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Sunday 4 August 2002 - "Jesus sits (His victory expounded from Heb 10:12 - 18)"

(Summary of sermon by Kjell Olsen)

Hebrews 10: 12-18

This Man - our Lord Jesus Christ, offered one sacrifice for ever and no more shedding of blood is necessary again. We should not make the mistake of thinking that slaughtering for the dead is just an African culture. It is part of universal paganism. Only when Christ's sacrifice has been accepted does it come to an end.

Christ's death on Calvary is sufficient. (Example of covering sins: : During World War II came the story of an officer that truly cared for his men. They were near enemy lines. The fighting had become quite heavy. Suddenly a grenade landed in the midst of his men. This officer threw his own body over the grenade. It ripped his chest open and tore out his heart. He gave his life for his men. When Jesus was nailed to the tree He threw his life over the sin of all mankind. It ripped his heart out and it burst. But all men could have the benefits of his life, his blood, his sacrifice.)

Sat down - After all his work, His suffering, death and resurrection, Jesus sat down as the victor, at the right hand of God. The Lord, despite wars and rumours of wars, is not in a panic for He is seated in victory after conquering evil. He is King over all kings. His being seated at God's right hand was the culmination of all God's plans from before the foundation of the world. See also: 1Cor 15:25. Prophesied also in Ps 2 and 110:1 that He will subdue His enemies.

(e.g.: In the years 1014-1035 there ruled over England a Danish king named Canute. King Canute tired of hearing his retainers flatter him with extravagant praises of his greatness, power and invincibility. He ordered his chair to be set down on the seashore, where he commanded the waves not to come in and wet him. No matter how forcefully he ordered the tide not to come in, however, his order was not obeyed. Soon the waves lapped around his chair. One historian tells us that, therefore, he never wore his crown again, but hung it on a statue of the crucified Christ.)

For you personally - allow Him to subdue your rebel heart under His feet. It is either by cheerful willing submission or being crushed.

(His footstool means completely subdued. See Joshua 10:24, custom of conquerors to put feet on necks of enemies.

This will happen fully at His second coming when complete spiritual and physical manifestation of victory is made evident to men, angels and demons.

Spurgeon said: And when death, too, shall come forth, and the "death of death and hell's destruction" shall grind his iron limbs to powder, then shall it be said, "Death is swallowed up in victory," for the great shout of "Victory, victory, victory," shall drown the shrieks of the past; shall put out the sound of the howlings of death; and hell shall be swallowed up in victory.

Perfected those being sanctified - Who are those who are perfected forever? Those being sanctified by Him. Those who have received His forgiveness and now share His nature as we find in the following verses.

His law in our hearts - What does His law mean? Is it just some do's and don'ts for mankind? No, His law is an expression of who He is; it is the revelation of the very character and attributes of God. Thus, if He puts His law in us it means that He himself, His essence, His being, is put into us. In 1Jn 3:9 it says that those born of Him cannot sin any longer because "His seed" is put into them. This is the very nature of God put into His children. (e.g.: the comparison of a crow and an eagle. They behave according to their natures. The crow screeches as it flaps around scrounging dead flesh. The eagle soars at heights which the crow doesn't know about and eats living food. At the end of Isaiah 40 we read that young, strong men will become tired and stumble but those who "wait on the Lord will rise up with wings of eagles" and will soar because of the nature of God; in them the law of God is written.)

However, a word of caution: There will be conflicting desires, thus Paul says put off old nature and put on the new. By Spirit put to death deeds of flesh. Jn 15, Abide in me. Some things must be trained and become habit. Boys don’t instinctively close doors, brush their teeth and bath every night. Discipline and habit. 2Tim 3:16, Scripture given for "reproof, correction, for training in righteousness."

We must not excuse ourselves or blame evil on other things. A person acts as a whole being. A decision must be made between conflicting desires and the result is an act, but that act is the act of the whole person, not merely of one side of his being.

(e.g.: there was a burglar who was arrested and brought before a judge. His defense consisted of pointing out to the judge that it was not his whole body that was involved in the burglary, but only his arm and hand. Though he would freely admit that the arm and the hand had taken something that did not belong to him, nevertheless, it was unfair of the judge to punish his whole body along with the arm and the hand. The judge very wisely solved the problem by sentencing the arm and the hand to thirty days in jail, and leaving it up to the rest of the body whether it chose to accompany them or not!)

Your direction: as a test for yourself ask what direction you are going. What are you becoming: Martin Luther once said, "The nature of a Christian does not lie in what he has become, but what he is becoming."

Do we cling to our sins or have we brought them to the Man who has offered one sacrifice forever and, having cleansed us, puts into us His nature, His Law?