Jesus is... My Sacrifice | Pastor Vern Martin

Devotional

Day 1: Blood on the Doorposts

The Israelites brushed lamb’s blood on doorframes while death passed over. They didn’t negotiate, earn, or improvise—they obeyed. Blood meant life given, not effort exerted. Jesus became our Passover Lamb, His blood our only shield against eternal death. What rituals or self-made solutions have you substituted for His finished work? [50:26]

God designed blood as life’s currency. Animal sacrifices temporarily covered sin, but Jesus’ blood permanently erased it. He didn’t offer God your good behavior; He offered Himself. Every drop declared, “No more earning. Only receiving.”

You still check spiritual boxes to feel safe. You tally prayers, service hours, or moral wins like Cain bringing crops. Today, trade your ledger for His blood. Where does your heart whisper, “If I ______, then God will ______”?

“When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”
(Exodus 12:13, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus aloud for specific sins His blood has covered.
Challenge: Write one area where you try to earn God’s favor instead of resting in His sacrifice.

Day 2: Torn Veil, Open Way

Jesus gasped “It is finished”—and the temple veil ripped. Priests no longer needed to mediate. The Holy of Holies became accessible to ragamuffins and rebels. God tore the barrier Himself, ending religion’s transactional choreography. [58:14]

The torn veil wasn’t a suggestion—it was a decree. No more sacrifices, no more earning. Jesus didn’t make a down payment; He paid the debt. Your performance can’t add to a receipt stamped “PAID.”

You still approach God like a nervous employee seeking a promotion. Stop bringing résumés. Walk through the torn veil. What prayer have you avoided because you felt unqualified to ask?

“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”
(Matthew 27:51, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one thing you’ve hidden, then thank Jesus for full access.
Challenge: Literally write “IT IS FINISHED” on paper and place it where you’ll see it daily.

Day 3: Abel’s Lamb, Cain’s Grain

Abel brought a bleeding lamb. Cain brought golden sheaves. God accepted the life, rejected the labor. Blood acknowledged brokenness; grain boasted self-sufficiency. One knelt at mercy’s door; the other knocked with trophies. [47:31]

God still rejects Cain’s offering. Church attendance, generosity, or moral discipline become toxic when presented as currency. Jesus’ lamb-blood alone buys approval. Your sweat can’t sweeten the deal.

You polish your “grain” to impress heaven. Name one area where you’re tempted to say, “Look what I did, God!” How would Abel’s lamb challenge that posture?

“The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.”
(Genesis 4:4–5, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal any “grain offerings” you’ve substituted for grace.
Challenge: Destroy one symbolic “grain” (e.g., delete a prideful social media post, skip boasting in conversation).

Day 4: Sweat or Sacrifice

The pastor’s promotion triggered coworkers—they’d “earned” it through sweat. God rebuked his guilt: “Live by grace, not groveling.” Sacrificial mindsets mistake hustle for holiness, forgetting Jesus’ sweat became blood in Gethsemane. [41:09]

Your worth isn’t tied to productivity. Jesus’ sacrifice frees you from proving your value. Burnout isn’t a badge of honor; it’s a warning you’ve abandoned the cross.

You apologize for blessings, fearing you didn’t “deserve” them. Where do you downplay God’s gifts to avoid others’ jealousy?

“By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
(Ephesians 2:8, ESV)

Prayer: Name one unearned blessing and thank Jesus for it.
Challenge: Do something restful (nap, walk, leisure) without guilt as a declaration of grace.

Day 5: Backpacks of Shame

You replay failures, wear guilt like a weighted vest, and refuse forgiveness—as if your verdict trumps God’s. But Calvary’s cross reads “ACQUITTED” over every sin. Holding shame insults the Sacrifice. [01:19:18]

Jesus didn’t suffer so you’d grovel. He died so you’d dance. Unforgiveness toward yourself is pride disguised as piety—a refusal to let His blood be enough.

What sin do you still “pay for” through self-punishment? How would living forgiven shift your relationships?

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
(Romans 8:1, ESV)

Prayer: Verbally release one shame-memory to Jesus, saying, “Your blood covers this.”
Challenge: Tear up a paper listing past mistakes, then burn or bury the pieces.

