Insufficient Sacrifices

With these things prepared like this, the priests enter the first room repeatedly, performing their ministry. But the high priest alone enters the second room, and he does that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was making it clear that the way into the most holy place had not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle was still standing. This is a symbol for the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper’s conscience. They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings imposed until the time of the new order.

This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

Last week, we looked at the various parts of the Old Testament tabernacle and how God had set up regulations on how he was to be worshiped. These regulations were meant to protect the people of Israel from following after the gods of the other people groups around them. These regulations also pointed to how Christ, the Messiah, would eventually come to wipe away the sins of the people. If the people distorted the way worship was to be done, it would distort the message that the worship was meant to communicate.

Today, we are going to look at how those practices pointed to Christ, but they could not provide for us what Christ’s sacrifice could. The Mosaic sacrificial system could not take away the guilt of sin or give us new hearts with the desire to serve God, but it could point to the One who could.

Big Idea: The Old Covenant could not change the worshiper.

Hebrews 9:6

With these things prepared like this, the priests enter the first room repeatedly, performing their ministry.

Having just described the inner rooms and objects within the tabernacle, the author now starts in on the ministry done by the priests in the tabernacle. The majority of the ministry within the physical tabernacle was done in the first room. This room, where the lamp stand and table of bread were located, had priests coming in and out of it repeatedly.

There were three artifacts within the first room of the tabernacle. First was the lampstand, which represented the Holy Spirit’s presence and gave light to the first room as the priests performed their duties. The priests would daily trim the wicks of the lampstand and make sure it was supplied with oil daily so it would not burn out.

The second artifact was the table with the bread. Last week, I mentioned that the bread could be seen as the Word of God. During Jesus’ temptation by Satan in the desert, Jesus tells the devil that he doesn’t need to make bread for himself because “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus was not making a new, profound statement, but was quoting the Old Testament.

In Deuteronomy, Moses is restating the Law to the people of Israel before he dies. In this 8:2-3, he is telling the people to remember the Lord and how he saved the Israelites.

Deuteronomy 8:3

He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your ancestors had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

The bread of the presence was a symbol of our dependence on God. This bread was replaced every Sabbath day. When it was replaced, the old loaves could then be eaten by Aaron and his sons.

The third artifact in this first room was the altar of incense. And though it was a main part of the High Priest’s work within the Holy of Holies, priests would burn incense on this altar twice a day. The burning of fragrant spices symbolized the prayers of the people rising to God. Sacrifices throughout the Old Testament were described as a “fragrant offering” to the Lord.

These were perpetual, ongoing tasks, just like the nature of the sacrifices being offered during this time. Burnt sacrifices were offered every morning and evening on the bronze altar as well. If the people brought animals as sacrifices for various types of sins they had committed, the priests would also conduct the ceremony of slaughtering the animals and doing with the bodies as God had commanded. And all this for an entire nation of people.

The book of Numbers gives us 600,000 fighting-age men. Due to the additions of women and children, the total population of Israel is estimated to be around 2-2.5 million people. Many modern scholars are very critical of that number, saying it would be better to estimate that there were only 40-100,000 people total. Even if these lower numbers were correct, that is still a lot of butchering for those priests.

This is why priests only served within the tabernacle from the age of 30 to the age of 50. They had to have the physical strength to slaughter animals, from doves to oxen, on a regular basis.

If Christ had not come, we would likely still be doing these sacrifices today.

Hebrews 9:7

But the high priest alone enters the second room, and he does that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.

Only the high priest could ever enter into the most holy place, and that was once a year on the Day of Atonement. Not only that, he had to go through a specific cleansing ritual to prepare to go into the holy of holies. He was not to enter this most holy place without blood. This blood sacrifice was for his own sins as well as for the sins of the people.

We have seen the author of Hebrews reference how blood was important to the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. This 9th chapter of Hebrews is going to mention it and emphasize it over and over again.

In Hebrews 9:22 the author will get to the center of it all when he says:

Hebrews 9:22

According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Though we see the regulation of animal sacrifices in the Mosaic Law, that is not where they started. There was a blood sacrifice for the very first sin committed by humanity on earth.

Genesis 3:21

The Lord God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and he clothed them.

Adam and Eve were given clothes of animal skins to cover their nakedness before they were sent out of the garden. The only way to get those skins was to kill the animal from which they came. Blood had to be spilt.

However, just a little bit of blood was not enough to cover sins. Jesus could not get a paper cut, for that “shedding of blood” to be enough to cover sin. The shedding of blood meant something died, its lifeblood was taken from that creature, because death is required as a punishment for sin.

Our text today says that these sacrifices in the Mosaic Law were specifically for the sins they committed in ignorance. Sins in ignorance were not just things that you did not realize you were doing. These were also things you did through falling to temptation, letting your anger get the best of you, things like that, but you felt guilty and wanted reconciliation with God. These sins were different than the ones committed in active rebellion against God.

