So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
  
A.W. Pink –

The condition of the natural man is far, far worse than he imagines, and far worse than the average preacher and Sunday school teacher supposes. Man is a fallen creature, totally depraved, with no soundness in him from the sole of his foot even unto the head (Isa. 1:6). He is completely under the dominion of sin (John 8:34), a bond-slave to divers lusts (Titus 3:3), so that he “cannot cease from sin” (2 Pet. 2:14). Moreover, the natural man is thoroughly under the dominion of it.

The Sufferings of this Present Time

Romans 8:18-25

 (This lesson is adapted from sermons and commentaries by John MacArthur, http://www.gty.org and John Piper, http://www.desiringgod.org)

This week, I was deeply moved by several tragedies that ranged from something I watched on television to something very close to home.

I want to attempt to answer from God’s Word, why do the sufferings of this present time exist?

Romans 8:18-25

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

John Piper describes how he has seen so much suffering and death from cancer and other illnesses during his life and ministry as a pastor and then describes how he wants to deal with it before his church…

What shall we say to these things? Something must be said because sickness and death are threats to faith in the love and power of God. And I regard it as my primary responsibility as a pastor to nourish and strengthen faith in the love and power of God. There is no weapon like the Word of God for warding off threats to faith. And so I want us to listen carefully today to the teaching of Scripture regarding Christ and cancer, the power and love of God over against the sickness of our bodies.

Piper goes on in that sermon to give what he calls his “six affirmations which sum up my theology of sickness.” I want to adapt five of his six affirmations this morning as we look at this passage and what I believe God is saying to us, through His Word, about the sufferings of this present age.

1. All Creation Has Been Subjected to Futility v. 20

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope

As part of creation, man is under the righteous sentence of god for our sin. From Genesis chapter three forward, we have rebelled against God and are caught in a loop of futility.

Futility – uselessness as a consequence of having no practical result

“futility” (from Greek) – the idea of being without success, of being unable to achieve a goal or purpose.

John MacArthur – “Because of man’s sin, no part of nature now exists as God intended it to be and as it orginally was.”

Our bodies are subject to this futility as part of creation, because as verse 23 puts it we “groan inwardly” as we wait for the deliverance from our sinful bodies. This futility or the corruption is for us both spiritual and physical. Sin affects our eternal, spiritual destination, but it also affects or afflicts our physical bodies in this present age, ie., the “sufferings” that Paul refers to in verse 18.

2 Corinthians 4:16 – So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

So, “All Creation Has Been Subjected to Futility” including our physical bodies…

2. There is a Day of Deliverance to Come vv. 21, 23

21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

The present sufferings of this age will not last for the children of God; for those adopted as his own.

Philippians 3:20-21

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

1 Corinthians 15:52 – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

Revelation 21:4 – He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

The day is coming when there will be no more death and illness; no more suffering and agony of dying.

3. Christ Served as our Redeemer and as our Model v. 24

 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

In this regard, John Piper says Jesus Christ came to this earth and died to do three things…

“…to purchase our redemption, to demonstrate the character of that redemption as both spiritual and physical, and to give us a foretaste of it. He purchased our redemption, demonstrated its character, and gave us a foretaste of it.”

1 Peter 2:24 – He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

We may or may not experience the blessing of healing in this life, but, if we serve Him as Lord, we will know those blessings in the life to come. We will be healed. The only question is when?

We must remember that Jesus did not heal everyone that He came in contact with who was sick. He did not raise all the dead. That was not His mission as He walked this earth. Jesus’ mission was to die on the cross purchasing redemption for us who are held captive by the corruption of sin so that we might be ultimately and finally delivered from the affects of our sin.

But, what about those of our day who claim you can be healed now if you simply have enough faith?

John Piper –

God can and does heal the sick now in answer to our prayers. But not always. The miracle mongers of our day, who guarantee that Jesus wants you well now and heap guilt after guilt on the back of God’s people asserting that the only thing between them and health is unbelief, have failed to understand the nature of God’s purposes in this fallen age. They have minimized the depth of sin and the cruciality of God’s purifying chastening and the value of faith through suffering and they are guilty of trying to force into this age what God has reserved for the next.

We must remember that the deliverance of Christ came only at His death and He is our modeling in how we should live this life. He is our redeemer and our model.

This next point is very difficult…

4. God Uses All Suffering for the Good of His People v. 20

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope

We go back to verse 20 and see something revealing that we skipped over. Who subjected creation to futility?

