What does it mean to trample Jesus under our feet?

In a nutshell it is to sacrifice something He has not asked of us instead of trusting His one-time, perfect sacrifice. To go back under the law that cannot save and sacrifices that are no longer. To put our work with the gospel before, during or after. It’s not just Hebrew believers that had this issue in the epistles.

A lot of people speak of the ‘willful sin’ seen in Hebrews 10:26. As if somehow we only accidentally sin. This ‘willful sin’ is speaking to a particular sin. These Hebrew believers who are considering going back under the Temple sacrifice. If they do this, they will being sinning willfully and bring on condemnation/judgment which the unsaved will be devoured by. There will be a punishment/consequence for them if they do this. God does judge His people. But after this stern warning, the author tells them to remember the time when they believed and how many afflictions, mocking, reproach they went through and the fellowship they had with others who were suffering. (I believe it’s Paul speaking here but people of course have differing opinions), So the author reminds them of their compassion towards him when he was in bonds, and shared with him, knowing there destination in heaven, and a ‘better and enduring substance’ (their rewards). So he encourages them not to ‘cast away their CONFIDENCE’, and reminds them of the great return of reward. They are told to be patient, do the will of God, and then soon the promise, OR they can do wrong and displease God. He doesn’t think they’ll do that but instead they’ll continue in belief and maturity. The whole book is a call to believers to grow up into the head, and stop sinning by trying to go back into the old system. The biggest admonition that strikes me is to share in Christ’s suffering and shame.

We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.  For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.  Heb 13:10-15 

Besides contrasting ‘they’ and ‘us’ or ‘we’, here are some of the ways throughout Hebrews they are clearly are identified as believers.

·       Believer 4:3, 10:39, 11:6; 11:31

·       Brother 13:1; 13:23

·       Brethren 2:11; 2:12; 2:17; 3:12; 10:19; 13:22

·       Holy Brethren 3:1

·       Beloved 6:9

·       Tasted of the Heavenly Gift 6:4

·       Partakers of the Holy Ghost 6:4

·       Enlightened 6:4

·       Illuminated 10:32

·       Sanctified (we are sanctified with His own blood 13:12) Heb 2:11; 10:10, 14, 24

·       Perfected Forever 10:14

·       Son – 2:10, 12:5, 6,7,8

·       Children – 2:11, 13, 14, (see Jn 6:50-57) 12:5

·       Partakers of flesh and blood (2:14 – John 6:50-57)

·       Church of the Firstborn Heb 12:3

The Perfect Sacrifice

Jesus came to do God’s will

God’s will was the perfect sacrifice He provided in His son Jesus.  (Foreshadowed in the story of Abraham and Isaac)

And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”  Gen 22:8

He prepared a body for Him (Hebrews 10 says) because He was not pleased with the burnt offerings and sacrifices.

SO HE GAVE THE WORLD HIS SON

For God so loved the world, that he GAVE his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  John 3:16-17

Jesus also willingly gave His life, and this was the ONLY SACRIFICE that God the Father would take pleasure in.  

“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”  John 10:17-18

Is your faith in Jesus Christ and HIS sacrifice?

Where is your faith placed? Who or What is your faith in? Is it your works as proof (or some sort of help in your salvation)?

The first covenant was taken away, the second has been established. (Heb 10:9)

Jesus offered one sacrifice for sins forever.  (Heb 10:10)

Jesus now sits at the right hand of God waiting until that day when His enemies are made His footstool. (prophecy first found in Ps 110:1)

By ONE OFFERING He has PERFECTED FOREVER those of us who are sanctified. (Heb 10:10,14)

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  John 1:29b

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” Rev 5:12

What does FREE mean to you?

What offering is someone exhorting you to do in order to be saved or to stay saved? What works o receive the FREE GIFT of eternal life?

Submit?

   Confess your sins?

Commit/give your life?

Surrender?

Repent/Turn from your sins? (this is not the meaning of repentance)

Make Jesus the Lord of your life?

   Do good works?

