A Superior Sacrifice Offered in a Superior Sanctuary

A SUPERIOR SACRIFICE OFFERED IN A SUPERIOR SANCTUARY Spring Valley Mennonite; February 16, 2020; Hebrews 9 I have with me today a picture of my grandchildren. I love this picture, but nowhere as much as I love my grandchildren. And while a picture reminds me of these children, it is nothing like being with them. When my grandchildren visit, I put away the pictures of them for something much better is there. There are many things in the Old Testament that are like pictures, they represent reality, but they are not the reality. When the real thing comes, it is time to put away the picture. The writer of Hebrews is systematically presenting Christianity as superior and as superseding Judaism. Jesus is proven to be superior to prophets, angels, Moses, and the Levitical High Priest. All this adds up to the conclusion that the New Covenant is vastly superior to the Old. The Old Covenant is seen as inadequate to secure redemption, and as having been replaced by the New Covenant. But if Jesus is our new High Priest, where does He minister? Chapter 9 of Hebrews contrasts the Old Covenant Tabernacle to the Heavenly Tabernacle, further expancing on the superiority of Christianity. It is instructive that the author does not disparage the old ways but simply explains how the new is better. Jesus said that He did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. Pictures are not bad, but they are nothing like the reality. The Old Testament repeatedly prophesied of something better which would come in the fullness of time. The New Testament builds on the foundation of the Old; the New Testament tells how Jesus fulfills the pictures and types of the Old. Central in the lives of Hebrew people was the Tabernacle and later the Temple. If we can think of camp of the Israelites in the desert after coming out of Egypt, the tents of the tribes were arranged around the Tabernacle which was in the center. Each tribe was at the same distance from the Tabernacle. God was in their midst, which is the central truth about the Tabernacle. The Jews could see the fiery pillar of cloud, day and night. Soon after the giving of the Law, the Tabernacle was built according to the pattern given to Moses, a pattern which was a copy of a heavenly Tabernacle. But the Tabernacle and later the Temple was made of earthly materials, although the most valuable available: fine woven material, gold, silver and bronze. But the Tabernacle and Temple were never meant to exist forever. The Tabernacle was replaced by the Temple of Solomon. Solomon’s Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. The second temple of Zerubbabel was replaced by Herod’s Temple, and that was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. All these centers of worship were temporary and offered very limited access to the people in the land. Unless you lived in or near Jerusalem, you had to travel to the Temple to offer sacrifices. Three times a year all men were required to attend the national feasts. The center of worship and sacrifice was remote to most Jews. And more than that, no one but the High Priest could go into the presence of God, and that only once a year. This chapter speaks of a better Tabernacle, a better sacrifice and the offering of that supreme sacrifice in the heavenly dwelling place of God. Read 9:1-5 I. THE EARTHLY TABERNACLE DESCRIBED I would point out the word “had” in verse 1: Past tense, for the Old Covenant has been replaced. The Tabernacle had its limitations: it was subject to deterioration. Often in Israel’s history the Temple fell into disrepair and needed extensive renovation. The Tabernacle or Temple was limited geographically, it was limited to being in only one place. And, it also was only for the Jews instead of for the whole world. But the text reminds us of the rituals of worship surrounding the furnishings of the Tabernacle, and later the Temple. Each item seen has symbolic meaning, picturing the way one must follow into God’s presence. As one entered the court surrounding the Tabernacle itself, the first thing seen is the Altar where sacrifices were slain and their blood was collected. Depending on the type of sacrifice, parts of the animal or the whole animal was burned on this altar. This demonstrates that before coming into God’s presence, an offering for sin is required. Directly in line with the door of the Tabernacle proper is a large basin, or laver, filled with water. This is where the priests washed before entering the Tabernacle. Feet and hands were washed before one could enter. This laver of cleansing represents our need as forgiven believers to confess the sins which we commit as we walk through life. Before true worship, it is necessary to have no unconfessed sin. I John 1:9 speaks of the cleansing which results from confession of sin. As one entered the single door of the Tabernacle or Temple, he observes everything was covered with gold, even the walls. There were only three items of furnishings, the golden lampstand on his left, the Table for the 12 loaves of bread on his right, and straight ahead, a small table where incense was offered. This table of incense was centered in front of the thick veil which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. Our text suggests that the two divisions of the Tabernacle was viewed as two separate Tabernacles. Within the Holy of Holies was the Ark, a gold-covered chest, containing the Tablets of the Law, where God had written the 10 Commandments. The Ark had a solid gold covering on which the blood of the yearly offering was sprinkled. This was called “The Mercy Seat” or the “Propitiatory.” On each end of the Mercy Seat was a golden cherub. God localized His Holy Presence between these two angelic figures. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and only once a year on the Day of Atonement. This yearly access to the Holy of Holies demonstrates how limited access to God was under the Old Covenant. Only the High Priest, on that once-a-year occasion could truly “draw near” to God. I’d briefly point out the significance of the Lampstand, the table of showbread and the altar of incense. The Lampstand provided the light for the priests to minister, there being no windows in the Tabernacle. This lampstand is symbolic of how Israel was to be a light to the Nations, as Jesus is the Light of the World, and believers are to let their light shine so people might give glory to the Lord. The table of showbread held 12 loaves of bread, baked fresh and changed out every Sabbath and represented the 12 tribes of Israel. This represents God’s desire for fellowship with His chosen people, and how He was their sustenance. The Altar of Incense, in verse 4 described as connected to the Holy of Holies, actually stood outside the veil, but it was connected with the Ark and Mercy Seat in that the sweet smell of incense represents the worshipful prayers of the people. Every morning and evening a priest burned incense on this altar. A cloud of sweet-smelling incense permeated both parts of the Tabernacle. If you could take a birds-eye view of the court and Tabernacle furnishings, you would see that they form the shape of a cross: The Altar and Laver and altar of incense and the Ark form the vertical part of the cross and the Lampstand and Table of showbread form the horizontal part. This is not by chance but by design. As the Tabernacle represented the way to God under the Old Covenant, it pictured the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross as the only and single way to God. Jesus fulfilled the Law. Read vv. 6-10. II. THE INADEQUACY OF THE TABERNACLE RITUALS For the Jew, the Tabernacle/Temple represented the Covenant by which they related to God. But understand how limited this access was: only the High Priest could come before the Holy Presence, and only once a year. Even the Priests had limited access when they replenished the incense, lamp oil or the showbread. The Temple itself stood empty most of the time. As verse 8 states, the ritual and rules governing the Temple prevented access to God. It’s limitations actually stood in the way of coming before God! The sacrificial system only provided an outward cleansing, having little to do with a person’s inward sins. These sacrifices dealt with surface violations of behavior, not with a person’s inner motivations. These sacrifices could never change the heart or relieve the conscience of the offender. Sacrifices covered the ceremonial impurity but could do nothing for moral impurity. For example, the Pharisees kept the requirements of the Law meticulously, but Jesus condemned their inner motivations, describing them as “whitewashed tombs” full of dead men’s bones. The inner man remained unchanged by these ceremonial sacrifices. The Law was incomplete and temporary until the “time of reformation” when Jesus’s blood provided the final sacrifice and full and complete access to God was granted. Read vv. 11-14. III. A GREATER AND MORE PERFECT TABERNACLE As our Great High Priest, Jesus entered the heavenly temple, a perfect and eternal temple, one not made by man with earthly materials. He offered the perfect sinless sacrifice, His own blood. And not only did He present the perfect sacrifice of His blood, He completely satisfied, for all time, the required payment for sin, resulting in eternal redemption! Jesus offered a perfect sacrifice, offered in the perfect heavenly sanctuary, completely satisfying for eternity the required payment! Whereas the sacrifices of the Tabernacle/Temple did nothing for man’s inner sin nature, Jesus sacrifice made possible the cleansing from our sin nature. Another way looking at it is that the Old Covenant covered man’s sins, where Jesus sacrifice covered and atoned for our SIN. He changes our inner man. He writes His law upon our hearts after giving us a clean heart! Read vv. 15-22 Therefore (verse 15), because His sacrifice changes us on a completely different level, Jesus is the mediator of a completely New Covenant. His sacrifice reached back and atoned for all those under the Old Covenant, redeeming the Old Testament Saints. They also have received the gift of heaven, an eternal inheritance. Verses 16 and 17 compare the Covenant to a will: the will does not take effect until the one making it dies. Jesus’ death put into effect all the provisions of the New Covenant and its blessings. It was His death, not His life which paid for our sins. His sinless life qualified Jesus to be the perfect sacrifice. We can learn much from the life of Jesus, but simply trying to imitate the teachings of Jesus will only make us a better sinner! There are many “good” people, perhaps our neighbors, who live good moral lives which conform to many of Jesus’ teachings, but unless a person repents of his sin and claims the forgiveness won at the Cross of Calvary, they are lost. The requirement of a blood sacrifice is seen even in the Old Covenant when Moses cleansed with the blood of calves and goats first the book in which he had written down the ordinances of the Law, then he sprinkled the people, saying, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Moses then sprinkled the Tabernacle, the furnishings and the utensils with the blood. The point being made is that there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood. And the precious shed blood of Jesus cleanses us from our Sin, changing us from the inside out. Read vv. 23-28. As the earthly Tabernacle was sanctified and cleansed with the blood of calves and goats, the perfect blood of Jesus completely established the New Covenant in the heavenly Tabernacle. The blood of animals cleansed the earthly copy; Jesus presented His atoning blood to the Father in heaven. And, the blood of Jesus cleanses us who are now are each a Temple of the Holy Spirit: 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” The goal of God throughout human history is redemption. The Old Covenant was temporary and incomplete, but only pictured what Messiah Jesus would do. The Jews were looking for a Messiah Who would deliver them from their earthly oppressors and bring about temporal blessings. Jesus accomplished so much more as He suffered and died giving us freedom from our sin nature and granting full and complete access to God. God’s goal of redemption of mankind was accomplished! Anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved from his sins! Instead of a once-a-year momentary access to God by the High Priest, Jesus removed the barrier of sin and granted permanent and complete “anytime” access to the Father. We now can come in Jesus’ name boldly before the Father in thankful worship. Jesus sits at God’s right hand in the Heavenly Temple, interceding and praying for us. He has completely and once-for-all put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. How superior is the New Covenant over the Old Covenant! It is the reality rather than the picture. At His first Advent, Jesus came for the purpose of making the final and necessary sacrifice for sin. When He next returns, it will not be as the Suffering Servant, but the Conquering King! This same Jesus will return to earth to establish His early Kingdom, bringing renewal to all things. This is the blessed hope for all of us who eagerly await Him. Even so, come Lord Jesus!