Signed, Sealed Delivered...in Blood
Notes
Transcript
introduction
Mankind has fallen into a crevice that we can’t get out of because of sin. This sin has separated us from God. We have contrived all sorts of ways to try and work ourselves back to him.
These were through man-made religions, personal piety and moral philosophies, but none of these things work.
Others have tried to ignore the situation they are in by claiming that things aren’t as bad as people say and that we are on the upward track through progressive ideologies. All this sin, fallenness and death are just fantasy.
But the fact remains, whether you believe it or not, we live in a fallen world that is occupied by very broken people and we can’t fix it.
We know that there is something better than this. It doesn’t matter who you are. When you are alone and take stock of what’s going on in the world, not just your world, this can’t be the best it’s going to get. There is something missing or lost.
This is what mankind was struggling with when the Law appeared. This law was signed, sealed and delivered by Moses and confirmed through a long line of prophets.
What this law does is not save us, but reveal how far into the crevice we have gotten. The law creates in us a sense of helplessness and desperate need for something to get us out of this situation.
In chapter 9 of Hebrews, we are told what’s needed to get us out of this pit-the blood of Christ. When he showed up, the way out was revealed. He did what the law could never, and was never intended to do.
He brought us eternal salvation. He came down into the crevice with us, not to condemn us but to pull us out.
Im thinking of people who go cave diving. Picture them going in further and further and then getting trapped. The only people who can save them are those who have experience in cave diving.
They’ve gone down and done the things these people have done, but without the mistakes that left them there. The rescuers are the saviors in that sense.
His perfect life and sinless death became our once and for all sacrifice. By doing this, he brought a new covenant between God and humanity.
By doing this, all the rituals and religion and made made things I spoke about before was thrown out the window.
This new covenant, which is mediated by Jesus, was also signed, sealed and delivered...in blood. The spotless blood of the lamb of God which is able to take away the sin of the world
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
In the remainder of chapter 9, our focus will be on the theme of the blood and how it contrasts with the old covenant practices.
He goes from the important functions of the old sacrifices and then the vital role of Christ’s sacrifice as a fulfillment of the old covenant.
Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. Where a will exists, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will is valid only when people die, since it is never in effect while the one who made it is living. That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood. For when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you. In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood. According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
The author is introducing a strong contrast between the old covenant and the new. Blood has always played a crucial role in sacrifice in both covenants.
In the new, though, the sacrifice of goats and bulls fails inn comparison to the blood of Christ who offered Himself without blemish to God in order to cleanse our consciences from dead works.
What are the dead works?
All the things that characterize our attempts to bridge the gap between us and God. These are the things that could never bring us into right relationship with God.
Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Here we see that Christ is the mediator of a new covenant. His death served as the payment that the law couldn’t make.
By accepting this payment and partaking of the new covenant, we inherit eternal life.
Where a will exists, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will is valid only when people die, since it is never in effect while the one who made it is living.
The author then creates an argument for both definitions of the word covenant. The word diatheke (dia-theekee) means both an agreement with God in a biblical sense, but it also used to describe a will when someone dies. Both of these are based on the future conduct of one or both parties.
When looking at a biblical covenant, what are the terms and arrangements?
What about a last will and testament?
With a will, the person who executed the will has to die in order for it to be in effect. As long as that person is still alive, the heirs won’t get an inheritance.
With Christ being the executor of the new covenant, his death would usher in the inheritance to mankind, if they accept it.
The new covenant not only dealt with the forgiveness of sin but brought salvation. With this in mind, the death of Christ put the covenant into effect.
That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood. For when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.
So the application of blood is also in the old covenant, but in an inferior way. This blood was not the blood of the God-man, who was the creator of all things. It was calves and goats that was used.
Their blood was sprinkled on the copy of the covenant and on the people as a sign of their obligation to keep the covenant, under penalty of death.
Not only were the people sprinkled with the blood but also the tools of worship.
In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood.
Now, there is no biblical record of Moses doing this but tradition says it was so. The first century historian Josephus talks about it:
“And when Moses had sprinkled Aaron’s vestments, himself, and his sons, with the blood of the beasts that were killed, and had purified them with spring waters and ointment, they became God’s priests.… The same he did to the tabernacle, and the vessels thereto belonging, both with oil first incensed, as I said, and with the blood of bulls and of rams.”