Numbers 15:27-29

If one person sins unintentionally, he is to present a year-old female goat as a sin offering. The priest will then make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the person who acts in error sinning unintentionally, and when he makes atonement for him, he will be forgiven. You are to have the same law for the person who acts in error, whether he is an Israelite or an alien who resides among you.

The text goes on to say that anyone who sinned in active rebellion against God was to be cut off from the people of Israel. This law was not just for the Israelites. This law remained in effect for people of other nations and tribes who lived among the Israelites.

Hebrews 9:8

The Holy Spirit was making it clear that the way into the most holy place had not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle was still standing.

The author states that the intentions of the Holy Spirit, in giving instructions about the sacrifices, were to show that the way into the most holy place was not regularly accessible to man, at least not while the first Tabernacle was standing. Some believe this is referring to the time of the Old Testament sacrifices, including the Tabernacle in the desert, Solomon's temple, and Herod's temple. Others believe this first Tabernacle refers to the holy place, the first room in the tabernacle. Even this first room in the tabernacle was only to be entered by priests. They were still like “gatekeepers” for the presence of God.

One modern religious practice, still alive today, that mirrors this idea of the priests being gatekeepers to the presence of God is the Roman Catholic sacrament of Penance. If you have committed a “mortal sin,” which is a sin that could jeopardize your salvation, you must confess that sin to a priest because, according to Catholic theology, the priest is acting as a representative of Christ. Just asking God for forgiveness is not enough; you have to go through the priest, otherwise you cannot be forgiven. Going through the priest for confession is a REQUIREMENT for salvation.

Now, as Voddie Baucham used to say a lot, “Don’t hear what I’m not sayin’.” Confessing our sins is a great thing! In much of the protestant church, when asked what our prayer requests are, we say, “I have an unspoken request.” We don’t want others to know that we are dealing with depression, anxiety, alcoholism, substance abuse, porn addiction, lust, greed, envy, and I could go on and on!

James 5:16

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

If we call ourselves followers of Christ, we must be willing to admit our struggles to other Christians so they can walk with us through the fire, praying for our strength in the midst of weakness. You may also find out that the person you confess to has dealt with, or is currently still dealing with, the same issues as you. This provides an opportunity for healthy accountability, lifting each other up to the Lord in prayer, encouraging each other in the faith, and helping each other in times of struggle.

This has been a very encouraging part of our Men’s discipleship group that meets at the end of each month. When we read through these disciplines, we are talking about their importance and admitting and discussing how we fall short. When we bring our sin into the light, it loses power.

Next Step: I will confess my sins to God and to a friend.

I find the practice of Confession to a priest as necessary for Salvation to be Pharisaical at best, because it is adding human regulations on how we are saved. In 1 Peter, we see the Apostle tell his readers that they are all priests.

1 Peter 2:5

…you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

We no longer need to take our sacrifices or confessions to a human priest because God has worked in his people to be priests to God through the work of Jesus Christ. We saw last week in Matthew 27 that the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. That was Jesus breaking down the separation between God and us, allowing us to come into his presence.

Hebrews 4:14-16

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

These verses do not say “Let us approach the priest with boldness.” They do not say “Jesus’ sacrifice was not sufficient to completely break the curse of sin. So you still need to go through someone else to get to God.”

No Hebrews 7:24-25 says:

Hebrews 7:24-25

But because he remains forever, he holds his priesthood permanently. Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.

Christ saves completely! If you have repented of your sins and Jesus is the Lord of your life, you have access to the Father! You can approach the throne of grace with boldness, knowing that God will hear your plea and hold you with loving arms, comforting you in your time of need!

The way to the Father is no longer guarded by the priests. The way has been made known to us through the work of Christ. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we now have access to the Father. But as Jesus told his disciples in John 14:6:

John 14:6

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The way to God is only through Jesus. There is no other. As Peter told the Pharisees who had arrested him and John after they had healed the paralytic man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple in Jerusalem:

Acts 4:12

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.

Salvation is through Christ, and Christ alone.

Hebrews 9:9

This is a symbol for the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper’s conscience.

The author now says that the old tabernacle and covenant were a symbol for the present time. The word that we find in Greek, which we translate as “symbol,” is actually the word parabole. It is where we get the word parable.

Greek word for “symbol”:

παραβολἡ - parabole - parable

We all know that Jesus spoke in parables to his followers to teach them about the kingdom of God, or how they were to conduct themselves as followers of God.

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field…”

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…”

“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven (yeast)…”

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”

The stories that Jesus used to teach the people were symbols, pictures of what was really going on. These parables were windows into Ultimate Reality.

In the same way, the Old Testament sacrifices could not bring Salvation to anyone, but they were symbols, or parables, of how God would bring salvation to humanity through the work of Jesus Christ.