If God is truly sovereign, then He controls who gets sick and who gets well, but this is not some arbitrary decision on His part. God does this for the good of His children. It can and is painful. It may be prolonged. But, it is in His plan for the good of His people.

Look at a couple of passages that show us this principle…

Exodus 4:11 (God speaking to Moses after he did not want to go speak to Pharaoh)

Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

Deuteronomy 32:39 – See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

Yes, Satan is our enemy, but he operates only by the permission of God. You will recall that Job recognized that God brought both the blessing and allow the suffering in his life. In Job 2:10, Scripture acknowledges the fact that it is no sin to attribute this suffering to God’s hand even though Satan may be it’s immediate cause.

Hebrews 12:5-11

5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

God uses all our sickness, persecution and sufferings to bring us toward holiness and cause us to rely on Him, the only One who can ultimately deliver us.

Romans 8:28 – “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”

God Uses All Suffering for the Good of His People…

5. We Should Pray for Healing Power and Always Trust the Goodness of His Sustaining Grace vv. 18, 25

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Many Christians ask the question, if God is ultimately in control of what happens, what should I pray for someone to be healed?

John Piper -

…we should therefore pray for God’s help both to heal and to strengthen faith while we are unhealed. It is fitting that a child ask his father for relief in trouble. And it is fitting that a loving Father give his child only what is best. And that he always does: sometimes healing now, sometimes not. But always, always what is best for us.

We do not always know what is best for us. We do not know what is for our ultimate good. But, we should know that there is One who does know and that’s why we go to Him. You may remember from 2 Corinthians, chapter 12 that Paul prayed to God three times for “a thorn in his flesh” to be removed, but God did not grant him that prayer. Instead, the Lord assured him that His grace and power would be sufficient to carry Paul through that suffering and to enable him to accomplish what God had set before him.

As verse 18 of Romans 8 tells us, there is something to come beyond the sufferings of this present time that will make them insignificant by comparison. God will reveal His glory to us in full and all the sufferings and the memory of those sufferings will rush away from our minds. Until then, as verse 25 tells us, we wait for that sure hope with patience. Patience that doesn’t come from ourselves, but comes from the goodness of God and His all sufficient, sustaining grace.

I want us to go back to Romans 8 and finish that chapter as a reminder of God’s love and grace that will sustain us through the sufferings of this present age and allow us to comfort those brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering even today.

Romans 8:26-39

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 11:20-29 – Four More Faithful Servants of God

 (This lesson is adapted from sermons and commentaries by John MacArthur, http://www.gty.org and J. Ligon Duncan, http://www.fpcjackson.org)

When we left chapter 10, the final verse in that chapter offered both the introduction and purpose of chapter 11…

Hebrews 10:39 – But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

This is the “connector” if you will to chapter 11. The writer has spent most of his effort in Hebrews up to that point making the case for the supremacy of Jesus Christ. But, in verse 39 of chapter 10, he prepares his readers for a challenge; a personal challenge. The statement is one of confidence, yet it is a challenge…a standard to live up to.

“we [all of us who are believers] are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed…”

That’s who we’re not…we’re not faking it; we don’t have a false commitment; we are not going to fall away or shrink back.

Who are we?

We are “of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” We will not fall away because we are truly saved by the grace of God and He will preserve our souls from the judgment for our sins.

This is also a similar encouragement to something we saw in chapter 6…

Hebrews 6:9-12

9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

That’s who the writer of Hebrews wants them and us by extension to be. We should imitate the true believers who have persevered to the end. Now, having encouraged these true believers, he offers up chapter 11 as examples of those who have faith and preserve their souls to the end.

J. Ligon Duncan – “…a gigantic illustration of those who have faith to the persevering of the soul, a phrase we found in verse 39 of chapter 10. The author gives us illustration after illustration of those who persevered in faith. They finished the race. They fought the good fight. They were faithful even in the midst of trials.”

So, this morning we continue on looking at those who are examples to us of faithfulness to God. Men and women who had complete assurance of inheriting what God had promised from long ago and was, in fact, yet to come about. Today, we look at four of those faithful servants and see how their lives should inspire and motivate us to walk daily in faith before the Lord.

Hebrews 11:20-29

20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.

This morning we will look briefly at each of these faithful men: Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses.

1. Isaac – obedient to God concerning his family. v. 20        

By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.

