Sermon
#387 Sermons
Title: The Slaying Of The Sacrifice
Text: Leviticus 1:5
Subject: The necessity and benefits of the death of Christ
Date:
Tape #
Introduction:
I
said this morning that there are two things which were absolutely essential to
a true sacrifice. First, the man offering that sacrifice must lay his hands
upon the head of the animal. By this act, he symbolized that he accepted the
sacrifice and made a typical transfer of sin from himself to the innocent
victim. The typical picture is that of faith in Christ. But something else must
yet be done. That animal, bearing the man’s guilt must be killed. Its blood
must be shed before the Lord. Nothing short of a painful, violent, bloody death
would make an atonement for sin. “He shall kill the
bullock before the Lord.” You will find this order repeated throughout the
Old Testament, whenever a sacrifice is spoken of.
It is
my desire tonight to speak plainly to you about this vital thing – The
Slaying Of The Sacrifice. I have nothing
controversial to debate and argue. I have no new doctrine to expound. I have no
hidden truth to reveal. But I do have a subject that is vital to your soul. It
is the very foundation of all truth. It is the heart of all true religion. It
is the very core of Divine Revelation. I want to speak to you on The Slaying
Of The Sacrifice, the sacrificial death of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
I am
afraid that far too many preachers are like Nero, the old insane emperor of
As I
stand before you, the realization of my awesome responsibility constrains me to
stick to the vital issues of the gospel, the issues of life and death. There
are a good many things which I do not know. But there are certain, self-evident
truths that lay heavily upon my heart.
1. I know how God saves
sinners.
2. I know that everyone of you
will soon stand before God in judgment.
3. I know that what I say to
you in the next few minutes will have some eternal affect upon you. Both this
preacher and you who hear me will have to give an account of what is said.
Now, I believe that it would be wise for you to hear
me. I speak tonight about things which I believe and about which I am sure. I
speak without fear of error or hesitation, when I tell you that the death of
our Lord Jesus Christ was absolutely essential. The sacrifice for sin must be
slain. It is only through the blood, which he shed at
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of
Jesus!
What can make me whole
again?
Nothing but the blood of
Jesus!
This is all my hope and
peace –
Nothing but the blood of
Jesus!
This is all my righteousness
–
Nothing but the blood of
Jesus!
Proposition: The slaying of the
sacrificial lamb in the Old Testament was typical of the death of Christ for us
at
Divisions: Tonight I am going to show
you four things about the death of Christ as our sacrifice for sin.
1. It was absolutely necessary.
2. It is gloriously infinite
and effectual.
3. It gives us the best
instruction on the weightiest matters.
4. It is the source of
inspiration and the motive of obedience in the believer’s life.
I. Let me show you this first.
This is the most important point – The death of Christ as a sacrifice for sin
was Absolutely necessary.
There
were many things which were very important about the sacrifices of the Old
Testament. But no atonement was made until the victim was slain. Even so, the
Lamb of God must be slain in order to make an atonement
for sin. “It behooved him to suffer.” Had he not died, he would not have
a people with him in glory (John
A. Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God, must die in order to fulfill the types and
prophecies of the Old Testament Scriptures.
The Word of God overflows
with statements about the death of Christ. It was as much a subject of Old
Testament prophecy as it is of New Testament declaration.
1. The most instructive type of
redemption by Christ is that of the Passover lamb (Ex.
Hear what God says – “When
I see the blood, I will pass over you.” God’s eye resting on the blood is
evidence that a substitutionary lamb has been slain and guarantees the life of
the sinner. This is atonement.
2. David prophesied that through his death, and only through his death, Christ would establish his universal kingdom (Psa. 22:1, 22, 25-28).
3. Isaiah tells us that it is
the death of the Lamb which is the source of his conquest and the cause of his
reward (Is. 53:12).
B. As the death of Christ was
the subject of the Old Testament types and prophecies, it is the theme of the
New Testament as well.
1. There is no redemption and
remission of sins but by the Son of God pouring out his life’s blood as an
atoning sacrifice for sin (Heb.
a.
Redemption and the remission of sins is not accomplished by –
·
The life of Christ
·
The example of Christ
·
Repentance toward Christ
·
Faith in Christ
·
Obedience to Christ
b.
