 By looking at verses 11 through 23 and what we'll do right now is we'll read verses 11 through 18 and then we'll pick up at verse 19 and conclude our study this time at verse 23. So let's begin reading here in Hebrews chapter 10 at verse 11. I'll read to verse 18 and we'll get into our study. The writer writes, Every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins but this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down at the right hand of God from that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool for by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified and the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us for after he had said before this is the covenant that I will make with him after those days sayeth the Lord I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds I will write them then he adds their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more now where there is remission of these there is no longer an offering for sin and so as we've been going through especially chapter 10 here and perhaps you've been with me as we've been journeying through this particular chapter we've seen that that God had established in the Old Testament what would be called a sacrificial system the sacrificial system though has been declared to be incomplete and the reason it is declared to be incomplete is because the system could not produce forgiveness of sins on a permanent basis it could in other words produce complete forgiveness of sins the sacrifices that were being offered could never cleanse from sin they could never purge a conscience from dead works and as a matter of fact every time these offerings were made it simply served as a reminder it reminded people that they still needed to be forgiven and so these are in reality what he's referred to as being a shadow of the things that were to come the shadow that actually was foreshadowing Jesus Christ in his complete offering he had already stated that it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins completely had said that in verse four and that's why Jesus Christ came he came in order that he might replace his former sacrificial system verses nine and ten tells us he takes away the first that he may establish the second in other words this old system of sacrifice in the Old Testament has been abolished through Jesus Christ so he's continuing now in verse 11 and he says every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins now notice how he says every priest stands ministering daily that tells us that he never could sit down and he never took a rest from his labors it's a picture of constant effort constant sacrifice so this is ongoing service something that never completes it's never finished human priests needed to repeat the sacrifices both daily and on the day of atonement but Jesus didn't have to repeat a sacrifice he died on the cross one time for all time you see the offerings according to verse 11 the offerings under the law could not take away sin if they could have finally taken away sin perfectly that then the offering or the sacrifices would have ceased to be offered and so they never actually did that completely now in contrast verse 12 this man after he had offered one sacrifices for one sacrifice for sins forever sat down at the right hand of God on the one hand in verse 11 you have a priest standing ministering daily but in contrast verse 12 you have somebody who has made an offering who has sat down and he has made one offering notice that verse 12 this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down at the right hand of God there's your contrast the human priest constantly is offering sacrifices on a daily basis it's a constant reminder that man is estranged from from God because of his sin but in contrast Jesus Christ one time for all time lays down his life and he is now pictured as being seated he's seated at the right hand of God so after Jesus gave up his life he has seated that's a picture of a finished action the point is redemption has been won the work has been accomplished it's concluded it is finished when Jesus was on the cross I've mentioned this to you guys before you know this already it's recorded in the gospels that he had what are called seven sayings there are seven things he said while on the cross one of the things that Jesus said is found in John's gospel chapter 19 verse 30 because in John chapter 19 verse 30 as Jesus is there on the cross Jesus simply said it is finished and the Bible says he bowed his head and he gave up his spirit when he said it is finished it's a reminder to us that salvation has been won by one time for all-time action because the words it is finished is really a single Greek word that speaks of being paid in full so when Jesus Christ dies on the cross salvation is completely won he didn't go to hell to continue paying for sins sins were paid for on the cross when he poured out his blood for us completely one time for all time when he died there that's where salvation is won in his sacrificial death and the pouring out of his blood for us and so that's why he's pictured as being seated and it's also also pointing to us that he is sitting down at the right hand of God as he is there in the right hand of God that's a picture of power and authority so Jesus through his finished action has power and authority that the the priest didn't have the high priest had to repeat the sacrifices on the day of of atonement daily priests would come in in the morning for the morning sacrifice as well as the evening sacrifice there was a constant rotation when the evening sacrifice was complete they were already preparing for the morning when the morning sacrifice was complete they were already preparing for the evening it was a constant