Hebrews 9:22-28

Hebrews 9:1–22 (NLT)

That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.

When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.

This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.

That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.” And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

We are at the Heart of Hebrews

The Primary Focus of the Book is On the High Priesthood of Jesus

And Because of His High Priesthood, We Ought to Remain Faithful to Him

Because Jesus is Superior

And Without Him We Have No Hope of Eternal Glory

The Author Begins Chapter 9 with Giving Us Some Details About the OT Tabernacle…

And the Services Provided By the High Priest

His Ministry Provided Forgiveness for the Sins of the People

But it Couldn’t Cleanse the Conscience of the People

Conscience is the Awareness of Sin and Guilt

The People Were Made Aware of Their Sin Every Year

The Old System Couldn’t Provide Perfect/Complete Forgiveness

But One of the Promises of the New Covenant…

Was that Sin Would Be Remembered No More

No More Awareness; No More Guilt; No More Sin

This is What High Priest Jesus Offers

He Entered the True Tabernacle of Heaven with His Own Blood…

To Perfectly Cleanse and Mediate for His People

That Leads Us to Where We Left Off:

Hebrews 9:22 (NASB95)

And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The Hebrew Author Lays Down 2 Things for Us

Almost All Things are Purified with Blood

And There is No Forgiveness Without the Shedding of Blood

Do You Ever Wonder Why that is?

Why Must There Be Bloodshed for Sins to Be Forgiven?

Leviticus 17:11 (NASB95)

‘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.’

From the Very Beginning We See the Principle that Paul Tells Us in Romans 6:23:

“The Wages/Pay/Earnings of Sin is Death”

The Only Way to Pay for Our Sin is Death

We Can Only Pay with Our Lives

And the Life of the Flesh is in the Blood

But God has Allowed Us to Have Sacrifices for Our Sins

Instead of Us Dying, We Can Pass the Punishment for Our Sin On to an Animal…

And Let Them Take the Death that We Deserve

But Animal Blood was Never Good Enough to Fully Cleanse Us of Our Guilt

So God Then Gave Jesus to Die the Death We Deserve

And His Blood Sacrifice is Enough to Pay for Our Sins for All Time

We’ve Accrued a Debt of Sin Which We Can Only Pay Back with Our Lives/Blood

But Jesus Payed Off Our Debt for Us in His Death

Because of His Death, Our Sins Were Atoned for

And Because of His Resurrection, Ascension, and High Priesthood…

Our Sins Continue to Be Atoned for All Day Everyday…

Because He is Still in the Most Holy Place Mediating/Interceding for Us

Hebrews 9:23–28 (NLT)

That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.

For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hebrews 9:23 (NASB95)

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.

The Earthly Tabernacle, the Copy of the Heavenly Dwelling Place of God…

Was Cleansed with Animal Blood

But the True Tabernacle Needed to Be Cleansed with a Better Sacrifice

But What Does it Mean that the Heavenly Things Needed to Be Cleansed?

Before Jesus’ Sacrifice, Did Heaven Need to Be Cleansed?

There are a Lot of Different Interpretations as to What this Means

Here are Couple:

Jesus’ Blood was Used as a Preparatory Cleansing

So that We Sinful and Defiled People May Approach His Throne of Grace Without Defiling it

The Heavenly Things that Jesus’ Blood Cleansed is Referring to Us as God’s New Tabernacle/Temple

We Were Defiled and Therefore God Couldn’t Live in Us

But Jesus’ Blood Cleansed Us and Made Us Holy so God Could Take Up Residence in Us

I Believe the 2nd Interpretation Makes More Sense Considering the Context

What has the Author Spent Considerable Time Saying Jesus’ Sacrifice Cleansed?

The Consciences of His People

All of the Items in the Tabernacle Were for the Purpose of Worship

They Needed to Be Purified in Order for Proper Worship to Take Place

In a Similar Way, Our Consciences Must Be Cleansed in Order to Properly Worship God

We are Supposed to Come to the Throne of Grace in Boldness

How Can We Approach God with Boldness Without a Clear Conscience?

