Hebrews Part 10
Notes
Transcript
Text
Text
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
Recap:
Recap:
Last week week we covered all of chapter 8, and 1/3rd of chapter 9.
In chapter 8 we saw Jeremiah 31 being used to prove that
God had always intended on giving us a New Covenant
One that is better than the Old Covenant
Remember that this doesn’t mean we rip the Old Testament from our Bibles
Because the NT authors preached from it
and we can too
Because the OT is a schoolmaster
We wouldn’t fully understand or appreciate the NT
if it wasn’t for the OT.
A covenant can’t be a BETTER covenant
if there is no other covenant to compare it to.
In Chapter 9, verses 1-10…
We saw a full description of two things
The Earthly Tent (aka temple, tabernacle)
Which is the Place of Worship under the OT
The Earthly Worship
How the Priest performed worship in the OT place of worship
So, basically we see the place of worship and practice of worship
As it was under the OT
And we also see that those things were not eternal
They were shadows and patterns of the real and eternal place and practice of worship
In other words, the OT was a model for the NT
That why we call it a pattern or shadow
Now, after those descriptions of the old pattern
We come to verses 11 and 12, which I just read.
and I’ll read them again.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
So, the place of worship was the tent or tabernacle in the OT
And the author of Hebrews says,
Christ is the greater and more perfect tent.
Remember, the word “tent” here means a dwelling place
it is the house of God
The place where God lives
and Christ is called the “perfect tent”
Why?
Because the old tent was setup with human hands
The Levites were divided up into 3 groups
each of them had specific tasks
and they had to follow procedures in setting up
breaking down, and moving the tent from site to site
God was in the Tent
but the Tent was made with human hands
Jesus, on the other hand was a dwelling place for God also
According to John 1.14
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
That word verb “dwelt” is the same root word as noun “tent”.
It is the verb form of the exact same word.
Now, in the preaching of Stephen before he was stoned to death in Acts chap 7
He talked about this very same subject.
About how God was looking for a dwelling place that was not made by human hands
We won’t read it, for the sake of time
but if you’re taking notes, Acts chapter 7.1-53 is that sermon,
and it is tied directly to this same subject
About how God the Father needed a tent
or dwelling place
that was worthy of his glory
and that tent is Christ Jesus
The Jews stoned Stephen for saying this
because that idea means that Jesus is God manifested in the flesh
Ok, so back to our text…
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
So, Christ appeared as high priest,
And he is the greater and more perfect tent
or house of God
or Place of Worship
And then verse 12 continues with the practice of worship..
Remember, Paul has just talked about the OT place of worship
and the OT practices of worship
and now he is contrasting that with the better Tent
which is Jesus
and Better Worship
Which, as verse 12 says…
Is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross
12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
In the OT, the Priest entered the holy place daily
And they entered the Most Holy Place yearly
and they sacrificed for themselves first
and then for the people next
and they did this over, and over, and over.
But Jesus, a better tent, and a better sacrfice
Died ONCE and FOR ALL.
and secured and eternal redemption
instead of a temporary one.
Amen, that’s the Gospel right there
the Good News
Jesus paid it all
Now, verse 13 and 14
Paul is about to argue why the sacrifice of Jesus
is greater than the OT sacrifices.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
The Levite Priest offered the blood of bulls and goats for HIMSELF
Christ offered his own blood and HIMSELF
Notice in verse 13 that the OT blood and ashes purified the flesh
But the NT blood purifies our conscience
The flesh is temporary
but the soul is eternal
and Jesus didn’t just purify our flesh
he set our souls free from sin
and paid the price that the OT required
on our behalf,
which is what verse 15 says.
15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
So, Jesus is a mediator
Which means he stands in the gap
Between us and God
And in that role as mediator
He establishes a new covenant
And this new covenant gives us eternal inheritance
Because it doesn’t just purify our flesh
it purifies our conscience
And to establish the new covenant
Jesus used his own blood
and that blood does two things.
It pays off the debt owed to the Old Cov
And two, it purchases the New Cov
And we are about see that explained in more detail
The author takes his time in talking about the specifics
and technical reasons why Jesus’ blood and death
was able to free us from the OT
and purchase the NT
16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.
So, we are using 3 words that means the same thing
They are all related and talking about the same thing.
The 3 words are Will, Testament, and Covenant.
A will, in a legal sense, is the same thing as a Testament.
And so, when we talk about the NT or the OT
We are talking about a will.
When we write a will,
We are outlining the things that will be left to those who are heirs
An Heir is the one who inherits whatever we leave behind
according to our will or testament
The New Testament, or will,
Is that when Jesus dies for us
We will inherit eternal life through the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now, the word “Covenant” is the same Greek word as “will”.
The translators are only really differentiating between “will” and “covenant”
based on if it is specific or general.
Meaning, if it is specifically talking about the NT or OT,
they use “covenant”, and the KJV would use the word “testament”.
But when it is just talking about a will in general, they use the word “will”.
But underneath, it is the same word in Greek.
So, everywhere you read “covenant” or “will”,
You could read that as either Testament, Covenant, or Will
but it is the same Greek word.
And it is talking about the legal document that a person writes
which establishes who will be the heirs
and what they will inherit
The NT, or New Covenant, New Will
Says, that when Jesus dies
Anyone who is filled with His Spirit
will be adopted as his children
and will inherit eternal life
That is the will that we are talking about in this chapter.