cycle a constant offering with Jesus Christ and this is the point he's making one time for all time Jesus paid that price so in verse 12 this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down at the right hand of God verse 13 from that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool and so not only is he seated in contrast of being to standing but he is also waiting and is waiting for his enemies to become his footstool the picture is all who reject Jesus Christ will lie helpless before him that's something that I think is very practical by the way it is something to think about those who reject Jesus Christ what is the Christian message well the Christian message has a lot of things that are involved in it one of the things though is that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father you find that in Philippians chapter 2 verses 9 through 11 every knee shall bow every tongue shall confess Jesus Christ is presented in the New Testament as being the king of kings and the Lord of lords he is presented as the one true prophet he is presented as the Messiah and it is not just for a short period of time until another prophet comes but he is the last of a line of true prophets which contrasts with all of the religious systems including and especially in our day the Muslim faith that presents Jesus as one of the prophets and Muhammad being the final and complete one well Jesus would disagree with that Jesus would say that he laid his life down on a cross voluntarily pouring out all of his blood for the ransom of mankind Jesus would say that every knee will bow to me and that though it's an affront to many people today a billion people on the face of the earth would have a problem with what I'm about to say right now Muhammad will also bow his knee before the Lord Jesus Christ now that isn't something that said lightly that is something that is said biblically that's something that is said New Testament wise because that's what the scripture teaches the teaches it teaches that every knee and when you think of every knee that includes every person that includes Sigmund Freud and that includes Karl Marx and that includes Muhammad and that includes every human being who's ever lived on the face of the earth every human being ultimately kneels before Christ and that's what he's pointing to by the way that's what he's waiting for is waiting for that to take place verse 13 from that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool he is the conqueror is the Messiah who conquers and his enemies are those who oppose his dominion those who oppose his authority and those who oppose his power ultimately the Bible says all things will be subject to him in first Peter chapter 3 verse 22 Peter writes that Jesus has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to him and so the Bible teaches very clearly that Jesus Christ in his offering of himself up on that cross dying for us point out his blood actually achieve salvation for us and also has conquered his enemies now notice in verse 14 how it says for by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified I'll speak to you about this for just a moment here because well I want you to see this and I might as well just kind of like betray my hand here I want you to see the word sanctified there now why is that important it's important for several reasons and I want to develop this with you know some of you won't be very interested in this and others will be in others will be in between I'll wake you up in just a minute but you need to know a few things let me give you a couple of thoughts and then I'm going to develop this with you about being sanctified when it says in verse 14 for one for by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified his offering is sufficient for all time that's why he's able to sit at the father's right hand and men now come to God and are saved completely because of it but I want you to see in verse 14 how it says here now I want you to see this with me he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified when he says he has perfected that word perfected means to make complete the word speaks of carrying through completely or finishing or bringing something to an end the point he's making is he has done what the old sacrifices failed to do which is to set us apart we are now set apart to God it is something that is achieved but is still to be completely received sanctification when you read the word sanctified sanctification has what is called a now and a then experience now why am I going to bring this up to you why what's the point normally I would probably just share a little bit and move on but I'm going to spend a few minutes here at this one verse and there's a reason for that the reason is is because recently within the last several months we have had people from another fellowship another church in another city who apparently have found it important to bring the doctrine that they hold fast to which is called complete sanctification they have brought that doctrine and have begun to kind of hand while they've handed out their flyers and they've handed out some tracks to members of this church three weeks ago on a Wednesday night in the offering we received a track from this particular church encouraging me I'm taking it personally to get saved and so I did but and so they really see and believe and I've had some conversations over this that that you can become perfect here on the face of the earth that you can have what is called whole or entire sanctification that you can become perfect without sin sinless in act and they've been coming to different churches they come to cover chapels recently and and without attempting to you know to cause you to run around all paranoid and everything