From Dead Works to Serving the Living God (Heb 9:1-14)

INTRO

At this point in our study, you might be wondering how much more do we have to hear about this? It seems like we keep hearing the same thing over and over.

Like parents who keep saying the same things over and over because their children never seem to get it— shut the door; turn off the light; stop hitting your brother.

The writer of Hebrews is stressing the fact the Jesus, as the Great High Priest, has done a better, more final work than earthly priests. His work in the heavenly temple is far superior to the work of priests in the earthly temple.

Chapter 9 begins with an explanation of the Old Covenant ways of purification or atonement for sin. It describes the Tabernacle, which was the place of worship and God’s presence under the Old Covenant.

By the way, it also gives you the answer to a really good Bible trivia question--- What was in the Ark of the Covenant? (1) Golden urn holding manna, (2) Aaron’s staff that budded; (3) tablets of the covenant (10 Commandments).

But there is so much more in this passage. It explains how the Tabernacle is a copy of the heavenly things. We’ll look more at that next week.

As much as we have talked in recent weeks about the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, there’s something in this passage I was explore in greater detail. Just last week, we learned that

The Old Covenant was faulty in that it was not final.

The Old Covenant was faulty in that it could not provide full and final atonement for sin.

Along that line, I want to look at one specific way in which the New Covenant, Jesus’ work on the cross, provides final atonement for sin. I want to make this really practical.

Here’s why: it can be easy to not feel like you are forgiven.

You can read it in the Bible, you can hear that God forgives, but when the guilt of your sin is so strong, it can be easy to wonder if you are really forgiven.

I want to share from this passage how to think properly through forgiveness.

I want you to know that because of the grace of Jesus Christ, through his death and resurrection, you are completely redeemed, from dead works to serving the Living God.

Here’s the concept I want to focus on: your conscience. What do you think of when I say conscience?

Maybe you’re thinking right now of an angel on one shoulder and demon on the other trying to get you to do something or not do something.

Maybe you’re thinking about Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio.

Maybe you don’t really know what your conscience is. As someone else has said, "She won't listen to her conscience. She doesn't want to take advice from a total stranger." 

Do you realize that it is a very biblical word? Conscience appears in this passage twice, but 30 times overall in the NT.

Conscience, an aspect of human nature in God’s image, is a gift from God that, when working properly, tells people their obligation to God, accusing them when they do wrong and excusing them when they wrongly feel guilty.

John Frame, “General Revelation in Conscience,” in Lexham Survey of Theology, ed. Mark Ward et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).

Conscience is an aspect of self-awareness that produces the pain and/or pleasure we “feel” as we reflect on the norms and values we recognize and apply. Conscience is not an outside voice. It is a inward capacity humans possess to critique themselves because the Creator provided this process as a means of moral restraint for his creation.

Gary T. Meadors, “Conscience,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, electronic ed., Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996), 115.

We’re talking about our God-given, inner-most moral capacity.

Look at v.8-9— The Old Covenant system could not “perfect the conscience of the worshiper.” So you have a worshiper who would bring animals to sacrifice for the atonement of his sin.

He would go through that ritual and it would (look at the end of v.13) sanctify for the purification of the flesh, but it would not perfect the conscience of the worshiper. It could not change his heart. v.10 says that it was useful for dealing with external regulations like food and drinks and various washings. Remember, it was useful for the purification of the flesh.

But it could not perfect the conscience, the God-given, innermost moral capacity of the worshiper. It could not transform the worshiper’s heart, and in the context of v.11, it could not open direct access to God.

That’s why there was a curtain separating the Holy of Holies in the temple, a curtain that ultimately tore when Jesus was the final sacrifice.

The Old Covenant could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper.

But when Christ appeared… (look at v.11).

Here’s the difference—

Old Covenant = purification of the flesh (v.13)

New Covenant = purification of the conscience (v.14)

[READ v.14]

There is an internal change that occurs when you put your faith in Jesus. By His grace, God will regenerate your heart and make you a new creation. That is not an external cleansing— that is a cleansing of your God-given, innermost moral capacity.

negatively, the forgiveness of our purification from sin(s), and positively, the opening of access to God

When he transforms you, purifies your conscience, he transforms you from dead works to serve the living God.

Let’s get really practical— some people think they’re genuinely saved, genuinely born-again, but they’re simply going through motions to make their flesh look better, or to make their external appearance look like something it really is not.

There has been no transformation of their soul—just routines and trying to do good enough to earn the favor of God.

If this is you, I want to invite you into a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ by repenting of your sin and putting your faith in Him. The only way you can be good enough in God’s eyes is by putting on the righteousness of Christ based upon what He has done, not what you can do.

Hopefully every person in this room who has been saved is agreeing with me. Maybe shaking your head. Maybe even giving an amen. We know that, right?

But I want to confess to you that we don’t always live like we know that.

Let me go back to the scenario I mentioned earlier: Sometimes I don’t feel like I am forgiven.

Have you ever felt this way? The guilt of our sin can be so heavy at times, and we might ask the Lord forgiveness and might genuinely feel broken because of our sin, but still struggle with wondering if I’m really forgiven.

I don’t feel like I’m forgiven. Let me tell you a secret— your feelings might lie to you sometimes. Our hearts are deceitful and desperately sick.

If you don’t feel like you’re forgiven, often it is because our natural inclination is that I’ve got to make up for what I’ve done wrong. I’ve got to do certain things to earn this forgiveness, or I have to act certain ways in order to prove that I’m forgiven.

So listen to how we deceive ourselves in that moment— My external human actions will prove an internal divine work of forgiveness. Can you hear how messed up that is? This is not the gospel!

The gospel is about Jesus’ saving work. He died on the cross. He resurrected from the grave. He imputed righteousness to those who repent and believe.

And somehow, even though we know that, we might try to earn our forgiveness, or prove it by own merit.

I’ve wrestled with this. Even recently. I caught myself doing good things, righteous things, but the motivation of my heart was wrong— I was doing these things in order to feel better about my forgiveness. I was doing them to prove that what God did in me was effective.

I want to share with you a verse of Scripture that really helped me. This is what the Holy Spirit used as his dagger in my heart to change my way of thinking and warping the gospel message in my own heart.

Ephesians 1:7 (ESV)

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” (, ESV)

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

We have redemption. Forgiveness.

You can declare this and claim this and know this. This verse is emphatic— we have.

But look at the dagger— according to the riches of his grace. Ryan, you’re not redeemed and you’re forgiven because you prove it through good works.

You are redeemed.

You are forgiven.

That is solely because of the grace of God. I don’t have to doubt that I am redeemed or forgiven because it is according to the riches of his grace.

My works don’t empower the gospel. It is finished in my life. When I come back to that understanding, then I realize I am empowered by the gospel to serve the living God.

Paul wrote this to the Galatians:

“Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (, ESV)

Christians- we can easily nod our heads when we tell those who’ve never put their faith in Christ that they can’t earn their way to heaven. All while turning a blind eye to the fact that we sometimes kick back into that mode ourselves.

We can not be perfected by the flesh. The Old Covenant was for the purification of the flesh— we need something greater— we need something that changes us at the innermost part of our being.

We need the crucified, risen Savior to transform our soul and make us a new creation. We need the same gospel that saved us to remain the only gospel that can sustain us.

- our conscience is purified from dead works to serve the living God.

Here’s what that means— those dead works of our flesh, just like the Old Covenant system, that had to be done over and over again— Jesus was the final and sufficient sacrifice for our sin and to give us direct access to God.

Through Jesus, these aren’t dead works any longer. Through Jesus, our works can now serve the Living God.

We don’t work to get saved; we work because we are saved.