These are some good things, or righteous things for BELIEVERS to do as they grow in Him. Eternal life is a one time gift which is immediate, free and permanent. No works of our own can help, and finishing in the flesh will not work (Gal 3:1-5)

We are told that obeying the gospel means to = believe it. (Rom 10:14-16)

Do people not see that turning from sin, (even if we could do it perfectly) is a WORK of the law? All of the law was turning from sin. You cannot add this work to receive eternal life. (Gal 2:16_

Don’t think you can add anything to His sacrifice and please God.  Even after one is given the free gift of eternal life, adding to His sacrifice or considering it not enough is grievous.  

Yes! Present your body a living sacrifice as your reasonable service, do not use it to judge someone’s salvation…or to be bewitched into finishing in the flesh.

What else is the will of the Father?  

We see two answers. 

 That Jesus should lose none of His, He will raise us up.

All who believe WILL have everlasting life.  (see Jn 6:39-40)

 What is the work of God?

To believe on Jesus Christ.  That is the ONLY thing we can do.  You cannot add any work.  (John 6:27-29; Eph 2:8-9)

As for those who say believing is the work of God in this passage (implying God made one believe), let’s examine the figure of speech Jesus was using.  And then you might be able to see that they questioned Him back in like manner.

He was not speaking of works of the law, nor was He speaking of pre-regeneration in order to be able to believe (the gift of faith).  It is not the work of God to gift you with faith.  the point is, that this is the one thing He wants you to do.  It does not say that I will give you faith, but that ►YE BELIEVE.

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that YE BELIEVE on him whom he hath sent.

How did we receive the Spirit? 

Was it by works? 

Was it by anything we did or will do?  

Of course the answer to those is NO!  We began in the Spirit and we need to finish in the flesh.   (Gal 3:2, Titus 3:4-7, Eph 2:8-9, Is 64:6; Eph 1:13; 1 Thess 2:13)  Trust in what HE did at the Cross.   It was all Him.

You cannot be made perfect by the flesh/works.  

Nor do works prove you are saved (for the fruit inspectors).

This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?  Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?  Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?   Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”   Gal 3:2-6

Have faith in HIM.  It is Jesus’s work on the cross.

Once we have believed, try to cooperate to abide in Him and remain in His Word.   He will do the work in us if we are in Him.

He GAVE us eternal life from the beginning when we first believed.  

Others may not see it, but we are given “hath” (echo), possess, own, to have, to hold — Eternal life.  We are seated ALREADY in heavenly places.  We were immediate passed from DEATH unto LIFE, from DARKNESS unto LIGHT.  Don’t let someone steal your joy, if you are doing things wrong, as we all do (Rom 7), even when we do not want to, turn to Him, confess your sin for fellowship, and continue to abide in His Word, abide in the Lord. Nothing we have good is of ourselves, just continue to stay close to Him, for apart from Him we can do nothing.  Do not let these mini-accusers of the brethren keep you from the Lord.

He is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy! (Jude24)

Back to Hebrews 10

What is Trampling the Son of God underfoot? 

What is counting the blood of the covenant (by which we were sanctified) a common thing/or unholy? 

What can we do to insult the Spirit of Grace?

Often I heard that explained as not being a ‘good enough Christian’.  Not living for Him.  Being a ‘carnal’ Christian.  That is certainly a shame to stay in that state, I know…

If we are His, it is most definitely a good reason to turn back to Him and confess our sins, and to trust in His Word of grace to help us grow.  These things strengthen our fellowship with Him and others, and help our joy to remain full.

We need to abide in the Vine in order to bear fruit we need to add to our faith (2 Pet 1:5-9).  We need to abide in His Word to grow in faith, to be His disciples.  If we see others in this situation, we know the remedy.  (Encourage them with His Word and in prayer.)

But this is not what I believe this passage in Hebrews is speaking to –works or lack thereof.  

What does it mean no more sacrifice for sin?

Looking at chapter 10 in context, (in fact the whole book of Hebrews), is spoken to Hebrew believers. They were addressed as believers, so we can assume (without a stretch), believers are the ones addressed.  Let’s read what was happening. 

