Our Beliefs : Sermons : Sermon Archive - 2003 : November 16, 2003
The Payment for Your Sin is Complete
End Time 3 - Saints Triumphant
While the United States was fighting the War of 1812 against the British, the continent of Europe was involved in a war of its own. It was during the time of the Napoleonic Wars when Napoleon Bonaparte was trying to take over Europe. One of his greatest endeavors was to conquer Russia. So he amassed an army of 600,000 men and invaded Russia in June of 1812. By September Napoleon sat enthroned in Moscow, the Russian capital, his campaign complete. There he waited for the Russian surrender. But the surrender never came. After over a month, he realized his mistake, took his army and fled back to France. But the Russian winter came early that year and proved to be a more deadly enemy than any army. Of the 600,000 men who entered Russia, less than 17,000 survived -- less than 3%.
What was Napoleon’s mistake? He thought his war was complete, but it wasn't. He thought he had won the victory, but he didn't.
Don't make the same mistake when it comes to your salvation. You could trust yourself and your good works for your salvation, but it would never be enough to get you to heaven. Instead, trust completely in Jesus, your Great High Priest, who assures you of your salvation by what he has done for you. Jesus made The Payment for Your Sin, and that payment is Complete. But the way the writer to the Hebrews comes to that conclusion might surprise you.
Listen to our text: "Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God." Did you catch the point of comparison that is being made? Where does the writer to the Hebrews point us? To people's feet, specifically the feet of the Old Testament priests, and then the feet of Jesus, our Great High Priest. First, let's look at the feet of the priests in the Old Testament. The Old Testament priest's main job was to offer animal sacrifices for the sins of the people. They served to remind the Old Testament believers that their sin resulted in death. Every time they came to the temple, they were reminded how horrible sin was -- it caused death. But every time the priest offered those sacrifices for each person or each family or for the entire nation, they should have seen God's never-failing love, because every time they came before God, something was killed instead of them -- an animal was slaughtered and bled and died in their place. None of those sacrifices could take away any sin. Why not? Because they were animal sacrifices. Animals couldn't take our place and suffer for our sins because they weren't human. Instead, they pointed ahead to the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.
The writer to the Hebrews brings out that great difference by looking at the priests' feet. Every day, morning and night, the Israelites would see the feet of a different priest trudging to the temple, standing at the altar and continually sacrificing and sacrificing and sacrificing -- their work was never done. For Old Testament believers, sacrificing was as regular as eating. Every time you eat and say you're done, really you aren't, because you will have to eat again in a few hours to stay alive. The work of the priests was never done either, so they were always before the altar sacrificing.
Do you feel like your work is never done? Whether it's trying to be a good mom or dad, a good kid to your mom or dad, or a good student or worker, or a good citizen or a good person in general -- it's not easy. You can be a good dad one day by reading devotions to your kids, but the next thing you know you haven't done it for two weeks. You try to be a good follower of Christ, so you tell someone about Jesus. Great! But then you find that the last time you did that was months ago, maybe years ago. One thing about our exploratory is that every week we set up and take down everything for worship. Is it getting old? Does it seem like your work is never done? You might wonder sometimes if it's all worth it. It can get discouraging. If that describes you, then you need to listen to this: "But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God." The priest spoken of now is Christ, our Great High Priest. Jesus "offered for all time one sacrifice for sins."
Psalm 22 spoke of that sacrifice: "Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet." Jesus was that sacrifice foretold, the nail driven clear through his feet shows it. Unlike any animal sacrifice, Jesus did take our place under God's wrath when he offered himself. There is an old American Indian saying: "Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins." Christ walked more than a mile in our moccasins; he walked this earth for 33 years and was subject to every temptation we are, but where we failed and sinned, he remained sinless. As the writer mentioned earlier: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin." Did Jesus ever get discouraged? Look at Gethsemane where his anguish caused him to sweat drops of blood. But his discouragement never led to sin. He fought sin head on, and won. Jesus not only walked in our moccasins as a human being and lived perfectly, but then he walked into hell for us when he died on the cross and suffered what we deserved.
