Behold The Lamb Series – Sermon #5

 

Hebrews 10:10-14

BEHOLD THE LAMN PRESENTED

Intro:  Before this world was ever formed, God had been working toward a specific moment in time.  Every event in the creation; in the early days of the world; and in the history of the nation of Israel was leading the world ever closer to the moment when God would accomplish a plan He had formulated before the foundation of the world.

      You see, when man sinned in the Garden of Eden and fell into the awful clutches of sin, it did not catch God by surprise.  In fact, God had already devised a plan whereby sin might be taken care of, even before sin became a reality.  This plan centered around One called the Lamb of God.  This Lamb was promised to Adam and Eve just after they sinned, Gen. 3:15.  This Lamb was prepared through the miracle of the virgin birth.  This Lamb was provided when He was born in Bethlehem.  However, the plan could not be finished until the Lamb had been presented.  The Lamb had to come into this world; He had to live here; but ultimately, to accomplish God’s plan, this Lamb had to die here as well.  These verses speak about the presentation of Heaven’s Lamb.  These verses speak about the moment in time when the plan of the ages was accomplished.  I want to take these verses and share the truths contained here as I try to preach on Behold The Lamb Presented.

      It may be that the Lord just wants to encourage His children this morning.  It may be that He wants to draw a wayward son or daughter home to Him today.  It may be that He wants to speak to your heart and draw you to Himself in salvation.  I do not know what the Lord intends to accomplish through this message, but I know He wants to do something eternal.  Let’s hear what He has to say as we look at the subject Behold The Lamb Presented.

 

  I.  v. 10-11 THE TRAGEDY OF THE LAMB’S PRESENTATION

A.  The Reality Of This Tragedy – The very phrases employed in these verses drive home the brutal nature of the death of Jesus Christ.  Notice: “offering of the body of Jesus Christ,” v. 10; “sacrifice for sins,” v. 12.  When the Lamb of God was presented as the perfect offering for sin, it was not some antiseptic, sanitary event.  The death of the Lamb of God was horrible and brutal beyond belief.

            Even a quick survey of the Bible bears out that fact.

1.  Betrayed by Judas and deserted by the disciples - Matt. 26:47-56

      2.  Beaten by the Temple guards - Luke 22:63-64

      3.  Rejected by the very people He came to save - Matt. 27:17-25; John 1:11

      4.  Scourged - Matt. 27:26  (Ill. Furrows - Psa. 129:3)

      5.  Mocked by the soldiers and crowned with thorns - Matt. 27:26-29

      6.  Beard plucked from His face - Isa. 50:6

      7.  Stripped Naked - Matt. 27:35

      8.  Crucified - Nailed to a cross and hung up to die - Matt. 27:35

      9.  Absolutely marred beyond belief - Isa. 50:14

 

      (Ill. A doctor by the name of C. Truman Davis tried to describe the horror of the cross.  Here is what he said: “The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown backwards with his shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement. The cross is then lifted into place.

            The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees flexed. The victim is now crucified. As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain—the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, he places the full weight on the nail through his feet. Again he feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the bones of his feet.

            As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen. H

            Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.

            It is now almost over—the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level—the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues—the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air.

            He can feel the chill of death creeping through is tissues. . . Finally he can allow his body to die.

            All this the Bible records with the simple words, “And they crucified Him.” (Mark 15:24). What wondrous love is this?”[1]

 

B.  The Reason For This Tragedy – Again, the words of our text tell us why this horrible event had to take place.  “By the which will we are sanctified,” v. 10; “one sacrifice for sins forever,” v. 12.  These two phrases make the point that Jesus was not dying for Himself, He was dying for others.  You see, “the wages of sin is death,” Rom. 6:23.  The Bible also says, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die,” Eze. 18:4.  When Jesus died, He died without sin, 1 Pet. 2:22; but He was dying for sin, 2 Cor. 5:21, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:,” 1 Peter 3:18.  When Jesus died on that cross and endured that horrible, brutal, painful death, He was not dying for Himself.  He was laying down His life for you and for me.  He did what He did for you – John 15:13!  The word “offering,” v. 10, 14, means “present or gift.”  When Jesus Christ went to the cross of Calvary and died there, He did so to give lost people the greatest possible gift: The gift of His love manifested through His death, Rom. 5:8.

 

      (Ill. Sometimes this kind of sacrifice is foreign to us humans.  For instance, there is this story: A man went to the doctor after weeks of symptoms. The doctor examined him carefully, then called the patient’s wife into his office “Your husband is suffering from a rare form of anemia. Without treatment, he’ll be dead in a few weeks. The good news is, it can be treated with proper nutrition.”

            “You will need to get up early every morning and fix your husband a hot breakfast—pancakes, bacon and eggs, the works. He’ll need a home-cooked lunch every day, and then an old-fashioned meat-and-potato dinner every evening. It would be especially helpful if you could bake frequently. Cakes, pies, homemade bread—these are the things that will allow your husband to live.

            “One more thing. His immune system is weak, so it’s important that your home be kept spotless at all times. Do you have any questions?” The wife had none.

            “Do you want to break the news, or shall I?” asked the doctor.

            “I will,” the wife replied.

