The following is a sermon transcript from our Sunday Service at The Rock Church in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Each week, we gather to worship, learn from God’s Word, and grow together. This transcript is provided as a free resource to encourage and equip you in your walk with Christ. While you’re welcome to read and share this content for personal use, we kindly ask that it not be redistributed or published elsewhere without prior written consent from The Rock Church.
Introduction
Two great lies that we all tell ourselves. The laundry is done. The dishes are clean. You know what I’m talking about. You gather all the dirty clothes. You separate them. You wash them. You dry them. You fold them. And finally, put them all away. And it’s for that one glorious moment that you lift your hands to the heavens and say, yes, Lord, the laundry is done. But then you walk into the bathroom and there’s that towel on the floor. What’s that? You walk into your child’s bedroom and there is a pile of clothes. And before you know it, the laundry basket is full again.
What about washing the dishes? Finally clean up the kitchen, you wipe down the counters, you empty the dishwasher, and then somebody has the audacity to walk into the kitchen and say, “What is for dinner?” Here we go again. Some things in life are simply never finished, and that’s perfectly normal for household chores.
But what happens when we start to talk about something far more important, something that has eternal consequences? Repetition isn’t wrong. Some things are meant to be repeated. But what if repeating a task revealed that it could never accomplish what you ultimately need? And that’s precisely what the writer of Hebrews brings to us this morning. For centuries, God’s people offered sacrifices as He commanded. Year after year, the priests faithfully carried out those duties. And yet, something remained unfinished. The sacrifices continued, but the problem of sin remained. So, what would it take to accomplish what those sacrifices never could?
And that’s exactly what brings us to the focus of our attention in this text this morning, the central truth: Through His perfect obedience, Christ redeemed weary sinners once for all.
And we’ll see that unfold in the text. The first is that God appointed the old sacrifices, but they were powerless to ultimately redeem sinners. The second, we’ll see that Christ came to accomplish the Father’s will, and He did so through His perfect obedience. And lastly, through Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice, we have been made holy before God.
1. God Appointed the Old Sacrifices, but They Were Powerless to Redeem Sinners
(Hebrews 10:1–4)
So let’s begin with the first. God appointed the old sacrifices, but they were powerless to redeem sinners. It’s verses 1 to 4. We’ll read again.
Hebrews chapter 10: “For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of those realities… It can never, by the same sacrifices that are 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, they no longer have any consciousness of sins. But in these sacrifices there is a reminder —”
So the author calls the law a shadow of the good things to come. A shadow, as we know, points to, reveals something that is real. But the shadow is not itself the reality. And that’s precisely what Paul tells the church in Colossae in chapter 2, verse 17 of Colossians: “These are a shadow of the things to come. But the substance belongs to Christ.”
See, the sacrifices, they weren’t meaningless. They had a purpose. God appointed them. They were good. They were holy. They served His purpose for a time. But they were never intended to be the final answer. See, throughout redemptive history, God revealed His saving purpose until the shadows gave way to the fullness of Christ. The problem wasn’t with the shadow. The problem was expecting the shadow to accomplish what only Christ could do.
But what could those sacrifices actually accomplish? The author says these continual sacrifices could never make those who draw near — notice that word — perfect. And when he uses that word, make perfect, he’s not talking about some kind of moral perfection, doing better, getting your life in order. But consider what this would mean. The worshiper, if he was made perfect, would no longer be kept at a distance because of sin. He would have permanent, unhindered access to the living God. To be perfect means to be brought into an accepted standing before God. With this reality at hand, sin decisively and definitively dealt with, and the way into God’s presence opened.
You remember the words of Hebrews 4:16? “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace —” Now, think about for a moment how extraordinary these words would have sounded to someone under the old covenant. Only the high priest could enter the most holy place, and only once a year with the sacrificial blood. But through Christ, God welcomes sinners into His very presence, and that’s what the old sacrifices could never accomplish. They faithfully offered them year after year after year, but they never removed sin. If those sacrifices had truly perfected the worshipers, there would have been no reason for them to keep on offering them. In other words, the worshipers would no longer be conscious of sins.
