fact that Jesus used the disciples to distribute the bread. He did not have to do that, but He chooses to use us. We do not manufacture the bread, but we are called to be delivery men and women. I am a “bread of life” delivery man, and proud to be so!

CONCLUSION:

What can we learn from this miracle? I see what we need to do in an impossible situation. Jesus told the disciples, “You feed them.”  It was impossibility. So what are we to do? Do what the disciples did! Start with what you have.

The wonderful thing about our God is that He takes us where we are and uses what we have. You may look in the mirror at your gifts, talents, and abilities, and it may not appear much, but all that matters is what small talent or ability do I have placed in the hands of the Master!

Let us be God’s bread of life delivery men and women of God.

Jesus was buried

Jesus was buried

Text: John 19:30-42.                         

“So, when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.
For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”
And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.
And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.
Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.
Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby” John 19:30-42.

Deep down, we all have this of fear death and more so saying goodbye to those that we love. But, the good news is that for believers, Christ has removed the sting of death through the Cross of Calvary (The Gospel).

Death is permanent! That was, until Jesus Christ overturned it! In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Paul defines the Gospel of the grace of God in three points:

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Here is a three point sermon:

1.    Jesus died on a Cross. The Victor over sin.

2.    Jesus was buried in a tomb. The Victor over hell and the devil!

3.    Jesus arose from the grave. The Victor over death!

1.    There is a lot of teaching about how and why Christ died.

2.    There is a good amount of teaching about the Resurrection of Jesus.

3.    But the burial of Christ occupies a lesser space. Even so, keep in mind that it is one third of the Gospel!

That is why today I want to speak about Jesus burial. There is not much said about the burial of Jesus, but there is more to it than we might think. His burial in the ground confirmed His death, and fits the picture of the Passover sacrifice.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” John 12:24.

Time was of the essence at the time of Jesus death, for there was pressure to remove the bodies from the crosses by nightfall. “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day).

It was Passover, and Jesus died at 3 PM. So His body had to be removed before 6 PM (the end of a Jewish day). And anyone who touched a dead body after that point was considered unclean and unable to partake of Passover.

Passover also began the week long feast of Unleavened Bread, in the Midst of which was the Feast of First Fruits (Our Easter). Jewish tradition said that a body became corrupt after the third day! (Remember Lazarus!). Leaven is a picture of that corruption, thus the feast!

Note these words “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” So many have preached about the sword and the broken heart of Christ. But here is another thought we all miss.

Remember in the Garden of Eden that God said it was not good for man to be alone, so it was from Adam's side (Adam’s rib) that God gave him his bride. And so it was from the side of the last Adam, Jesus that the Bride of Christ was born from the fountain of His life's blood!

Now, consider what an honourable burial Jesus received, even though He was executed as a criminal. “And they made His grave with the wicked-- But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth” Isaiah 53:9.

Most people today are buried in the ground, but Jesus was buried in a tomb (a cave like grave). Jesus could have risen from the ground, but you can see why the tomb was a more fitting picture for the resurrection.

Notice those at the Cross and the burial of Jesus. Yes we have Jesus’ mother, Mary Magdalene and the others watching. But, it is Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (both members of the ruling council, the Sanhedrin), that take the body of Jesus to bury Him.

Joseph, who had been a secret believer, went public while the apostles, who were public believers, became secret, hiding away! Nicodemus a highly respected leader, also opposed his fellow council members when he found they were condemning Jesus in a way disagreeing to the Laws of Moses.

“Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” John 7:50-51.

Never underestimate the faith of the quiet! We should not be secret disciples, but in many places today, as always, it is very dangerous to go public, you must be underground! Many of God's best followers do not preach, teach or sing, nor announce their spiritual activities publicly, but God knows all about them!

Some people are slow to confess Jesus publicly, and it is true that we should make it our goal to make ourselves known, unashamedly. But at the same time, God puts no premium on being loud and obnoxious, or publicly puffed up, either! Ultimately, our faith needs to SURFACE, in a way which gives God the glory!  

Joseph went to Pilate to get the body of Jesus; Pilate may have thought he represented the Sanhedrin in this request. Also, during this same time-frame, the other members of the Sanhedrin remembered that Jesus prophesied that He would rise again in three days and so they appealed for the guard at the tomb (Mathew 27:62). This motivated them to make their own visit to Pilate to request that the tomb be sealed.  

Again, consider the scene: Jesus body is taken down. And it must be hurriedly yet carefully wrapped. 

And here is what I think is the greatest drama: That while these secret disciples were lovingly preparing Jesus' body for burial, Peter was weeping in shame for denying the Lord, and the others hiding behind locked doors.

