Jesus - The All Sufficient Sacrifice for Sin - Part 2

If you would, go ahead and take your Bible and turn back to Hebrews chapter 10. Like I said in our scripture reading, we will be spending most of our time in verses 11 to 18. But while you're turning there, I do want to say a thanks to not just you as individuals, but to our church. I think most of you know that my dad passed away and we had the funeral last weekend. I want to thank you for all that you did. I want to thank you for your prayer, for your support. I want to thank you for your calls, your text messages. Some have brought food to the house.

You know when you go through all of that, you're very, very tired and sometimes just having a meal where you don't have to worry about it is a huge blessing. Thank you for some of you. You're able to come to the funeral. Your presence there was more of a blessing than you know. I think everyone knows that my dad had Alzheimer's for almost 11 years and so we were anticipating this but it's still hard. I do want to ask you to pray for my mother as she adjusts to a new normal. They would have been married 65 years this July. I don't think you get over that overnight. And then pray for our family. We'll be adjusting to a new normal.

But one more thing I do want to mention. Thank you church that you are a people in a church that allow me to take personal time like I took. A lot of churches won't let their pastor do that. Someone in the life of our church came up to me and said, "Pastor, I'm glad you're with your family. You have always been there for us. Now you go be there with your family." You don't know how much of a blessing that is. I know guys who are at the deathbed of a family member and they're having the right of sermon are leave to go visit a hospital. You don't realize the blessing that you are and I'm thankful.

And it is a reminder for me to remind you that being here for each other during difficult times is very, very important. Very, very important. So thank you. All right. Let's get back to Hebrews. Now back in June, June the first, we got started here in chapter 10. Like I said earlier, we covered verses 1 to 10 and I titled that message Jesus, the all sufficient sacrifice for sin. And since it's been a while since we've been here in Hebrews, I want to give us a very quick review before we get into our new verses. Now I want to do this to kind of catch us up where we are. And this review is in the spirit of one of the men.

It's here this morning, Wednesday night I told one of our men that we would be back in Hebrews and he immediately said, "Pastor, it's been a while. I need to catch up." Well, honestly, I think we all need to catch up. I certainly had to catch up myself this week. But here in chapter 10, we are still in the heart of the message of the book of Hebrews. Now we know the theme of the book is all about the supremacy of Christ and that is certainly what we see here in verses 1 to 18. This is all about the supremacy and the preeminence of Christ.

Now I have said this several times, but to understand this book, we must know how the chapters that are at the heart of the book really come together. Chapter 7 is all about Jesus, the greater priest with a greater priesthood than that of the Old Covenant priests and their priesthood. Chapter 8 and 9 are all about Jesus as well, who is the great high priest of the New Covenant, which is better than the Old Covenant. In chapter 10, verses 1 to 18, the author was proving that Jesus and the New Covenant is better.

And he does this by explaining that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross had the power and the effectiveness to do what the Old Covenant and the Old Covenant sacrifices could never, ever do. Now when we studied chapters 7 and 8, we saw that at the heart of Old Covenant Jewish life was the fact that these Jews were a covenant people. And that is one of the reasons why so many Jews in this congregation who received this letter originally, they were really, really struggling to break away from the Old Covenant and those Old Covenant sacrifices. Really they were trying and struggling, dealing with breaking away from all of Old Covenant life.

But we have also seen something else that was at the heart of Jewish life and worship. And that was their sacrificial system. And this great and grand sacrificial system with all of its rules, all of its rituals, all of its laws, it was still being practiced there in the temple at the very time that this letter was written. Most scholars tell us that the temple was still standing when this letter was written. And the letter itself bears witness to that fact. And most scholars believe that this congregation was in Jerusalem or close to Jerusalem so they would have seen the temple and these sacrifices regularly.

But here in verses 1 to 18, the author was explaining that all their animal sacrifices and even the Old Covenant way of life, even the Old Covenant as a whole was flawed. And it was not that the sacrificial system and the Old Testament laws behind that system was sinful or evil. Those things were flawed in that they were unable to truly remove sin and put a person into a perfect or right relationship with God permanently. And he went on to explain that Jesus and his single sacrifice for sin was and is able to do what those Old Covenant sacrifices could never do.

His sacrifice on the cross was the once and for all, the all sufficient sacrifice for sin in contrast to those animal sacrifices that had to be made year after year, day after day. So the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, it was and is able to do what the Old Covenant and the Old Covenant sacrifices could never do. And that is where we get the title of the message. And the messages that come out of verses 1 to 18. This is all about Jesus, the all sufficient sacrifice for sin. And this is a part two this morning. Now let me explain how we will approach the message.

