Hebrews Chapter 9
The Letter to the Hebre\ws • Sermon • Submitted
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· 9 viewsThe perfect tabernacle for the perfect sacrifice.
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We are citizens of two kingdoms - the kingdom of earth and the kingdom of Heaven. One we can see with our physical eyes, the other with the eyes of faith. We must see the invisible to navigate the through the distractions of life.
The principle of faith is applied to the tabernacle where Jesus ministers. We have never seen this tabernacle, but we have what the Bible tells us about it. God is not worshipped today in a temple made by human hands.
46 “David found favor in God’s sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.
47 “But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.
48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:
49 ‘Heaven is My throne,
And earth is the footstool of My feet;
What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord,
‘Or what place is there for My repose?
50 ‘Was it not My hand which made all these things?’
However, the people to whom this letter was originally written were raised with temple worship in a sanctuary that was made with human hands and constructed as a poor reflection of the Heavenly tabernacle. Hebrews 9 presents a comparison between the imperfect earthly tabernacle and the perfect heavenly one. It succeeds in making it clear that the Heavenly one if far superior.
Lets begin our study this morning by reading Hebrews 9:1-10 which describes the earthly tabernacle.
1 Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.
2 For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.
3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,
4 having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,
7 but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.
8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,
9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,
10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
The EarthlyTabernacle
The EarthlyTabernacle
The children of Israel worship in a succession of tabernacles, beginning with the portable one as the wandered through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. This tabernacle was an imperfect copy of the Heavenly tabernacle, where Moses and the High Priest could approach God and take the questions of the people to Him. They could also receive God’s instructions. God traveled with His people during their long journey. The same layout for the tabernacle was made into a permanent(?) temple by Solomon. Remember, God told Moses how to construct it and what materials to use. David laid aside the materials to build the temple, but was prevented by God from building it. His son Solomon completed the building...
The Holy of Holies was a place only the High Priest could enter. It contained the Arc of the Covenant, which represented the Throne of God. It contained the Tablets, and Omer of Manna, and Aaron’s budding staff. This is where the sacrifice was made for the sins of the priest first then the sins of the people.
Outside the Holy of Holies, beyond the veil, was the holy place. It contained the lampstand (Menorah), the alter of incense, the table of Showbread.
Outside the Holy place was the area for washing, for performing the ritual sacrifice of the bulls and sheep, Goats and pigeons.
Ezekiel chapter 40 describes a vision God gave Ezekiel on a new temple that would replace Solomon’s temple that was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzer in 586 B.C.
You can see the difference in size between the three temples, including Herod’s temple that stood at the time of Jesus, and at the writing of this letter.
The temple was the central focus of the Jewish faith and all jews were required by law to come to Jerusalem at least once per year to worship at the temple. The place where the temple stood is still a holy place for three major religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The temple Mount is sacred to all three and a contentious site. It contains the place where Abraham presented Isaac for sacrifice, although in Islam, it was Ishmael. Islam also teaches that Muhammad ascended into heaven from this point. It is also where the altar of Solomon’s Temple had stood, and the temple rebuild under the oversight of Ezra and then expanded by Herod. It is also held as the site of Araunah the Jebusite’s threshing-floor where David was instructed to build an altar
18 So Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
All that remains is the Western Wall: the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 68 A.D. and the Muslims built the Dome of the Rock on that site in 691 A.D.
The only problem is that the temple service was not a permanent solution for the sins of man. Thus the earthly tabernacle was a poor reflection of that perfect tabernacle in Heaven, which was not made by human hands.
Let us now return to Hebrews 9:11-15
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;
12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
The Heavenly Tabernacle
The Heavenly Tabernacle
In the earthly sanctuary, there were 5 deficiencies.
It was an earthly sanctuary (v. 1)
It was a faint reflection of the Heavenly One (vv. 2-5)
It was inaccessible to the people - only the High Priest. (vv. 6-7)
It was temporary (v. 8)
Its reach was external - not internal (vv. 9-10)
The five deficiencies are matched with 2 superiorities in these verses and 3 more in verses 16-28.
The true sanctuary is heavenly. (v. 11)
The earthly temple was built by man, as we spoke about earlier. When Christ appeared, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, created by God. The temple of Moses was made with material found on this earth, and thus subject to decay and destruction. The heavenly tabernacle was not created by this material. Thus it will not decay and will stand forever!
It can effectively deal with sin - once for all (vv. 12-15)
The earthly sacrifice was made up of the blood of goats and calves and the ashes of heifers. Thes can only cleanse the outside and for a limited time. Our writer will go into the inferiority of animal sacrifice in chapter 10, but is laying the groundwork here. We know that the blood of Christ is far superior to that of animals. How can the death of an animal solve the problem of human sin? It can only cover over it for a while.
