By His Own Blood
Notes
Transcript
Read: Hebrews 9:11-28
Read: Hebrews 9:11-28
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. 18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. 21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Introduction:
Introduction:
Two missionary doctors working in India, both surgeons, were frustrated by the unwillingness of most Indians to donate blood. To the Indians, blood was life, and they couldn’t get past the idea of sacrificing any of their precious life-force. Parents were often even unwilling to donate blood to save the lives of their own children. One day a 12 year-old girl was brought into their hospital suffering from a severely diseased lung that needed to be removed immediately. The surgery would require at least three pints of blood. Fortunately, the girl was an AB+ blood type, a “universal recipient,” meaning that she could receive the blood of any donor, regardless of type. But the hospital had only two pints of blood on hand, so they needed one more from the family. After learning this and conferring together, the family pooled their money and offered to buy the additional pint.
Dr. Reeve Betts, one of the surgeons,explained that there was no blood to be bought, and that if the family didn’t provide it themselves they might as well take the girl back home to die. So the family huddled once again, and finally they pushed forward a frail old woman weighing under 100 pounds, the smallest and weakest member of the family.
Dr. Betts looked around at the healthy, well-fed men who’d made that decision, and he lost his temper. In his broken Tamil dialect he berated the dozen or so other family members, jabbing his finger back and forth from the strong men to the frail old woman. They cowered in the face of his anger, but even then no one stepped forward.
Finally, Reeve rolled up his own sleeve and told his colleague, Dr. Paul Brand, “I can’t stand by and let that girl die. Take my blood.” The family fell silent and watched in awe as Paul cuffed his arm, slipped the needle into his vein, and the rich, red flow of blood spurted into the bottle. A collective “ahhh,” sound arose from among the family members, and Reeve heard them saying, “Look, the sahib doctor is giving his own life.” It was an act of sacrificial love in their eyes, one that witnessed to them more than any sermon ever could have, and it saved that young girl’s life.
It is true the Bible is a bloody book. Someone has said, “You can cut the Bible anywhere and it will bleed.”
Many of our hymns speak of the Blood We sing “Nothing but the Blood”
In the Old Testament, there’s a “scarlet thread” running from the blood of Abel to the circumcision of Abraham and every Jewish male thereafter, to the blood of the Passover on the doorposts of Israel’s homes, to the sprinkling with blood of the altar and all of its elements of worship, including the scrolls of Scripture--and even the sprinkling with blood of all the people on the most consecrated occasions. The old covenant was sealed in blood.
All of the innocent blood shed through the centuries, including the lives of literally more than a million animals sacrificed at the Temple--bulls, cattle, oxen, goats and sheep, and even pigeons and doves for those too poor to won livestock (like Joseph and Mary)--all of that tragic shed blood was a vivid prelude to what God would do in the sacrifice of his Son to forge a new covenant, sealed in his own sacred blood.
Our writer of Hebrews is trying to remind us of this great truth.
Heb. 9 is full of great truths on the importance of how to approach God and how God approached us. I have divided it this way:
The Relics of Worship Heb. 9:1-5
This talks about the various rooms and furniture in the tabernacle.
The Regulations for Worship Heb. 9:6-10
This section discusses some of the offerings and sacrifices of their worship.
He explains why the day of atonement was only one day a year Heb. 9:8 “The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:”
The Righteousness in Worship Heb. 9:11-28
This is what I want to talk to you about this morning -
Look at Heb. 9:10 It talks about all the Old Covenant could do.
10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
I like that last part, “imposed on them until the time of reformation”
The author is saying the Law was good but needed reformed: needed a change -
As far as I can tell this is the only place this word is used in the Bible. It speaks of improving and existing system making striking change. And certainly it was a change. It was a change of order of priesthood, it was a change in worship, it was a change in tabernacle, it was a change in blood.
Then look at the next verse Heb. 9:11 “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle
Going on into Heb. 9:12 “neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
Now I want to stop here for a moment - Just this morning in my personal devotions I read Numbers 29. Now I won’t go into all the details but it gives the sacrifical details of the feat of Tabernacles or Booths.
This was to be a joyful time usually held around our October. According to prophecy it will be a major feast held during the Milliniunm.
This feast was the last in the Jewish year and is the longest feast lasting eight days
They were to continue the daily morning and evening sacrifices but every day were to sacrifice a large amount of animals. In total there were 71 young bulls sacrificed, plus for seven of these 8 days they were to also include 2 Rams and 14 lambs in addition to a goat for a sin offering.
With my addition we are already at 167 animals sacrificed.
Then on the eighth day things changed a little:
One bull
One ram
Seven lambs
one goat for a sin offering
Why is all of this important?
I’m glad you asked -
All of the blood that was shed during just this one feast would have been to me unimaginable. My brother Jeff, used to be a butcher. He was really good at it. You don’t often think about it but that is an art.
I remember him coming home and telling us about the horrors of being on the slaughter floor though. He didn’t like working there. It used to bother him. You can’t keep it all neat and tidy and clean - and I’m sure this wasn’t the prettiest of sights either. But all of it - every single sacrifice, every single drop of blood was necessary.
But even then look at what the author says: He writes all of this was a symbol Hebrews 9:9-10
9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
But then reformation came - the Change that was needed came:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
I love this look at the next verse
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Look on at verse 26 - He would have had to suffer over and over but I like that last part of the verse
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Now Dr. Betts did an amazing act of sacrifice and bravery. But all he did was roll up his sleeve and give a little blood. Jesus did more than roll up his sleeve - he gave Himself to be an offering for sin.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
He didn’t just roll up his sleeve - he gave all that He had, and it took every single drop, every single bit of pain he suffered, every thing he endured was a necessity because of our sin.
Here we are approaching Easter - but often in our rush to get to the resurrection we bypass Calvary - We have to remember there would be no empty tomb if there were no Old Rugged Cross. I want us to go from here this morning remembering just how important the cross is to us - how importatn the blood of Jesus Christ is for our salvation.
But I also want us to remember “THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD”
It redeems
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
The Blood Brings us Near
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
“I must needs go home by the way of the cross, there’s no other way but this. I can ne’er catch sigh of the gaes of light if the way of the cross I miss.”
The Blood makes Peace
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Only the blood of Jesus Christ can make peace and bring us into a right relationship with Christ.
The Blood Cleasnes
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Jesus bowed His head, and Jesus said, “It IS FINISHED” and He died and in that moment HIS BLOOD BECAME EFFICACIOUS TO
REDEEM
TO BRING US NEAR
MAKE PEACE
CLEANSE
Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive A. It Redeems
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, said, “When that blood fell to the ground beneath that cross, it fell on the dust, and the dust said to the grass, “It is finished!” And the grass said to the shrubs, “It is finished!” And the shrubs said to the trees, “It is finished!” And the trees said to the leaves on the trees, “It is finished!” And the leaves said to the birds in those trees, “It is finished!” And those birds flew up to the clouds and said, ‘It is finished!” And the clouds ascended to the stars and said, “It is finished!” And the stars went into the throne room and said, “It is finished!” It is paid in full. It is done. It is done.
The cleansing stream I see, I see;
I plunge, and O it cleanseth me!
O praise the Lord it cleanseth me!
It cleanseth me, yes, cleanseth me.
If you have never been to the Fountain filled with blood - I urge you to plunge in and wash all your sins away.