Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Today is Epistles Sunday. We’ll read Hebrews 8-10. I’m calling today’s episode “Once For All.”

Comments on Hebrews 8-10

My comments today are going to be very short, because the main point being made in these three chapters can be summarized very succinctly. Here it is: Jesus made the perfect sacrifice with His own blood, and that one-time sacrifice was good for all time.

The reason the author of Hebrews elaborated so much is because the main audience of the book, the Jews, needed to be convinced from the point of view of one who, like them, at one time had been under the Mosaic law. Their entire lives, they had been told that doing annual sacrifices was necessary. To trust in the once-for-all-time sacrifice of Jesus was a huge change for them.

I’m so glad the old system is no longer in effect. Aren’t you?

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 8 NLT; Ch. 9-10 ERV

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Transcript

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STEVE WEBB – 0:00
A huge change for them.

INTRO S12E284 – 0:09
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today is Epistle Sunday. We’ll read Hebrews 8 through 10. After the reading I’ve got some comments for you. And we’ve got an On This Date in Church History for you as well. The title of today’s episode is “Once for All”. The show notes page is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e284. And by the way, since this is Episode 284, there are only 80 episodes remaining before the 12 season comes to an end. If you’d like to send me an email, you can do that at st***@*************ia.com. Let’s get going.

HEBREWS 8 (NLT) – 0:57
Hebrews, chapter eight. (1) Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. (2) There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.

(3) And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. (4) If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law. (5) They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”

(6) But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.

(7) If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. (8) But when God found fault with the people, he said:

“The day is coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel and Judah.
(9) This covenant will not be like the one
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
and led them out of the land of Egypt.
They did not remain faithful to my covenant,
so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.
(10) But this is the new covenant I will make
with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds,
and I will write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
(11) And they will not need to teach their neighbors,
nor will they need to teach their relatives,
saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’
For everyone, from the least to the greatest,
will know me already.
(12) And I will forgive their wickedness,
and I will never again remember their sins.”
(13) When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.

HEBREWS 9 (ERV) – 3:07
Hebrews, chapter nine. (1) The first agreement had rules for worship and a place for worship here on earth. (2) This place was inside a tent. The first area in the tent was called the Holy Place. In the Holy Place were the lamp and the table with the special bread offered to God. (3) Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place. (4) In the Most Holy Place was a golden altar for burning incense. And also there was the Box of the Agreement. The Box was covered with gold. Inside this Box was a golden jar of manna and Aaron’s rod—the rod that once grew leaves. Also in the Box were the flat stones with the Ten Commandments of the old agreement on them. (5) Above the Box were the Cherub angels that showed God’s glory. These Cherub angels were over the place of mercy. But we cannot say everything about this now.

(6) Everything in the tent was made ready in the way I have explained. Then the priests went into the first room every day to do their worship duties. (7) But only the high priest could go into the second room, and he went in only once a year. Also, he could never enter that room without taking blood with him. He offered that blood to God for himself and for the sins the people committed without knowing they were sinning.
(8) The Holy Spirit uses those two separate rooms to teach us that the way into the Most Holy Place was not open while the first room was still there. (9) This is an example for us today. It shows that the gifts and sacrifices the priests offer to God are not able to make the consciences of the worshipers completely clear. (10) These gifts and sacrifices are only about food and drink and special washings. They are only rules about the body. God gave them for his people to follow until the time of his new way.

(11) But Christ has already come to be the high priest. He is the high priest of the good things we now have. But Christ does not serve in a place like the tent that those other priests served in. He serves in a better place. Unlike that tent, this one is perfect. It was not made by anyone here on earth. It does not belong to this world. (12) Christ entered the Most Holy Place only one time—enough for all time. He entered the Most Holy Place by using his own blood, not the blood of goats or young bulls. He entered there and made us free from sin forever.

(13) The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a cow were sprinkled on those who were no longer pure enough to enter the place of worship. The blood and ashes made them pure again—but only their bodies. (14) So surely the blood sacrifice of Christ can do much more. Christ offered himself through the eternal Spirit as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make us completely clean from the evil we have done. It will give us clear consciences so that we can worship the living God.

(15) So Christ brings a new agreement from God to his people. He brings this agreement so that those who are chosen by God can have the blessings God promised, blessings that last forever. This can happen only because Christ died to free people from sins committed against the commands of the first agreement.