Some were considering going back to works (the law and the sacrifice) in order to avoid persecution and also acceptance among their own (fruit inspectors).  Similar to the idea of the chief rulers who didn’t confess Jesus openly (Jn 12:42), for fear and also praise of men, these men were going to insult His work for them by going back under the old system.  And the Hebrews “willful sin” was to turn their back on His final sacrifice and go back to the imperfect law and a method of sacrifice which could never (and did not ever) save.  

That sacrificial system was abolished (although still being practiced daily), it did not remain.  This is not saying that there is no more sacrifice for their sins if they willfully sin by going back under the law.    Why do I know that?  The verses before are contrasting Jesus final one-time perfect sacrifice vs. the one they were going to put themselves under.  This old sacrifice could never take away sin.

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.   And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.  Heb 10:10-14

Instead of the “Just living by Faith”, they were not trusting in the complete work that Christ did on the cross.  Our confidence should be completely in what He did for us, not what we can do for Him.

• Was the above offering ONCE for ALL?
• Was the above sacrifice perfected forever in us?
• Did the above sacrifice cover or take away our sins?

The enemy is busy accusing us for our failures.  Even whispering, “Are you really saved”?  

Remind yourself,“what must I do to be saved?”

What you believed regarding God’s record of His Son validates you.   That is the only way to KNOW if you possess eternal life, this is why He wrote these things, and did so ahead of time for us. Move close to the One who saved you.

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Romans 15:4

How do I know I am saved?

Don’t ask the following type questions to validate your salvation.

“Do I feel saved?”
“Am I good enough to be saved?”
“Am I sinning?” (yes you are, so is everyone or they are a liar).We should do good works, but they need to be done IN HIM. 

“Have I had a certain experience or do I ‘feel’ saved?”

“Have I willfully sinned?
“Did I repent from enough sin?”

“Did I stop doing this?”
“Was I sorry enough?”
“Did I commit myself?”
“Did I give Him my whole life?”

Ask yourself instead have you believed and understood the gospel?

None of these are requirements of salvation, (or to prove you are saved), some are things we may deal with in our walk, once we are IN CHRIST, (believers).  Do not add these things before as requirements or you have a false gospel if so.  If you add them after as proof, then you are bewitched or bewitching others into finishing in the flesh.  What began in the Spirit, we cannot finish in the flesh.

If pastors, teachers, authors, etc. are not pointing you to His Word, or preaching the gospel to those they believe are unsaved — if instead they are crying ‘false convert‘, yet preach them a works-based gospel… FLEE….

Be sure you have believed the gospel found in 1 Cor 15:3-4, He did it for you, to save you, and died for your sin and TOOK IT AWAY.   HE GAVE YOU ETERNAL LIFE!  Proved it by His resurrection.

Do you believe??  Trust the answer found in God’s Word (Acts 16:31, Rom 8:9, Acts 4:12, John 3:14-18, Eph 2:8-9) and thank the Lord for the Free Gift of Salvation.

Ask Him to help you “walk worthy of your calling“. (Eph 4:1)  Spend time in His Word in order to get cleaned up from the inside out.  To get your dirty feet washed. Commit some to memory, and take heed to His Word (John 13:3-17; John 17:17; Ps 119:9-11).

Are you trampling Him underfoot?

Are you trusting in what He did, or are you attempting to justify yourself somewhat by works?  (Backdoor loadship – lordship doctrine).

You may be saved, but by adding another sacrifice, or trying to earn your salvation means you have not only trampled Jesus underfoot, you are insulting the Spirit of Grace, you are not reckoning His blood to be Holy.

It will never work… (same thing the false prophets did in Matt 7:15-23 — justify themselves by their ‘many wonderful works‘).

Cast not away your confidence.  

The work that JESUS did on the cross is the only work on which we can place our confidence.

We love Him because He first loved us.  So what can we do for Him, or what should we do?  Ask Him to help your desires to change to His.  And we need to spend time with Him.  How?

In Luke 10, we see Martha put works before “hearing His Words” (the better thing, the one thing that was needed).