Conclusion:

But the burial of Jesus is forever remembered now as the run-up to the Resurrection:

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” Matthew 12:40.

“Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple (His body), and in three days I will raise it up” John 2:19.

1. Christ died for OUR sins.

2. He was buried.

3. He rose again on the third day.

Hymn: 136

Living He loved me, dying He saved me,

BURIED, He carried my sins far away!

Rising He justified, freely forever,

And one day He's coming, O glorious day!

Jesus in the midst

Jesus in the midst

Text: John 20:19-22.

“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” John 20:19-22.

Three days earlier Jesus was crucified at Calvary’s cross. Now Jesus had risen from the dead. The disciples were gathered in a house behind locked doors. Yet, Jesus walked through that locked door and stood in their midst. You could say that “house” was the first church building where the resurrected Lord was in the midst of His people. And here we are today in another “house of God,” and again Jesus is in the midst of His people!

1.    JESUS IN THE MIDST OF US.

This phrase is the heart of our Christian faith: “Jesus in the midst.” It is a major theme in the bible. God is eternal, and Jesus is God so that He is also eternal.  He has always been in the midst of all that God is and done.

At creation, when there was not much more than “mist,” Jesus was in the midst of it all. “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” Genesis 1:26.

          Notice also:

“And in that day … you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land” Exodus 8:22.
“For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you” Deuteronomy 23:14.
“Why should You be like a man astonished, like a mighty one who cannot save? Yet You, O Lord, are in our midst, and we are called by Your name; Do not leave us!” Jeremiah 14:9

As a baby, Jesus was in the midst of the shepherds and the wise men.

As a boy, Jesus was in the midst of the teachers of theology in the temple.

As God the Holy Spirit, Jesus is in the midst of His people. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” Matthew 18:20.

At Calvary, Jesus was in the midst of sinners. “Where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the centre” John 19:18.

He was the focal point of that day, as well as every day previous or since. History is HIS story. O that we would put Him in the midst of our lives!

As a Lamb in Revelation, Jesus is in the midst of the throne of God.

As our resurrected Lord, Jesus is in the midst of the churches.

And now, on the evening of the first Easter Sunday, Jesus “stood in the midst” of His disciples (John 20:26).

          Why is this theme repeated? Because this is the key to the Christian life!

As we gather in the House of God, our deepest desire is that Jesus will be in our midst. As a matter of fact, you can have Jesus in the midst of your life. There are some people who have no room for Christ. There are others who have some room for Christ. But, Jesus deserves every room. 

The word “midst” comes from the word “middle.” Sometimes even Christians can leave God out of the midst of their lives, tagging Him maybe at the end of the day. But, He should be in the midst of our work life, in the midst of our hobbies, in the midst of our family, in the midst of our ministry, etc. No Christian can be spiritual, powerful, and growing unless Jesus is in the midst of all of their life.

2.    THE REASON WHY JESUS NEEDS TO ME IN OUR MIDST.

“And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” John 20:22.

          You cannot help but to think back to Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” The breath of God brought us life, now He breaths afresh on His disciples to give them the breath of the Holy Spirit on their lives.

          It was the breath-like wind of the Holy Spirit that blew upon the disciples at Pentecost, and it is that same powerful breath of God that will give power to our lives today. I like this fact: we do not have to be gifted or capable or have great abilities, just availability! How wonderful that God does not send us to do something that cannot be done, for there is nothing that He cannot do through us!

In Ezekiel 37 we see the dry bones of an old battlefield come together as skeletons, and then organs and tissues and skin are added, but they laid there like corpses until verse 9:

“Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army” Ezekiel 37:9-10.

They had no power of themselves, the power was in the breath of God.

Conclusion:

a.     There is nothing we cannot do, if Jesus is in the midst of us. Verse 21.

b.    There is nowhere I will not go, if Jesus is in the midst. Verse 21.

c.     There is no limit to what God can do in this church, if Jesus is in the midst of us.  

d.    There is no peace I cannot find, when Jesus in the midst makes us peaceful! Verse 19.

e.     No joy escapes us, because Jesus in the midst makes us joyful! Verse 20.

f.     No job in the church should ever go undone, for Jesus in the midst will make us useful!

        But absolutely nothing will be accomplished without the powerful presence of Jesus in our midst!

Jesus, the son of David

Jesus, the son of David

Text: Matthew 22:42.

“Saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.”

          Whenever a new baby is born, someone is sure to say “He looks just like his father?” At other times, a new baby may call every passing man, daddy. Now that we are in the season of the “Birth of Christ,” I want to ask the question “Who was Jesus the Son of?”