Now, listen closely. This does not mean that the worshiper, the priest, would no longer recognize sin. Would no longer feel conviction or experience sorrow over sin. It means that they would no longer stand before God with the guilt of their sin awaiting its final removal. But there is indeed the annual reminder of the sins verse 3 describes.
We consider, how about a public notice posted in the middle of town? Everyone walking by can see it, and written across it are those four words: the debt remains unpaid. Another year passes by. Oh, that reminder, the sin offering. We have to do it again. Yeah, here it comes. And there is that notice, the same debt, the same reminder. And that’s the point. Under the old covenant, God’s people genuinely could receive forgiveness through faith in the promises of Christ who was to come. But the sacrifices that would finally secure that forgiveness had not yet been offered.
So why was that? If you look at verse 4, it says, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to” do what? “To take away sins.” Impossible. It wasn’t about needing more sacrifices. It wasn’t about adding more ceremonies. And it certainly wasn’t about trying harder. And isn’t it interesting how often we try to deal with our own guilt in our own strength. We make promises, I’ll do better. We try to make up for what we’ve done, and yet none of those things can take away our sin, the guilt. Only Christ can do that. Sinners needed something no animal sacrifice could ever provide.
And listen to what Paul tells us in Romans 8, chapter 8, verse 3: “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.” God has done what the law could not do. How is that? By sending his Son. And that’s exactly where the author of Hebrews takes us next.
2. Christ Came to Accomplish the Father’s Will Through His Perfect Obedience
(Hebrews 10:5–9)
Christ came to accomplish the Father’s will through his perfect obedience. Verses 5 to 9.
“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.”‘ And when he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), and then he added, ‘Behold, again, behold, I have come to do your will.’ He does away with the first in order to establish the second.”
I want you to listen how verse 5 begins: “Consequently, when Christ came into the world.” I don’t think we can understand the weight of that as much as we should. Everything changes with the arrival of Christ. The eternal Son of God became truly man without ceasing to be truly God. And He came willingly, according to the eternal saving purpose of our triune God. The Father sent the Son. The Son accomplished that work of redemption, and the Holy Spirit applies it to the people of God. This is what we call the covenant of redemption.
And why did the Son come into the world? Look at verse 7: “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God.” There it is right there. Christ came to accomplish the Father’s will.
Now remarkably, the author places King David’s words from Psalm 40 directly onto Christ’s lips. Hebrews says, “a body you have prepared for me.” Yet in the Hebrew text of Psalm 40, David says, “you have given me an open ear.” Hebrews following the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Although the wording differs, both expressions reveal and emphasize a readiness to do God’s will. Now, throughout Scripture, hearing and obedience are closely connected. Consider Isaiah 50, verse 5: “The Lord God opened my ear and I was not rebellious. I turn not backward.” The servant hears the Lord and he obeys. And what would that obedience require? The very next verse tells us the servant willingly submits to suffering, even giving his back to those who strike him. His obedience leads Him through suffering and ultimately to the cross.
And now we consider those words of Hebrews 10, verse 5: “A body you have prepared for me.” The eternal Son of God took on humanity not merely to bring another sacrifice, but to offer Himself up. The body prepared for Him in verse 5 is the very body offered for us in verse 10. Now notice that little phrase: “in the scroll of the book it is written of me.” His coming was no accident. Scripture anticipated it. His obedience and His suffering. From the beginning, God was revealing His purpose to redeem sinners through His Son. Jesus came to accomplish what God had promised.
Now let’s return to King David and consider those circumstances in which he originally wrote these words. Psalm 40 begins with David celebrating God’s deliverance. You can turn there if you want to see. He had endured the suffering. He had waited patiently for the Lord and experienced His mercy. And David responded with grateful obedience. In verse 8, he declares, “I delight, O Lord, to do Your will.” Oh my God.
