Son with better promises
Jesus is Too Good (Hebrews) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Chasing shadows..
Chasing shadows..
Cute when cats do it.
Though if you’d been really wanting to speak to Bp Greg when he comes next week, it’d be not cute and very weird to go to his shadow and try to engage with that instead of the real Greg.
I think the church is in danger of making people chase shadows and missing out on real rescue from God.
The Old Testament holy place and ceremonies were shadows, copies, signposts - sketching an outline - but not the reality.
From Hebrews so far: Jesus has come. Has entered the genuine throne room of God, had done all that is needed to rescue his people and bring them close access to God.
The danger the church has in every age is of undermining Jesus’ work and creating more shadows to chase instead of the real thing - and sometimes even blocking off the real thing.
[the early church manual - didache - get baptised in cold water - because it is a tough thing - so should have some suffering in it]
you need a special building, or by calling parts of the church ‘holy’/’sanctuary’/’tabernacle’,
[stained glass and spires are beautiful - and beautifully unecessary -
[the new testament is woefully inadequate as a manual for church ceremony -
more shadow creation:
or you need a spiritual experience to be close to God - the right mood, lighting,
or a frame of mind where you’ve worked up the emotional sorry for your sins
A show section - the tell comes next week with Bp Greg (let us draw near, let us hold, let us spur on)
This is an advent text:
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
He’s coming. To bring rescue.
We’re not waiting for the ‘Christ child to be formed in our hearts’ - that’s wierd mystical nonsense - we’re waiting for Jesus to return and bring rescue.
When he comes, imagine how terrible it would be if we were chasing his shadow then too. And missed out.
How the passage works:
high priest of a NEW covenant - then looks back in the prophets to see God had always meant to make a new deal.
Then thinking about the old deal and all the restrictions in it.
Then showing Jesus not wandering in the old temple, but by his death making actual access to God possible.
I love a good deal - I read unit prices though -
// just saying new or better doesn’t make it so...
// some of us make deals with God - ‘forgive me and leave me alone’, ‘give me x and I’ll serve you’ ...
// those aren’t good deals.
Better deal
Better deal
But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
Covenant. Not a contract - of no trust. A covenant -
// also note that it is God’s plan then for the old deal to be finished with. Not hanging around.
[Better -> deal, promises, holy place, sacrifice, future]
// The old covenant was a real deal God had with his people - but it managed the fall out of sin, rather than dealing with sin - it taught the people about sin and about God - but it didn’t take sin away from the people.
// God was genuinely committed to them. But their sin ultimately ended up in them getting kicked out of his land.
Better promises
Better promises
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Real knowing of God in the mind and heart.
Final forgiveness of wickedness.
Sin is serious.
That makes the promise here even better:
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Let this sink in.
Not forgotten - but not remember.
// racial split morning tea - holy space?
// Where do I need to be to be with God?
Better Holy Place
Better Holy Place
We’re given a description of the tabernacle/then temple in ch 9.
Regulated. Restricted. Sacrifice required.
The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning.
All of this was an object lesson.
Because of your sin you can’t come in.
But it was only a shadow, a copy, an illustration.
This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.
An illustration.
They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
Until the time. Temporary.
But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation.
Jesus has entered God’s presence. Remember - he’s sitting down at the right hand of God.
[The coming of Jesus is intended by God to replace everything that came before - Christianity is not intended by God to sit parallel with Judaism but it is the graduation.]
Show the aumbry. [Golden lock box, special key, curtain, put unused bits of communion away cos ‘God’s presence’] - we must not create new holy places, holy ceremonies as if Jesus hasn’t already entered back to God’s presence after the resurrection.
This is like making a new shadow and missing the reality.
[Telling wedding photographers to stay out of the ‘sanctuary’]
This building is not a sanctuary (nor is the raised platform here).
The table behind me is not an altar.
Remember - we’re not going back to the shadows of Old Testament.
In fact, you can scan the pages of the New Testament in looking for rules about church and church buildings. You will discover it is remarkably minimalist.
And while we’re on the subject of an altar. Having communion is not a sacrifice.
// feeling bad about sin - what do you do?
// a Christian version of moping around, feeling sorry for yourself that maybe God will believe you.
Better Sacrifice
Better Sacrifice
In the Old Testament blood was the sign of ceremonial cleansing for sin. Death. Sin leads to death.
Animals died to remind them that actually God had every right to take their life.
It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
But the animal sacrifices were shadows.
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
So in some ways we can understand the impulse to want to feel sorry. To be sober about sin.
But this table behind me is not an altar.
Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Once. For all.
When we have communion - which isn’t compulsory, by the way, if you want to be rescued put your trust in Jesus - not in a piece of bread and a sip of grape juice.
When we have communion we’re remembering the sacrifice of Jesus which happened once for all.
We are not making that sacrifice happen again, or offering it again.
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
When you feel bad about sin - look here. Once for all. To do away with sin. By the sacrifice of himself. Done.
And then ask, where is Jesus now? Is he alive from the dead? Sitting down at God’s right hand.
Have you come to God knowing you are in need of forgiveness for your wickedness? - then you have it.
God has dealt with your guilt and sin in the sacrifice Jesus made of himself - more on this next week. Don’t sit around moping, or working up enough emotional sadness - agree with God that your sin is wicked, turn away from it, take God’s forgiveness based on Jesus’ sacrifice. And move on.
// what will your future bring?
// [apparently 2051… ]
Better Future
Better Future
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
If Jesus returns soon, death will not be a certainty. If he waits, you will surely die. And judgment will come after that.
What we’ve been speaking about is very serious -
chasing shadows instead of getting to meet God,
blocking the way to God with creating new shadows, rules, undermining the work of Jesus or missing out on it entirely
this is a binary option -
Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,
This is either true or untrue for you - you either have Jesus as your high priest or you don’t.
That means you either face judgment on your own, or you skip judgment:
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
What’s in your future?
Judgment or rescue?
Let’s be those who are looking forward to Jesus’ return.