Jesus Is Better - 11

Jesus Is Better - 11

Introduction

We are inspired by stories of sacrifice, aren’t we? We admire people who give their lives in pursuit of helping other people. This is Walter Carr [pic of walter carr]. He lives in Homewood, AL outside of Birmingham. He works at Bellhops Moving company in Pelham, AL about 20 miles away. When his car broke down, he still needed to get to work. So he would leave his house around midnight and walk all night to be able to start his shift on time. We admire people like that. We love their commitment and sacrifice. So did Walter’s boss. Once his story went viral, the company’s CEO hopped into his 3-year old Ford Escape, drove from Chattanooga to Pelham and took him out to lunch. After lunch the CEO handed Walter the keys to the Escape. We are moved by sacrifice.

TS - This is why names of fallen soldiers are etched into walls. There is something on a heart level that resonates with us. Sacrifice is etched on our soul. Why? Because it points us to Jesus.

From the beginning of God’s story, it is clear that sacrifice is what we need. Our sin needs covering. Our sin needs forgiveness. In the Garden of Eden God creates a veritable paradise and puts our first parents, Adam and Eve, into that place to flourish. But because humanity craves what it can’t have, they broke God’s command and ate from the forbidden fruit. What was once so innocent (naked and not ashamed), now became corrupted. They were afraid, they were ashamed. When God confronts them for their sin, lays out the consequences for them, tells us that God made them coverings for their nakedness, made out of animal skin. Where did that come from? Scholars point to this moment as the first sacrifice. An innocent animal died to cover over the consequences of their sin. 

As you move forward in the OT, we see a fully fleshed out sacrificial system God had set up for the Israelites. carries all the blood laws for the requirements for sacrifice. If they want to be forgiven, innocent blood is required. Bulls, goats, lambs. Sacrifice is the solution to their sin problem. 

Up until the time of King Solomon when the Temple was built in Jerusalem, the Israelites used the Tabernacle. It was an ornate “tent” that traveled with them in the desert after the Exodus. Anywhere they stopped, they’d set it up and worship there. It set the early pattern for the Temple. Multiple walls, curtains, veils, all designed to keep people out. Behind all those walls and curtains and veils was the Most Holy Place, or Holy of Holies. There, at the Ark of the Covenant, God would descend and reside at the Mercy Seat. To get in there to meet with him required blood. The innocent animals were slain, and blood was sprinkled on everything, symbolizing cleansing. If God accepted the sacrifices, then he would meet with them and forgive their sin.

All of this incredible ceremony culminated each year at the Day of Atonement. After days of ceremonial washings, ceremonies, and preparatory work, the priests would begin sacrificing the animals in their annual traditions. The people had sinned all year and now needed forgiveness yet again. More blood. More death. The High Priest, even more ornately dressed and more prepared, entered alone into the Holy of Holies. He had spent weeks getting ready for this moment. Special baths, special clothes, special sacrifices. Everything was sprinkled with blood. He was. The furniture was. The temple was. The Ark was. The Mercy Seat was (read about this in ). Once all the blood was shed, once God accepted the sacrifice, God would forgive their sins for another year. Sacrifice was the solution.

Throughout the OT, there is this refrain that if you want to get to where God is, you need a sacrifice. Something has to die to bring you life. And that brings us to . For a couple chapters now Hebrews has been talking about the OT law, covenant, and sacrificial system. Jesus is the fulfillment of all that. He is the Better High Priest. He holds a Better Ministry. He mediates a Better Covenant, built on Better Promises. Jesus takes these concepts from the OT and supersedes them.

This is even more true of his sacrifice. The OT sacrifices were important. They were life for the Israelites. Jesus’ sacrifice is better. Fundamentally, extensively Better.

- 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. 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.

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. 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 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. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 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.” 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.

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. 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. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 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. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 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.

What a great text! There is much to unpack here. It speaks to why Jesus’ sacrifice is so much better. Because it is Permanent, Personal, and Powerful. We get to revel/glory in the gospel today. 

PERMANENT

Several times in the text it is reference that these sacrifices at the tabernacle, temple had to be repeated. At least every year, they had to do all of this again. Day of Atonement. Passover. Then all the other festivals. On and on it goes. There was no end to what you would be asked to sacrifice. Well, what happens if you can’t make it this year to the Day of Atonement in Jerusalem? What if you get sick on the way and miss it? What if your animal died before you got there? If those sacrifices don’t happen for you, you are in deep weeds. You remain unforgiven. Not covered.

The need is for a more permanent sacrifice. Something that will last. We have that in Christ. In fact, look at how this is all described here:

—v. 12 - thus securing an eternal redemption

—v. 14 - through the eternal Spirit offered himself

—v. 15 - received the promised eternal inheritance

Why does that word keep popping up here? Because we need permanent forgiveness! We need grace that doesn’t run out. The Spirit won’t run away or move. He won’t change the terms of our deal with God.

ILL - earlier this year we were horrified to discover that our family had driven for two weeks without auto insurance. Our policy had come up for auto-renewal, but one computer system wasn’t talking to the other one and we got dropped without anyone knowing. So Jodie and I, along our 16-year old brand-new driver were not covered. Thankfully it was discovered and remedied quickly enough. It causes anxiety just to think about the risk there. What if there was a wreck? 

Because of Jesus, we never have to worry about that with our salvation. Your eternal life insurance coverage is never not covering you. When you sin, you don’t have to scramble to figure out coverage for that sin. You are covered forever.