Sermon Summary

Worship sets the tone as warfare, and the expectation of healing and breakthrough rises because Jesus carries the room. Jesus then names himself “my sacrifice,” and Hebrews 10:10 declares the ground under every other altar: made holy “once for all.” The text forces modern ears to face sacrifice and blood, which feel foreign, yet the heart still runs on sacrificial mindsets. A story about promotion exposes the reflex to live by “blood, sweat, and tears” rather than to learn grace, to receive what cannot be earned, and to carry calling without apology.

Genesis frames the need: before sin, no sacrifice; after sin, no way forward without it. Death enters on three fronts—spiritual separation, bodily decay, and the threat of eternal loss—so justice demands either payment or a substitute. God himself slaughters the first animal to cover shame, and Cain and Abel step into a world where blood has become the currency of atonement. Abel comes on God’s terms with shed blood; Cain comes with what he produced. Every false religion since Cain echoes that move: “Here’s what I made.”

Leviticus 17 answers “why blood”: life is in the blood. Blood is not magic; blood is evidence a life has been given. Passover’s doorposts preach it. Hebrews calls the old sacrifices a long visual aid. Every detail—spotless lamb, unbroken bones, scapegoat, high priest—points forward. John the Baptist nails the reveal: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Why Jesus? Only one substitute fits: fully human to pay a human debt, sinless to have anything to offer, of infinite worth to exhaust an infinite offense, and fully willing to lay his life down. He is no victim; he is a volunteer. The cross ends what the law could only shadow. “It is finished,” the veil tears top to bottom, and the sacrificial system is closed “once for all.” Any plan to restart temple sacrifices misses the point; Jesus is the temple’s fulfillment, not its reset.

Grace then goes for the roots. The “make up for it” hustle, skipping prayer until cleaned up, spiritual scorekeeping, transactional generosity, self-punishing penance, approval-driven ministry, image management, bargaining prayers, suffering-as-currency, and refusing to forgive oneself—these are just refurbished altars. The throne of grace calls the disciple to come boldly in time of need, to become a better receiver, and to live work as response, not payment. The cross settles worth. Joy returns where sacrifice-as-currency dies. “Dead to sin, alive to God” becomes the cadence of a people who keep the sacrificial systems closed and keep Jesus as the only sacrifice.

Key Takeaways

1. The cross ends sacrifice forever. The veil tears and the verdict stands: “once for all” means never again. Every voice demanding additional payment denies the finished work. The disciple responds with worship and obedience, but never with new atonements. [58:14]
2. Cain’s mindset still haunts discipleship. Abel comes on God’s terms; Cain brings what he made. Performance religion still smiles and says, “Look what I did.” Grace confesses, “Something had to die,” and clings to the Lamb God provides. [48:00]
3. Blood means life given for life. Leviticus says life is in the blood, so blood marks that a life has paid the wage sin exacts. Passover’s doorframes and Hebrews’ altar both point to the one true exchange: the life of the Son for the life of the world. [49:50]
4. Grace dismantles performance identities. Skipping prayer until feeling worthy, keeping spiritual ledgers, and serving to be seen only rebuild closed altars. The throne of grace invites bold approach precisely when need is greatest, and turns earning into receiving. [62:51]
5. Forgiveness invites releasing oneself too. God’s “paid in full” cannot coexist with a private “not yet.” Holding a higher standard than the cross is pride disguised as piety. Receiving God’s verdict frees a clean conscience and a durable joy. [79:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[30:36] - May 31 healing and faith
[33:00] - Worship shifts the region
[33:59] - Jesus is my sacrifice
[35:19] - Hebrews 10:10 and prayer
[37:55] - Blood, sweat, tears vs grace
[43:13] - Before sin vs after sin
[45:49] - Substitution and sacrificial system
[47:31] - Abel vs Cain’s religion
[48:35] - Why blood: life for life
[52:00] - Law as shadow, Jesus revealed
[53:53] - Why Jesus: human, sinless, divine, willing
[57:21] - Keep sacrificial systems closed
[59:00] - Temple rebuild warning
[60:45] - Exposing modern sacrificial mindsets

