In Colton Neifert's sermon 'No More Sacrifice,' he discusses Chapter 30, Paragraph 2 of the LBCF, focusing on the concept of the Lord's Supper and the nature of Christ's sacrifice. Neifert emphasizes that Christ's sacrifice was a one-time event on the cross for the sins of the elect, countering the Catholic interpretation of the Mass as a repeated sacrifice. He asserts that the Mass, as understood by Catholics, is contrary to biblical teachings and injurious to the singular, sufficient sacrifice of Christ. The sermon references Hebrews 9:25-28, stating that Christ's sacrifice is not to be repeated, unlike the Old Testament practices where priests offered sacrifices yearly. Neifert further critiques the Catholic explanation of the Mass, suggesting it speaks to both sides of the argument by claiming it is not a real sacrifice, yet describing it as such. He encourages listeners to seek the truth through scripture, highlighting Christ's words 'It is finished' as an affirmation of the completed work of salvation. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a deeper understanding of biblical truths to recognize and reject what Neifert perceives as false teachings.

This week we're in the chapter 30 paragraph 2 of our confession which says, in this ordinance, talking about the Lord's Supper, in this ordinance Christ is not offered up to his father, nor any real sacrifice made at all for remission of sin of the quick or dead, but only a memorial of that one offering up of himself by himself upon the cross once for all, and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise unto God for the same, so that the Popish sacrifice of the mass as they call it is most abominable, injurious to Christ's own sacrifice, the alone propitiation for all the sins of the elect. Hebrews 9 25 to 26, nor yet that he should offer himself often as a high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews 9 28 so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

And 1st Corinthians 11 24, and when he had given thanks he break it and said take eat this is my body which is broken for you This do in remembrance of me. All right, so I'm going to warn you, I'm just going to be reading a lot of scripture here, because Romans nine pretty well answers this. I want to start with Hebrews 9 1 through 10 kind of gives the background for the way things used to be in the Old Testament. It says, then indeed even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary, for tabernacle was prepared the first part in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary, and behind the second veil the part of the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all, which had the golden censer and the Ark of the Covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the Covenant. And above it were the cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat.

Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle performing the service. But into the second part, the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience Concerned only with foods and drinks and various washings and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of Reformation.

So this paragraph in the chapter seems very directly pointed at Catholics saying the Popish sacrifice of the Mass, as they call it, is most abominable. The point of this paragraph is that Christ is not sacrificed over and over again when we celebrate the Lord's Supper. There's no real sacrifice. So I wanted to get to the bottom of this and I understand the Reformers didn't have internet so we got to give them a break on this but I went to catholic.com and when you look up the mass on catholic.com, the very first paragraph they have is trying to explain that it's not a real sacrifice. So right away they say it's not a real sacrifice.

So I don't know what these guys were thinking. But I decided to go a little deeper. And I went to, because Catholic.com is not the authority, I went to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, their website, they have a nine chapter book on how to administer the Mass. And it's very detailed, you know, who's performing what service and how they're supposed to be situated and what songs are saying and what prayers should be prayed. And so looking into that, in the opening talking about the Mass, It says, a priest also who possesses within the church the sacred power of orders to offer sacrifice in the person of Christ, associates the people with himself in the offering of sacrifice through Christ in the Holy Spirit to God the Father and gives his brothers and sisters the bread of eternal life and partakes of it with them.

And then in the prayer before the Mass it says, well you're supposed to pray I guess, the ablation by which this very memorial, the church in particular, the gathered here and now, offers the unblemished sacrificial victim in the Holy Spirit to the Father. So that to me sounds like a sacrifice. So I think they're speaking out of both sides of their mouth here because they're obviously pinned down by scripture, which makes it pretty clear. It also says, in the Eucharistic prayer, thanks is given to God for the whole work of salvation and the offerings become the body and blood of Christ. So I guess we get into that more in later paragraphs in this chapter.

But those are just some of the interesting things I pulled out of their book. And just to back this up a little further, obviously this paragraph is saying, the sacrifice isn't a, we don't continually sacrifice Christ over and over again. And the first thing that came to my mind was Christ's final words on the cross, it is finished, which in the original language, tetelestai, which many of you probably know is what was stamped on like a bank note once it's paid so he's not saying it's just beginning we've got years and years of sacrifice ahead so I'm gonna continue to read in Hebrews you know we started off with with what was the whole sacrificial system and now with Christ as a better high priest. Here's what it says. But Christ came as high priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is not of this creation, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood he entered the most holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

For the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies for the puring of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. And for this reason he is the mediator of the new covenant by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also be of necessity the death of the testator, for a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Therefore, not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water, scarlet, wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the Book itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.

Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and the vessels of ministry, and according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Not that he should offer himself often as the high priest enters the most holy place every year with blood of another. He then would have to suffer often since the foundation of the world but now once at the end of the ages he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself and as it is appointed for men once to die but after this the judgment So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.

To those who eagerly wait for him he will appear a second time apart from sin for salvation. For the law having a shadow of the good things to come and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshippers once purified would have no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year, for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

Therefore when he came into the world he said, sacrifice an offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. Then I said, Behold, I have come, in the volume of the book it is written of me, to do your will, O God. Previously saying, sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings and offerings for sin you did not desire nor had pleasure in them, which are offered according to the law. Then he said, behold, I have come to do your will, O God.

He takes away the first that he may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool." See, he sits at the right hand of God. "'For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us. For after he had said before, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws into their hearts and their minds, and in their minds I will write them. Then he adds, their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more. Now where there is remission of these There is no longer an offering for sin and I'm gonna read this next part just because it's great It doesn't necessarily pertain therefore brethren having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching.

In one last section I'm gonna read it's only two verses here so don't worry. It's Hebrews 6 talking about sacrificing Christ again and again it says, for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted of the good word of God and the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away To renew them again unto repentance seeing that they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame So there you have it. I guess a big takeaway is don't always take things that face value because it'd be easy to just look up Catholic.com and say oh well that's not what they believe. But dig deeper make sure you do your research and ultimately Make sure you know the truth so you can spot the counterfeit.