We know David’s story. He sinned grievously. He failed as a husband, a father, and a king. And just a few verses later, in Psalm 40:12, he confesses, “My iniquities have overtaken me. I cannot see.” You see that tension? David delighted in God’s will, but he could never accomplish it perfectly. He was a king who needed redemption himself. But then comes David’s greater son. It’s King Jesus. Unlike David, Jesus accomplished the Father’s will completely. David needed a sacrifice for his own sins. Jesus came to offer himself as the sacrifice for our sins.
Listen how our forefathers expressed this in the 1689, chapter 8, paragraph 4: “The Lord Jesus most willingly undertook his office to discharge it. He was born under the law and perfectly fulfilled it.” Do you see? Do you hear? He willingly undertook the work. He perfectly fulfilled the law. Our redemption rests on Christ’s obedience. His perfect obedience.
Now notice how the author explains this in verses 8 and 9. God neither desired nor took pleasure in these offerings and sacrifices. Now wait a minute. I thought that these sacrifices and offerings were appointed by God. I thought these things were good. Of course they were. God appointed them. So what does the author mean when he says this? God was pleased with faithful worship offered according to His commands. But he never intended those sacrifices to accomplish what only his Son could do. They served their appointed purpose, but they could never take away sin. Remember what the Father declared at Jesus’ baptism? “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” The Father delights in His Son, and the Son delights in doing His Father’s will. Through His perfect obedience, Christ accomplished the saving purpose those sacrifices could only anticipate.
Now take special notice here in the second half of verse 9: “He does away with the first in order to establish the second.” What is the first? The first is the old sacrificial system with its repeated offerings that could never take away sin. And what’s the second? It’s the fulfillment of the Father’s will through His Son’s perfect obedience and sacrifice. You see, God wasn’t abandoning His plan. He was accomplishing it. The sacrifices had served their purpose. And now that Christ has come, the old sacrificial order has approached and reached its finished end. The shadows have given way to the reality.
What does this mean for us as believers? We’ve seen that Christ came to do the Father’s will, to accomplish it perfectly, and because we belong to Him, our obedience is now a grateful response to His grace. And because we belong, think again of David. He experienced the Lord’s mercy. And his heart responded then with grateful obedience.
Maybe you’ve been walking through a particularly difficult season of your life, and you find yourself, you’ve cried out to the Lord, you’ve waited patiently upon Him, you’ve learned what it means to depend on Him with all your heart. Perhaps that burden is beginning to lift, and that is a wonderful mercy indeed. Or perhaps that suffering continues, whatever affliction it is, and you’re still waiting. Here’s what I want you to remember. The same Lord who sustained you through yesterday’s suffering will sustain you tomorrow. And His grace doesn’t merely teach us to endure suffering. It does something deeper and richer. It teaches us to delight in His will. And not to earn His favor, but because we have already received His favor in Christ. So, whatever season you’re in, hear His word. Trust His promises. And gladly obey His commands.
3. Through Christ’s Once-for-All Sacrifice, We Have Been Made Holy Before God
(Hebrews 10:10)
And now we come to the wonderful result of Christ’s perfect obedience. What has Christ accomplished for us? That’s where the author takes us in verse 10, and it brings us to our third and final truth: through Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice, we have been made holy before God. In verse 10, we read,
“By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
By that will. Well, whose will are we talking about? It’s the Father’s will. The whole work of redemption flows from the gracious will of God. All of history, redemptive history, flows from our God. This was no last minute plan that you stumbled upon, the Lord Jesus. Before the foundation of the world, God purposed to redeem a people for Himself. That is an amazing thing. Through His Son. And now, through Christ’s perfect obedience, that saving purpose has been accomplished. We are indeed the recipients of God’s eternal grace.
But there is more to it than that. It’d be one thing to say forgiven, but there is those four words, we have been sanctified. Now, don’t misunderstand what the author is saying. He’s not saying that you’ve reached sinless perfectionism. He’s telling us something wonderful about what Christ has already accomplished for us. We once belonged to the world. We once were alienated to God because of our sin. But through Christ, we now belong to Him. We’ve been consecrated to Him. We’ve been welcomed into His presence. We’ve been set apart as His own people. And this isn’t determined by how holy you feel on any given day. It rests on what Christ accomplished once and for all.
