Essence of Christ's Priestly Sacrifice

The lamb on the altar had no awareness — utterly passive, slain, charged with sin, presented. But the priest was active: he selected, slit the throat, caught the blood, brought it within the veil, and sprinkled it. Pastor Martin uses this contrast to show that Christ embodied both elements at once.

The brute creature had no awareness but was utterly passive. It was selected, presented, charged with sin, slain, and then vicariously presented in the presence of God. But the high priest was far from passing. He was actively engaged, obviously, in tremendous physical activities.

20:28 - 20:50 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Our Lord bound Himself to the altar with the cords of His own pure love to the Father and with the cords of His infinite love to wretches like us.

Pastor Martin's pastoral image of Christ on the cross: not held there by Roman nails or Jewish hatred, but bound to the altar by the cords of His own pure love to the Father and to wretches like us. Active obedience underneath the passive endurance.

O people of God, hear me this morning. Our Lord bound Himself to the altar with the cords of His own pure love to the Father and with the cords of His infinite love to wretches like you and like me. He bound Himself to the altar. So what is called inaccurately his passive obedience Is a pinnacle of glorious redemptive activity When all of the sins of his people are pronounced over his head And the fire of divine justice would consume him

28:55 - 29:42 Read in full sermon

The point: Repent of mental and spiritual indolence that keeps you on the fringe of Christ's sacrifice — labor to know Him as both victim and priest.

Pastor Martin notes the King James obscures Peter's word. A literal rendering: 'Who brought our sins in His body to the tree.' The verb is priestly — not merely 'bare them on the cross' but actively conveyed them as the priest carried the victim's blood within the veil.

The thought is a little more closely reached, or the thought is a little more precisely expressed in the 1901 edition. But a literal rendering of 1 Peter 2.24 would be this. Who brought our sins in his body to the tree.

32:01 - 32:20 Read in full sermon

Judas comes with the arresting band; Jesus says 'I am' and they fall backward to the ground. For a moment the veil is drawn back and the majesty of Jehovah enfleshed shines through. Then Christ veils His glory again and says, 'Take me — but let these go.' Active priest in the very moment of arrest.

Jesus therefore, knowing all things that were coming upon him, went forth and said to them, Who seek ye? They said, Jesus of Nazareth. Now notice, Jesus saith unto them, I am, I am, Ego, I me, or Amy, I am. And what happens?

34:02 - 34:29 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Take me, for in your taking, I am acting. I am going to take their sins to the cross that they may go free.

Pastor Martin notes that Luke 23:46 is literally 'I dismiss my spirit.' Whoever heard of a dying man saying that? Christ was in command — His work was done, the fire of divine judgment had consumed the sacrifice, and He dismissed His own spirit.

Whatever. Whoever heard of a dying man saying that? I dismiss my spirit. That's a literal rendering of the original.

37:44 - 37:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: We speak of his doing and his dying. His dying was his grandest doing.

Pastor Martin reads from Hugh Martin: as Aaron was self-conscious and self-determining throughout the day of atonement, so Christ was self-controlled on the cross — not coerced by anything but His own love. 'His dying was His grandest doing.'

and to let him go for a scapegoat. The point of the author is this. How active, how self-conscious, self-contained, self-determining and self-controlled was Aaron. He was in perfect control.

40:36 - 40:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Realize the Father has never sewn the veil back up — the way into His presence stands open right now.

An old writer described conscience as a court in the breast that issues duty and not-duty in terms of God's law. Once God's law indicts you, only Christ's blood applied to that court can grant rest.

Where can a guilty conscience ever find rest? Hebrews 9.14 says, He offered himself without spot to God that he might cleanse the conscience. One old writer has so perceptively said concerning this phrase, conscience as a court is erected in the human breast and pronounces sentence in accordance with God's law.

45:55 - 46:24 Read in full sermon