So I lovingly suggest, the better thing is to spend time with the One who purchased you at such a great price.  The one who died in our place because of His great love for us (John 15:13).   If we love Him, feed His sheep…

How can we take heed to His Word or keep His Word, if we don’t spend time at His feet “hearing” His Words, getting wisdom? (Ps 119:9, John 14:23, Luke 10:38-42; Pr 22:17-21)

If we know His Word, are in the meat of His Word, we are better able to tell the difference between good and evil.  (Heb 5:12-14)

 If we are letting the Spirit guide us into all truth, (His Word is truth-John 17:17) we will be better equipped to handle a lot of things.  (2 Tim 3:16-17) 

Study for Him, not to prove anything to others, but in order to learn from Him and to be approved by Him.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be ashamed.   And I know that I need to make up for precious lost time in my years as a believer, (and love doing it).   Don’t regret losing that time… I am thankful He is forgiving and works all things together for good…  (2 Tim 2:15, Rom 8:28)

If we are FED by Him, we will be walking in Him if we cooperate. And the works we will do, will be what He has us doing instead of us possible trying to do our own works.

And His work in us will endure and not be burnt up.  (1 Cor 3:10-15 Rewards)

It’s altogether too easy to get out in front of the Spirit, isn’t it?

Not just in worldly pursuits, but I’m afraid even in Martha pursuits. 

The work in and of itself isn’t bad, it’s just when we are so distracted in “doing” we mistakenly place the work in front of Him.

I speak unfortunately from experience.  I can be one stubborn horse.

So please, spend time in His Word, just you and Him, not the favorite pastor of the month’s new sermon.  (Not saying that is wrong, but you do need do desire the sincere milk of the Word (For me that is time alone with Him).  We also need to recognize the plethora of deceivers out there.  People do not seem to recognize that the ‘popular’ man, the one who has all the best-sellers, the one who has his own ‘Bible’ may not always be the one to hear.

Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.  Luke 6:26

Here are some of things HIS WORD tells us to do to grow in Him. Approach His Word with prayer.

► Study HIS WORD with His approval in mind… II Tim 2:15

► Seek Him diligently in it… Heb 11:6, Ps 119:2

► Search the Bible daily for the right answers… Acts 17:11 – We need to have our Bibles out, to be sure what is being said is what His Word actually does say.

► Prove all things with it…  I Thess 5:21, we have a responsibility as we are learning to hold fast to His Word

► Meditate on His Word day and night… Ps 1:2, Ps 119:97

► Ask for wisdom, then apply ourselves to wisdom and understanding… James 1:5; Pr 2:2; 22:17-21

► Revive ourselves in His Word… Ps 119:25

► Memorize it to help us keep from sinning… Ps 119:11

► Take heed to it (obey)… Ps 119:9

► Love it… Ps 119:40

► Treasure it… I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure. Psalm 119:162

► HEAR His Words… Pr 22:17-21; Luke 10:38-42

► Get strength from His Word… Ps 119:28

► Sharpen our Sword with it and strengthen our faith.  (Eph 6; Heb 4:12; Rom 10:17)

► Get counsel and direction from it… Psalm 119:24, 105

► Abide in His Word, glorifying God and so we can bear fruit…  John 15:7-8

► Speak His Word, it will not return void… Isaiah 55:10-11

► Pray about the Word you will share with others…2 Thess 3:1

► Answer the enemy with it, Jesus did… Matt 4:4, 7, 10

► Respect it (tremble at His Word)… Isaiah 66:2

► Handle it with honesty…2 Cor 4:2

► Be washed/cleansed with it… John 17:17; Ps 119:9, Eph 5:25-26

► Be comforted and given hope by it… Romans 15:4

► Feed others with it demonstrating your love for Him and making ourselves happy…John 21:15-17, 13:14-17

HAVE AN UNSAVED FRIEND?

See the Simple Gospel by Dr. Hank Lindstrom

http://www.biblelineministries.org/av/videoarchive/vidsearch.php3?action=full&mainkey=BL005.wmv

Illustration of the Plan of Salvation

DID YOU BELIEVE THE GOSPEL, BUT HAVE BECOME HINDERED BY LAWKEEPERS OR LEGALISTS?

Prov 3:5,6 – Luke 10:38-42, read John 20:31, then read the book of John.