“THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE”

“THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE”

(Salvation “IN” Christ Alone)

With Rev. David Sabet

1. 1. Hebrews 10:10, 12a, 14 (ERV)    “Made Holy “IN” Christ”

10) Jesus Christ did the things God wanted him to do. And because of that, we are made holy through the sacrifice of Christ’s body. Christ made that sacrifice one time – enough for all time.

12a} But Christ offered only one sacrifice for sins, and that sacrifice is good for all time. (All other sacrifices, prior to this time, were just covering the down payments on a debt that only the holy blood of Jesus Christ could ever pay off.

14) With one sacrifice Christ made his people perfect forever. They are the ones who are being made holy. (Christ paid off the sin debt and set us free!)

1. 2. Romans 3:22, 24 (ERV} “Made Right “IN” Christ”

22} God makes people right through their faith “IN” Jesus Christ. He does this for all who believe “IN” Christ. Everyone is the same.              (There is no other way!)

24} They are made right with God by His grace. This is a free gift.

They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ.

1. 3. I Corinthians 1:30 (ERV) “Made Pure “IN” Christ”

It is God who has made you “part of Christ Jesus”. And Christ has become for us wisdom from God. “HE” (Christ) is the reason we are “right with God” and pure enough to be in His (God’s) presence. Christ is the “ONE” who set us free from sin.

1. 4. Colossians 1:22 (ERV} “Made Blameless “IN” Christ”

But now He (GOD) has made you His friends again. He did this by the death Christ suffered while He was in His body. He (GOD} did it so that He could present you to Himself as people who are holy, blameless, and without anything that would make you guilty before Him.

1. 5. Colossians 1:20-23 (L.B. ) “Given Access To God “IN” Christ” 20} It was through what His Son did that God cleared a path for

everything to come to Him – all things in heaven and on earth

– for Christ’s death on the cross has made peace with God for all by His blood.

• • This includes “you” who were once so far away from You were His enemies and hated Him and were separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now He has brought you back as His friends. (Sin separates us from God!)
  • He has done this through the death on the cross of His own

human body, and now as a result “Christ has brought you into the very presence of God”, and you are standing there before Him with nothing left against you – nothing left that He could even chide you for;                                   (Cleaned through the blood of Jesus Christ and reconciled to God!)

• • the only condition is that you fully believe the Truth, standing “IN” it steadfast and firm, strong in the Lord, convinced of the Good News that Jesus died for you, and never shifting from trusting Him to save

*God, in history past, looked forward into history future, and saw you! Seeing that men chose sin, which leads to death, instead of choosing His love, and life everlasting with Him, broke His heart.

God then, by His actions, said to us, “I love you so much, that “!” would rather die in your place than live without you!” Because God, being a God of justice, knew that a payment for sin had to be made; because the wages of sin is death. Since the fall, we all deserve death.

So, the bad news is that the penalty for sin is death. And only clean, sinless blood is acceptable to be shed to cover sin. The Good News is that God sent His only Son, Jesus, who lived a pure and spotless life without sin, to die in our place. His sinless blood is the only acceptable sacrifice to pay for our sins. Jesus Christ is the only pure, holy, worthy Anointed One! He is the only suitable sacrifice to erase our sins!

God sending Jesus “to take our place” is a love of such a strong degree, that we can’t even begin to comprehend it!

THINK ABOUT IT:

GOD LOVES YOU SO MUCH THAT HE KILLED JESUS FOR YOU!

*God has been providing us with good, clean, healthy and holy choices from the beginning of time. He has always had our best interest in mind. His plans have always included us as being family, and reconciling us back to Himself when we stray.

(Remember the garden: God said, “You are welcome to all of this here, but please stay away from that over there, because it will separate you from Me and kill you. Man chose death – and separated himself from God!

God showed up and shed the blood of an innocent animal to make coverings for Adam and Eve. God “covered” their sinful state. This is God’s grace in action since the beginning of time.

Sacrifices were made in the temples by the Priests for the payment or covering of the people’s sins. Abraham placed his only son Isaac on the alter, showing his love for God, and his willingness to do whatever God asked of him. But God stopped Abraham and “provided a replacement sacrifice” for Isaac. All types and shadows of Jesus to come. The grace of God is always encouraging us to come back into fellowship with Him!)