The writer of Hebrews makes a very short and simple statement about Isaac’s obedience, but it is extremely important. His sole focus is on the one act of Isaac in relation to instructions given by God. He obeyed the Lord and blessed Jacob and Esau just as God directed him to do. He did this in faith trusting that God would do what He promised. But, it wasn’t quite that simple…

What is particular about Isaac’s blessings of his two sons?

Genesis 25:21-23

21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”

But, what do we know about Isaac and his sons? Who did he favor?

Yet, the Lord worked in this situation to bring about the accomplishment of His purposes. As you go on in Genesis, you see the story unfold and Isaac does everything possible not to bless Jacob as God commanded. Yet, in the end, he obeys God; trusts in God by faith and blesses Jacob and Essau as God told him to do.

J. Ligon Duncan – “…the point of this passage is that by faith Isaac believed the revelation which God made to him concerning the future destinies of Esau and Jacob. There came a point where even Isaac relented and embraced what God had said in His word.”

2. Jacob – trusting in God until the very end. v. 21  

By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.

Interestingly, this is another incident of a father blessing his son and his son’s sons. However, the writer is careful to point out that Jacob did this as an act of worship to God. Let’s look at the passage in Genesis…

Jacob [also calledIsrael] is blessing Joseph and his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Just like with Jacob and Essau, according to God’s plan, the younger is blessed first over the older brother. After he had blessed them, he said this to Joseph…

Genesis 48:21 - Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.

This is at the end of Jacob’s life, yet as an act of worship before the God who has delivered him and kept His promises, he now blesses Joseph and his sons. Why does he do this? Because he believes the promises of God. He believes that the day will come when the Lord will deliver his people back to the promised land and God will do it according to His plan not according to human wisdom. This is in the same way that God choose to bless the younger over the older brother.

3. Joseph – planning for the fulfillment of God’s promises. v. 22

By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

What is the first thing that strikes you about Joseph’s actions here at the end of his life?

He believed that God would make good on His promise to return the nation ofIsraelto the promised land. He so much believed in that promise that he acting as if he knew it was going to happen.

What instructions did he leave that demonstrated the strength of his belief? Of his faith?

He wanted his bones taken back to the promised land. He’s at the end of his life and he focuses on what’s most important to him, that is making sure that his descendants, the people of God, continued to focus, plan and prepare for the return to the promised land. Let’s look at the scene in the very last words of the book of Genesis…

Genesis 50:24-26

24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Look at his faith in God’s promise…verse 24 “God will visit you and bring you up out of this land…” and verse 25 “God will surely visit you…” Joseph knew, proof positive, that it would happen because God said it.

How did the people react to Joseph’s words…verse 26 “…they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin…” It sounds as if they were preparing for God to fulfill His promises as well.

J. Ligon Duncan – “…they trusted God to the end for promises that were not ultimately fulfilled and as the author of Hebrews is going to say at the very end of Hebrews 11, will not ultimately be fulfilled until all the people of God are gathered in, because they trusted God for those things, they were exemplary models for us in the practice of faith. And so he holds that sort of spiritual vision of faith before us.“

Do we have that kind of faith in the promises of God?

4. Moses – standing against the world by obeying God. v. 22

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.

This passage is packed full on wonderful lessons about Moses faith, but because of time, I will hit each one briefly.

Verse 23 – we see the faith of Moses’ parents. They completely trusted that God would deliver their baby from the killing hands of the king’s army. The irony in that Moses would grow up in that same Pharaoh’s house.

Verses 24-26 – As a young man, Moses refused to be associated with the worldly system represented by Pharaoh’s house. He wanted to identify himself with God’s people because that’s where he belonged. He could have had all the power and riches of Pharaoh, but he knew this was not right in God’s sight. He also chose to suffer the enslavement of God’s people. He choose the life of a slave over the life of ease. This identification even looked forward to the suffering of Christ.

Verse 27 – It tells us that Moses faith was looking forward to eternal life (end of verse 26 as well) and that he had no fear of human rulers only fear of God.

Verse 28 – Moses was completely obedient to God in carrying out His instructions for the Passover and thus saving God’s people from death.

Verse 29 – His faith in God’s Word allowed him to lead the people ofIsraelthrough the middle of a sea that God had miraculously parted. 

One of the key things to notice about Moses actions in all of these situations is how what he did was always related to God’s word to him. He acted because of what God said to him.

J. Ligon Duncan – “Faith is not in faith, faith in not believing as hard as we can something that we thought up in our mind. Faith is responding to God’s word; and, of course, in this case faith also involved looking for a reward and fearing God above everyone else.”