I want to quickly touch on what we looked at in verses 1 to 10 because this all goes together. And then I want us to divide verses 11 to 18. And we will really have two major points out of those verses. We will see the sacrifice of Christ that brings perfection before God, the sacrifice of Christ that brings perfection before God. That's in verses 11 to 14. And the sacrifice of Christ which brings forgiveness from sin. It will be easy for you to follow me for those of you who are note takers. So in verses 1 to 4 we saw the ineffectiveness of the Old Covenant sacrifices. I won't read those verses, we read those earlier.

But here we saw that the author explained that the Old Covenant and those Old Covenant sacrifices were unable to do three things. First those sacrifices were unable to perfect a person or to make that person spiritually complete. This simply means that those animal sacrifices could not bring a person into a right relationship with God in any permanent way. And those Old Covenant sacrifices were unable to cleanse the conscience of a man. If those sacrifices had been able to bring a person into a right relationship with God in a permanent way, then the conscience of those who were worshipping would have been made clean, would have been clear.

But that was not the case. At best the Old Covenant worshipper came with a conscience that was temporarily cleansed. But it was never permanently cleansed and cleared. And third those Old Covenant sacrifices were unable to take away the person's sin. At best those animal sacrifices could cover over those sins temporarily. But it was impossible for the blood of animals to take away or remove sin even though they were made year after year, year after year. And on the other side, or conversely, we saw that the Old Covenant sacrifices were able to do certain things, three things.

First those Old Covenant sacrifices were able to expose a person's imperfection. Simply for the Old Covenant worshippers, obedience to the Old Covenant law and all of those Old Covenant sacrifices were a constant reminder of the fact that they desperately, desperately, desperately needed to be made right with God. And second those Old Covenant sacrifices were able to start up one's conscience. Even if they were obedient and had sincere hearts, those worshippers never had their sins taken away. At best their consciences were appeased temporarily when their sins were covered over temporarily. But they never possessed.

They never experienced a clear and a cleansed conscience. And then last those sacrifices were able to bring to remembrance their sins. Verse three and four tell us that it was impossible for the blood of animals to take away sins. But verse three tells us that those sacrifices were a constant reminder, a constant reminder of their sin and their sinfulness. But what is the point? What is the point here? It almost seems like God had put his people on this depressive and despairing religious hamster wheel. You know what a hamster wheel is? But that was not the case. Now I explained this in greater detail in our part one.

You may need to go get that. But here is where we must remember why God gave the Old Covenant. And if we are all feared, this will lead to all sorts of error. The Old Covenant with those rituals and laws and sacrifices were a shadow of what was to come. And what was to come was Jesus and the New Covenant. Simply the Old Covenant, well all of those rituals, all of those laws, all of those sacrifices were meant to speak of and to picture and to point to God's promised Messiah, Jesus, the New Covenant.

And at the center of the shadow was the sacrificial system, which was a constant reminder that those Old Covenant worshippers and their sin demanded blood and death. And all these things were given, not only to point the worshipper to Christ as the promised Messiah, but to point the worshipper to Christ as the only one who could and would once and for all take away their sin. So folks, just remember, just make sure you remember that the Old Covenant and especially those animal sacrifices were temporary. They were meant to point to, they were meant to lead the worshipper to Jesus. Now then we got to verses five to ten.

And then we saw the effectiveness of Christ and his sacrifice. Now here we saw how the author unfolds the effectiveness of Christ and his sacrifice and he started off by quoting the Old Testament Scriptures. First he said that God took no pleasure in those animal sacrifices. And it was not that those sacrifices were wrong or sinful, no. They became sinful only when those sacrifices were made out of routine. But that was not the case when those sacrifices were performed out of a genuine heart, a true sincere heart of worship for God. But then he declared that God's ultimate desire was to sacrifice his son.

Animal sacrifices were not God's ultimate desire, but the body that God had prepared for his son, that was God's ultimate sacrifice and desire. And then third we saw that Jesus came to the earth to do the will of his father. Now the son of God's will was the same as the father's will. It was not that Jesus had to change his will, no. And Jesus came to do God's will and he did so by going to the cross as God's ultimate sacrifice for sin. And then we saw that the author said that because of Christ's sacrifice he did away with the Old Covenant so as to replace it with the New Covenant. And that is because the Old Covenant was never the end.