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Hebrews 10:10 (ESV)
"And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Observation Questions

According to Hebrews 10:10, how are believers made holy, and for how long does this apply?
The sermon describes blood as "evidence a life has been given" (Leviticus 17:11). What does this reveal about the purpose of blood in God’s design? [49:50]
What did Jesus mean when He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30), and how did this event change access to God? [58:14]
How did Cain’s offering differ from Abel’s, and why did God reject it (Genesis 4:3-5)? [47:31]

Interpretation Questions

Why does the sermon emphasize that Jesus’ sacrifice was “once for all” rather than a temporary solution like Old Testament sacrifices? [58:14]
The pastor argues that “every false religion since Cain echoes [bringing] what I made.” How does this contrast with the gospel’s emphasis on grace? [48:00]
Why is Jesus described as the only valid substitute for sin (human, sinless, divine, willing)? What would be missing if any of these traits were absent? [53:53]
The sermon warns against restarting temple sacrifices. Why would rebuilding altars undermine Jesus’ finished work? [59:00]

Application Questions

Where have you seen the “blood, sweat, and tears” mindset creep into your spiritual life (e.g., earning God’s favor through effort, guilt-driven service)? How can you shift to receiving grace instead? [37:55]
The sermon lists modern “refurbished altars” like spiritual scorekeeping or transactional generosity. Which of these do you most struggle with, and what practical step could dismantle it? [01:02:51]
How might refusing to forgive yourself (“God said paid in full, but you said not yet”) harm your ability to live in freedom? What truth from Hebrews 10:10 could combat this? [01:19:18]
The pastor said, “We don’t clean up to come [to God]; we come to get cleaned up.” How would your prayer life change if you embraced this truth during seasons of failure? [01:02:00]
What would it look like to approach work, relationships, or ministry as a response to grace rather than a way to “pay” for blessings? [01:14:16]
The sermon warns against viewing suffering as “currency” to earn relief. How can you reject this mindset when facing hardship? [01:18:06]
Identify one area where you’ve relied on “what I made” (skills, achievements) instead of surrendering to God’s terms. How can you practice dependence this week? [48:00]

Sermon Clips

Now it enacted what's called the sacrificial system of law and justice. Sin must be punished as God is a just God, he cannot overlook sin. He said what he said, now he has to carry through with it. Right? And the punishment is death. He already warned them. The only way to live and keep living is to pay the price or provide a substitution. Someone in your place, allowing another person, and God allowed then animals to die instead of the actual person who sinned. Psalm seven eleven, because God is a righteous judge, it says. Listen, only a corrupt judge allows sin to go unpunished, [00:45:29] (36 seconds)

You know how common this is for Christians, believers like you and me? Very very very common. It's the sacrificial system. It's not a God of grace. It's like trying to earn your way back in his presence. It's one of the most common mindsets. This is one of the clearest tells that you know somebody's being infected by the sacrificial system that Jesus came to do away. The the voice says, don't come to God until you clean yourself up. Would you would you would you finally, you know, get yourself together, man? That's exactly backwards. We don't clean up to come. We come to get cleaned up. [01:02:09] (32 seconds)

Or do we wanna live by the grace of God that is bought for us in Christ Jesus? So how do we respond? Well here's what we need to do, we need to keep the sacrificial systems closed. And if they're not closed, we need to close them, amen? Jesus did not start a sacrificial system, he ended the sacrificial system by becoming a sacrifice for us on that cross, paying a price that we could not pay. We cannot add to that accomplished work. We need to respond to it, but we can't add to it. That's different. [00:57:16] (32 seconds)

See that's sacrificial mindset isn't it? You can't pay Jesus back. And we're we're made to live from grace to glory, grace from glory to glory in the realms of grace, receiving from him, receiving from others, and being a blessing to others. And if you are giving to someone saying, wonder when they're gonna pay me back. No, you you don't. So why do we always feel guilty accepting a blessing? Even a promotion. This is a mirror of the heart's deeper inability to simply receive grace from God. If we're not good receivers, then we're also not good kingdom builders. [01:13:09] (42 seconds)

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Jesus is... My Sacrifice | Pastor Vern Martin | Grace Church PA