you can generally tell them because there are several of them together and they all wear suits and just wearing suit in this church tells you something what's going on and because they believe that this wearing a suit and attire apparently gives the appearance of holiness being separate the girls will dress you know with long dresses and they don't wear any makeup or earrings and things like that so you can you can generally see them and and a few weeks ago about 15 of them showed up to one of our Bible studies and and and I'm not really quite sure and I don't want to call them out and say that they're evil people per se I I I don't want to go that route but I do know that they're handing out they have and some have handed out tapes from the church they're going to CDs and I know that that some tracks some gospel literature quote-unquote that they have has been handed out to members of this church I have one of the pieces of literature on my on my desk and it asks the question can a man be perfect can a man be perfectly sinless and they're going to Calvary chapels one of them went to a friend of mine's fellowship and his youth pastor walked up to one of the young people there who is bringing that doctrine and he's aware of the fact that they're teaching that you can be perfect here on earth and so this youth pastor said may I shake your hand to the leader of the group and the guy said why and the youth pastor said because I've never shaken hands with a perfect man before you know and and we're kind of like in a way kind of playing with it you know but at the same time it is a serious thing because part of what the problem seems to be is there's a sense that you if you don't look in a certain way and act in a certain way you know if you'd have your hair real short and wear your suit and tie or whatever that you're really not holy and they have a tendency of looking at the young people but they point at everybody I mean that they're pointing at all of us and they'll say you're just not set apart you just don't look set apart you don't have that set apart feeling and all of that you're unholy and and in your church you you're speaking about grace and and you're giving people license to sin and you had to crack down more on the people because they're living ungodly lives and I've had a few conversations in in that genre and we've talked a bit about it and it's this attitude is when are people going to get it together when is that church and when is your church going to become holy and so they get their doctrine it would seem all the way back in seventeen hundreds through a guy named John Wesley John Wesley is the guy who started what is called Wesleyanism which eventually became Methodism Methodist Church you may or may not know this and so some of you may have been raised in the Methodist Church perhaps you already know this but in the Methodist Church they believe in entire sanctification they believe that you can be perfect on the face of the earth a friend of mine a Calvary Chapel pastor was prior to becoming a Calvary Chapel pastor he received his doctorate out of out of university and he took his ordination vows as a Methodist and in the ordination vows you you affirm that you believe that you can be perfect on the face of the earth John Wesley believe that and John Wesley taught that that Wesleyan doctrine found its way into what is called the holiness movement and so the holiness movement is really encouraging you to live quote unquote a holy life now there's nothing wrong with encouraging people to holiness and godliness that's what we ought to be doing but when you begin to use artificial measures the way that you look the way that you dress and even the way that you outwardly can act you've got some problems going because as I was sharing with someone just today about this the Pharisees had a very outwardly outward appearance of holiness I mean when Jesus said unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees it basically closed the door on his disciples because they thought within themselves how can we become as righteous as Pharisees because Pharisees just by virtue of their name the Pharisee the separated one were known as being an outwardly righteous people that's why Jesus spoke about them very often that's why he would speak concerning praying to be seen by men and fasting to be seen by men and giving to be seen by men he would do that because that was the practice of the Pharisees and they would take the robe the hem of their robe and they would actually broaden it and they put a band around it so that they were noticeable that they were children to children of God because that this blue thread around the robe or they would have a phylactery that was real broad so that people would see that they were outwardly very religious people and so all of their works Jesus said though were to be seen by men they were that way not because they were truly separated but because they wanted to have an appearance of being separated and that's why Jesus said you're like whitewashed tombs you're beautiful in appearance on the outside but on the inside you're filled with decay dead men's bones in all matter of manner of evil that's what's inside of you see all we can do is look at the outer appearance that's all I can do I can only judge on the outside but God sees the heart and when a person is truly righteous God looks past and we used to say looking past the hair and straight into the eyes God look past the outward appearance to see the inner person of the heart that's why when God was speaking concerning David he said David is a man after my own heart you're not to look at the outer appearance because God judges the inner working of his spirit we're seeing that in just a moment God says I will make