2. PERSONAL

There is a huge difference between the OT sacrificial system and Jesus’ sacrifice. For a few chapters now, Hebrews has been hammering at the OT religious system. The Old Covenant cannot save, it is decayed and dead. The old ways do not work. Right before these verses, this is what the Bible says:

:b-10 - According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

All of these confusing and detailed laws about sacrifice were ultimately unable to accomplish anything for us. They only deal with external things. Rules that govern food, drink, baths…all external stuff. No internal change. These sacrifices may make you look clean on the outside with all your do’s and don’ts, but you are still the same good-looking sinner. Jesus criticized the Pharisees by calling them “whitewashed tombs.” They looked great on the outside, but were full of dead men’s bones. People may think you look great because of all these rules you follow, but death reigns in your soul. Not so with Jesus.

- 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.

Jesus does what the Law could not do…cleanse the inside. Purify the conscience. His sacrifice removes guilt and condemnation. We live in freedom from sin and its consequences. This is the byproduct of having a permanent sacrifice. If I have to keep offering weekly, annual sacrifices for my sin, then my sin is always hanging over me. I am anxiously pondering all the sins I’ve committed but have yet to sacrifice for. That breeds guilt. That breeds a sense of continual condemnation. That creates fear and anxiety when approaching God. 

The sacrifice of Jesus frees us to live without any of that. With Christ’s sacrifice, we have one that is permanent and all encompassing. Every sin you have ever committed or ever will commit is already covered. You get to live in that reality. Freedom. Peace. Assurance. 

This word for “conscience” is dealing with our thinking and how we view ourselves. So when our conscience is purified it shifts our thinking. We often talk about how Jesus has forgiven “our” sins. And that’s true. There is a corporate element of forgiveness as Jesus forgives his people. Here, Hebrews invites us to make that more personal. His sacrifice does internal work, it is personalized. He died for “my” sins. Specifically. Each one. That reality helps us to understand ourselves rightly. 

ILL - The person you talk to the most is yourself. The person who influences you the most is you. All day, every single day of your life, you are constantly talking to yourself. Reasoning. Justifying. Motivating. Condemning. Not only are you the person you talk to the most, you are the most dangerous person you can talk to. Your conversations with you are the most damaging ones you can have.

Your inner dialogue tends to go along one of two primary tracks. For some of you, the primary things you say to yourself are positive. “I’m so great. If only people were more like me, the world would be a better place. It’s ok to do that, you deserve it. You were right to feel that way after what they did to you.” On and on it goes. For others of you, the primary things you say to yourself are negative. “You are worthless. You are going to fail anyway. It’s just a matter of time before they figure out the truth about you. Why would anyone love you? Of course you’re lonely, no one wants to spend time with you.” On and on it goes.

Jesus’ sacrifice purifies your conscience and transforms both sides of that dialogue. For the more prideful positive voice, understanding that Jesus has died for your sins helps you realize that you are not as awesome as you’d like to think. You have offended a holy God and are deserving of his wrath. Anything good in your life has come at the hands of a gracious and generous God. You’re a sinner who needs forgiveness. 

And for the more self-defeating negative voice, understanding that Jesus has died for your sins helps you realize that you are loved. Welcomed. Accepted. God chose you to be adopted as his son or daughter. You are not condemned, but set free.

Hebrews will come back to this idea again in the next chapter. In 10:22 we are told that because of Jesus’ sacrifice we can draw near to God in full assurance of faith, hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and bodies washed clean. Because Jesus died for you, you can draw near to God. 

George Guthrie - “We should weep; for God has given us the freedom, the forgiveness, the life, which we could not win for ourselves. Our tears are not tears of separation but tears of homecoming; not tears of death but tears of life; not tears of a past but tears falling on a bedrock of hope for the future. Our sins have been taken away and we, through the accomplishment of another, have been brought to the Father and incorporated into His family forever. This is the Gospel.”

3. POWERFUL

There is this great refrain that is repeated throughout this text and will continue into chapter 10, and is all throughout the NT… “once for all.”

—v. 12 - he entered once for all into the holy places

—v. 26 - he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages

—v. 28 - having been offered once to bear the sins of many

We are reminded again and again how powerful Jesus’ sacrifice was. While the OT sacrifices had to be repeated again and again, Jesus’ sacrifice never has to be redone. Again, on the cross Jesus did not say, “It has begun.” He said, “It is finished.” 

- 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 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.

Notice that great phrase at the end of v. 26 - “to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” He isn’t just talking about your sins. Not your individual transgressions against God. By his sacrifice Jesus has put away “sin.” The very concept of it. The category of it. Sin has been humanity’s bully since . It has always been there, pushing us around, condemning us, bringing death. Jesus has put sin in its place. He put it away. This is why the Apostle Paul can say incredible things like: 

- 55 “O death, where is your victory?

    O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

- 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

The sting of death, power of sin is defeated. Jesus has put it away. He alone has secured the victory. 

Conclusion

Here’s the deal…you are not beyond the cross. You cannot out-sin the cross. You are not so good that you don’t need it. The sacrifice of Jesus is permanent…it will never wear out and you will never need anything else. The sacrifice of Jesus is personal…it is intended for you and transforms you from the inside out. The sacrifice of Jesus is powerful…it alone gets the job done.

- 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

Without the sacrifice of Jesus, that is the most terrifying, anxiety producing verse in the whole Bible. You will die and you will then face judgment. And without Jesus, who v. 24 says stands in heaven “on our behalf” judgment is exactly what you deserve.

- 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 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.

Christ who has already been offered once for sin it coming back. Not to offer a new or additional sacrifice. That’s already been dealt with. That offer has already been extended. No other option out there. He is coming to save those who are waiting for him. That looking forward, waiting for him…we call that Hope. Ultimately, the sacrifice of Jesus brings hope to the otherwise hopeless.

BELIEVE/REPENT/CONFESS/BAPTIZE

SONG - At The Cross

COMMUNION