It was always meant to be a means to the end and the end being the New Covenant. And then fifth or last the author showed us that because and through all of these things a person can truly be set apart unto God. And this is really the climax of the entire book of Hebrews. The fact that through Christ Jesus a person can be set apart to God, they can be put into a right relationship with God. And this is all about what's called positional sanctification. And look again at what we learned here in all of these verses. The negative are the ineffectiveness of the Old Covenant. And the positive are the effectiveness of the New Covenant.

The climax of the ineffectiveness of the Old Covenant is seen in verse 4. Verse 4 says, "For it is impossible for the blood of animals, bulls and goats to take away sins." But the climax of the effectiveness of Christ Jesus and the New Covenant is seen in verse 10. Verse 10 says, "And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ Jesus once and for all." Warren Rheesbe says of this work, this resonated with me, "Believers have been set apart, sanctified by the offering of Christ's body once for all." No Old Covenant sacrifice could do that.

An Old Covenant worshipper had to be purified from ceremonial defilement repeatedly. But a New Covenant saint is set apart finally and completely. Now I don't know about you, but that reminds me of some of the lyrics that we were singing earlier. Many of you know that City of Light song? It is finished upon the cross. But notice something. We know that it is finished upon the cross, not because of the lyrics of that song, no. We know that it was finished upon that cross because God's Word says so. Now is there anything wrong with that song? No. That song is a reflection of what we're studying here. But what I'm trying to show you is this.

We know that it is finished because God's Word says so. And we will continue to look at that fact off and on throughout the rest of the message. Now let's continue with some new material. Number three, I want us to see the sacrifice of Christ brings perfection before God. The sacrifice of Christ brings perfection before God. Now I do want to read these verses, verses 11 to 14. 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. Verse 14, "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." Now right away we can see a comparison between the Old Covenant priests and Christ. But actually we will see two comparisons here. But as we will see, the point that the author was making here is that the sacrifice of Christ can do what the Old Covenant could not do. So let's look at the comparisons and then I want us to look at the ultimate point.

First, the comparison between the Old Covenant priests and Jesus. We see that in verse 11 and 12. Now I have already said this, but scholars tell us that when this letter was written the temple was still standing and that meant that the priests were still ministering before the Lord exactly like we see here in verse 11. But here he describes their priestly service. He tells us that the priest stood in his service daily. And his service was offering the same sacrifices daily, year after year, year after year.

And the priest stood not only because there was no place to sit down there in the tabernacle, but he stood because his work was never ever done. His work was to offer the same sacrifices, the same sacrifices day after day, year after year. So the priest made those sacrifices day after day because his work was never done. That is because sin was never taken away by his service. One writer said that because of these things, man's deepest need was always kept in view. Now I agree with that, but I will add to that. In all of these things, man's deepest need and deepest problem was kept in view. Ever present sin is more than a need.

A constant reminder of sin is a reality in all of these things and it's more than a need. It is man's deepest problem. Now before I move on, let me ask you a question. If you were lost and without Christ, if you've not been born again, if you've not come into a saving relationship with Christ, do you see that your greatest need is your sin problem between you and God? It's not just that you have needs, no. Your number one need is your sin and you cannot do anything about your sin and your sinfulness. But we must see the main point here.

The main point was and is not man's problem, but the problem of the entire Old Covenant and specifically the sacrificial system. The problem was the imperfection of the Old Covenant. Sin could not be taken away. But in contrast to the ineffectiveness of those Old Covenant priests, he shows us the effectiveness of Christ in verse 12. Here he described Christ Jesus and his priestly service. We easily see a contrast. Christ offered for all time a single sacrifice for sin and the text says then he sat down at the right hand of God and he offered a single sacrifice for sin because his sacrifice was sufficient to take away sin.

Any sin, all sin permanently. And he sat down signifying that this work was done, it was finished and he sat down at the right hand of God taking the highest place of honor and power in heaven. So the author gives us a contrast between the ineffectiveness of those Old Covenant priests and their service and sacrifices and the effectiveness of Christ. I like how one writer pointed out this contrast. It really came from a little devotional book on Hebrews by an author named Griffith Thomas. He said and I'm quoting, "Instead of many sacrifices, Christ offered one. Instead of offerings being made, oftentimes Christ offered one sacrifice forever.

Instead of the attitude of standing, Christ having accomplished his work sat down at the right hand of God." See the contrast? Now what is the point that we must see and apply here? The entire work of redemption from man and man is complete. It is finished. Again we know it's finished not just because of the words of that song but because of what's said here in the scriptures. Now if you are here and you've not been born again, if you are here and you've not come into a saving relationship with Christ, if you are here and God has been exposing that to you and revealing that to you, I want you to see there's nothing wrong with redemption.

