THY WILL BE DONE
Opening Prayer
‘Just as I am, and waiting not / To rid my soul of one dark blot; / To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, / O Lamb of God, I come.’1
Read Hebrews 10:1–10
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
10 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”[a]
8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 10:7 Psalm 40:6-8 (see Septuagint)
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
When was the last time you chose your preference or will over Christ’s? Probably not too long ago, right?Paul confessed, ‘For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing’ (Romans 7:19). This war of wills – self-will striving with God’s will – rages within every human heart. The root of all sin is the creature’s declaration of independence from the Creator.
The sacrifices prescribed by the law were important (8b), but impotent (4). While reminding people of their sinfulness (3) and need for atonement, these were powerless to save or sanctify (1b,2). The heart of the matter is a surrendered heart. So God looks for a different kind of sacrifice – not burnt offerings, but a submissive will; willingness to step down from the throne and let God reign; readiness to relinquish autonomy and pledge allegiance to Him.
Being perfectly submissive to the Father (9a), Jesus offered the only perfect sacrifice, powerful to save and sanctify us (10). With Paul, we can exclaim: ‘Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!’ (Romans 7:24b,25).
1‘Just as I am,’ Charlotte Elliott, 1835.
Apply
‘The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the altar’ (attributed to DL Moody). Do you need to crawl back up to the altar, saying, ‘Here I am, I have come to do Your will’?
Closing prayer
Jesus Christ, how often I choose my own way and my own leadership. Teach me how to live truly dependent on You.
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