them in those days to know my laws I'll put them in their hearts I'll write it upon the inside not the outside alone you see and so we are having some who are approaching us we are having some we're coming up and perhaps we'll speak to you they may hand you a track they may encourage you to to come with them to a church that really is going to help you to become holy well you need to know the process of sanctification and let me share a couple of things about that with you that might be of help like I said a moment ago the sanctified life that God gives to us is a here and now and it's a then and their experience you see Jesus already has washed us clean from our sin and we already when we got saved stand right before God in him the day that you got saved when you bowed your head in prayer whether it was in a church service or driving in your car listening to the radio whether you were raised by a godly mom and dad or whatever when you committed your heart to Christ when you said yes Jesus enter into me I need to be born again at that moment God did a work in you and he washed you completely of all of your sins if we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness so that work is done and positionally now positionally you are in Christ when you read the epistles that the apostle Paul wrote often he speaks of us being in him or in Christ you'll notice that especially in Ephesians you can see him speaking about where we are positionally you got saved and according to 1st Corinthians 1213 you were baptized by one spirit into one body so the day that you got saved you were brought into the body of Christ positionally now when you're spoken of you are in him we are in Christ in 1st Corinthians 130 Paul said it like this he said of him you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption you are in Christ Jesus in 1st Corinthians 611 he said you are washed you are sanctified you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God so positionally and I could multiply that I'm not going to all you need to do is look at the words in Christ and you'll find it all over the New Testament that one sanctified you are brought into Christ so positionally right now you are in him but you have something called progressive progressively you are being sanctified and that simply means that the Holy Spirit begins to work in your life setting you free from the power of sin from the domination of sin that takes place after you're born again now positionally you're in Christ you have what is called imputed righteousness that means that that the righteousness of God has been given to you 2nd Corinthians 521 we have righteousness because God has given that to us because if we didn't have his righteousness we couldn't enter into the kingdom of God because perfection is his standard and because you and I are imperfect we need something given to us that we don't have so he dresses us and what the Scripture refers to as robes of righteousness so when you stand before God you are a tired in Christ you are in righteousness you're washed and sanctified that has been a work that God has done but progressively you have a lot of work that the spirit of God is doing in your life I mean the day I got saved at 20 I still had all kinds of habits that I thought were just fine there wasn't anything wrong with some of the things that I did I didn't think they were that bad but as I began to grow as I began to mature as I began to read the Bible I began to discover that some of the things that I thought were fine were things that God didn't have pleasure in and so at that point as I began to read the word I started saying oh he doesn't like the way I talk he doesn't like the fact that I like to drink he doesn't like the fact that I like to and you could just add whatever sins it is that you were entangled by and and and I discover that through reading the word of God and and so what does he do well he caught the fish now he begins cleaning it and the cleaning takes time I've been walking with the Lord for 36 years and so when I was 20 I had a certain disposition a certain way of doing things a certain attitudes that I don't have anymore they're so foreign to me today that sometimes I remember how I used to think or how I used to act and I actually blush I even sometimes find myself saying oh my God I used to do that because sometimes I remember that and some of you may do the same thing some of you may wake up and say why I used to think that was okay boy have I changed what happened what happened is God has begun that work in you now Philippians chapter 1 verse 6 tells us this being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ so he begins a work continues the work and completes that work ultimately and that's going to take a lifetime and so what do we do well 2nd Corinthians 7 1 says having these promises let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God and so the Holy Spirit will convict you that something is wrong and you draw away from that you might have a relationship with your girlfriend or your boyfriend and you might think that having sex is just fine there's nothing wrong with it you begin to read the Bible you go to church you have some Christian friends who tell you well you know that's called fornication and you say what's that that's a big word never heard of it when I was in high school I didn't have a clue what the word meant but I knew what it was I just didn't know what the word was and I remember somebody using the word in an English class they said something about fornication and I looked at them and I didn't have a clue what they were talking about it was just a foreign language so I said what are you talking about what's that word and they explained it to me what the Bible teaches actually