The author of Hebrews may have had the same tradition in mind. OR maybe “sprinkle” was used in a less direct sense, like during the sacrifices, blood would land on these tools inevitably.
Writing this, I think about the Passion of the Christ movie.
Find the clip of Christ being beaten and blood getting on the romans.
The Romans who are scourging Christ are getting blood on them, both when he was beaten and again when his side was pierced. They were the tools that were used for the sacrifice as well.
Either way, a reader of the OT would agree with this conclusion:
According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Blood was essential for ritual cleansing and for setting something apart for worship. The principle of blood for atonement is found in Leviticus.
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.
Two points that are made in Hebrews 9:22:
According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Sin is shown to be a terrible offense.
It’s not just an accident, indiscretion or lapse in judgment. Sin is a heinous transgression against a holy God.
Atonement for sin is costly.
God doesn’t wink at sin. It’s not a joke to him and thinking that he doesn’t take it seriously undermines his perfect, holy character.
When we sin, he doesn’t shake his head and say “people will be people”. Because it is so offensive to him, the atonement for sin is costly.
What would be the costliest thing to give?
Life. As we saw in Leviticus, an animal’s life is in the blood. Therefore, it is necessary that without shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us. He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these.
Surely, the old covenantal system of never ending blood sacrifices couldn’t be the good news God’s people were waiting for.
The value here though, was the more perfect and permanent thing that was coming in the future.
Like I said before, we all deep down inside know that there is something better coming. This world with all it’s problems can’t be the best it’s going to get.
The author points to 3 contrasts:
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us. He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Christ didn’t enter a holy place made by the hands of man but rather heaven itself. This shows that the earthly tabernacle was a copy of the real one located in heaven.
If you could picture a fort made out of couch cushions. Obviously, it’s not the real thing, but it serves the purpose for the time, place and kids using it.
Second, Christ didn’t offer up sacrifices repeatedly like the high priests did. He was the once and for all sacrifice.
It was so powerful, it forgave past, present and future sins. Because his death extends to every point of human existence, he only had to suffer once and not often since the foundation of the world.
Third, his death was profoundly different from the sacrifices of the old covenant. Again, these had to be made over and over again. The old system covered every sin, Christ’s system removed sin all together.
In the Greek removed, or put away is athetesis (au-the-tisis), which was a legal term for nullification. Another word used here is hapax (au-pox) which means “once”.
This is used in verses 26 and 28 when it is applied to Christ’s atoning work. It emphasizes that he is not sacrificed over and over again.
so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Hebrews ends with a warning to those who shrug at Christ’s superiority and its implications for the finality of the new covenant.
It is appointed for people to die once. After this, there is no second chance; after this is judgment.
And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—
This warning is for those who put off making a decision for Christ as savior and indulge in the pleasures of this world. But there is a word of encouragement and hope as well.
so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
He will appear a second time for salvation.
Paul stresses this as well in
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
end (length)
A modern philosophy today is YOLO. Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. This would be a mental and emotional pleasure.
We see this in psychological approaches to life that tries to secure serenity through human means.
But the philosophy of Hebrews is the opposite. Whether our belief system is driven by physical indulgence, intellectual progress or psychological health, Hebrews make us face the very real warning: Stop, think and be wary, for tomorrow we die!
The Bible looks at life and the afterlife from a different angle. As Solomon discovered, life is more than food, drink and the earthly pleasures.
There is more to death than the grave. Beyond all these things is the interaction between us and our maker and judge.
The real root to our problems aren’t the physical or psychological, but spiritual!
The problem is sin and it is not solved by all the economic prosperity, physical pleasure, intellectual progress or inner peace you can obtain. It can only be solved by forgiveness.
The truth about all of this is simple:
Tomorrow’s judgment is escapable because today’s sin is forgivable.
You can’t escape the reality of death, but, we can escape the eternal judgment that comes as the penalty for our sin when we reject Christ.
For those who have never handed over the weight of sin to the Savior must face judgment alone.
Those of us who have done this can rejoice and have a reason to. When Christ comes again, he will not bring judgment but salvation to those who put their trust in him.
When we embrace the truth that tomorrows’ judgment is escapable because today’s sin is forgivable, we will be motivated to conform our lives to His holy character. When we do this, we will find joy, peace and hope for the future and our present world.