Here is this text they called Jesus the “Son of David,” others over time called Jesus the “son of Joseph,” that was a mistake. The Bible points out the difference between the physical relationship of Joseph and Mary to the Lord in Luke 2:33 “And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.”

Even the Bible calls Jesus:

          1. The son of David.

          2. The son of Mary.

          3. The son of Man.

          4. The Son of God.

         

I want to look at those four titles, and point out four different quantities of Jesus the Christ-child.

1.    AS THE “SON OF DAVID,” HE WAS THE SOVEREIGN CHILD.

1. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” Matthew 1:1.

          The method of the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham is similar to the expression in Genesis 5:1: “This is the book of the genealogy of Adam.”

1.    Genesis, introduces the first Adam. The first Adam was head of the first, or physical, creation of God.

2.    Matthew, introduces the last Adam. Christ, as the last Adam, is Head of the new, or spiritual, creation.

The name “Jesus” presents Him as Jehovah-Saviour; the title “Christ” (“Anointed”), as the long awaited Messiah of Israel. The title “Son of David” is associated with the roles of both Messiah and King in the Old Testament.

         

2. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” Luke 1:31-33.

Notice the important truths which are preserved in this announcement:

1. The real humanity of the Messiah— “you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son.”

2. His deity and His mission as Saviour— “and shall call His name JESUS” (meaning Jehovah is the Saviour).

3. His important greatness— “He will be great,” both as to His Person and His work.

4. His identity as the Son of God— “and will be called the Son of the Highest.”

5. His title to the throne of David— “the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.” This establishes Him as the Messiah.

6. His everlasting and universal kingdom— “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

A. He was the rightful King. Acknowledgment of the King!

B. He was the rejected King. Denial of the King!

C. He is the returning King! Amen! Looking for the King!

2.    AS THE “SON OF MARY,” HE WAS THE SUPERNATURAL CHILD.

1. “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” And they were offended at Him” Mark 6:3.

           Doubts about Jesus break out from those who could never accept Him as more than a carpenter. Facts about His family seemed to confirm their judgment. Among the four half-brothers of Christ, two are well known. James oversaw over the Jerusalem church and wrote the book bearing His name, and Judas or Jude wrote the last New Testament epistle.

The summing up response, “they were offended,” is unbelievable. For He had come to “seek and to save that which was lost” Luke 19:10, to draw all men to Himself (John 12:32), and to provide abundant life (John 10:10), and yet those who lived near Him the longest “stumbled” before His presence.

The people, astonished, could not deny the wisdom of His teaching or the wonder of His miracles. But there was a deep unwillingness to acknowledge Him as the Son of God. Had He returned to Nazareth as a mighty conquering Hero, they might have accepted Him more readily. But He came in lowly grace and humility. This offended them.

2. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” Isaiah 7:14.

The child Immanuel (Heb., lit. “God with us”) was a sign to the whole world.

A. This birth was seemingly impossible.

B. This birth was steadfastly investigated.

        1. By Joseph.

        2. By the shepherds.

        3. By the wise men.

        4. By Herod.

        5. By angels.

        6. By the devil.

        7. By God Almighty.

C. This birth was totally important.

3.    AS THE “SON OF MAN,” HE WAS THE SERVANT CHILD.

1. “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” --then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house” Matthew 9:6.

Though these leaders might deny His ability, or right, to forgive sins, the outward physical healing could not be denied. Neither physical, nor spiritual healing, stood any difficulty for God’s Son.

2. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” Philippians 2:5-8.

As the SERVANT child, the Lord Jesus Christ

A. Shared the problems of the flesh.

        1. Physical weariness.

        2. Hunger and thirst.

        3. Physical pain.

        4. However, He never SINNED!

B. Submitted to the purpose of the Father.

C. Showed a pattern for us to follow.

        1. Obedience.

        2. Patience.

        3. Ministry to others.

4.    AS THE “SON OF GOD,” HE WAS THE SAVIOUR CHILD.

1. “So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:54.

A. He was the only sinless man who ever lived.

B. He was the only sacrifice that could TAKE AWAY sins.

C. He is the only Saviour who can take you to heaven.

          “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” John 14:6.

2. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16.

As the Son of God

CONCLUSION:

          “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”
Isaiah 9:6.

Jesus, is the Son of God that laid down His life for you and me.

The blood of Christ

Text: Hebrews 9:22. “According to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without (the) shedding of blood there is no remission (for sin).”

Sometimes in the news we hear and see a death by shooting, I have often been shocked and taken back to see the pool of blood under the body. If more than one has been killed, it is often called a “blood bath,” meaning there was much blood shared in death.

          Well Calvary’s Cross had its own “blood bath,” but there it speaks of only one man’s death, in the person of Jesus Christ. Today I want to speak about the blood of Jesus Christ, which was shared for the remission for sin.

