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Hebrews 10:11-25

¹¹ And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹² But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

¹⁶ “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,”

¹⁷ then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

¹⁸ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Can you imagine the life of the Temple priests? They would go into the Temple every day and start slaughtering, hacking, handling blood, waving offerings, burning offerings. And on and on it went. When that priest finally finished his day of work, what do you suppose he would do when he finally got home? Probably what I will do after the service today – change into comfortable clothes and plop into a chair and sit. But those priests would be back at the Temple the next day standing to repeatedly and continually offer the same sacrifices which, as our passage says, “can never take away sins” (v. 11).

But now, the offerings for sin have stopped. Jesus has come and offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins. And now Jesus sits. His work is complete. “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30). Blood is no longer spilled in the Temple from bulls and sheep and goats. Sacrifices for sin are done, and yet the blood still flows. It is given to you in Communion where you are sanctified, made holy, by Jesus’ body which was crucified for you. You now have the purifying blood which flowed from Calvary poured into your mouth.

The one offering of Jesus on the cross was for you – for your sins. Because of that one-time offering, God remembers your sins and lawless deeds no more. Because of Jesus’ finished work, you have forgiveness.

Jesus, your Savior, now sits at God’s right hand because all the Law’s demands have been met. There is nothing left to accuse you. God remembers your sins no more. The angel of death sees Jesus’ blood on you and passes over you. You have forgiveness, so there is no longer any offering for sin. And because you have the perfect, complete, one-time sacrifice of Jesus for your sins, there is no longer any offering that Jesus has to do for you or that you have to do for yourself. Your sin is gone, done away with. You, brother and sister, are forgiven.

What does this mean, now, for you? Look at v. 19-25 of our text. Because Jesus’ work is done, you have full and complete access to God. Think of that for a minute. You are denied access to many things in this world. You do not have access to other people’s bank account. Generally, you do not have access to people’s homes. You do not have access to the president. Just try to waltz into the White House and say, “I’m here to see the president” (I’ll try to visit you in prison). Even though you are denied access to many things, you do have direct access to God.

The door to God doesn’t just stand ajar, it is wide open. You can confidently enter the Holy of Holies, the place where only the High Priest was allowed to go, and only once a year. To you, Jesus has opened the new and living way through the curtain of His flesh. Because you have this access, go!

But, maybe, you are still timid. You know that you have rebelled against God. You know that you have mocked Him. You have not feared, loved, and trusted Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. You know that you are a sinner. Sinners do not want to be in the presence of a holy God. It makes you feel dirty, unclean, and ashamed. Too often for us sinners, we only hear a God who is critical, damning, and judging. We think God is only waiting for the right moment to zap us and burn us to a crisp.

But this text says the exact opposite. Jesus has completed His work as your High Priest, and He is sitting at God’s right hand. Draw near to God in full assurance of faith. You have been sprinkled clean from your evil conscience. God has washed you in the pure water of your baptism. He does not want you to run from Him and His presence any more. Jesus wants you to be with Him so He can serve you. So He can place His own body and blood in your mouth. You have access to God. You have a conscience washed clean in baptism. And you have one another.

So, come. Meet here together with God and with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Coming to church on Sunday is important for you, but it is also important for your fellow believers. Through meeting together here, we stir up one another to love and good works.

Missing church hurts this congregation. It tears this congregation down. But meeting together to receive all that God has to offer us through Christ builds us all up. By coming here into the Father’s presence, you encourage your fellow believers and your fellow believers encourage you. We need this. I need this. You need this because the Last Day is surly drawing near.

Brothers and sisters, because Jesus is seated at God’s right hand you have blessings beyond comprehension. You have access to God. You have confidence to enter the holy places by Jesus’ blood. You have a clean conscience. And you have one another. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.