So, what do these four men teach us by their examples?

To me, it all goes back to what we read earlier in Hebrews 6:12, “so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

These examples should motivate us to persevere in the faith.

Hebrews 10:26-39 – The Danger of Not Holding Fast

 (This lesson is adapted from sermons and commentaries by John MacArthur, http://www.gty.org and J. Ligon Duncan, http://www.fpcjackson.org)

This week we move to Hebrews 10:26-39, a passage about which much has been written.

J. Ligon Duncan says that it is “a passage with very stern warnings.”

John MacArthur says about these verses are “the negative response to the New Covenant.”

A.W. Pink says about this passage…

…one of the most solemn and fear-inspiring passages to be found not only in this epistle, but in all the Word of God. May the Holy Spirit fit each of our hearts to approach it in that godly trembling which becomes those who have within their own hearts the seeds of apostasy. Let it be duly considered at the outset that the verses which are now to be before us were addressed not to those who made no profession of being genuine Christians, but instead, unto them whom the Spirit of truth owned as “holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling” (Heb. 3:1).

I felt lead to entitle this lesson, “The Danger of Not Holding Fast.”

Look back with me to one of our verses from last week…

Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

This verse is closely related to Hebrews 3:14, “For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”

What is the “original confidence” or the “confession of our hope?”

This is what we believed at the beginning. It is what we believed went God, by His Holy Spirit, called us to Himself through His Son. It is the truth of the Gospel that was declared to us and for the first time, God opened the eyes of our heart so that we could see ourselves for what we really are and be drawn to the only solution to our dilemma; the only hope to escape the righteous judgment of God.

Remember who these believers are…the first century Jewish Christians who were beginning to feel the heat of persecution and were tempted to turn away from the Gospel truth and return to the perceived safety of the Jewish community. The writer of Hebrews begs them…”don’t do it!” “Hold fast to the truth of the Gospel.”

Beginning in verse 26, the writer begins to answer the question, “what happens if you’re not holding fast to the confession of your hope? What happens if I don’t live out what I confess to believe?

Hebrews 10:26-39

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37 For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; 38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”

39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

This morning, I want us to look at four key points related to the consequences of not holding fast.

1. There are eternal consequences for not holding fast and sinning deliberately. vv.26-27

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

There is a distinct danger in failing to hold fast to the truth of the Gospel and sinning deliberately.

What does it mean to “go on sinning deliberately?” Two important points to remember:

    1) There are no sinless Christians.                                                                         1 John 1:8/10 – 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

            2) If any believer sins, God’s grace is sufficient to cover those sins.

1 John 1:9/2:1-2 – 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

As the writer of Hebrews has said so many times, forgiveness can no longer be found in the sacrificial system because Jesus has become our once for all time sacrifice. It’s important to understand that the writer of Hebrews is addressing the specific sin here of rejecting or sinning against the work of Jesus on the cross. Through verse 31, he is referring to rejection of Christ as our all sufficient sacrifice. These are the people he is speaking to…

J. Ligon Duncan -

This is basically a person who has made a profession of faith in Christ and yet who at some point has decided that the work of Christ is not necessary for them in order to enjoy fellowship with God forever and they have deliberately and despicably utterly rejected the sacrifice of Christ for them.  They have turned their back on Christ and returned to some other form of religion in approaching God and fellowship.

The writer of Hebrews is basically saying, “where will you turn if you reject Jesus Christ?”

If you reject Him, there are eternal consequences…”a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.” (v.27)

Jesus Himself was very clear about the dangers of professing Him as Lord, but not serving Him as Lord.

Matthew 7:21-23

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

There are eternal consequences to rejecting Jesus as the once-for-all-time sacrifice for our sins.

2. The justice of the Gospel is more demanding than the justice of the Law. vv. 28-31

28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

There has been no relaxation of the penalty for sinning under the Law. In fact, the penalty for sin under the New Covenant surpasses the penalty for sin under the Law of the Old Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, two or three witnesses were required to prove that you had sinned and the punishment for many of the points of the Law was death. The author poses the question of how much more severe it will be under the New Covenant to reject Jesus. In fact, he says to “spurn the Son of God” or “trample Him under your feet.”

Matthew 18:23-35

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant  fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,  until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

What did the king give the servant? Unmerited favor…grace. Yet, the servant rejected that grace as evidenced by the fruit of his life. He trampled that grace under foot.

