13: The Better Sacrifice (Hebrews 9:15-10:23)

On this Memorial Day weekend we are encouraged to remember those who have payed the ultimate price for our freedom. Blood has been spilled on our behalf and we should be a grateful people.

How appropriate that on this Memorial Day weekend we honor and remember the ONE who gave His life to give us freedom from sin and eternity with Him - the Lord Jesus - The Better Sacrifice.

Catch the Context

Last week we saw how Jesus offers a New Covenant and a Clean Conscience, as He is the fulfillment of all the Old Covenant shadows and symbols.

Jesus is the Light of the world who lights our path, as symbolized by the 7-branched lampstand.

Jesus is the Bread of Life who feeds us, as symbolized by the Table of Presentation Loaves.

Jesus is our High Priest, the mediator who intercedes for us, as symbolized by the altar of incense.

We finished the teaching being reminded that our Perfect, Permanent High Priest entered the place that the earthly tabernacle was only a shadow of - the Heavenly throne room of God!

Our Heavenly High Priest didn’t enter with the blood of unblemished animals, but with His own blood - shed for us - offering us a New Covenant and a Clean Conscience.

Jesus is Better! He is the Better High Priest, who offered the Better Sacrifice, who ushered in a Better Covenant.

But this Better, New Covenant that gives us a Clean Conscience…required a bloody sacrifice. Thousands of gallons of blood from sacrificial substitutes had been spilled over the years. During Passover, it is estimated that as many as 300,000 unblemished lambs were sacrificed at the Temple. That’s A LOT of BLOOD! [John F. MacArthur Jr., Hebrews, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983), 246–247.]

And most of the blood would travel down a trough from the Temple into the Kidron Valley. Here’s a picture I took as I stood in this area, considering this reality.

Why were these cleansing ceremonies so BLOODY? God wanted it to be abundantly clear,

that SIN brings DEATH. Sin destroys the soul and destroys relationships between God & people. Sin leads us to do the opposite of Loving God and Loving People. Sin causes us to dishonor God and devalue people made in His image.

Sin brings death. Every time an animal had its throat slit and the blood sprayed, and ran down into this valley, the people were reminded that Sin brings death.

But the seriousness of our sin and the graciousness of our God was put on full display when our Perfect, Permanent High Priest OFFERED HIMSELF, as the The Better Sacrifice! This reality is captured in an old Hymn called “There is a Fountain”. It goes like this.

There is a fountain filled with blood

Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;

And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,

Lose all their guilty stains.

SIN brings DEATH, but HIS DEATH brings LIFE…because Jesus is the Better Sacrifice! So, let’s dig in as we remember and honor the ONE who gave His life for us.

Hebrews 9:15a Therefore, He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance...

A mediator brings two parties together to make an agreement. Jesus is the mediator between God and man in this agreement (1 Tim 2:5-6), the New Covenant. This New Covenant carries the promise of the eternal inheritance. Most of us understand an inheritance as a promise that we can expect to receive in the future.

So WHAT is that promise, exactly? This eternal inheritance is eternal life, having been fully forgiven for our unholiness, by our Holy God. How could God forgive us for all of that?

Hebrews 9:15b ...because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

The death of Jesus has redeemed us - purchased us - payed for our transgressions and those who sinned against God under the first covenant. Think about how HUGE this is! The death of Jesus was powerful enough to pay for those who lived and sinned BEFORE He died, those who lived under the first covenant, the Old Covenant.

MacArthur writes:

The Old Testament sacrifices were not means of salvation, but marks of faithful obedience and symbols of the One Perfect Sacrifice that would be the means of salvation. [John F. MacArthur Jr., Hebrews, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983), 235.]

And 2000 years later, 6000 miles removed from where Jesus died on the cross - His death is STILL ENOUGH to pay for YOU and ME and give us an eternal inheritance!

Of course, that inheritance only becomes ours upon the death of the One who has put us in His will. The writer makes this same point here:

Hebrews 9:16–18 Where a will exists, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will is valid only when people die, since it is never in effect while the one who made it is living. That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood.

The author notes how bloody and messy the old sacrificial system was. All this blood was a reminder to everyone that Sin brings death.

Hebrews 9:19–20 For when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.

This was what Moses did at Mt. Sinai ( Exodus 24:7-8) when the people made covenant with Yahweh and agreed to follow His commands. Moses splattered calves’ blood on all the people. Just imagine the sight of all the blood that dripped and stained the clothes, skin, hair of the people.

And as we learned about last week, the tabernacle’s inner and outer furnishings (Ark & Altar) were splattered with blood of both bulls & goats.

Hebrews 9:21-22 In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood. According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The blood symbolized what sin earns… DEATH. Sin was never and is NOT NOW something that God winks at.

Sin brings death. While physical death is the result of original sin, death isn’t always referring to physical death. Sin Separates. When sin enters in, Purpose & Peace retreat; Relationships are wrecked.

Sin separates us from God. You can’t continue to live in sin and be right with God. If you live in sin and wonder where God is, there’s a reason. Remember when Adam and Eve sinned? They felt shame and guilt and ran FROM God rather than TO Him. That’s what has happened to so many of us. No amount of good works can atone for our sins against our Holy God. That’s why God had to do something about it…as we will talk more about in a moment.

Sin separates us from people. How many relationships have been decimated because sin has entered in - gossip & slander, lies, jealousy, pride. Sinful pride keeps people from SEEKING forgiveness and EXTENDING forgiveness to others.

Sin brings death - and that’s why substitute sacrifices had to die - to make payment for peoples’ sin.

Hebrews 9:23–24 Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that He might now appear in the presence of God for us.