Salvation has been provided. It is finished. The work is done. The problem is not with Christ. The problem is with you. Any time we have a sinner who will not trust in Christ and believe in Christ, the problem isn't with Christ. The problem is with you. You could be holding on to a sin that you refuse to repent of. You could be holding on to a love and some kind of affection that you will not let go up. There are a thousand and one things that you can be holding on to because you will not yield to Christ. It is finished. The problem is with you. Looking for the born again, all this does for me is just leads me to worship. It's been finished.

It's done. It's done. It is finished. But then second, the comparison between the finished work of Christ and the unfinished work. We have seen that the work of providing the perfect sacrifice for sin is complete, but in verse 13, we see that there's something unfinished. Look at verse 13. I want to read verse 12. It really kind of goes together. But when Christ had offered for all time the single sacrifice for sin, he sat down at the right hand of God. It's finished. Waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. Here he shows us that the work of bringing judgment upon God's enemies is not complete.

Jesus waits and he is waiting until his enemies are made to be his footstool. And that is a quotation from Psalm 110 verse 1. Some of your Bibles note that. Now to get at what this means, we need to ask two questions. Who are these enemies? Who are these enemies? Are these Democrats? Are these leftist protesters? Are these Iranians? Are these Hamas terrorists? No. As soon as I started talking like that, you thought, "Pastor, you're getting political." And the reason I bring that up is not for a joke. It's because we can vilify certain people in the world and we should never do that.

It doesn't matter if someone's a Democrat or a Republican, a leftist or whatever else. Those are people who need Christ if they're lost. Those people are not the enemies. And the minute the church makes people like that enemies, we have lost it. We need to see that these enemies are not named. But it is best to see that these enemies are everyone in anything that is sinful, evil and anti-God. But what does this mean? What's the point here? To understand this, we must go back to the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant and all of those animal sacrifices could not conquer the enemies of God.

But when Christ Jesus died on the cross, he conquered all of the enemies of God in one act. And Hebrews 2.14 tells us that Jesus conquered Satan. Colossians 2.14-15 tells us that Jesus defeated all of the fallen angels. Those are the demons. And Colossians 2.15 tells us that Jesus defeated the rulers and the authorities of this age, of this world who were against God. So on the cross, when he suffered and offered for all time the single sacrifice and the perfect sacrifice for sin, and then when he sat down at the right hand of God, he conquered all of the enemies of God. But the time of that judgment has not come yet.

And at the end of time in human history, when all people and all things are judged, God will make His enemies the footstool of Jesus. I like how the Bible commentator Leon Morris explains it. He says that what the author has in mind here is the saving work of Christ, the work is done, but evil is still at work in the world. And in the end, it will be completely abolished as the making of the enemies into a footstool so powerfully depicts. So here the author made a contrast between the finished work of Christ and the unfinished work of Christ. Now there's a lesson here. Some of you, you turn on the news.

Some of you, you look at your social media news feeds. Some of you look around at what's going on in the world and you were overwhelmed with fear. You were overwhelmed with all kinds of anxieties. You think, "How are we going to make it, Pastor? All these people are going to come get us and kill us and all of that good kind of stuff." Look, folks, God is in control. The world is not falling apart. It's falling into place. And you need to get your eyes off what's going on in the world and get your eyes in the scriptures. I think about my reading through Proverbs.

Proverbs all the time talks about how the fact that even though it seems like the wicked will prosper, God will take care of the wicked. God's in control. Third, by Christ's sacrifice, man can be made perfect before God. Verse 14. Now here the author goes back to what he said in verse 12, but he adds something new. He adds something important in verse 14. Let's read verse 12 and verse 14. You see if you can pick up what's new in verse 14. "But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right end of God." Verse 14.

"For by a single sacrifice, he is perfected for all time those who were being sanctified." Now here the author finishes up this particular argument found in verses 11 to 14. He is saying that there is nothing more to be done for the salvation of man and man. The work of redemption is complete. It is finished. But here the author carries this argument a little further. He says that by the single sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the cross, he truly perfected his people. You see that? He truly perfected his people. Now what does perfected mean? Does this mean that people become perfect after they become a Christian?

