The Greatness of Jesus (2)
Hebrews • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
So welcome to 2020. Once again we’ve just gone through another Christmas; a time when we celebrated a baby in a manger. But when we come to our passage today we are going to see Jesus the Messiah in a little bit different light.
If you have your Bibles, I want to encourage you to turn with me to Hebrews chapter 9 and we’ll begin with verse 1.
One of the first “contemporary” praise songs says, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there’s just something about that name. Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus let all heaven and earth proclaim. Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there’s something about that name.” In our passage today we are going to gain a glimpse of how amazing and wonderful Jesus really is!
In we read:
Hebrews 9:1-
Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
The Tabernacle
The Tabernacle
The author begins this passage by describing the earthly sanctuary. He says that a tabernacle was set up, and then he begins to describe the two inner parts of the tabernacle.
The first room
The first room
The lampstand.
The table with its consecrated bread.
This room was called the Holy Place.
The second room
The second room
Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place. Or sometimes called “The Holy of Holies.”
The golden alter if incense.
The gold-covered ark of the covenant.
Inside the ark was: (1) The gold jar of manna, (2) Aaron’s staff that had budded, (3) The stone tablets of the covenant.
Above the Ark were the cherubim of glory.
The atonement cover—mercy seat.
The author assumes that the reader knew about and understood the construction of the tabernacle. Thus, he doesn’t need to take the time to have a deep discussion about these pieces.
Hebrews 9:6-
When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 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 standing. 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. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
The Priests
The Priests
When the tabernacle was set up as God had directed the priests carried out their ministry.
The outer room
The outer room
The priests would regularly go in and out of the Holy Place—the outer room to carry out their duties.
The inner room
The inner room
The inner room—the Most Holy Place was only entered once each year. Only on the “Day of Atonement” would the High Priest enter the Holy of Holies. He would NEVER enter without blood that he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
KEY—The Holy Spirit was demonstrating that free access to the Most Holy place (to God) was not available as long as the old tabernacle was still standing.
So what was the purpose of the Old Covenant and the old tabernacle? Well, verse 9 tells us, “This is an illustration for the present time. . .”
It illustrated that the gifts and sacrifices offered could not give the worshiper a clear conscience. Rather they were just regulations and various ceremonial washings. They were only external regulations, and were only applied until the new order—a better system—could be put in place.
Jesus
Jesus
Hebrews 9:11-
When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 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!
The author is going to show how the sacrifice of Jesus is that new system, and that this new system is far superior to the old system.
When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 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!
He came as Messiah—the promised savior of Israel.
He came came as High Priest of the new order.
He came as High Priest of the good things that have come and will come.
NIV says, “he went through” as though Jesus passed through. But that it not the idea. This phrase should refer to the fact that Jesus experienced the inferior old covenant and when through it to come to “the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made. . .”
The earthly high priests had to take the blood of goats and calves to enter the Most Holy Place. Jesus entered the Heavenly Most Holy Place once for all and he brought his own blood so that he obtained eternal redemption.
There are two big differences. First, the blood of goat and bulls or the ashes of a heifer could only make the people clean on the outside. It never could effect their hearts!
The second big difference was that this sacrifice had to be offered over and over again. The sacrifice Jesus made was a once-for-all sacrifice.
Don’t miss verse 14! “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!” Look at this same verse in the Lexham English Bible (LEB), “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?”
There are two key points that I want us to notice out of this verse. First, not only do we gain forgiveness of our sins through Jesus, but we also receive a clean conscience. I can’t help but wonder, how many of us continue to beat ourselves up for all the bad, stupid, sinful things we’ve done in our lives. How many times do those old forgiven sins keep us tied up in knots. This verse says that through Jesus we have a clean conscience.
The second thing I want us to notice is that we are now free to serve the living God! That means that you and I should be focused on the eternal rather than all the busyness of this life that keeps us bound up.
Now, in case you don’t agree with me, look at verse 15 and you’ll see what Jesus is doing today.
Hebrews 9:15
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. We think of a mediator as a person who takes two opposing positions and makes them acceptable to both parties. In this case, mediator is being uses as the person presents the superior’s point of view and then goes to the superior on our behalf. Jesus makes us acceptable to God because He died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed. . .”
When He set us free from the sins we’ve committed, He also freed us from the guilt of those sins so that we can have a clear conscience. The simple truth is that we need to accept the gift that God has given us!
Now the author it going to explain why the death of Jesus is so important.
Jesus’ Death
Jesus’ Death
Hebrews
In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies.
In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
The author uses the example of a will. If you have written a final will then you’ll understand that your will does not change anything until after you die!
The author says before someone can carry out a will, a person must show that the writer of the will actually died! A will NEVER becomes active while the author is still alive.
Next the author says that since the old covenant was put into effect with the blood of calves. When Moses gave the people the commands of the Law of God, he sprinkled the scroll and all the people with blood.
Then he said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” ()
In the same way, Moses set apart all of the sacred things in the tabernacle by sprinkling blood on them. Why was this done? Well, look at the next several verses.
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.
Hebrews 9:23-
The author has been talking about the earthly replicas of God’s Tabernacle. If earthly replicas had to be purified by the blood of a sacrifice, what kind of sacrifice purifies the heavenly things? The answer, “Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”
For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Don’t miss the fact that Jesus never did serve in the earthly Most Holy Place, which was only a copy of the real one in heaven. No Jesus entered into heaven itself, and appears now before God. And He does so on our behalf.
Unlike the old system where sacrifices had to be made over and over again, Jesus’ sacrifice was made one time, and now He stands forever in the presence of God the Father. He will not die over and over again. No he came at the appropriate time to do away with sin by sacrificing Himself!
He did this so that we will not face the judgment of God alone.
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
When man’s earthly existence ceases, he faces judgment. Christ died as a sacrifice once-for-all to take away the sins of many people!
He appeared the first time to take away sins. But He will come a second time—this time to bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting for Him.
So What
So What
The sacrifice of Jesus covered it ALL!
The sacrifice of Jesus gives us forgiveness for our sins!
The sacrifice of Jesus cleanses our conscience!
The sacrifice of Jesus allows Him to be our mediator.
The sacrifice of Jesus will allow Him to come again as the conquering King!