Thursday: The One Sacrifice
As we have seen, a crucial purpose of the earthly sanctuary service was to reveal—in symbols, in types, in mini-prophecies—the death and high priestly ministry of Jesus. Sin is something too terrible to be solved merely by the death of animals (as sad and unfortunate as those deaths are). Instead, all of that spilled blood was to point to the only solution for sin, and that was the death of Jesus Himself. That it took His death, the death of the One who was equal to God (Phil. 2:6), in order to atone for sin, shows just how bad sin really is.
Read Hebrews 10:1-14. How does this passage contrast the function and work of the earthly sanctuary service with the death and high priestly ministry of Jesus?
Many crucial truths ring out of these texts, one of the most important being that the deaths of all those animals was not sufficient to deal with the sin problem. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Heb. 10:4, NKJV). They merely point to the solution; they were not the solution themselves. The solution was Jesus, His death, and then His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary in our behalf.
Notice another crucial point in these texts: the all sufficiency of Christ’s one death. Though the animal sacrifices had to be repeated time and time again, day after day, year after year, Jesus’ single sacrifice was sufficient (after all, look at who was sacrificed!) to cover the sins of all humanity. God powerfully revealed this crucial truth when the inner veil of the earthly sanctuary was torn supernaturally after the death of Jesus (Matt. 27:51).
Look around at the world, look at the damage that sin has caused, the pain, the loss, the fear, the hopelessness. How can we learn day by day, moment by moment, to cling to Jesus as the only solution to the sin problem in our own lives?
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As much as I need Him moment by moment, my thoughts are easily distracted. I need constant prayer and alertness. I ask the Lord for the focus to keep Jesus, His Love and sacrifice foremost in my thoughts and in my mind. He is the answer to everything and anything, I need Him to be my sole focus and motivator.
Having an advocate on my behalf is in itself confidence. The advocate is related to the judge-God. The judge is our father! What am I expected? Abide listen and obey. Simple! Thanks God
The only way we can moment by moment trust in Jesus as the solution to the sin problem is to truly and literaly surrender all to Jesus. There are many things that distract us, eg. Circular movies, circular musics, sports and entertainment in general. We have to surrender all to Christ and He wil give us the victory over sin day by day 1Cor 15:57. It is posible to live a life without sin, only when we totaly surender all to jesus James4:7, 8
Why at past they used goats at atonement, then lamb, yet John points to Jesus as the lamb.
The precious blood of Jesus deals with the sin problem completely.This is not a superficial work as picking off rotten fruits from a bad tree,but aims at renewing the whole root system so that good fruits can automatically come forth.He only bids us to remain attached to the true vine.
Atonement Means One Sacrifice
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. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. [Heb. 10:11]
We Adventists teach that for 1844 years Jesus ministered in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. This destroys the true meaning of the only one sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus died, went to heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. This was one act—not many repetitions on a daily basis for 1844 years.
When Jesus died, the curtain separating the Holy from the Most Holy was rent, meaning that the first apartment was no longer in operation, and not only the priest, but even every believer had now direct access to the Most Holy. Arguing that Jesus ministered for 1844 years in the First Apartment of the sanctuary destroys this beautiful imagery.
O that more of us Adventists would acknowledge this truth it would elicit a reformation among us and a keener study of the word of God apart from preconceived doctrines!!
Christ did not minister in the Holy Place for 1844 years. 1844 was the year when he entered the Most Holy Place to start the second phase of his ministration. (to be discussed in lesson 10)
I could not agree more, to confine our Lord to ministry of the holy place only, completely contradicts the fact that Hebrews declares one sacrifice fulfilling all sacrifices.
Pls my question is who is this Melchizedek? Because according to the lesson he has no beginning and no end and he is the prisest of the most high.
Melchizedek was mentioned in our lesson to show the divinity of Jesus. Melchizedek did not come from the tribe of Levi, he is a priest and at the same time king. In Israel king and priest were separated. Melchizedek as a type of Christ only emphasizes the divine aspect of Christ.
Trust and obey for there's no other way.
I love the sanctuary studies that we are doing this quarter. I know that the curtain between the Holy Place and Most Holy tore, from top to bottom, when Jesus died on the cross. This was a visual sign that the sacrificial system was fulfilled. I have a question: What Old Testament evidence is there, that when the Messiah would come, the sacrificial system would no longer be necessary?
Ps. 40:6-8 explained in Heb.10:4-10.
Also Lev. 16:17 "No one may be in the tent of meeting( the Holy Place)"combined with Heb. 9:8 "By this the Holy Spirit signifies that the way into the Holiest of all is not yet opened as long as the first tabernacle(the Holy Place) is still standing."
Ps. 40:6-8 and Heb 10: 5-7. 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats really to take away sins.[a]
5 That is why Christ said as he came into the world, “O God, the blood of bulls and goats cannot satisfy you, so you have made ready this body of mine for me to lay as a sacrifice upon your altar. 6 You were not satisfied with the animal sacrifices, slain and burnt before you as offerings for sin. 7 Then I said, ‘See, I have come to do your will, to lay down my life, just as the Scriptures said that I would.’
As we learn these precious truths, I come to realize that the devil has developed one specific strategy to remove our focus from God. he does not stop us from praying, but allows us to pray to God without listening to what he has to say to us. Oh,that we would pray more a 2 way communication! And listen to what God has to say. The devil does not stop us from saying `thy will be done`, but he fights to make sure we do not `live` thy will be done.
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I have learned from this lesson that all the mediation works that the priests did in the old testament up to the point of JESUS sacrifice were a continuum of what JESUS came to fulfill and is now daily pleading before His Father.
It is worthy to know that the ONE-JESUS who was in this world is mercifully and faithfully sitting in the SUPREME court of heaven as my advocate and the ABITER of any transgression.
Above all HIS victory over sin can not be reversed by any act of the enemy, only ONESELF can.
what do we pay to that advocate Jesus christ who stands on our behalf? is there any conditions for us to be accepted as clients? answer me please.
Happy Sabbath Gerald. In John 3:16, we are told "...that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." So, believe in Jesus, accept Him as your Savior, claim as yours His gift of salvation.
This gift, like any gift, requires only that you accept it and claim it as yours. When you do, you will realize there is nothing you could ever do to earn it anyway. That is the love of Jesus... to die for us who do not deserve (and could never earn) the gift of eternal life which He freely gives to all who will only accept Him.
One way to make sure I'm clinging to Christ and His perfect sacrifice as the solution to my own sin problem, is to ask for and be open to the Holy Spirit's influence daily. It is promised that He will guide me into all truth. John 14:26
It is only God who can transform me into His image, and it's only God who can keep me from falling and present me as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to Himself.