Some of you who are born again will think, "I know some Christians in here who are not perfect. Don't look around you now. Don't mumble anybody's name." Some of you ladies are thinking, "My husband's a Christian and I know he's not perfect. Y'all can settle that later at lunch." But what does this mean? Does this mean some kind of a Christian perfectionism? No. This word perfected in the original, it means to make perfect, to make complete. This means to bring to a state of completion or perfection. You might say, "Pastor, that seems to hint to a sinless perfection." No, that's not the case.

Here the author is speaking of a completion or a perfection in relation to salvation, not sanctification. This does not have to do with sanctification or the living out of the Christian life. This is positional sanctification, positional perfection. This means that everything needed in salvation for a person is provided in the single sacrifice for sin that Christ made on the cross. And when a person accepts Christ's sacrifice for sin, therefore coming into a saving relationship to Christ, all that is needed for salvation is provided. So they are completely saved, they are perfectly saved, their salvation is complete.

And they are in a perfect right relationship with God. But on top of that, they are completely saved, they are perfectly saved, their salvation is complete for all time and for eternity. Listen to what the King James says here, "For by one offering he hath perfected forever, forever them that are sanctified." Bible scholar Kenneth Wu says, "This is a perfect state of completeness in salvation." MacArthur says forgiveness is permanent because the sacrifice is permanent. So look at the argument that the author is giving here in verses 11 to 14.

He says that the Old Covenant priestly sacrifices could never take away sin, therefore provide perfect and permanent salvation for man. But by Christ's single sacrifice for sin, which he offered one time, for all time, perfect salvation has been provided. Therefore a person can attain a perfect salvation which brings them into a perfect and a complete standing before God for forever. To me there are two facts we must see, we must believe and we must live out. First, it is finished. It is finished. The work of redemption has been accomplished and there is nothing more that needs to be done to provide salvation for men and men.

Again, if you are lost and outside of a saving relationship with Christ, the problem isn't with the gospel, the problem is with you. And then second, once someone has come to true saving faith, they cannot lose their salvation. Some of you are waiting on me to get there. Listen to verse 14 again. "Again, the King James, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." Listen to verse 14 in the New American Standard. "For by one offering he has perfected for all time." That's all time, all time. Those who are sanctified. And what we see here is this. This is nothing more than eternal security.

So the sacrifice of Christ brings perfection before God, brings the person into a perfect position before God in time and in eternity. And then last, number four, I want us to see the sacrifice of Christ brings forgiveness from sin. The sacrifice of Christ brings forgiveness from sin. Let's read verses 15 to 18. "And the Holy Spirit also bears witness," some translations say, "testify 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.' And 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 for sin.'" Now here the author is really just continuing this same argument in case. But what he does here actually proves his case, proves the case that he's making. And what argument has he been making? The fact that the Old Covenant has been replaced by the New Covenant. The fact that the New Covenant is better and the sacrifice of the New Covenant is better because verse 14, "by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." And notice how he proves his case. He does this in two ways.

First he says that the witness of the Holy Spirit proves his case. In verse 15, notice that the author says that the Holy Spirit bears witness of these things that he's been explaining. In this term, "bears witness," the legacy standard Bible says, "testify us." This comes from a word that means to witness, to bear witness, to affirm that one is seen, heard, or experienced something. Usually the author is saying that the Holy Spirit of God testifies of the things that he's been explaining. But a question, how does the Spirit do this? How does the Holy Spirit testify of these things? Did this come about by some dream or vision? No.

Did this come about by some special revelation to an individual? No. He testifies to these things in and through the Old Testament, specifically in and through the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. Then second, he says that the witness of the Word of God proves this case. We see this in verse 16 and 17. Here we see that the author quotes the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. And this quotation is specifically from Jeremiah chapter 31. Now if we have a good memory, we remember that the author quoted Jeremiah 31 back in Hebrews 8 verses 8 to 12. But what's the point here?

The author is saying and proving that the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah prophesied of all that he's been explaining about the New Covenant and this new and better sacrifice. So notice how the author proves or solidifies all that he's been teaching. He says that the Holy Spirit bears witness of these things. The Holy Spirit testifies that all of these things are true by and in and through the Old Testament scripture. Now pause for a second. Remember this original audience. And notice what the author is doing.

He is taking their Old Testament scriptures, their beloved Jeremiah, and he's pulling up those prophecies and he's saying to them, "See what I've been teaching you is true." He's proving his case with the Old Testament and the Spirit bore witness and still does of these things. But we need to see what the author is saying and quoting in Jeremiah. Actually he only quotes a portion of the verses given by Jeremiah and he does this for a reason. He's making two points about the New Covenant. First that in the New Covenant the law of God is written on their heart. We see that in verse 16. Now what the author is showing us here is this.