Jesus Christ became man specifically to die for the sins of man, voluntarily! I doubt and animal volunteered for sacrifice.
The animals blood was carried to the Holy of Holies by the high priest, but Jesus carried himself to the cross.
Animal sacrifices had to be repeated every year. Christ sacrificed Himself once for all.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
The blood of Christ satisfied the debt owed by the sins of all mankind for all time.
Continuing in Hebrews 9:16-28
16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.
17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.
18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.
19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.”
21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.
22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.
26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
The final 3 superiorities from these verses are
3. The ministry fo the Heavenly Tabernacle is based upon a costly sacrifice (vv. 16-23)
We can think of a covenant as a last will and testament. It is only in force when a man dies. Until that time, it can be changes. Afterward, it is complete. Jesus Christ had to die for the New Covenant to be put into place. Jesus said at the last supper:
20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.
Verses 19-21 is taken from Exodus 24:3-8
3 Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!”
4 Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 He sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the Lord.
6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!”
8 So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
In the old testament, people and things were purified by blood, water or fire.
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to battle, “This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded Moses:
22 only the gold and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin and the lead,
23 everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean, but it shall be purified with water for impurity. But whatever cannot stand the fire you shall pass through the water.
24 “And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may enter the camp.”
This was Ceremonial cleansing. It meant people and object were clean enough to be presented before the Lord. It did not change the nature of the people or objects. God’s requirement is that blood must be shed for the forgiveness of sin.
11 ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’
Since God ordained that remission of sins is through the shedding of blood and purification comes through the sprinkling of blood, it is necessary that blood be shed for the New Covenant is it is to be effective. The Old Covenant tabernacle was purified by a sprinkling of blood. The New Covenant was not only purified by the sprinkling of the Blood of Christ, but the heart of the believer is also purified.
The nature of the people under the Old Covenant was not changed by the sprinkling of animal blood, temporarily covering over their sins. But the nature of the New Covenant believer is changed by the sprinkling of the Blood of Christ. And, it does not have to be repeated!
Only the High Priest could enter into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood of the animals. You, however can enter into the holiest of holies by the blood of Jesus Christ!
The Old covenant was established by Blood. Thus the New Covenant had to be established by blood. But, the New covenant was established by a better, more perfect sacrifice in a better, more perfect place.
This was a far more costly sacrifice. And it is eternal - Once for All.
The heavenly tabernacle is permanent - it has no need of replacing and will suffer no decay. The earthly tabernacle was replaced by Solomon’s temple, destroyed by the Babylonians, rebuilt by Ezra, expanded by Herod, destroyed by the Romans and replaced by the Muslims with an un-jewish monument. The site has been fought over for centuries. The eastern gate of the city of Jerusalem has been “boarded up” and a grave yard has been constructed outside of it to stop the return of the Messiah.
But nothing can stop Him. He is not dependent upon these building of man, these shadows of the true temple, the Heavenly Tabernacle, not made with human hands.
Even if the earthly tabernacle is reclaimed by the Jews and the temple rebuilt, the genealogical records have been destroyed and they do not know who is a descendent of Aaron and thus able to claim the role of High Priest.
We have a High Priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. He is eternal!
And that brings us to our final point of superiority:
5. It ministry is final and complete (vv. 25-28)
There is nothing incomplete or temporary about our Lord’s ministry in Heaven. Contrasting the Old and New covenants:
Old Covenant New Covenant
Repeated sacrifices One sacrifice
The blood of others His own blood
Covering sin Putting away sin
For Israel only For all sinners
Left the holy of holies Entered heaven and remains there
Came out to bless the people Will come to take His people to heaven
The work of Christ is final and complete, John writes
30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
Christ appeared to put away sin by dying on the cross - Justification!
26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Christ is appearing right now in Heaven on our behalf - Sanctification!
24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
Christ will appear to take us home - Glorification!
28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
It is just as He promised. There is no middle ground. You have a choice to make, just like the recipients of this letter.
Will you choose Heaven or earth? The temporary or the eternal? The incomplete or the complete. Can you enjoy the best of both worlds?
No! There is no compromise! That is what the world is demanding of us today!
Our sanctuary is in Heaven. Our father is in Heaven. Our Savior is in Heaven.
Our citizenship is in Heaven
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
Our treasure is in Heaven
20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
We will walk by faith and not by sight, no matter what happens, no matter the cost. We can be confident in the finished work of Christ.