The OT, or Old Covenant, or Old Will
Says that God would give them land, protection, blessing, and be his people
based on the condition of obedience to the law
and the heirs are children of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.
The issue is that:
First of all, God cannot Die, so how does the will become active?
and secondly, The people could not be obedient to the Law, so who will be the heirs?
So, the Point being made in the rest of this chapter
and into chapter 10
Is that The old Covenant was not really even possible
Until Jesus Died
When Jesus, who is God in the flesh, dies
He did two things that we already mentioned in this chapter.
Activated the Will with his blood
Paid the price of obedience required by the OC or OT
So, Jesus didn’t do away with the Law
He fulfilled it’s requirements.
And in doing so, he didn’t leave us without a covenant
He simultaneously enacted a NC
One that doesn’t require us to be perfect, but him to be perfect
and one that doesn’t require us to be sons of Abraham, but sons of God through the Spirit.
So, why would you go back under the OC?
It doesn’t even exist after the death of Jesus
and even if it did, it was never meant to eternal
it was meant to show us how much we needed a savior.
I’m getting way ahead of myself,
but that is an overview of what all is about to be spoken about
in greater detail in this chapter and the next chapter.
let me get back to verse 16…
16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.
So, if you write a will, do your kids just get to come take all your stuff the next day?
No, they have to wait for you to die
A will is just a piece of paper until the one who makes it dies.
17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.
While Jesus was alive, the NC was not in effect.
This is exactly why the theif on the cross didn’t need to obey Acts 2.38
I know there are videos swirling around
about how the their didn’t go to church
didn’t read his bible
didn’t get baptized
didn’t talk in tongues
but he was still saved
He was not saved under the NC
He was saved under the OC
If Jesus was able to say “this day you will be with me in paradise”
Then Jesus wasn’t dead yet
as dead men can’t usually talk
Therefore, the NC was not in effect.
and the thief only needed a blood sacrifice from a high priest
and Jesus was both the priest and the sacrifice for the theif.
In fact, Jesus was the real sacrifice for everyone under the OC.
As, we will see shortly, the blood of bulls and goats didn’t really atone for sin
It just delayed the penalty one year at a time.
18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.
It takes blood to inaugurate, or establish a will.
And for the OC, that blood was from temporary sacrifices
from calves and goats
as we will read in vs 19…
19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.”
This quotation in verse 20 is from Ex 24.8
When Moses initiated the first covenant by blood
21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
So, everything in the OC, under the Law of Moses
Was purified with blood
Without blood shedding, there is no forgiveness of sins
This is because the payment and penalty for sin is death
That was a law set in motion back in the Garden of Eden
If you eat of that fruit, you will surely die
Those words set in motion the penalty and payment for sin.
But remember, the OC was just a copy of the real thing
A pattern, a type, a shadow of the real thing.
So, the blood they used was not really sufficient
23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
So, sprinkling the blood of bulls and goats was needed
for that time, and for that covenant
because that is all they had
they didn’t have the real tent
they had a copy of it
a pattern of it
But, he says, the heavenly things themselves needed something better
Something real
Something eternal
That something is Christ…
24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
So, Christ, the perfect sacrifice, entered into the heaven, the real home of God
and stood as a mediator between God and men.
the mediator of a new covenant
Praise God.
25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own,
He didn’t need to keep dying over and over again
Like the OC sacrifices…
26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
If Jesus had to die repeatedly,
for every man’s sin
He would have had to die for Eve
and then die again for Adam
and then for Cain
and then for everyone over and over and over again
But his death was sufficient to put away sin itself
Not just one man’s sin
but sin it self.
by sacrificing himself once
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
We all will die
We all have an appointment that we cannot miss
and we cannot be late for it
and we cannot be early for it
we have an appointment with death.
The only way to miss that appointment is to be living when Jesus returns
And that would be the best generation IMO
the only generation to never die.
To never taste death.
Right after a man or woman dies
They have another appointment
One they cannot miss
and cannot be late for
The Judgment
We all have that court date that we must appear for
And it comes right after we die
These things are so certain,
As they say, the only things certain in life are death and taxes.
Well, it is actually death and judgment
You can evade taxes
but you can’t evade death and judgment
So, death and judgment are so certain
and Paul says, just as those things are certain
there is something else that is also certain
Jesus is coming back…
28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
When he comes back
He isn’t coming back to die again
or make another sacrifice
Sin is already dealt with
So, when he comes back
it is to save us who are waiting for him to come back
The ones waiting for him to come back
are the ones that are not afraid of death and judgement
John said it this way, there’s no fear in perfect love
Those who know Jesus is coming back to save them
are not afraid of that return
but there are many who will be afraid
many who will mourn when they see him come back
many who will wish they had spent their lives getting to know Jesus
and putting their trust in him and in his sacrifice for our sins.
I thank God for the blood
I thank God for the Cross
I thank God that he came in the form of a servant
and died the death that I deserved
so that I could live the life that he deserved
Amazing Grace…
Closing
Closing
Amen, we will stop here tonight
Next week, we will pick up in chapter 10.
The subject is very similar
The writer is going to go into further details
about how Jesus is a better sacrifice for our sins
and how his new covenant is better
and then he will begin to segue into faith
and what faith really is
and why faith is what really saves us