Now, Scripture speaks this way in other places. Listen to what Paul tells the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 6:11: “And such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Do you hear those words? You’ve been washed. You were sanctified. You were justified. And remember who Paul was writing to. Do you remember the church at Corinth? Those believers were some pretty messed up people. They still struggled greatly with sin. They needed correction. They needed to grow in holiness. But their struggle with sin did not erase what Christ had already accomplished for them. They belonged to God. And that’s precisely what Hebrews 10:10 declares.
But maybe you came here this morning painfully aware of your sin. You know the things that you’ve said, the thoughts that you’ve entertained, the ways you’ve failed to love the Lord as you ought. But if you belong to Christ, listen to what the author says. We have been sanctified. Not because your obedience has been perfect, but because Christ’s obedience was. You’re standing before God. Rest upon what Christ has accomplished for you. And that is good news for weary sinners.
Well, how did that happen, you ask? It was through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. The body prepared for Christ in verse 5 is the body offered in verse 10. And he offered himself once for all. The laundry never stays finished. The dishes will never stay clean. And the old sacrifices, well, they had to be offered again and again and again. Focus is here that Christ’s sacrifice will never need to be repeated again. Why? Because the old sacrifices couldn’t accomplish. They couldn’t do it. Couldn’t take away sin. But Christ has taken away all of our sin.
“The Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience and sacrifice of Himself, has fully satisfied the justice of God.” Chapter 8, verse paragraph 5. Do you hear that? Fully satisfied. There’s nothing that remains for us in order to secure our acceptance before God. Christ has accomplished all of it. And through His sacrifice, we have been made holy before God. That’s what His obedience has accomplished for us.
Conclusion
Dear friends, no other Savior can do what Jesus Christ has done. But maybe you’ve been trying to make yourself acceptable to God through your obedience, through your religious efforts, through your attempts to make yourself worthy. But none of those things can take away your sin. Jesus Christ alone — and He has accomplished everything necessary to save sinners. So if you’ve not yet trusted in Christ, I encourage you to come to Him today. You don’t need to make yourself worthy before coming. You come as a sinner who needs mercy.
And if you belong to Christ, rest in what He’s accomplished for you. Your obedience will never be perfect in this life. But His obedience was. The sacrifice that made you holy before God will never need to be repeated. So draw near to Him with confidence. Not because of what you’ve done, but because of what Christ has done for you. It’s His obedience and our redemption.
So we’ve heard this morning that our redemption rests not on our obedience, but on the perfect obedience of Christ. And yet we know how often we fail to do the Father’s will. We sin in our thoughts, our words, our actions. We fail in so many ways to love God, to love our neighbors as we ought. But because of Christ, we can come before our Heavenly Father with confidence. We can confess our sins and we can trust in His mercy. So would you let me lead you in a corporate prayer of confession as we come to confess our sin and ask for the Lord’s mercy.
Closing Prayer
Father, we come before You acknowledging that You are holy. You are righteous. You are good. And You’ve revealed Your will to us graciously through Your word. And yet we have not obeyed. We have turned to vain things. We have loved ourselves more than You. We have trusted in our own strength. We have neglected Your good and kind instruction and failed to love others as Christ has loved us. Father, forgive us.
We confess that even our best obedience is imperfect, and that we have nothing in ourselves that could make us worthy to stand before You. But we thank You for sending Your beloved Son, who willingly and perfectly accomplished Your will. O Lord, forgive us our sins for His sake. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness, as Your word says, as we confess we will receive. Lord, renew our hearts. Revive our hearts again. And teach us to walk in that grateful obedience.
Lord, we want to rest in the finished work of Jesus. And we want to live as a people that belongs to You. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, a perfect Redeemer. Amen.
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