you know it's it's having sexual intercourse outside of marriage I said you're kidding it's called fornication I just thought it was partying no it's fornication and it's a sin I said wow that's heavy you know I never realized that never thought about that so after you get saved you begin to read the Bible you have some friends and God begins to reveal some things and some of the things that you used to think were okay you're now made aware of the fact that they're not so what do you do well you confess you say God I'm sorry and what do you do you forsake Lord I want to get away from this and then what do you do you flee you come to the Lord and you embrace him you say God you're gonna have to give me strength because these are sins that I actually like doing you know most of the time when you're sinning you like the sin you enjoy the sin if you didn't enjoy the sin you wouldn't do it so sin very often is pleasurable even as the writer of Hebrew says but for a season ultimately you reap the consequences need to discover how bad they are but happens sometimes years later and so what you have first you have position you positionally are in Christ that is our position we're brought in by the spirit of God but progressively God doesn't work in you and that is a work that that takes a lifetime now if anybody if anybody in the New Testament could say I have arrived well I think outside of Jesus Christ who who was complete I mean there was nothing that he had to do outside of Jesus in the New Testament who's the most obvious person that could say I've arrived has to be Paul I mean before the Apostle Paul was the Apostle Paul he was a righteous man according to the standards of his religion he was a Pharisee of Pharisees and he says according to the law the righteousness found in the law he said I'm blameless I did everything every jot every title everything that I knew to do I did and nobody could point a picture a figure at him and say Paul you have not done the things that Pharisees are supposed to do when he gives his testimony in Philippians chapter 3 he says listen I was according to the strictest sect of religious people in Israel I was a Pharisee he says that I came from the tribe of Benjamin and I'm a Hebrew of Hebrews and he says I have a lineage that goes back I was I studied later he spoke to the on one occasion he was given a defense and he said I studied on the pre under the premier teacher in Israel man by the name of Gamaliel he was my mentor I sat under this man a teacher of teachers so when it came down to knowing religion and knowing theology and knowing what it meant to be a religious person the apostle Paul was that man he was a blameless man according to the righteousness found according to the law and yet when he was speaking in Philippians chapter 3 concerning his journey and this this book of Philippians was written years after he'd been saved this is what he says in Philippians chapter 3 12 and 13 not that I have already attained or am already perfected but I press on that I may lay hold of that which for that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me brethren I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind reaching forward to those things which are ahead I press towards that mark that's what I do I forget what was behind and I reach forward to that which is before but I have not yet apprehended I am not perfect apostle Paul could say I am not perfect and when you look at his life I mean who could who in this room who have you ever known who will you ever know that could speak like him that minister like he did to the point of losing his head for his faith in Christ he had a willingness to go anywhere at any time even if it meant he was going to die because that was the kind of man he was and I just don't know anybody like the apostle Paul and yet when he spoke concerning himself he said I I haven't arrived I am not perfect and so when somebody starts speaking to you about why you're not holy and why you're not perfect well positionally positionally I have the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ positionally because I'm in him I can now stand before him because he has made me to stand but progressively God is working in my life refining me making me into a different person today than I was even yesterday because the longer I am with him the more I learn of him and the more changed I am so you have one positional to progressive and three you have the perfection you finally have perfection but that takes place at the very end in Jude 24 he is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy so when you finally become perfect it isn't here though you may think you already are you know anytime somebody says you know I'm perfect find out if they're married and if they are asked if you can speak to the wife or the husband you'll find out very quickly that perfect men don't exist women already knew that but we're just discovering that and first John chapter three verse two John said beloved now we are children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be but we know that when he is revealed we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is the perfection is going to be when you're in the presence of God that's when it is finished you have positional progressive and then perfection it's all a stand it's all a it's all moving from place to place it all begins at the place of being saved and so back in verse 14 for by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified I am in Christ and he's working in my life verse 15 and the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us for after he had said before this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days says the Lord I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds I will write them then he adds their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more now where there is remission of these there's no longer an offering for a sin now to me verses 16 and 17 are incredible they're beautiful verses and we ought to embrace that because God has written his word on the tablets of our heart now he's quoting Jeremiah and notice with me incidentally and I'll point this out very rapidly notice how it says in verse 16 this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days say the Lord I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds I will write them their sins and their lawless deeds this is the Holy Spirit's inspiration who inspired Jeremiah to write and he's actually ascribing this work that is taking place as a work of the Holy Spirit and so what happens is the new covenant is now in effect because of the work of God through Jesus Christ and what happens is God writes his laws on the tablet of your heart he gives to you the will and the ability to perform that's that which he gives you the will to do and you will do that which is pleasing to him and the result of this is and I love this scripture verse 17 their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more I will remember no more now wait a minute what does that mean? think about that with me for just a moment can God forget anything? can you picture him walking around heaven saying I can't find my keys? you know? I don't know now where did I put that halo? I don't think he does I don't think he does that okay? so what are you saying? I will remember this no more what's that mean? I will not bring it up it isn't something I'm going to hold you accountable to some of you young people in this room you've done something wrong and your dad and your mom gotten at you and they've lectured you and made you feel terrible over it and then they say you know you need to leave my site you know go in your room and they're so angry and then later on you work it out and they say you know what? I forgive you but sometimes a parent might say that I'm not going to forget you've proven something to me now you're going to have to prove that you can be something else some parents do that you might find this interesting when my kids when they were young and they did something stupid which they do do they? and it was like I would I would get almost stunned I'd say huh how I just I can still remember like man you have got you what you you know I just couldn't digest this you know I taught you different you know your mom's different you think that's okay and then I'd go into my lecture mode you know three points and offering and then the continuation it's a series but you want to know something this is the truth you can you can you can ask my kids this is the truth when it was all said and done at the end of that lecture I would tell them this it stays here it's over we don't bring it up again it's done and that's the truth I didn't come back next week I didn't say look you remember what I never just don't do that because I figured that if you said I'm sorry and I said I forgive you then it's over it's over it's under the blood you asked forgiveness I gave it to you what else is to be said to bring it up again later on you know sometimes sometimes I know this is a as a little boy I don't know if little girls are gross like this but as a little boy I was this way I would get a cut and I'd get fascinated with it when it heals and I would pick at it anybody ever pick at their scabs and you know I could make it bleed again it didn't take much at all and then it would start healing and then I'd go picking at it again my mom would say what are you doing nothing and then she'd look at me like oh god you know what happened did I drop you on your head you were a baby and I can't figure you out at all but I was fascinated by the healing process and I would do that and I would scratch it and eventually I'd get tired of doing that it would heal you can pick scabs you can't open up wounds can't you it's not hard to do you can open them up again and I discovered a long time ago that if you if you keep bringing things up the wound never heals it just doesn't heal you know so if I'm telling my kid you know what you didn't tell me the truth and I think you're a liar and they say dad forgive me I say okay then a week later they're saying dad I'm going to my friend's house and I say to them how do I know you're going to your friend's house you told me the other day you're going to your friend's house you ended up going someplace else did I really forgive them did I really let it go I didn't you know I'm keeping it in the back of my mind so it has to be worked out to a point where we resolve this and that's what would happen that's why we had the long talks because I know when when someone's just looking at me saying yeah I agree yeah I agree yeah you don't agree you're just trying to get out of here we're going to talk some more we're going to talk till you're almost dead you're going to wish I beat you Anas told me that more than once daddy I wish he just would beat me get it over with don't lecture me I take it I said I know that's what we're talking if you got to take a bathroom break go ahead we'll be back shouldn't have drank that water but you know I'm absolutely touched by that phrase I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more he doesn't bring them up they're done they're under the blood of Jesus Christ you are completely forever completely forever forgiven by Jesus Christ he doesn't bring them up to you anymore and Psalm 103 verse 12 as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us Isaiah 43 25 I even I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake and I will not remember your sins I'm not going to beat you with those sins that's why that woman who comes to Christ and he begins to ask her after he had doubt with her and she had been accused in all of adultery and that's why when Jesus looks at her and asks the question woman where are your accusers she says I have none heart and what did he say neither do I accuse you go and sin no more you know it's done with it's doubt with it's over that's what you have in Jesus Christ you don't have to be worrying about him saying oh by the way I still remember what you did back in 1979 have forgotten because the Lord says I choose not to bring this up because you are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ that is something that you did not have under the sacrificial system in the Old Testament in the Old Testament there was a constant reminder of your sins because offerings were constantly being made but with Jesus one time for all time washes you clean and you are now set apart by him what a blessing that is so he says in verse 18 now where there is remission of these there's no longer an offering for sin why because the sin has been made one time for all time therefore brethren having boldness to enter by enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh and having a high priest over the house of God let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful so we have now confidence to enter into the throne room of God via prayer that's what we do every time we open our mouths we're entering the throne room this week as we have our week of prayer and fasting we're being invited into the throne room of God through prayer and we come there through the blood of Jesus Christ it's the perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ our high priest that makes it possible for us to enter in he speaks of it in verse 20 as a new and a living way which he consecrated through the veil that is his flesh in the Old Testament he had the holy place separating the holy of holies and it was a veil and when Jesus died on the cross that veil was torn from top to bottom and when that veil was torn from top to bottom it indicated that our entrance into the holiest holy of holies is now made possible by the blood of Jesus Christ and so I can with boldness with confidence I can come before the throne of grace and I can obtain mercy in my time of need because of that we have what is called a new and a living way Christ has opened the road that is not a dead end street and he's done this through his sacrifice so as a pre-centered the holiest place through a veil we now enter in through Jesus Christ himself now in verse 21 and 22 he's a high priest over the house of God so we can draw near with a true heart what he's saying there is is an encouragement he's saying you can have confidence in full assurance of faith there's you can enter in without wavering because on the day of atonement blood would be sprinkled on the ark of the covenant but in our case blood is sprinkled on our hearts and in doing so when God sprinkles our hearts with his blood he cleanses our conscience we also have bodies that are washed with pure water he said which speaks of the priestly washings that they would do so what has happened as Christians we've been sprinkled and purified by the blood of Jesus Christ and his word remember in Ephesians in chapter 5 remember at verses 25 and 26 when we were looking at that recently how Paul said husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy cleansing her by the washing with water through the word we are washed by the blood of Jesus Christ and by the word of God and with that we can now enter in with confidence we have a true heart we have an assurance of faith because we have been cleansed from an evil conscience so what are we to do verse 23 says let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who has promised is faithful we hold fast without wavering God has made a promise and so cling tightly to his promise you know it's interesting to me I was this way so I guess most every person in this room was probably like this it's interesting how if my dad made me a promise I didn't forget his promise if my dad said I'm gonna get you something I held him to it I most definitely did if dad said I'm gonna get you this then every time he'd come home I'd say did you get it? did you get it? did I get what? did you get me the glove? I told you I'd get it I know you did did you get it? I could remember his promise could you remember if you received promises when you were a kid can you remember that? if somebody said I'm gonna get you this or give you that did you forget? most kids don't my kids never did my kids never forgot promises they forgot to clean the room they forgot to come home on time they forgot to do an awful lot but they never forgot and they would repeat my words sometimes to me well dad you said and so it's interesting to me how children will cling to promises and we'll say it we'll say it back you said but you know what I discovered I discovered I can I do the same thing with the Lord I do the same thing God in your word you said I don't forget his promises sometimes I forget his warnings but I don't forget his promises God you said you said if I you said if I and I can corner right back to him what you said well you want to know something we have an assurance we have a confidence we can hold fast because God has said that he would give to us eternal life through Jesus Christ and according to numbers 2319 God is not a man that he should lie neither the son of man that he should repent has he said and shall he not do it or has he spoken and shall he not make it good if God said I would then he will my dad used to be a truck driver and he worked in Los Angeles and on occasion he would take me with him and I'd go in his truck you know and I'd sit there in the passenger seat and he'd take me all over the place and and you know he'd take me out for lunch and all kinds of things and it was during the summer when I was a little boy and I have some great memories and my dad used to go to Sears the Sears it was there used to be like only one Sears that I was familiar with and it was in LA we just drove by it the other day Marie and I did with Randy and Jeanette Walls on Friday we drove down and there's this Sears on the corner there you know and I'm looking at it and I'm saying man I used to come to this Sears here because it was the only one we didn't have one where I grew up in Norwalk so we would drive down LA to go to Sears and there's like three or four stories and it seemed like an enormous building at that time and we drove by it just the other day and both she and I because her dad would take her by there sometimes too and they go to Sears and they say well there it is there's the Sears and my memory I started remembering going there and I used to go into the sporting goods section there and I always would grab the glove and I'd get the baseball and I'd throw that ball into that glove and I can still remember the smell of leather I was a baseball player I loved the smell of it and I would hold it and I wished dad would buy me a glove but my dad used to go to this one Sears because he worked just down the street and he would buy candy and he would buy what was it? was peanuts that was covered with the coating I forget what it's called you know a candy coating on these peanuts you guys would know what it is if I could remember what's it called? coffee? something like no it's not baked beans next? no I forget I wish I could remember if I can I'll tell you but you know what I'm talking about and that's okay it's a candy over the peanuts that's my dad would get it and I loved it you know I just loved it and I can still remember my brother Frankie and I one time we were little boys less than 10 years of age and my dad came rolling up and pulled into the driveway and went into the house and we were expecting him to get us something so we ran into his pickup truck and climbed into the front seat there and opened up the glove box and in the glove box there was a bag of this candy and so Frankie and I thought oh man this must be for us so we ate my dad's candy we ate the whole thing I mean we ate the whole bag you know sharing it and oh it was good and so we went into the house and my dad was there seated at the kitchen table and Frankie and I walked in and we didn't want to let him know that we'd been eating all the candy and so Frankie said Daddy did you get some of that some candy in the peanuts and my dad said were you in my truck? oh no we weren't in your truck Daddy oh you weren't in my truck? you weren't in the glove box? no, we weren't in the glove box he says good because if you'd have gotten into the glove box you'd have seen a bag and it had spider poison in it we said really? what's it look like? he said well it looks like candy with peanuts but it's really to kill spiders I bought it to kill all the spiders in the house but you didn't eat it did you? he goes well that's good well my brother why if we did eat it? well it happened oh spider poison kills what you need to do is if you ate it which is a good thing you didn't you would have to lay on your bed and take a nap oh my brother looks at me and I'm tired true story I'm not making this up true story I'm tired and I looked at him I said you know me too and we went to our bedroom and we laid down on the bed and we were laying there holding our stomachs going oh I wonder when we're gonna die I'll never forget that so my son David was about five years old and I had some candy in the glove box and he was next to me and I could see him out of the corner of my eye as he reached in and started eating it I didn't say anything until he got his full I just kept looking out pretending I didn't see him and then I turned to him and I said oh by the way make sure you don't eat any of that stuff that's in the glove box oh my daddy because it's spider poison he goes really? I said yeah I haven't had any I said well just just in case but you know if you did have some you have to cross your eyes cross your legs and stick your tongue out that's the only thing that would save you from from dying so I look out the window and then I turn and look back at him his tongue stuck out his eyes across and he goes to me I like doing this and I said yeah I'm sure you do stuff why am I telling you this I don't even know what got me on that one but I better get back God's promises God's promises are true God doesn't lie to us if God says it will he not do it and he doesn't play that all that old switch and bait kind of thing with us so we trust him kids have a tendency of believing everything their father says I am God's kid I ought to believe what my father says if my father says I will cleanse you I will not bring up your sins anymore and you'll have eternal life because of my son then I ought to hold fast to that hold fast completely and totally forever and so that's what we do he says let us hold fast in verse 23 the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised his wife is faithful if he said it will he not do it holding fast to the end is an evidence of genuine conversion in John 831 the Bible says if you continue in my word then are you my disciples indeed holding fast not a superficial faith but a real faith because true faith has been called forever faith to hold fast to him because he promised is an evidence that we've been saved so Jesus Christ is the one who makes it possible for us to have a relationship with God and to no be on the shadow of a doubt now we're going to him