Hebrews 9:25-26 He did not do this to offer Himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. Otherwise, He would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

The payment of Jesus is enough for all people in all places and all times who turn from their sin and TRUST that is PAID IN FULL!

If you sin today or tomorrow, Jesus isn’t going back to the cross. And contrary to what some might say, you and I ARE NOT crucifying Jesus all over again. It is finished! The final sacrifice has been made, never to be offered again!

Contrary to what Roman Catholics believe, a priest is not empowered to pull Jesus out of heaven to enter a wafer or a cup during the Eucharist/Communion - as if being crucified for our sins once again and then enter our bodies to bring us forgiveness....until next week - when we do it all over again.

In Communion - that we will celebrate next Sunday - we REMEMBER what Jesus has already done for us. We don’t REDO His death, we REMEMBER His death - ONE TIME For ALL TIME!

Hebrews 9:27-28 And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment— so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Many Jews misunderstood Jesus because they didn’t understand He was coming TWICE - 1st as the Suffering Servant, and then as the Conquering King. When Jesus returns He will bring judgment against His enemies, but He will bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Oh what a great day that will be!

We will be reunited with our loved ones who have passed on as we all receive renewed bodies - no more sin nature and no more sickness or death!

And we will SEE the ONE who gave His life to redeem us!

You can read more about Jesus’ return in Jn 5:28-29, 1 Cor 15:50-56, 1 Jn 3:2-3, and 1 Thes 4:13-18.

The author of Hebrews returns to his main focus - that Jesus is The Better Sacrifice.

Hebrews 10:1–4 Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year. Otherwise, wouldn’t they have stopped being offered, since the worshipers, purified once and for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Next, the author once again quotes from Psalms - this time from Ps 40:6-8, to show that Jesus came to FULFILL the Law - to fully obey all of the Father’s commands. NO ONE…NO PERSON had ever fulfilled that law. Every person who broken multiple commands multiple times. And then came Jesus.

Hebrews 10:5–7 Therefore, as He was coming into the world, He said: You did not desire sacrifice and offering, but You prepared a body for Me. You did not delight in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings. Then I said, “See— it is written about Me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, God.”

God didn’t want burnt offerings of substitute sacrifices - He wanted people to OBEY Him. But until this point, NO ONE had.

Hebrews 10:8–10 After He says above, You did not desire or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the law), He then says, See, I have come to do Your will. He takes away the first [covenant] to establish the second [covenant]. By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.

So, Jesus FULFILLED the Old Covenant Law, obeying the Father’s will in every way. Jesus didn’t need a sacrifice for Himself, because Jesus was sinless. Instead, the sinless One who had perfectly fulfilled the Old Covenant by doing the Father’s will, gave up His life so that we could be sanctified - set apart - made holy - in a New Covenant.

This priest and this sacrifice is BETTER than all others who came before.

Hebrews 10:11–12 Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. He is now waiting until His enemies are made His footstool [Ps 110:1] .

Hebrews 10:14-18 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after he says: This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, the Lord says, I will put my laws on their hearts and write them on their minds, and I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts. Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

There is NO NEED for any other sacrifice…Jesus has perfected forever those who are sanctified - set apart - made holy.

When Tonya had surgery we found out that 1 out of 3 lymph nodes had the cancer in it. Because of that, she had to go through 8 rounds of chemo and 34 rounds of radiation. We were grateful that the surgery took care of the most important cancer, but the ongoing treatments reminded us of the small fragment of cancer that had remained.

But finally, after all those treatments and checkups, there is NO MORE NEED for further treatments since the cancer is gone! And where there is NO CANCER, there is no need for further CHEMO or RADIATION.

In the same way, the cancer of sin has been REMOVED by Jesus! And where there is forgiveness, there is no longer the need for an offering for sin.

Hebrews 10:19–20 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus— He has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)—

Wait a second…in the Old Covenant, only 1 person could enter that place - only 1 day of the year. But by Jesus’ death the curtain was torn. The separation between our Holy God and unholy people has been removed! And because of the blood of Jesus makes US holy, we can enter the sanctuary - the Most Holy Place - in the Presence of God in the Throne Room of God - with WHAT? BOLDNESS!!!!

Hebrews 10:21–23 and since we have a Great High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since He who promised is faithful.

Are you still living in sin? You know where that leads…don’t you?

Sin brings death - separation from God and people. And while you might be able to do enough good things to make restore relationships with some folks, no amount of good actions can pay for your SIN against God…we’re too poor to pay.

Too Poor To Pay

In a rural village lived a doctor who was noted both for his professional skill and his devotion to Christ. After his death, his books were examined. Several entries had written across them in red ink: “Forgiven—too poor to pay.”

Unfortunately, his wife was of a different disposition. Insisting that these debts be settled, she filed a suit before the proper court.

When the case was being heard, the judge asked her, “Is this your husband’s handwriting in red?”

She replied that it was.

“Then,” said the judge, “not a court in the land can touch those whom he has forgiven.”

Kent Hughes then writes these powerful, true words:

“Jesus writes in bold crimson letters across our lives, “Forgiven!” No one can bring a charge against you that will stick in God’s courtroom.”

If you have turned from your sin and trusted Jesus, then your guilt has been forgiven because it was paid for by The Better Sacrifice.

Are YOU FORGIVEN?

Who are you TRUSTING? Are you trusting YOURSELF or will you bow your knee to Jesus?

Who are you TELLING? When’s the last time you cared enough to share Jesus with another person?

Or…maybe you have questions…so Who are you TALKING TO? We would LOVE to help!

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CALL OUR DEACONS

TALK WITH ANOTHER BELIEVER.

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