Death by Love part 4:Jesus as Our Sacrifice

(New Covenant Sacrifice)

“...Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”   Ephesians 5:2

• Sacrifices in the Old Testament include:

  • God covered Adam and Eve’s nakedness with animal skins. Genesis3:21

  • Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job. (Gen. 4:1-5; 8:20; 22:3, 13; 26:25; 33:20; 35:7; Job 1:5)

  • Abraham and Isaac Genesis 22:14

  • Passover Exodus 12:1-30

  • The Sacrificial System Deuteronomy 12:5-14; Leviticus 1-7

  • The Day of Atonement. Leviticus 23:27; 25:9

• The elements of the Sacrifice.

  • Four types

    • Burnt

    • Peace

    • Sin

    • Guilt

  • Process

    • An unblemished animal was chosen.

    • The worshipper would draw near the animal.

    • The worshipper would lay hands on the animal, confessing their sins in repentance over the animal.

    • The animal was killed and its blood shed as the penalty for sin.

• The practice of sacrificial atonement was insufficient to take away sins. Psalm 40:6; 51:16; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8; Hebrews 10:4

• These sacrifices looked forward to the death of Jesus. Jeremiah 31:34b; Heb. 8:3-13

• The Old Covenant sacrifices were often offered by people who did not truly love God in their hearts and instead had only an outward faith. Proverbs 7:14; Proverbs 15:8; Psalm 51:17; Hosea 6:6; 1 Samuel 15:21-22

• Jesus shed his blood to bring us into the New Covenant. Jeremiah 31:31:34; Hebrews 7:22

• Jesus is our great High Priest. Heb. 2:17; 4:14-15

• Jesus laid down His life as the Lamb of God who takes away our sins. John 1:29

• Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb. 1 Corinthians 5:7

• Jesus has saved us from sin and death by His blood. 1 Peter 1:18-19

• Jesus shed His blood once to forgive all sin. Hebrews 9:26; 10:10

• The temple is gone and the sacrificial system has ceased.

  • Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. 6:19

  • We are a priesthood of believers. 1 Peter 2:9

• As Christians we do not offer animal sacrifices.

  • We celebrate Communion. 1 Corinthians 10:14-22

  • We offer our lives. Romans 12:1-2

  • We offer our good deeds. Hebrews 13:16

  • We give our money. Philippians 4:18

  • We offer our worshipful singing. Hebrews 13:15

  • All as living sacrifices to Jesus.