So, the writer of Hebrews is telling his listeners and us that rejection of God’s grace in the person of His Son is a serious matter.

3. We must reflect on God’s grace as a means to preserve. vv.32-34

32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

As we’ve said before, these Jewish Christians had already faced trials and persecution for their faith. The writer now calls on them not to forget how God had been gracious even in the midst of these times of suffering. He is saying that this should drive them toward persevering in the faith. This is the means by which that might continue on in producing the fruit that shows to the world that you are Jesus is Lord of your life.

J. Ligon Duncan -

He says, “I want you to recollect that and then reflect on it.  I want you to think about the significance of that because if you persevered in that, you also ought to persevere in this time, even though you have friends who are saying, ‘Oh, you don’t need to be a Christian.  You can come back and be a Jew and go through the Jewish ceremonial system and have fellowship with God that way just as easily as you could in your Christian profession.” 

John MacArthur calls this kind of reflection a “deterrent to apostasy.” The writer of Hebrews wants to warn believers, but as you can see in these verses, he also wants to encourage them. He does not want their faith to falter. He does not want them to remember to the Old Covenant system. He wants to return to what they know…the Gospel and the grace of God manifested in their suffering.

How often do we reflect on God’s grace in our lives? Do we become too consumed with the “what have you done for me lately” attitude?

J.C. Ryle – “The true cure for self-righteousness is self-knowledge.”

If we see ourselves as God sees us, we know where we stand…sinners saved by His grace. Sinners, not saved by the sacrifice of animals, but saved by the blood of Jesus. That is our only hope in the judgment as we stand before a holy, righteous judge. We need to turn to these passages..

Romans 5:1-11

5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we  have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith  into this grace in which we stand, and we  rejoice  in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

So, the author of Hebrews is saying keeping trusting in Christ by remember God’s grace in salvation and perseverance.

4. We must stand in confidence and faith until Christ returns. vv.35-39

35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37 For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; 38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”

39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

He is telling these Jewish Christians that no matter what comes, you must continue to endure until the end. Your endurance must be in the hope that is grounded in that gift of faith from God and the confidence that He will do what He said He will do.

J. Ligon Duncan -

The main point is that we are to endure in the faith, and what is Hebrews 11 going to be.  It is a gigantic illustration of people in the Old Testament who endured in their faith.  So there is a perfect logical connection between this section of Hebrews and Hebrews 11.  Having given this exhortation, now the author of Hebrews is going to say, “Let me give you an example of some people who went through difficult things and they endured in the faith.”  And he begins to list them and down that list he goes, telling a little about the things they went through.

Hebrews 10:19-25 – Responding with Assurance

 (This lesson is adapted from sermons and commentaries by John MacArthur, http://www.gty.org and J. Ligon Duncan, http://www.fpcjackson.org)

How can you be sure the next airplane you board will actually fly?

Over and over again, the writer of Hebrews has been doing what?

Appealing to these 1^st century Jewish Christians not to turn away from the supreme Son of God and go back to the Old Covenant sacrificial system. In great detail, he has explain how all the elements of this system pointed forward to the One who is superior as our ultimate High Priest and as our perfect, once-for-all-time sacrifice.

As we hit Hebrews10:19, we find the turning point. We are stopped in our tracks and pointed to home. It is time to respond.

There have been warnings throughout the book…

Hebrews 2:1-3a

1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

There were other warnings in other chapters, but now here in verse 19 of chapter 10, it is time for a response. The question is…

How will we respond to what we have heard so far in the book of Hebrews?

Hebrews 10:19-25

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 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 with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

As we go through these verses, we will see that the author is going to challenge his readers (or hearers) to respond with confidence to everything he’s said so far.

“therefore” – What does this word say to us? “therefore” equals “why for?” We look back to prepare for what lies ahead. The author is saying, “Because of all the things I’ve told you up to this point, here’s what I want you to do now.” And, we have to respond. When you hear the Gospel, you cannot remain neutral.

What are the two possible responses? Verse 19 offers the first possible response and verse 26 (which we’ll hit next week) offer the other possible response.

1. Three Reasons to Respond vv.19-21

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

As believers, we must understand the theological underpinnings of what we believe. I believe this is a major shortcoming in many churches today and is one of the reasons so many “fall away” from the faith. As a general rule, we don’t have a deep understanding of what we believe.