Again, just look at Jesus' feet. After his ultimate sacrifice, he sat down at the right hand of God. What a beautiful way to describe Jesus' sacrifice being complete. He was done, so he rested from his labors, just like you might after coming home from a long day's work and you sit down in your Lazy Boy. Why can you do that? Because your work is done for that day. Except Jesus isn't sitting in a Lazy Boy. He is at God's right hand in heaven, which means he has once again taken up full use of his divine power and glory, where he is interceding for us before the throne of God and rules everything for our good.
Now he waits for one more thing: he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. That's talking about Judgment Day. All those who rejected him as Savior in this life will still one day have to bow down before him, but they won't have a second chance at forgiveness. His mercy and forgiveness will be gone forever. But for us it will be different -- not because we deserved it more or because he liked us better, but simply because he loved us and chose us to live with him forever. We will live forever with all the other believers who have gone before us and after us into heaven. Some believers are there already. They have run their race and have received the prize.
All of that is possible because of Jesus' sacrifice for sin being complete. If it wasn't -- if we still had to do something for our salvation -- not only would our salvation be in doubt, but it would be impossible because our salvation would be based partially on us. It would be like a person taking a stroll through the Louvre in France, taking a look at the Mona Lisa, the most famous painting in the world, and getting out a paintbrush and trying to add a little luster to the eyes or a different expression in the smile. How foolish that would be! Even more foolish would be to think that Jesus' sacrifice is somehow not sufficient to pay for our sins. You can't improve perfection.
Jesus' Payment For Your Sins Is Complete. We see that from the feet of Jesus, who is now sitting at God's right hand, done with his work.
Unfortunately, our sinful nature likes to take even that greatest, most beautiful truth of Scripture and twist it into something hideous. After we commit a sin, our conscience starts accusing us saying, "Look at that sin you've committed. You have sinned against God Most High." That's good. Our conscience is doing what it's supposed to do. But then our sinful nature twists it: "Do you really think that Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient to cover it? You need to do something else. You need to live a better life. You need to turn your life over to God. You need to make certain of your forgiveness and eternal salvation by doing the good that God tells you to do." And when our sinful nature gets us doubting Jesus' complete sacrifice as the only thing we need to be saved, then the cross and Jesus' sacrifice are robbed of their glory because we think wrongly that we still have to do something. That makes us uncertain, nervous, never knowing if we've done enough to be saved.
But God knows that the devil and your own sinful flesh will try to convince you that Jesus' sacrifice isn't enough. That's why he gives us another way to be sure that Jesus' payment for your sins is complete. Not only does God point us to Jesus' feet to reveal the complete payment for sin, he also shows how the Old Testament prophets confirm it.
The writer of our text quotes the prophet Jeremiah: "The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: 'This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.' Then he adds: 'Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.' " Even though we have God's law in our hearts with our conscience accusing us every day of failing to measure up to God's holy law, and even though we see that we deserve God's eternal wrath because of those sins against God's law, God has forgotten our sins. It was only made possible by Jesus perfectly fulfilling the Old covenant that was based on law, and establishing the new covenant that is based solely on what Christ has done for us, so it is based on the gospel. The result is that, in a human way of speaking, God has forgotten about our sins -- they are completely forgiven.
Our text is summarized by the last verse: "And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin." There is nothing more that needs to be done for your salvation -- the payment for sin is complete, finished, with no more sacrifice needing to be made. That is a beautiful thought for us because our salvation doesn't depend anything on us, but all on God.
Let that full and free and complete and finished forgiveness sink in. Then look at your lives and how that will change you and has changed you. Because Jesus' feet show that he suffered, died, rose, ascended, has all power and will come as judge, we know that his sacrifice is complete and heaven is ours. When we see that, then our feet will be busy -- not like the Old Testament priests who did what they did because they were under law, but our feet will be busy because, as Paul says, "You are not under law, but under grace." Then our feet will also be those feet that Isaiah describes, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!' " (Isaiah 52:7)
On this Saints Triumphant Sunday, we remember that those who lived this life in faith and died in faith are now triumphant in heaven. We also are reminded that although our journey to heaven isn't done yet, it is assured because Jesus' sacrifice is complete. One day you will rest from your labors as well and enjoy your eternal rest -- all because of Jesus' sacrifice. What sacrifices can you make for Jesus who sacrificed himself for you? What can you do for him until he takes you home to heaven? Amen.