(16) When someone dies and leaves a will, there must be proof that the one who wrote the will is dead. (17) A will means nothing while the one who wrote it is still living. It can be used only after that person’s death. (18) That is why blood was needed to begin the first agreement between God and his people. (19) First, Moses told the people every command in the law. Then he took the blood of young bulls and mixed it with water. He used red wool and a branch of hyssop to sprinkle the blood and water on the book of the law and on all the people. (20) Then he said, “This is the blood that makes the agreement good—the agreement that God commanded you to follow.” (21) In the same way, Moses sprinkled the blood on the Holy Tent. He sprinkled the blood over everything used in worship. (22) The law says that almost everything must be made clean by blood. Sins cannot be forgiven without a blood sacrifice.

(23) These things are copies of the real things that are in heaven. These copies had to be made clean by animal sacrifices. But the real things in heaven must have much better sacrifices. (24) Christ went into the Most Holy Place. But it was not the man-made one, which is only a copy of the real one. He went into heaven, and he is there now before God to help us.

(25) The high priest enters the Most Holy Place once every year. He takes with him blood to offer. But he does not offer his own blood like Christ did. Christ went into heaven, but not to offer himself many times like the high priest offers blood again and again. (26) If Christ had offered himself many times, he would have needed to suffer many times since the time the world was made. But he came to offer himself only once. And that once is enough for all time. He came at a time when the world is nearing an end. He came to take away all sin by offering himself as a sacrifice.

(27) Everyone must die once. Then they are judged. (28) So Christ was offered as a sacrifice one time to take away the sins of many people. And he will come a second time, but not to offer himself for sin. He will come the second time to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

HEBREWS 10 (ERV) – 8:31
Hebrews, chapter 10. (1) The law gave us only an unclear picture of the good things coming in the future. The law is not a perfect picture of the real things. The law tells people to offer the same sacrifices every year. Those who come to worship God continue to offer those sacrifices. But the law can never make them perfect. (2) If the law could make people perfect, those sacrifices would have already stopped. They would already be clean from their sins, and they would not still feel guilty. (3) But that’s not what happens. Their sacrifices make them remember their sins every year, (4) because it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

(5) So when Christ came into the world he said,
“You don’t want sacrifices and offerings,
but you have prepared a body for me.
(6) You are not pleased with the sacrifices of animals killed and burned
or with offerings to take away sins.
(7) Then I said, ‘Here I am, God.
It is written about me in the book of the law.
I have come to do what you want.’”

(8) Christ first said, “You don’t want sacrifices and offerings. You are not pleased with animals killed and burned or with sacrifices to take away sin.” (These are all sacrifices that the law commands.) (9) Then he said, “Here I am, God. I have come to do what you want.” So God ends that first system of sacrifices and starts his new way. (10) Jesus Christ did the things God wanted him to do. And because of that, we are made holy through the sacrifice of Christ’s body. Christ made that sacrifice one time—enough for all time.

(11) Every day the priests stand and do their religious service. Again and again they offer the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. (12) But Christ offered only one sacrifice for sins, and that sacrifice is good for all time. Then he sat down at the right side of God. (13) And now Christ waits there for his enemies to be put under his power. (14) With one sacrifice Christ made his people perfect forever. They are the ones who are being made holy.

(15) The Holy Spirit also tells us about this. First he says,

(16) “This is the agreement I will make
with my people in the future, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts.
I will write my laws in their minds.”

(17) Then he says,

“I will forget their sins
and never again remember the evil they have done.”

(18) And after everything is forgiven, there is no more need for a sacrifice to pay for sins.

(19) And so, brothers and sisters, we are completely free to enter the Most Holy Place. We can do this without fear because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus. (20) We enter through a new way that Jesus opened for us. It is a living way that leads through the curtain—Christ’s body. (21) And we have a great priest who rules the house of God. (22) Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ. (23) We must hold on to the hope we have, never hesitating to tell people about it. We can trust God to do what he promised.

(24) We should think about each other to see how we can encourage each other to show love and do good works. (25) We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. No, we need to keep on encouraging each other. This becomes more and more important as you see the Day getting closer.

(26) If we decide to continue sinning after we have learned the truth, then there is no other sacrifice that will take away sins. (27) If we continue sinning, all that is left for us is a fearful time of waiting for the judgment and the angry fire that will destroy those who live against God. (28) Whoever refused to obey the Law of Moses was found guilty from the testimony given by two or three witnesses. Such people were not forgiven. They were killed. (29) So think how much more punishment people deserve who show their hate for the Son of God—people who show they have no respect for the blood sacrifice that began the new agreement and once made them holy or who insult the Spirit of God’s grace. (30) We know that God said, “I will punish people for the wrongs they do; I will repay them.” And he also said, “The Lord will judge his people.” (31) It is a terrible thing to face punishment from the living God.

(32) Remember the days when you first learned the truth. You had a hard struggle with much suffering, but you continued strong. (33) Sometimes people said hateful things to you and mistreated you in public. And sometimes you helped others who were being treated that same way. (34) Yes, you helped them in prison and shared in their suffering. And you were still happy when everything you owned was taken away from you. You continued to be happy, because you knew that you had something much better—something that would continue forever.

