This message, titled, Christ Alone, from Hebrews 10, verses 1-18, was preached at Winchester Reformed Presbyterian Church in Winchester, Kansas. For more information, visit us at winchesterrp.com What does it mean for something to be perfect? We use that term in our day-to-day lives very frequently. It's something that we're familiar with. We speak of clothes being the perfect fit. We talk about a pitcher in a baseball game pitching a perfect game. We say that the weather is perfect for whatever activity we have planned for that day. Jewelers are in search of a perfect gemstone. We all know what this means. If something is perfect, it has no faults. It has no defects. It's pure. It's complete. It lacks nothing. Well, this morning we're going to look at the perfection of Christ's death on the cross. Did it have no faults? No defects? Was it pure? Was it complete? Did it lack nothing? Is there something other than the death of Christ that must be done to bring about salvation? Or was His death all that was needed to purchase salvation for His people? We argue that there's nothing else needed to be saved besides the work of Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection. This is what the writer of Hebrews argues and has argued at the end of chapter 9. Christ's death was necessary. Christ's death was perfect. Christ's death was enough. And so to prove this point of the perfection of Christ's death on the cross, the writer here points to the Old Testament sacrificial system. And he compares the sacrificial system to the sacrifice of Christ, showing the perfection of the cross. And he does this by showing us three things. First, the imperfection of the shadows. Second, the perfection of the sacrifice, and third, the perfecting of the saints. The writer begins this chapter by pointing us back to the Old Testament sacrificial system, highlighting the imperfection of the shadows. Look with me beginning in verse 1. For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that were continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins. But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. The law of the sacrificial system, the laws governing the ceremonies of old were but mere shadows. Now kids, When you're outside and you're playing and the sun's out and you see your shadow, do you think that your shadow is actually you? Or when you see your daddy's shadow, do you go running and hug his shadow as though it's him? Well, of course not. That's because the shadow is not the real thing. It's not the true form of the reality, which is an actual body. Your shadow is not you. Your daddy's shadow is not him. And that's exactly what the writer of this letter is saying here about the sacrifices of old. They were but shadows of the good things to come. They weren't the good things. But they instead pointed to the true form of the realities, which is Christ Jesus Himself. And because of that, because of what these sacrifices were as but mere shadows, they were imperfect. They could not accomplish the job that was needed. They could not make perfect those who were drawn near. They were ineffectual. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? If these sacrifices were sufficient, if they were perfect, if they were effectual, they would have only been done once. Because the people would have been cleansed from their sins, and their sins would have been remembered no more. But we know that's not the case. We know that the sacrifices were not just a one-time thing. We know that the sins of the people were remembered. And that's because the shadows of the sacrificial system were imperfect. They were insufficient. They were ineffectual. But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Here the writer is referencing the most sacred of holy days in the Jewish community, the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16 gives the law concerning the sacrifices of the Day of Atonement. The priest, after purifying himself, would sacrifice a bull for the atonement of his own sins. And then next he would sacrifice one goat as a sin offering for the atonement of the people's sins. He would take the blood of the sacrificed bull and he would sprinkle it seven times upon the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. And then he would do likewise with the blood of the goat. And then he would have a second goat. And he would lay his hands upon the head of that other goat. And that signified the transferring of the people of Israel's sins onto that scapegoat, which would then be sent off into the wilderness. And this was to be done every year in the seventh month on the tenth day of the month. This is the sacrifice which signified the atoning of the sins of the people of Israel. But the writer here says that it was ineffectual. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. These are simply shadows of the good things to come. These are not the true form of the realities. And just as your shadow is powerless to do anything except point to the reality of yourself, so too are these shadows, these sacrifices, powerless to take away sin. This is the imperfection of the shadows. But if the shadows of the ceremonial system were imperfect, there must be something greater. Something which actually does take away sins. What were these shadows pointing towards? Well, that is the perfection of the sacrifice. Let's read on in our passage. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said, Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God. as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book." When we speak of the perfection of the sacrifice, it's not the sacrifices of old. These have already been shown to be imperfect because of the imperfection of the shadows. Bulls and goats, these sacrifices were never in and of themselves what the Lord desired. They could never satisfy the penalty that we have incurred against our holy and righteous God. It wasn't sacrifices and offerings that God desired, but the body that He prepared for His Son. It wasn't in burnt offerings and sin offerings that the Lord took delight, but in the Son doing the will of the Father. And the writer explains this further. When he said above, you have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings. These were offered according to the law. Then he added, Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that, will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Those sacrifices, those offerings, and burnt offerings, and sin offerings, They were all designed to point to the reality that was to come. Their purpose was to point to Christ. But now that the perfect has come, we know that the things foreshadowed is a present reality, and that those old ways, those things belonging to the sacrificial system, have been done away with. There's a reason that we don't sacrifice bulls and goats in our worship services. There's a reason that we don't bind sacrifices to the horns of the altar. There's a reason that we don't even have an altar. Those things pertaining to the sacrificial system of the Old Testament have been fulfilled in the death of Christ and have been done away with. They're no more. They're useless. This is why we don't have the incense that the priests would use in the temple. This is why we don't have bronze lavers. This is why we don't have a menorah. And this is why we don't use instruments. Because all of those things were directly tied to the sacrificial system which is no more. Christ Jesus has done away with the first in order to establish the second. And we are told how this is the case. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time, a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet." And we must understand that at the time that this book was being written, there were certain Jews who were trying to persuade Christians to return to the Old Testament sacrificial system. This is a real threat to these Hebrew Christians. And it's essentially the primary focus of this whole book. That's why there's the warning of apostasy and going back to the old things. That's why so much time is spent showing Christ's superiority over Abraham and Moses and Aaron. And that's why here we see the perfection of the sacrifice of Christ pitted against the imperfection of the sacrifice of the priests. And every priest stands daily at his service offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. The priest's sacrificial service was a daily one that had to be constantly repeated over and over and over. And why? Because it could never take away sins. It was a provision given by God pointing them forward to the sacrifice to come which would forgive sins. The Old Testament saints were saved in the very same way that you and I are today by faith in Christ Jesus. But God gave them a visible sign to point them toward what was to come. It was a perpetual reminder, a perpetual display of faith in the coming Messiah, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world, the priest would stand daily offering these sacrifices. There was no chair in the temple for the priest to sit down on when he was finished. No, his job was never truly finished. It was perpetual and ultimately ineffectual. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet. The sacrifice of Christ was perfect. He didn't stand daily offering sacrifices that could never take away sins, but instead offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins. The sacrifice of Christ had no faults or defects, because it did everything that it was meant to do, namely take away our sins. The sacrifice of Christ was pure Because He was the Lamb without blemish, the spotless Lamb of God, the Holy One of Israel, the perfect Son of God, the Word made flesh, the only One who could make the sacrifice effectual. The sacrifice of Christ was complete and lacked nothing. Because it was a once-for-all sacrifice that didn't happen daily, but as a completed act. It's already been done. What were Christ's words on the cross? It must continue. This isn't over. No, those weren't His words. His words were, It is finished. It's complete. Nothing more can be done. Nothing more needs to be done. Nothing is lacking. It is finished. And as if to put an exclamation point to the end of that phrase, Christ sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. Where the priest stood daily, Christ Jesus sat down. His job in purchasing salvation is finished. He is seated. He does not stand to offer sacrifice again. His sacrifice is to never be repeated. And the next time He does come, it won't be to offer sacrifice for sins. It'll be to make His enemies a footstool under His feet. It will be as the conquering King crushing His enemies underfoot. This is the perfection of the sacrifice. And this leads to the results of the sacrifice of Christ. The perfecting of the saints. Look with me in verse 14. For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. We saw in verse 1 that the shadows of old, the sacrifices of bulls and goats can never make perfect those who draw near. But the good thing has come. The true form of the realities is here. Christ Jesus Himself can and does make us perfect. He has perfected us for all time. It's not just a momentary thing. It's not a one-time perfecting that can be lost or tainted by a fall back into sin. No, He has perfected us for all time. In the past, we are perfected. In the present, we are perfected. In the future, we are perfected. It's a completed action accomplished by His death on the cross, confirmed by His words. It is finished and sealed by His Spirit, making us new. We are perfected. But it's also a continual thing. Yes, you are perfected, but you are also being perfected. He is perfected for all time, those who are being sanctified. Sanctification is being made holy, being made more Christ-like, being perfected. And when it comes to sanctification, there are two aspects of it. There is what's called definitive sanctification and progressive sanctification. Your definitive sanctification is that you are declared holy before the Lord. It's a present and immediate reality of every believer. The whole man has been renewed after the image of God. This is true of you now. But there's also a progressive sanctification. Your progressive sanctification is your pursuit of holiness. It's you becoming more Christlike. It's you being enabled more and more to die unto sin and to live unto righteousness. And this is possible because of Christ's once for all sacrifice. Because your sins have been forgiven. Because they are removed as far as the east is from the west. Because the Lord remembers your sins no more You are being made perfect. You are being conformed into the image of Christ. The blood of bulls and goats couldn't do this, but the blood of Christ Jesus does it. And we're given assurance of this, the promise of the new covenant. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us, for after saying, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord, I will put my laws on their hearts and write them on their minds. Then he adds, I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more. Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering of sin. This is the greatest assurance that we could ever have that we are being perfected. The perfecting of the saints is the effect of the New Covenant. The law of God is written on our hearts. It's written on our minds. It's the Word of God, the Lord's most perfect law, written on our hearts and our minds through the work of Christ Jesus on the cross that testify to our being made perfect. It's the Word that convicts man of sin. It's the Word that presents A Savior. It's the Word that instructs man in righteousness. It's the Word that assures man who he is in Christ. We are perfect. And we are being perfected. And we know this because of the promise of God. I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more. Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. This is one of the most beautiful things that we as sinners could ever hear. This is the blessing that comes from the sacrifice of Christ. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit." This is us. This is who we are. We are blessed. Our transgressions are forgiven. Our sin is covered. Against us, the Lord counts no iniquity. And it's because Christ Jesus bore our transgression and our sin and our iniquity upon Himself. And He nailed it to the cross. By offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice, He perfected us. There's no longer any offering for sin. The once for all sacrifice of Christ's offering for sin has been made. And because we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered and enabled to grow in holiness and be perfected in righteousness. This is the perfecting of the saints. Brothers and sisters, it's only in Christ that salvation is found, because it's only the cross of Christ that perfectly atones for your sins. The shadow of the good things to come, the blood of bulls and goats, they could never take away sin. They were powerless. They were insufficient. They were imperfect, but they pointed toward the perfect sacrifice of Christ. Christ Jesus sacrificed Himself, shedding His blood for the remission of sins, and fulfilled every aspect of the sacrificial system, putting it all away. His blood did what the blood of bulls and goats could not. He truly is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the perfect sacrifice. And it's through the sacrifice of Christ that you are made perfect. Your sins are washed away and you have been made new. The Spirit of Christ who dwells in you enables you more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness. You are perfected and you are being made perfect. Nothing else can do this. Nothing else needs to be added to the death of Christ in order for this to be done. This is the supremacy of the atoning sacrifice of Christ. It's not wanting of anything. It's not lacking anything. Salvation is found in Christ alone. This is the perfection of the cross. Let us pray.