The author also states that these sacrifices offered in the Tabernacle could not perfect a worshiper's conscience. They had to be offered over and over again because the law of God had not been written on the hearts of God's people yet. God did not say he would write his law on the hearts of his people until he brought about the New Covenant. Only the sacrifice of Christ can perfect our conscience, helping us to know the will of God and giving us the desire to do what he says. A few weeks ago, we saw that Hebrews 7 stated that the law could not perfect us:

Hebrews 7:19

…(for the law perfected nothing), but a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

That better hope is Jesus Christ. It is his death that paid the price for our sin, tearing the veil in the temple from top to bottom, and giving us access to the Father that we never had before. Since the law perfected nothing, it could not give us access to God or change our hearts to want to serve God better.

Why could the Old Testament sacrifices not perfect our conscience?

Hebrews 9:10

They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings imposed until the time of the new order.

The problem with the old covenant sacrifices is that they were physical regulations. These sacrifices were for rules having to do with foods, things that you drink, and various washing principles until the time Christ would bring about the new covenant. These regulations were about ceremonial purity, not moral purity.

We actually see two instances in the same story where Jesus is confronted by people who would be “ceremonially unclean” according to the Mosaic Law.

In the gospels, we see the story of a synagogue leader named Jairus who comes to Jesus because his daughter is sick and dying. He asks Jesus to come and heal his daughter. On the way, crowds of people are swarming around Jesus, pressing up against him.

One of the people getting close to him was a woman who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years. Most scholars believe that this was a condition of menstrual bleeding that did not stop. Mark's account of this story says that she had spent all of her money on doctors and cures that did not work. Due to the Mosaic law and rules about cleanliness, This Woman's condition left her ceremonially unclean for 12 years.

But the law also states that anyone and anything you touch while you are ceremonially unclean becomes unclean, requiring a bath or washing in water and not returning to your home until sunset. You would be treated like a pariah, no one wanting to touch you or be near you, so they would not become unclean like you.

Many of you may know what she said before she touched Jesus. “If only I could touch the hem of His Garment, I would be made well.” Touching the hem of his garment meant that she was on the ground, trying to get through these people to Jesus, just to touch the prayer tassels that hung from his tunic. And when she touches his clothes, Jesus recognizes that power has gone out from him to heal her. He looks at her and tells her that she is now clean, that her faith has made her well, some versions say “Your faith has saved you.”

Christ not only took away her impurity, he gave her life. He did not just make her ceremonially clean, he took away her infirmity. Where touching someone while being unclean would make that other person unclean, touching Jesus did not make him unclean, but rather made her clean. Only in Christ can we be cleansed of our impurities and made whole at the same time.

After all this, they finally get to Jairus' house, where everyone is mourning the death of the little girl. Jesus tells them all to leave and to stop crying because the girl is not dead but asleep. He then takes the little girl by the hand, tells her to get up, and she immediately starts walking around. You see, the other aspect of cleanliness that Jesus wipes away in this story is that he touched a dead body. Touching a dead body also required ceremonial cleansing before returning home.

Jesus, touching a dead body, that which is unclean, takes away her uncleanness and gives her life.

So many of the regulations in the Mosaic Law were not about dealing with sin, and so they could not affect the hearts and minds of men. They only applied to external practices. They could only deal with whether people were clean or unclean according to the law, based on their actions.

External practices are not enough to bring us to God. We can’t just try to be a good person. We need heart change. We need God to take out our heart of stone and put in a heart of flesh with his law written upon it.

Proverbs 3:5-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,and do not rely on your own understanding;in all your ways know him,and he will make your paths straight.Don’t be wise in your own eyes;fear the Lord and turn away from evil.This will be healing for your bodyand strengthening for your bones.

We cannot be wise in our own eyes. We have to go about salvation God’s way. I would love for salvation to come the way I want it to. I want to be able to just try to be a good person by my own standards. But that is not reality, and living like that will only lead to my destruction. God’s way is the only way, and that makes humanity reel, argue, and fight against truth. Why couldn’t God do it this way? Why did he do it that way? Because somehow, some way, this is how God will receive the most glory. Anyone who tells you there is a different way to get to God is teaching a different gospel than what the Bible says.

Isaiah 59:2

But your iniquities are separating youfrom your God,and your sins have hidden his face from youso that he does not listen.

Our sin separates us from God. It keeps us from entering into the Lord’s presence. Sin hides God’s face from our view. It clouds our judgment. We rationalize our sin, saying, “It's not that bad. At least I didn’t do what that person did.” However, all sin separates us from God. From the smallest to the greatest.

But you can be forgiven today. You can have the stain of your sin wiped from your account. By trusting in Jesus as your Savior, you admit that you cannot atone for your sin yourself and that the work of Christ is the only thing that can wash you clean.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Are you ready to confess your sins to God? Are you ready to repent, to turn from your sin, and follow after a God who loves you enough to send his Son to die in your place? If you know that you need the work of Christ to cleanse you of your sins, if you are ready to submit your life to Jesus, I have a next step for you.

Next Step: I will repent and submit my life to Jesus.

After the service is over, I will be available to pray with you, encourage you, and celebrate this new life that God has given you. Today is the day to give your life to him.

Let us pray.

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