Hymn number 305 reads like this:

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you walking daily by the Saviours side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Refrain

When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Refrain

Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
O be washed in the blood of the Lamb!

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

The Blood of Christ flows throughout the Bible just as it does through our own veins. The blood of Christ keeps Christianity alive. The blood is spoken of 427 times in the Bible, so it is easy to see, this is not a minor theme. Without the blood of Christ, the Gospel is dead and we are deprived of eternal life.

In many religions of this world, all except Christianity has the blood flowing from the followers to their gods in order to please their gods. Some giving their children’s lives and blood, some religions even encourage scarifying their own lives to gain their “heavenly paradise.” But in Christianity the blood flows from God to us (the followers of Christ), to cleanse us of our sins.

Even with Christian martyrs who have shed their own blood they are not saved by their blood being spilled; it is still by the blood of Christ that they are saved! How tragic will it be to those that have tried to save themselves, when they realize their own blood has no saving properties, only Christ's sacrifice and shed blood has any power to save!

1.    INFERIOR SACRIFICES, VERSES 11-12.

“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.

Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” Hebrews 9:11-12.

1. The Old Testament pattern for worship was only a shadow of the real message of salvation.

a. The high Priest was only a token of the great High Priest that one day would come.

b. The Holy of Holies in the manmade tabernacle was only a shadow of the real Holy of Holies where God's presence dwells, namely Heaven!

c. The blood of bulls and goats were only tokens of the real “Lamb of God” which would come and sacrifice His life for the sins of the world.

2. All these things were only lessons pointing to the greater realities that would be fulfilled later, yet they were to be carefully followed!

3. These were but temporary stop gap measures to get a message across, the real thing would come and once and for all take care of the problems of sin!

a. These sacrifices in the Old Covenant were repeated over and over again, a constant reminder to the people of their repeated sinfulness!

b. Each year the High Priest would have to enter the presence of God in the Holy of Holies to offer blood for the sins of the people, he first would offer sacrifice for his own sins, then for the people lest he died while in God's presence!

c. All Israel would wait to see if the High Priest came back out alive, the sign that God had accepted their offering each year!

4. Jesus however entered the real Holy of Holies with His own blood and He only did this once since His sacrifice was perfect!

a. He came back to prove His blood sacrifice was acceptable with His Father for us.

b. The animals used for blood sacrifices had to be without any physical defect, as perfect outwardly as possible in the Old Covenant!

c. Jesus however was perfect inwardly, thus a superior sacrifice!

d. This opened the door for more than just formal cleansing or outward cleansing, it made possible inward cleansing!

5. Have we thanked God for making possible the greater reality that the blood of Christ makes for us?

6. These Old Testament sacrifices with their constant recurrence merely made a sinful man or woman ceremonially clean; it still did nothing for their conscience. But their repeated rituals reminded them again and again that they were failures, that their restoration was more an outward thing than an inward thing!

7. It outwardly cleansed them, but it could not restore their heart! We needed something more than just ceremonial cleansing to take care of sin! The emphasis was on the outward appearance; they could go through the right motions but not necessarily have a change of heart! It was merely the shadow of the real substance to come; they needed more than just an outward appearance!

The old law was written on tablets of stone lived out under strict rules and guidelines. Under Christ’s covenant however it would be written in flesh, our hearts and lived out under the power of the Holy Spirit.

2.    SUPERIOR SACRIFICE, VERSES 14-15.

“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance” Hebrews 9:14-15.

1. Christ's blood sacrifice could finally do what no bull or goat's blood could do!

a. It removed sin; it did not just cover it temporarily!

b. It also removed the guilty conscience of the believer; it did not just make us outwardly clean it took care of the inward heart too!

2. Christ's blood was clean; it therefore could remove once and for all the sins of the one who accepts His blood sacrifice!

3. This frees us from just an outward acceptance, it gives us an inward power to break the hold sin has on us so that we do not do the deeds of death anymore!

4. Christ therefore has created a better and newer covenant!

a. This new covenant needs no repetitive sacrifices!

b. The new covenant does not just clean from a ritualistic position, it cleans the heart and mind too!

c. It is superior in this way!

5. Those that are in Christ are free from guilt and can enjoy a clear conscience! Our sins covered by Christ’s blood are not just covered over they are cleared away!

6. Christ's sacrifice changes our heart far more than some animal’s blood could ever do!

CONCLUSION: 

What a great day to live in! For there is no power on earth or in heaven like Christ's blood or sacrifice! Nothing has the power of Christ's blood, nothing can better it, and so there is no need to repeat the sacrifice of Calvary.