In and under the Old Covenant the law of God was written on tablets of stone. The Ten Commandments were actually written on stone tablets and they were in the Ark of the Covenant. But for those who believe in Christ Jesus savingly, they're in the New Covenant. The author is saying that God puts his law into their minds and into their hearts. And then second, he says that in the New Covenant permanent forgiveness is provided. We see that in verse 17. "Here the author was and is using Jeremiah to show and to prove that under the New Covenant permanent forgiveness is provided.

Whereas under the Old Covenant only temporary forgiveness was provided." And notice the author seems to be saying that the New Covenant and the New Testament is a fulfillment and a completion of the Old Covenant and the Old Testament. And that is because it is and was. The Old Testament simply complements what's explained in the New. But the important thing to see here in these quotations from Jeremiah is this. The author is saying and showing that the New Covenant is inward, not merely outward.

The New Covenant is all about the law of God on the inside of the worshipper and a permanent forgiveness from sin that is attained and is experienced. And these are the things that the Old Covenant could never do for the worshipper and these things would have been revolutionary for those Jews. And notice what this did for that original audience. By quoting Jeremiah, who was one of their revered prophets now, the author was bringing them to a conclusion that they desperately needed. He was backing them into a corner with their own Bible.

Simply this, if sins can be forgiven permanently and perfectly, which is what Jeremiah told them, then there is no longer any offering for sin. Verse 18. To quote Morris here, he says, "The fulfillment of the prophecy means the complete abandonment of all that the Jews valued so highly." And this leads us to the climax of the authors teaching in verses 15 to 18. That's verse 18. Listen to verse 18 in the Amplified.

It reads, "Now where there is absolute forgiveness and complete cancellation of the penalty of these things, there is no longer any offering to be atoned for sin." Only when perfect and permanent forgiveness is provided by the sacrifice of Christ, there is no other sacrifice needed. So notice the solidification of this argument here in verses 15 to 18. And the climax of his teaching, this new and better covenant and sacrifice puts the law of God into the heart of the believer and brings them to a permanent place of perfect forgiveness from sin. And the Holy Spirit of God testifies of these things using the Old Testament Scriptures.

And for us in our day, this brings us to one of two places. For those who have come to a saving relationship to Christ, those who were genuinely born again and have that saving relationship to Christ, seeing and understanding that we have perfect and permanent salvation for forever and that a perfect and permanent forgiveness for sin has been attained, that brings us to a place of rest. Rest. Rest in peace. It's finished. It's been accomplished. My sin is remembered no more. Rest. Peace.

But for those who have not come to a saving faith in Christ, those who have not been born again, seeing and understanding that perfect and permanent salvation for forever has not been attained and that a permanent and perfect forgiveness for sin is not been attained. So that brings you to a place not of resting but of wrestling. Wrestling. Wrestling. You're always wrestling with your spiritual condition. You're always wrestling with your sin and sinfulness. You're always wrestling with the fact that you're not right with God. You're wrestling with the fact that the Holy Spirit of God is convicting you of sin, righteousness and judgment.

You are wrestling against the fact that you are outside of a saving relationship with Christ. And what I say to you is this, come, come to Christ. Quit wrestling. Die. The reason a lot of people won't come to faith in Christ is because they just won't die. Die. Come to faith in... What are you holding on to? It's finished. The problem is with you, not with Christ. So the sacrifice of Christ brings permanent, perfect forgiveness.

Jeremiah quotes God in saying, remember, he's quoting God, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Now I want to close and wrap up verses 1 to 18 by going back to that devotional commentary by Griffith Thomas, and he makes some comparisons between the Old and the New Covenant. The Old Covenant meant bondage. The New Covenant means liberty. Do you live in liberty and peace and freedom? Oh, it's wonderful. The Old Covenant spoke of fear. The New Covenant speaks of assurance. Assurance. The Old Covenant emphasized distance from God, distance from God, distance from God. The New Covenant speaks of a nearness to God.

The Old Covenant spoke of separation from God. The New Covenant speaks of fellowship with God. So Jesus, the all-sufficient sacrifice, sin. I've said this before, but I say it again in closing. I don't know about you, but I'll take the New Covenant. God's a good God, never makes any mistakes. Those saints who were born under the Old Covenant were born right where God wanted them to be, but I'm so thankful that I am under the New Covenant. Let's pray. And then we'll sing a closing song of worship.