(35) So don’t lose the courage that you had in the past. Your courage will be rewarded richly. (36) You must be patient. After you have done what God wants, you will get what he promised you. (37) He says,

“Very soon now, the one who is coming
will come and will not be late.
(38) The person who is right with me
will live by trusting in me.
But I will not be pleased with the one
who turns back in fear.”

(39) But we are not those who turn back and are lost. No, we are the people who have faith and are saved.

COMMENTS – 14:03
Well, beloved, my comments today are going to be very short. Because the main point being made in these three chapters can be summarized very succinctly. Here it is: Jesus made the perfect sacrifice with his own blood, and that one time sacrifice was good for all time.

The reason the author of Hebrews elaborated so much is because the main audience of the book, the Jews, needed to be convinced from the point of view of one who, like them, at one time had been under the Mosaic Law. Their entire lives they’d been told that doing annual sacrifices was a necessity and to trust the once-for-all-time sacrifice of Jesus was a huge change for them.

All I can say is I’m so glad the old system is no longer in effect. How about you?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e284, scroll to the bottom of the page and leave a comment there. Tomorrow’s Monday and we’ll complete the book of Numbers with chapters 33 through 36.

Boost!

VALUE-FOR-VALUE – 15:18
Beloved, I mentioned at the top of the show today that there are only 80 episodes left to this season of the show. Have you been with me since the beginning of the season back in September? If you have that’s been more than 100 hours of Bible reading, commentary, church history and prayer. I want to thank you for sharing that much of your time with me, and I’m so glad I’ve been able to do this podcast for you. As you know, this is a value-for-value show. And since you’ve been listening so long, you’ve obviously found quite a lot of value in it. With only 80 episodes left, perhaps you could consider returning some of that value to me in the form of time, talent or treasure.

And by the way, this concept is not new. In I Corinthians 9, the apostle Paul says, “Since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren’t we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink? If you support others who preach to you shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported?” And then Paul continued, he said, “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.”

Now, beloved, I’m in no way equating myself with Paul. But Scripture is clear, it is right to support those who feed you spiritually. All I’m asking is for you to prayerfully consider what the Lord would have you do in terms of supporting the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. So far, we’ve read about 80% of the Bible together. I’ve shared my heart and my thoughts about the Scripture I’ve read on nearly every episode. Have you been encouraged? Have you been challenged? Do you have a better understanding of who God is? Have you ever read this much Scripture? Ask the Lord what he would have you do? And then please go to lifespringmedia.com/support, and send what he leads you to do. And whether you support the show with time, talent or treasure, I thank you and I think God will bless you.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 17:22
On this date in church history, June 12, 1804, David Abeel was born. He was an American missionary to the Far East and in 1829, he sailed for China under the auspices of the Seaman’s Friends Society, and he later ministered in Java, Singapore, Siam, Borneo, and other parts of Asia.

And on this date in church history, 1914, the first edition of A. T Robertson’s monumental grammar of the Greek New Testament was published. Its more than 1400 pages made it the largest systematic analysis of New Testament Greek ever produced. I’ve got some of A. T. Robertson’s work in my library sitting just a couple of feet away from me.

CLOSING PRAYER – 18:10
Let’s pray. Our gracious heavenly father because of your great love, you sent your only begotten Son to be the perfect once-for-all sacrifice for those who would believe in him. That was the greatest and ultimate gift in all of eternity. And it’s almost too much to comprehend, Lord, but over and over again in Scripture, you’ve made it clear that it’s true, and you’ve given us the faith to believe it and joyfully accept it. We praise your name and we offer ourselves to you in gratitude, Lord. We can never repay it and all we can do is give you what we do have: just us. Hallelujah, Lord. We thank you. We praise you. Father, I thank you for the Lifespring family. I pray that you’ll bless each one today and draw each of us nearer today than we were yesterday. I pray this in Jesus name, amen.

If you have a prayer request or a praise that you’d like to share with the Lifespring family, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E284 – 19:14
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e284. Send me an email at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to the team, Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise, And thanks to those of you who faithfully stream sats and send boosts. Thanks to those of you who send weekly or monthly donations. And thanks to those of you who have sent gifts at other times. I appreciate each of you and I pray that God will bless you. You truly are a blessing to me.

And beloved, thank you for inviting me into your life today. My goodness, what a joy that is. And please support the show and lifespringmedia.com/support. If you receive value from the show, if you believe that the Lifespring Family Audio Bible is filling a need, if you’re glad it’s here, lifespringmedia.com/support.

And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise