one sacrifice – Page 2

674. Forgiveness Complete, Offerings Stopped

October 21, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Good news: The blood of Jesus Christ did not cover your sins (don’t panic). Why is this good news? Because something better happened. Instead of covering them, His blood took them completely away. They were removed once and for all by one sacrifice. Contrast this with the many sacrifices of the blood of animals with ceremonies offered under the first covenant. Those sacrifices were offered daily and provided an atonement (covering), but they could never take sins away. Forgiveness was temporary for the Jewish people under the Law. In the kingdom where we grace radicals abide, we talk much about forgiveness of sins that have occurred whether they be past, present or future. As we challenge our traditional mindsets on this subject, the question we begin to ask is… when did this occur and is it synonymous with salvation where we find life in Christ? To be continued…

673. “Do I Still Need God to Forgive Me Each Day?”

October 14, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

The subject of forgiveness has been a common guest on our program over the years. Even believers in Jesus Christ will often struggle with whether they are truly forgiven or wonder where they stand with God. In their minds they may ponder whether they are they forgiven only up until this moment - until another sinful thought or action occurs. Have they confessed everything? Of course they haven’t confessed all of their sins - and we should ask if that activity even brings a renewed forgiveness from God.

When contrasting the Old Covenant to the New, we find quite a contrast as the book of Hebrews explains the true power of the blood of Jesus that was shed just one time. The Jewish people were unable to rest in God’s forgiveness. Why? Because they had to keep seeking a renewed forgiveness on a daily basis. It’s likely we haven’t fully understood what occurred on that cross when Jesus died and uttered the words, “It is finished.” The good news is far better than we think, and it’s why we live in something called a better covenant, established upon better promises.

652. Freedom from a Sin Consciousness

May 20, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

“How many here are sinners?” Ask that question in most churches and the vast majority of hands will go up. “How many here are righteous?” Ask that question and you’ll typically see the hands remain on their lap. Why? Empty religion that has mixed the Old and New Covenants has left people with a mistaken identity, frequently trapped in a consciousness of sin… the very thing Jesus came to deliver people from (Hebrews 10). In fact, we have been delivered from the powers of darkness, and guilt and condemnation has been removed forever. We can’t do anything about our own sin problem, but Jesus did — by giving His own life. The reason people fall into condemnation and get confused about their identity is because they have tied it into their behavior and performance, instead of the gift.

639. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 10): The Law Was Never Meant to Be the Answer

February 18, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Wrapping up this portion of the Summarizing the Scripture series, we take a look at the some common misconceptions about the law of commandments, and contrast it with what God accomplished for us through a finished work in Christ. Christians will be told by the religious authorities that the world will be a better place if everyone would just try harder to keep the Ten Commandments, along with a few other hand-picked rules and statutes. Is this really true? We’ll address this with an answer that might surprise many.

580. Revisiting “If We Sin Willfully…”

January 1, 2017 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

As we talked about a couple of podcasts ago, the writer of Hebrews was telling his readers that the animal sacrifices through the law came to an end, so they were not to go down that path anymore for forgiveness of sins, but rather they were to believe in the one sacrifice of Jesus that was sufficient for all sins for all time. If they reject the one perfect sacrifice of Jesus, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. That’s really what Hebrews 10:26 is saying.

During a discussion on social media, a statement was made by someone that the sacrifice of Jesus "does NOT cover willful sinning." That is quite a breathtaking statement - and quite sad - and it misses the entire point of the book of Hebrews. So this week we dig a little more into this controversial passage in Hebrews. We also take a look at other scriptures about sin being taken away, that have no such added conditions regarding "willful" sin. Many scriptures plainly say that we are saved by grace, through faith (by believing), and they do not add any such caveat that this isn’t true if we sin willfully. In fact, many scriptures highlight the fact that we have the forgiveness, remission and removal of ALL sin through the blood of Jesus. The book of Hebrews was not written to scare believers, but rather to assure them of the sufficiency of the blood of Jesus. The warning about "willful sin" was not directed at people who sin, but rather at people who reject the sacrifice of Jesus as the only sacrifice that takes away all their sin.

577. Forgiveness “For All Time” Through One Offering

December 11, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Our focus continues on the sufficiency of Christ’s one offering that has taken away sin once and for all. While religion has promoted the false need for people to keep seeking a renewed forgiveness from God, the tenth chapter of Hebrews reveals much better news for us. All of the forgiveness God is going to give has already been poured out through this one sacrifice. Once forgiveness has occurred, there is no longer the need for another offering. Whereas the priests kept standing while seeking more forgiveness with more offerings, Jesus offered Himself once and sat down.
It is finished!

574. Why God Has Stopped Forgiving

November 20, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Jesus died once and He isn’t shedding any more blood. This shows the finality of his work at the cross. He was the perfect lamb of God that would bring an end to the previous covenant of law and repeated sacrifices that provided only a temporary forgiveness and could not remove sin. There is no longer the need to seek God’s forgiveness because He gave His all through Christ. Believe it! It was more than enough.

572. The Death of the Testator & Freed from Dead Works

November 6, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Christ did not enter a place made with human hands, but He entered the more perfect tabernacle, in the Most Holy Place once for all, obtaining eternal redemption with His blood. The writer of Hebrews contrasted this work of Christ with the former ministry of repeated animal sacrifices, and explained how this would be superior to the old way. It would cleanse our conscience from dead works and move us into serving the living God. When did all of this begin? Not with the birth of Christ, but with His death, which would allow for the will or covenant to go into effect.

567. Contrasting the Priesthood of Men with Jesus Christ

October 2, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Under the Old Covenant, there were many priests who would serve under the law for many years or until they died; other priests would then replace them. They offered many sacrifices for the sins of the people, as well as their own sins. But the New Covenant would usher in a different priesthood with Jesus Christ, who was perfect, holy and undefiled. He would become the one and only mediator between us and God through one sacrifice for all. When did this occur? It came after the law, when the Old Covenant would be put aside and forgiveness would last forever. The shedding of blood is no longer needed.

564. New Covenant 101: It’s Better Than the Old

September 11, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

After the death of Jesus, we find that the first covenant made with Israel came to an end and was replaced with a New Covenant that would be unlike the old one. It's not an amendment or continuation of the Old Covenant. The writer of Hebrews stated the law from the first covenant was weak and useless and could make nothing perfect. The New would be a better covenant established upon better promises. Why? Because this time God wasn't going to make the covenant with us (the people), but rather with Himself so that it could not fail. Our participation in this new way is to simply believe.

Just for kicks - Something we mentioned during the podcast:

539. Becoming Christ Conscious Instead of Sin Conscious

March 13, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

When we focus on our struggles and problems instead of the answer to them, it can be a frustrating endeavor. Jesus came to release the Israelites from a covenant that kept them in a constant state of sin consciousness. His one-time sacrifice was meant to put an end to this. If we're stuck in a mindset that revolves around trying to avoid sin with the commands of "thou shall not," it will generally cause an increase in sin, resulting in self-condemnation. The alternative is giving up and surrendering to the completed work of Jesus Christ.

538. Freedom from a Sin Consciousness

March 6, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Under the law, the Jewish people were trapped in a consciousness of sin because they were in a covenant based upon their works and repeated sacrifices that constantly brought a reminder of sins. In contrast, Christ offered one sacrifice for all time to remove the struggle of a guilty conscience and the taking away of sin to be remembered no more. We shouldn't be seeking freedom from sin, but begin realizing God already provided it through the blood of Jesus. We can now live in this freedom found in Him.