Hebrews Study: Old and New

Hebrews 9:1-28

We have someone who is greater than the prophets. He is the authority; He is the Word of God Who has come down from heaven, and Who has revealed the image of the invisible God.

He is greater that the angels. He is greater than Moses. The Lord is our Sabbath, and in Him we find rest for our souls.

This Person is the Christ and He is the Son of God and He is our High Priest. His priesthood is ordained by God and He is superior over the Aaronic priesthood.

Jesus comes as the Priest-King, according to the order of Melchizedek, and His work on the cross in final and it is superior to that work of the Levitical priests.

Jesus has once and for all gone behind the veil to offer up His life as the final sacrifice for sins, and He has taken the sins and the curse of the world upon Himself to redeem us through His blood/life.

He is now at the right hand of the Father in heaven and He is interceding for His people.

Through Christ, we have a New Covenant. Through Christ, we have a better Covenant.

8:8-11 - God was telling His people throughout the Old Testament that He was going to make another Covenant with His people.

Isaiah 42:6; 49:8; 54;55;59;61 - Hints at it: “I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations… my covenant of peace shall not be removed; I will make you an everlasting covenant; nations shall run to you; Jesus is mentioned, setting the captives free… of all the nations.

Ezekiel 37:26 - God will make an everlasting covenant of peace… and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forever.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 - God says, “Behold the days are coming when I will make a new covenant… Not according to the first one… With this one, I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they will be My people… They will all know Me… I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more.”

God tells His people this is coming and in the fullness of time...

8:13 - He has made the first one obsolete.

What did Jesus say in Matthew 9:16-17 - You can’t mix cloths on an old garment… the tear will get worse… it will not work. You cannot put new wine into old wineskins… that will not work.

Isaiah 43:19 - God says that He will do a new thing, and it will be waters in the wilderness...

And now, through Christ and the New Covenant, Jesus says that he who believes in Me… out of His heart/belly will flow rivers of living water...

The Holy Spirit will be given to them, and He will teach them the things of God… they will be born from above and blessed will divine riches that come from God alone.

Chapter 9:1-5 - We have seen the Old Covenant Sanctuary and all the elements therein…

Verses 6-10 - We have seen the Old Covenant’s sacrifices and the priests always performing the services.

We have seen the priest go behind the veil, alone, once a year to offer sacrifice for sins...

No one else could into the second part. No one else could go into the Holy of Holies… into the Presence of God.

It was all but a shadow of the things to come. Colossians 2:16-17 - Continues this on speaking of the feasts and festivals, new moon feasts, and Sabbaths… All are shadows of the reality, the substance is of Christ.

I have seen shadows in pictures before without making who the person was, what kind of tree or building it was… but you see the image, the shadow, without the substance...

The Holy Spirit was and is indicating that no one could have access to God as it was… as it was at that time. The substance was not made known.

All of this, the signs and symbols, was temporary. All of this was pointing forward to a reality not seen yet, showing and reminding the people of Who God is, who they are, and their great need.

It kept them looking forward in faith, until the fullness of time.

Until when?

Verse 11 - Until Christ would come as our Passover Lamb and High Priest, take away the veil, to take away the separation that existed between God and man… and to reconcile us to God.

Verse 12 - 13 - The blood of bulls and goats could not do this. It could not change hearts, redeem and reconcile mankind to God. This blood never washed the sinner… It covered the sinner through faith… but it could never change the inner person.

It was all temporary… but Jesus’ work will be for all eternity.

**Now don’t miss the picture changing here. We have gone from the Old Testament sanctuary to the New Covenant Sanctuary.

We are no longer dealing with Creation, a sanctuary built by hands of men… We are dealing with God/Creator.

The Creation points us to the Creator. The created sanctuary points us to the Creator who has come to us.

The sanctuary and all within was pointing us to Him.

The blood of animals have limitations and it is temporary… But Verse 14… The Blood of Christ… the Eternal Spirit… How long will it last? How long will He last? How much more shall you be clean, purged, and washed?

Forever… Forever, ever...

With the Creator… There can be and will be a New Creation… A new life, a new heavens and a new earth...

Not by the hands of creation, but by the hands of the Creator.

Verse 15-18 - When will this be put into effect? When the owner of the will dies.

A person makes a will, establishes the inheritance and promises… and it is the last will and testament. For the will to take effect… Christ, the Owner, has to die.

He died to make the will effective… And then… He comes back from the dead to Mediate the will Personally... to the Family of God.

He becomes the Family Counselor/Lawyer.

Now all of God’s people can receive the will, the New Covenant, and all eternal inheritances.

The first covenant was sealed with blood, but this New Covenant was sealed by the Blood of Christ, by the Life of God Himself...

And this blood was powerful enough to cleanse not only the sins of the world… but the heavenly places, according to Verse 23.

Christ work has had a cosmic effect.

Now: Here comes the Trillion dollar question?

How can I be clean? How can I be holy? How can we be in the presence of God forever? Verse 22 - It takes the shedding of His blood.

Not just a drop… But His whole life.

Christ could not have cut His hand or His foot… and let the blood drip onto the ground… It took His whole life.

In order to have life… You need a life. In order to have a saved life, a holy life, a forgiven life… You need a life given to you and for you.

And we have One. We have His Life!

And where has He gone? Verse 24-26.

Jesus has gone into heaven, the real heaven, and has appeared in the presence of God the Father, for us...

What a picture of Jesus, the King, taking a hold of those doors in heaven… as He approaches those gates on clouds of glory, and those nail scared hands touch those ancient doors...

Psalm 24:7 - Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates and lift them up you ancient doors! And the King of glory shall come in.

Christ now represents us there.

He has done it all. He has finished the work… By Himself. He does not need to repeat it, and He will not repeat it. You can receive it or reject it...

But there is nothing else and nowhere else for you to go. There is nothing else for you to do. Christ has done it all.

Verse 27 - It is appointed for men to die once and then after this… the judgement...

This is true for all of mankind. We will live and we will all die, and then all will have to face the judgement of God.

You will be judged by what you have done with Jesus, and by what you have done in this life. There will be heaven or hell. There will be rewards...

But… let us be clear: there will not be second chances.

But also, the author connects this to Jesus… For as we all must die for our sins and be judged… Jesus died to bear your sins and judgement...

Two things here:

People waited outside to see if the priest would come out of the Holy of Holies on the day of Atonement. If God refused the priest or the sacrifice… The priest would die and stay dead...

It looked like Jesus died forever during those three days. It looked like His sacrifice and work was not accepted for three days… and the disciples waited in sorrow, because their priest was dead...

Until the third day… Then the High Priest came out. God the Father received and accepted the work of His High Priest… and it will be forever accepted in heaven.

And to those who eagerly wait for Him to appear a second time… He will appear for your salvation.

And we will be in the Presence of the Lord forever!

The Old has gone… The New has come!

But some will say, “The old is better. The old wine is better. The old ways are better...”

And they will miss Christ forever.

Close.