A Shadow of Good Things

Heb 10:1-

'For the law having a shadow of good things to come.'


The sacrificial services all pointed to the ultimate Sacrifice.
The sacrificial system in place was a shadow of the true.
How silly to think that the blood of any animal at all in and of itself could cover our sins. That blood only covered our sins because God set up the sacrificial system as a shadow of what was to come. God was revealing to His people that with sin you need a sacrifice or that sin will keep you estranged from Him. That sin will keep you apart from God. Sin separates us from God. What are we apart from God? We are nothing.


Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world


Having no hope.
Without God in the world.


2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.


NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH.


Not perishing means having eternal life.
Having eternal life means living with God.
Living with God means NOT being separated from God.
Sin separates us from our Creator.


Is it any wonder we're told this---


Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God


Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


Separated from God we cannot live forever, we just can't it's impossible. God is the source of all life, without the source of all life we cannot live. I'm talking ETERNALLY here! ETERNAL LIFE! We have to get passed this life we live now. We have to get it through our heads in a very REAL way that the life we live right now is temporary! Remember this from James 4:14 'For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.'


I see so much pain in the world as I'm sure you do too. NO ONE can live in this world and not see the pain of life, not experience that pain, not know that pain. Being allowed to see the pain, to feel the pain, to be a part of the pain of this world reveals more and more that something isn't right with this world. Something is very wrong with the world we live in and you'd have to be a completely spiritually blind not to recognize the wrongness of so much in this world. It's not just our personal pains but the pains of all those around us, near and far. It's WRONG! Our world is ALL WRONG! A huge flaw has appeared in our world! You have to know this! You have to see it, feel it, you're living it!


'For the law having a shadow of good things to come.'


Of good things to come. The sacrificial law was temporary. When we're given a shadow of better things, we are given just s bit of that better thing. When someone gives you a little gift and tells you that's just the tip of the ice burg they mean there is more to come and your expectations are aroused to get more gifts. A shadow isn't the real thing, the real thing has more substance but a shadow gives the outline and idea of what the real thing is. When I see my shadow it's part of me, it reveals the idea of my shape, of what I look like. Yes, shadows can be distorted but allowing for the distortion we can still get an idea of what the true is from the shadow of a thing. You have to have a REAL thing to have a shadow of that real thing.


The sacrificial law was a shadow of what was to come. The sacrifice of animals a mere shadow of the sacrifice needed to obtain full forgiveness. The sacrifice of animal would NEVER do away with sin. Only the Savior could do away sin.


Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God


One sacrifice- the TRUE sacrifice that was foreshadowed by all the animal sacrifices pointing towards that perfect sacrifice- Jesus Christ, the innocent Lamb of God.



Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.


The sacrificial law was done away with and we cannot substitute any works of our own in its place. Christ and Christ ALONE, the true, perfect Sacrifice is the ONLY hope we have for atonement, for becoming one with God again, no longer separated by our sins.


By the grace and mercy of our Lord may we accept His Sacrifice