Sin must be purged away by the blood of Christ. “In whom we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.” “The blood of Jesus
Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.”
2. The death and shed blood of
Christ is the center of all true gospel preaching.
3. The death of Christ and his
shed blood is the essential element of the ordinances of the gospel.
a.
Baptism is a confession of faith in the death of Christ.
b.
The Lord’s Supper is a remembrance of the Lord’s death. “This is my
blood in the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Never forget
it, my friends, we are redeemed to God by the blood of
Christ. The Sacrifice must be slain. Blood must be shed.
4. The blood of Christ will be
the theme of our songs in heaven; and it ought to be here.
C.
Again, the sacrifice must be slain, or God could
never have justified any sinner.
No man could ever be saved, accepted, and justified
in the sight of God if Jesus Christ had not been slain as the Substitute of
sinners (Rom.
1. Death is the result and penalty of sin. Once Christ had our sins laid upon him, he must die!
2. Nothing could satisfy the law and justice of God but death.
D.
Once more, the death of Christ was absolutely
necessary to give peace to a guilty conscience (Heb.
II. Secondly, I want you to see that the death of Christ
is gloriously infinite and effectual.
This
gives peace and comfort to my heart and soul. Since Jesus Christ has paid the
mighty debt I owed to the law of God, I am freed from the debt and justified
before the law. “He that is dead is freed from sin” (Rom. 6:7). The
atoning sacrifice of Christ means complete redemption is fully accomplished.
He bore on the tree the
sentence for me,
And now both the Surety and
the sinner are free.
Those
typical sacrifices of the law could never put away sin. But, when our Lord was
fastened to the tree, and cried, “It is finished,” he finished the
transgression and made an end of sin, and brought in an everlasting
righteousness (Heb. 10:1-4; Col. 2:13-14).
Not all the blood of beasts
On Jewish altars slain,
Could give the guilty
conscience peace,
Or wash away the stain.
But Christ the heavenly
Lamb,
Takes all our sins away;
A sacrifice of nobler name,
And richer blood than they.
All that Christ intended to do in his great sacrificial atonement, he has done!
How
do we know that the death of Christ is effectual?
A. I know that Christ cannot
fail in his work, because I know that He is God.
1. His sacrifice is of infinite
value.
2. His sacrifice must be
effectual in its design.
B. I know that the death of
Christ is effectual, because he is a perfect man. “He knew no sin.”
C. I know that the sacrifice of
Christ is effectual, because of the substitutionary character of his death.
1. The death of Chrsit was as
much an act of divine justice as it was an act of divine mercy.
2. Christ voluntarily laid down
his life for us. The Son of God took the place of his people upon the cross.
3. And our Lord was triumphant
in his death.
D. I know that the sacrificial
death of Christ is effectual, because of his covenant engagements.
He came to fulfill his own agreements with the Father in the covenant of grace.
E. I know that the death of
Christ is effectual, because God has testified that it is.
1. Our Lord himself said, “It
is finished!”
2. He was raised again the
third day as a testimony of completed justification.
3. He is seated in heaven,
because his work is gloriously effectual. He cannot fail!
III. In the third place, let me show you that The sacrificial death of Christ gives us the best
instruction about the weightiest matters.
The best school of theology
in the world is the school at
A. Here we learn that God is
holy.
B. Here we learn that God is
just.
C. Here we learn that sin is
infinitely evil.
D. Here we learn that God is
infinitely gracious.
E. Here we learn the
infinite character of God’s love.
F. Here we learn how that a man
is justified with God, and how human sin is put away.
III. In the last place – The death of Christ is the
source of inspiration and the motive of obedience in a believer’s life.
A. Did the Son of God die for
me? Then I
must surely consecrate myself entirely to him.
B. His death inspires me to
seek holiness and righteousness in my life.
C. Nothing has a greater
power to inspire my heart with love for Christ than the realization of his
dying love for me.
D. The only motive needed to
constrain a believer to obey the Lord is this – “He died for you.”
E. Surely the knowledge of
Christ’s sacrifice for sin ought to inspire us to seek the salvation of
sinners.
Application:
This must be my final word
to you who believe and to you who believe not – Lay your hands of faith upon
the Redeemer’s head and keep them there.