A Picture of Saving Grace In The Old Testament:

1. 6. Zechariah 3:1-8a {L.B. Par.)
      • Then THE ANGEL showed me {In my ), Joshua the High Priest standing before the Angel of the Lord: and Satan was there too, at the Angel’s right hand, accusing Joshua of many things.
      • And the Lord said to Satan, “I reject your accusations, Satan; yes, I, the Lord, for I have decided to be merciful to Jerusalem – I rebuke I have decreed mercy to Joshua and his nation; they are like a burning stick pulled out of the fire.” (Saved from hell!

– Grace in action!)

• • Joshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood before the Angel of the (He wasn’t sinless and deserving to be saved!)
  • Then the Angel said to the others standing there, “Remove his filthy ” And turning to Joshua He said, “See, I have

taken away your sins, and now I am “GIVING YOU” (GRACE IS A

FREE GIFT!) these fine new clothes.”

5,6) Then I {Zechariah), said, “Please, could he also have a clean turban on his head?” So they gave him one. Then the Angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to Joshua and said,

7) “The Lord of Hosts declares: “If you will follow the paths I set for you and “DO” all I tell you to, then I will put you in charge of My Temple, to keep it holy; and I will let you walk in and out of My presence with these angels

8a) Listen to Me, 0 Joshua the High Priest, “and all you other Priests”, you are illustrations of the good things to come. (Salvation by God’s grace through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ!)

*All throughout history, God has given us instructions, warnings, encouragements, teachings, laws, ordinances, statutes, dreams,

visions, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists; all because of His love for us. God wants us to have what is best for us, and that is Himself. A personal loving relationship with your heavenly Father is what we all need!

This is where Jesus Christ comes in:

1. 7. Titus 2:11-15 (L.B. ) “The Only Holy and Acceptable Sacrifice”

• • For the free gift of eternal salvation is now being offered to everyone;
  • and along with this gift comes the realization that “God wants us to turn from godless living” and sinful pleasures and to live good, God-fearing lives day after day,
  • looking forward to that wonderful time we’ve been expecting,

when His glory shall be seen – the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

14) He (Christ) died under God’s judgment “against our sins”, so that He could “rescue us” from constant falling into sin and make us His very own people, with cleansed hearts and real enthusiasm for “DOING” kind things for others.

15) You must teach these things and encourage your people to “DO” them, correcting them, when necessary, as one who has every right to do so. Don’t let anyone think that what you say is not important.

1. 8. Ephesians 2:8-10 (L.B. ) “Reconciled to God by Grace/ Jesus”

• • Because of His (God’s) kindness you have been saved through trusting And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God.
  • Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it
  • It is God Himself who has made us what we are and given us

new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago He planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.

1. 9. Titus 3:3-8 (L.B. )
      • Once we, too, were foolish (godless) and disobedient; we were misled by others and became slaves to many evil pleasures and wicked desires. Our lives were full of resentment and envy. We hated others and they hated
      • But when the time came for the kindness and love of God our

Savior to appear,

• • then “HE” saved us- not because we were good enough to be saved, but because of His kindness and pity – by washing away our sins and giving us the new joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit

• • whom He poured out upon us with wonderful fullness – and all because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did
  • so that He could declare us good in God’s eyes- all because of

His great kindness, and now we can share in the wealth of the eternal life He gives us, and we are eagerly looking forward to receiving it.

• • These things I have told you are all true. Insist on them “so that Christians will be careful to do good deeds all the time”, for this is not only right, but it brings

1. 10. Ephesians 2:10 (KJV) *Grace Frees us to “DO‘ Good Works” For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in

1. 11. Romans 6:1-2 (KJV)
       • What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
       • God forbid! How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

1. 12. Romans 3:31 (KJV)

Do we then make void the law through faith?  (Do we say that it is okay to just keep on sinning because of God’s grace?) God forbid; yea, we “establish” the law. (Only now that we have been freed from sin are we able to walk in obedience. Walk like Jesus!)

1. 13. Matthew 5:17 (KJV)

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the Prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

1. 14. John 14:6 (KJV)

(Thomas asked Jesus in vs. 5 how to get to heaven.) Jesus said unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.’

*We are reconciled to God only “IN” Jesus Christ; through His completed work at the cross. Jesus is the only holy and acceptable sacrifice that God accepts!

And now He is asking you to crucify your flesh and follow Him!

1. 15. Matthew 10:38-39 (KJV)
       • And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me.

• • He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find