Salvation, To The Bone

This morning, our text in Hebrews invites us to a particular question: How great is Jesus? I want you to consider that question for a moment. How great is Jesus? How great is his salvation? What does it do?

Imagine a young boy, a young boy who is tremendously naughty. He talks back; he’s belligerent and disobedient, refuses to respect authority—the whole naughtiness package.

He never passes up an opportunity to throw a plate of food on the ground, complain about something, or disrespect his mama. Just what our grandparents called a bad apple. Now, imagine two approaches his father might take to deal with him:

One way might be like this: His father sits him down after a particularly bad episode, and says, “Son, you are a wicked child. You don’t respect authority, you disobey continually, you are just altogether bad. And so son, you have sinned, and what you need is forgiveness. So here you go: You have sinned against me, your father, and I forgive you.”

And then that’s that. The boy walks out, forgiven. His dad heaves out a sigh of relief, “Phew, glad that’s taken care of.” Ten minutes later, the little boy is cackling with glee as he beats his little sister over the head with a whiffle ball bat.

Replay the scenario, but this time, the father sits the son down and says, “Son you are a wicked child. You disobey continually, you are just altogether bad. I want you to know that whatever it takes, I am not going to be satisfied with leaving you in this state. Whatever it takes, however constant my discipline and chastening has to be; however many spankings and heart-to-heart talks and instruction and help it takes, I am going to see you become an honorable man. I love you, son, and I forgive you for your sin. Let’s go apologize to mom and sister for the last 10 minutes and then get to work.”

See, too often, we tend to think about our salvation like that first dad. But the Lord Jesus did not come... to scrub some moss off of gravestones, but to raise the dead men rotting 6 feet under them.

Remember the story of Mary and Joseph. Matthew tells us that when Joseph discovered Mary was pregnant during their engagement,

“…Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’” -Matthew 1:19–21

No, Joseph, your betrothed didn’t sin, but she does bear the one who has come to save men from sin. Call him Yeshua. Joshua. Jesus. Joseph was instructed to name this Son the Greek version of the Hebrew name, Joshua—why? Because this virgin-born son would be a greater Joshua...

Look with me at Hebrews 10:1. This is the Word of the Living God:

“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 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, 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.

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you 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 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), 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.

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. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

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 for sin.”

-Hebrews 10:1–18