Proper Worship to God Requires Cleansing of Sin

But it Also Requires the Acknowledgement of Being Clean

This All Ties in With One of the Primary Themes of Hebrews:

Having Confidence in Christ

Knowing that Jesus and His Ministry are Enough to Save Us

Hebrews 9:24 (NASB95)

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;

Jesus Entered the True Most Holy Place/Heaven, in the Presence of God…

For Us!

That’s the Point of All this High Priesthood Talk

Jesus’ Priesthood is All for Us

Hebrews 9:25–26 (NASB95)

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. 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.

Jesus Only Had to Enter Heaven Once

He Only Had to Offer Himself as a Sacrifice Once

And Through His Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension…

Jesus Has Brought About the Consummation/Completion/End of the Ages

We are Living in the Time that All History has Been Pointing to

The Last Days Before All Things are Restored

In this Age (Messianic/Kingdom Age) He has Removed Sin Through His Sacrifice

Hebrews 9:27–28 (NASB95)

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 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.

Jesus Appeared Once to Remove Sin Through His Sacrifice

We Will All Die Once

Jesus Offered Himself Once to Take Away Our Sins

And He Will Appear a 2nd Time to Save Those Who Were Eagerly Waiting for His Return

As Sure as We Will All Die Once…

Jesus’ Sacrificial Offering Takes Away Our Sin

As Sure as We Will All Die Once…

Jesus Will Return to Rescue Those Who’ve Placed Their Faith in Him

Judgement Day is Not a Day to Fear if You are a Christian

It is the Day of Salvation

This Paints a Picture for Us of the Day of Atonement Under the Old System

Our High Priest has Entered the Most Holy Place to Make Atonement for Our Sins

And Now We are Waiting for His Return From Behind the Veil to Know Assuredly that We are Atoned For

Invitation

James 1:21 (NASB95)

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

“Therefore” = What’s About to Be Said is Going to Add to What was Already Said

Listen More

Speak Less

And Don’t Have a Short Temper

Control Your Anger; Don’t Let Your Anger Control You

Because That Will Never Produce the Righteousness of God

Keeping that in Mind, Put Aside All Filthiness

“Put Aside” = To Take Off and Put Away

Like Taking Off Dirty Clothes and Putting Them Away, Never to Wear Them Again

“All Filthiness” = Every Moral Uncleanness

Take Off and Put Away for Good Every Moral Uncleanness

“And All that Remains of Wickedness” = “And the Abundance of Evil”

“Take Off and Put Away Every Moral Uncleanness and Abundance of Evil”

In Simple Terms:

Get Rid of Your Sinful Ways!

“In Humility” = “In Gentleness”

“Receive the Word Implanted”

“Accept the Implanted Message of the Gospel”

The Gospel is Like a Seed that is Deeply Implanted in the Soil of the Listeners Heart

Only a Humble/Gentle Heart Will Accept the Gospel

“Which is Able to Save Your Souls”

The Gospel has the Ability to Save Your Life

Here’s What We Learn From James 1:21

Keeping in Mind that Anger Will Never Lead to the Righteousness of God…

Take Off and Throw Away All Your Immoral Ways and Abundance of Wickedness

Instead, With a Humble Heart, Accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ that has Been Implanted in Your Heart

Because if You Accept it, it Will Rescue You and Give You Life in the Age to Come

Are You Allowing Anger, Immorality, and Wickedness to Control and Cover You?

Take All of That Off and Throw it in the Trash…

And Humble Yourself Instead

Humility Doesn’t Lead to Anger, Filthiness, or Wickedness

Humility Leads to Accepting Jesus as King of Heaven and Earth and Submitting to Him

When You Do That, You Will Be Given Life in the Age to Come