Our Priest Offers Up Himself

Title, theme, and major divisions: “What do you have to offer?”

Theme: What does Jesus have to offer?

A High priest was appointed to offer up gifts and sacrifices. Now the trouble with all the priests that came before is that they could not stand in the heavenly places to bring their gifts before God. Look at how our text describes the situation they are dealing with a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things. Everything that they had on earth was a built after what Moses had seen.

This was the trouble with the first covenant that God had established with the people that was broken by the Israelites. Now if the Israelites couldn’t even get the shadow, or the copy of the heavenly things right what good could they accomplish when the day came that they needed to stand before the presence of God?

Since man could not do it, God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah those words that we see beginning in v8. But how could Christ offer up something that would be sufficient, that God would be merciful toward their iniquities and remember their sins no more. He did not offer the blood of bulls, sheep, or goats. He offered up His own life for our sake.

I. The blood of the new covenant to God

Now the blood of beasts was not enough, it would take someone shedding their blood for our sake. Now why had God not demanded this throughout the Old Testament? In fact you will find that God is against human sacrifice. So what is going on here?

When Adam fell, all mankind became corrupted by sin, this corruption meant that the blood of every man, woman, and child was impure. You cannot offer a sacrifice that is impure or unclean to do so is to bring the wrath of God upon a person. So what would have then happened to the person who offered up themselves and stood before the presence of Almighty God, if His holiness on earth would have destroyed them. What of the sinner who stands before God’s splendor and majesty in heaven? No priest of the Old Covenant could do that, he would have been destroyed, so human sacrifice was not acceptable for the blood was impure, and the priest himself was imperfect.

That is why Christ was sent into this world born not by natural means, but of the Virgin Mary, begotten of the Holy Spirit. So Jesus was born the sinless Son of God which meant finally there was one whose blood was pure. Blood that could finally establish a covenant that would never end. For not only could He shed his blood on our behalf, but He could stand in the presence of God and make intercession for our sins.

II. A new life in the Spirit to His people

When Christ offered up his lifeblood for the new covenant he was creating a covenant that would not fade. Indeed He would give up his life and be laid to rest in the tomb, but death could not stop the author of life could. So He rose from the dead and by his perfect life, by his holy blood he was able to do more than Moses, Aaron or any other priest ever could. Jesus was able to tear down the curtain in the temple that separated the people from the Holy of Holies and stand before the presence of God to grant entrance for God’s people. Not just for a few moments but for all eternity.

And look what that happens in that new covenant that Christ establishes. It says that I will put my laws into their minds, but the word there means not only laws, but God’s teaching, and they would be in our minds and they would be written on our hearts. That means the Word of God would be dear and precious to us through what Christ has established.

That is why we will not to explain or teach one another who is the Lord, for we will all know who our savior is and what He has done for us. For when we say that the path way to God is open by the blood of Christ, it means that heaven is yours. In this most blessed place, everyone will know who Christ is and what Christ has done for us.

Now most folks know the name of Jesus, but they don’t know what he did, they will swear and curse using the name of God, but if you ask them who is Jesus Christ, and what horrible thing has he done that you use his name as a curse? They will have no idea. But that won’t be the case, we will speak the name of Jesus one to another, knowing not only who He is but what He has done for us.

All will know the Lord, to say there from the least to the greatest, means that no one will be cut off from the Lord, for what Christ has done by opening the way to the father is opened the gates wide for all people. That we all have access to the Father through Him. It won’t just be for poor or rich, slave or free, jew or greek, male and female, will all have access to God by the blood Christ.

Now this is a big change from the way things were, before this when the priest offered up the blood of an animal, he could only go in for a short time, the ordinary people were not permitted to enter into the holy places for fear of God’s wrath coming against them. But by Christ’s perfect sacrifice and what He offered up, you and I have access to God.

That is why we can pray Our Father who art in heaven, it is why we can address our prayers straight to God. For Christ has opened the veil that prevented us from being able to come before him, because in Christ we now have peace with God.

What does that peace mean? What does it say there in v12, For I will be merciful toward their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more. What a blessed thing, that God does not treat us according to what our sins deserve, but rather shows us mercy, and that He will remember their sins no more. Do you know what that means?

That when Christ shed his blood for you, to forgive your sins, your sins are covered. There won’t be a long recitation holding over you all the wrongs that you have done, for Christ has covered them by His perfect life. When God looks at you He will not see your sins and imperfections, but rather God sees one that He loves. He will not remember our sins either.

Now this is something we long for in this life, our sins ever follow us. People remember our sins, hold grudges and use our sins against us, in fact we ourselves are tormented by them when we reflect and are reminded of the evils that we have done. No matter how many times we may hear they are forgiven or have brought them before the altar. We still remember our sins and they remain in our mind as we feel the guilt and shame. When those feelings begin to threaten you, for indeed it is good to lament our sins, and to reject them, but we can take comfort in this, What does God say? I will not remember their sins no more. They are as far gone from us as the east is from the west, and in Christ we have found healing.

So my brothers and sisters in Christ, when Jesus offered up himself, as the perfect sacrifice, not only did he open the way to the father through his blood, he also covered our sins, and we are now able to stand before God filled with joy. We still have a bit further to go on this earth before we leave the shadow of this world, but the day will come that we will stand before the Lord, and God will not see our sins, He will not remember them, He will see a child, his child whom he Loves and is overjoyed that you have come home. In Jesus name. Amen.