            She walked into the exam room. The husband, sensing the seriousness of his illness, asked her, “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

            She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “What’s going to happen to me?” he asked. With a sob, the wife blurted out, “The doctor says you’re gonna die!”[2])

 

      (Ill. Of course, there are time when self-sacrifice is very evident among humans.  Boarding the SS Dorchester on a dreary winter day in 1943 were 903 troops and four chaplains, including Moody alumnus Lt. George Fox. World War II was in full swing, and the ship was headed across the icy North Atlantic where German U-boats lurked. At 12:00 on the morning of February 3, a German torpedo ripped into the ship. “She’s going down!” the men cried, scrambling for lifeboats.

            A young GI crept up to one of the chaplains. “I’ve lost my life jacket,” he said. “Take this,” the chaplain said, handing the soldier his jacket. Before the ship sank, each chaplain gave his life jacket to another man. The heroic chaplains then linked arms and lifted their voices in prayer as the Dorchester went down. Lt. Fox and his fellow pastors were awarded posthumously the Distinguished Service Cross.[3])

 

            Thank God, Jesus Christ did not hold back, but willing gave His all on the cross so that we might be saved from our sins!  As the song writer said, “He did it all for me!”

 

 II.  v. 10-14 THE TESTIMONY OF THE LAMB’S PRESENTATION

A.  v. 10  A Testimony Of Conversion – The word “sanctified” means “to be holy; to be dedicated to God.”  The idea here is that through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and through the shedding of His precious blood; all those who trust Him by faith are made holy.  Now, if you know anything about the Bible, you will know that we are anything but holy when we enter this world, Rom. 3:10, 23; Eph. 2:1-3. 

      Thank God, there is power in the blood of the Lamb!  There is power to save the lost soul, 1 Pet. 1:18-19.  There is power to transform the lost sinner into a redeemed saint of God, 2 Cor. 5:17.  There is power to bring about an instant, complete and eternal transformation in the life of the person who comes to Jesus for salvation!  Thank God for His converting power!

B.  v. 11-12  A Testimony Of Conquest – As verse 11 tells us, for thousands of years, on the Day of Atonement, the Jewish priests had offered blood sacrifices to atone for the sins of Israel.  These sacrifices had never cleansed away one single sin.  All they had done was to cover them over for another year.  Every year, the high priest had to enter the holy of holies and offer more blood.  He even had to offer blood for his own sins.  Yet, with millions of gallons of blood shed in the tabernacle and the temple, not one sin had ever been washed away.

            When Jesus died on the cross everything changed!  He offered Himself one time on that cross and when He did, He shed pure, innocent blood and He forever satisfied the demands of God for sin, 1 John 2:2; Rom. 3:25-26.  In other words, Jesus accomplished in His death what the deaths of millions of animals had failed to do: He finally and fully paid for sin for all who will trust Him for salvation!

            Now, no one has to die in their sins!  Anyone who will trust Jesus by faith can be saved from their sins, and can be liberated from sins power and penalty, Rom, 10:13; John 6:47.

C.  v. 14  A Testimony Of Completion – The phrase, “perfected for ever them that are sanctified,” is a statement of completion!  The death of Christ guarantees salvation to all those who come to Jesus by faith.  When a sinner responds to the Gospel message and embraces Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that person is made complete and whole in Jesus.  They are no longer seen as a sinner, but as a saint of God.  Their sins are washed away and they are given the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, Rom. 4:22-24.  God no longer sees us as we are, but He sees us as Jesus is!  I will never be holy; He will never be anything but holy!  When I was saved, I was given His righteousness and He took my sins away!  Praise God!

            Not only does the death of Jesus bring about salvation from sin, it also guarantees all those who trust Him eternal life.  One of the greatest truths in the New Testament is the truth that those who are saved by the grace of God enjoy His eternal security! The words “for ever” bear this out!  Those who are saved need never fear being lost again, 1 Pet. 1:5; John 10:28; Phil. 1:6.

III.  v. 12-13  THE TRIUMPH OF THE LAMB’S PRESENTATION  

(Ill. When Jesus died on the cross, His death was not the end of the story! These verses tell us something about the ministry of Jesus after the cross!

A.  v. 12  The Triumph Of His Resurrection – This is an interesting verses.  It moves directly from picturing Jesus on the cross to showing Him seated at the right have of God.  Between these the cross and the crown is a monumental event called the resurrection.  You see, Jesus died on the cross, but He did not stay dead!  He arose from the dead to secure eternal life for all those who believe in Him.  His death paid for our sins, but His resurrection gives life to all those who trust Him, John 11:25-26.  Thank God, because He lives, we can live also!

B.  v. 13  The Triumph Of His Reigning – We are told that the risen Lamb sits at the right hand of God in heaven; waiting for the day when His enemies will be defeated.  I don’t know if you know it or not, but Jesus is special!  He died on the cross; He rose from the dead and He will reign throughout eternity because He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Rev. 17:14.  In fact, one day, every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess Him as King, Rom. 14:11.  By the way, if you will bow and confess now, it will result in the salvation of your soul.  If you wait until you are forced to bow and confess it will merely seal your doom in Hell!

     

Conc:  The Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, was sent into this world for you.  He was born for you; He lived for you; and He died for you!  He did everything He did so that you might be liberated from your sins and have the hope of a home in Heaven when you die.  He gave Himself willingly to death so that you might taste life.  Not just any life, but eternal, everlasting, new, heavenly life.  He presented Himself for you, the question is, have you presented yourself to Him?

      Jesus wants to save you, and He will, if you will receive Him by faith.  Would you like to be saved?  Would you like to be sure of a home in Heaven when you die?  Would you like to become a child of God?  If He is speaking to your heart and calling you to come to Him, then come!  Come today while there is still time.  Come while He is near and while He is calling you.