J. Ligon Duncan -

Christians must take care that their relationship to God reflects a full understanding of Christ’s work.  Our relationships to God, if they do not reflect a full understanding of what Jesus has done in His finished work, our relationships will be impacted negatively.  Our fellowship with God will be hampered if we don’t realize, apprehend, the significance of Christ’s finished work. 

The writer here gives us three reasons to respond to the message we’ve heard or three theological reasons.

Reason 1) we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus

As our ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ has entered the holy place (heaven) and sat down and in doing so, he has opened the way for us. Because of His finished work, believers can now have full confidence to follow Him to heaven; to eternal life.

This confidence is not based on any work that we have done or based on anything that we possess, but it is based only in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is a confidence to come into the presence of God and live eternally with Him. It is a confidence purchased “by the blood” of the perfect and once-for-all-time sacrifice that never needs to be repeated.

2 Corinthians 3:1-5

3:1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,

Reason 2) by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh

The second reason for responding is found in verse 20. As he said in verse 19, because of the shred blood of Jesus on the cross, we can enter into the holy place. Now, he tells us that we enter not in the traditional manner, ie., as the high priest did, but we pass through the veil (curtain) “by the new and living way.”

What is the new and living way? “through his flesh” Whose flesh? Jesus.

This might seem a bit strange, but it’s an analogy that the writer is drawing to help the readers or listeners understand this concept.

J. Ligon Duncan -

He is saying, ‘Jesus’ flesh was like that curtain.  His incarnation, His taking on our humanity and dying in our place, was like the curtain, the only curtain through which we enter into the presence of God.’  His argument is because the humanity of Christ has now become the entrance curtain into the very presence of God…

Reason 3) since we have a great priest over the house of God

His last theological reason calling for a response is that Jesus Christ is a superior high priest. We’ve heard this many times before in Hebrews, but it is important for what follows starting in verse 22. Jesus is superior in His priesthood and He is our high priest.

What does verse 21 mean that He is “over the house of God?” He is the high priest over the church. It’s not just important to the individual believer, but it impacts the entire church because He is our High Priest. It’s the same concept for the “house of God” being analogous to the church that both Peter and Paul used.

1 Peter 4:16-17

16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Ephesians 2:19-22

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

So, the writer third and final reason for responding is that Jesus Christ is our great priest.

So, those are the 3 reasons to respond. Now the writer turns to the “what” part of this section. He’s told us that we need to respond; now we find out how we are to respond.

2. Draw Near to God with a True Heart v.22

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 with pure water.

The writer is saying that the way is open to Christ for those who come to Him with a true or sincere heart that has been regenerated by the blood of Jesus. You can now come boldly into God’s presence but this invitation is only for those who approach in genuine faith with no other motivations.

Proverbs 23:26 – My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.

What kind of heart is true? As the second part of verse 22 tells us, it is only those that are clean from the sinful, evil that we are born with. This is the inner cleansing that is symbolized by the outward act of baptism. It was foreshadowed by high priest washing his body prior to entering the Holy of Holies.

Ephesians 5:25-27

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

So, the writer calls believers to draw near to God with a true heart.

3. Let Fast to the Confession v.23

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

He is exhorting these Jewish Christians to “hang on” to what you know is true. Stay with the word that was preached to you and the word that God used to save you. This is a call to perseverance. These Christians are in difficult circumstances. They are facing persecution, but this is no time to turn away from the truth.

J. Ligon Duncan –

And they are surrounded by people who want to persecute them and they are surrounded by Jewish friends who are protected by law in the Roman society from persecution.  They think, “Well, you know, I could have a relationship with God.  I could go back to Judaism.  I wouldn’t  be persecuted as a Christian and that would be good, wouldn’t it?”  And he says, “No, you hold fast that confession of the Lord Jesus Christ without wavering.  Don’t waver in the confession of that hope because it is the only hope.  Don’t fail to believe the promises.”

Some translations use the word “faith” instead of “hope” but the meaning is the same. It is the basis of our brief.

John Owen -

Faith is here taken in both the principal acceptations of it, namely, that faith whereby we believe, and the faith or doctrine which we do believe. Of both which we make the same profession: of one, as the inward principle; of the other, as the outward rule. This solemn profession of our faith is two-fold: initial, and by the way of continuation in all the acts and duties required thereunto. The first is a solemn giving up of ourselves unto Christ, in a professed subjection unto the Gospel, and the ordinances of Divine worship therein contained.

So, we are to “hold fast” to the confession of our faith.

4. Provoke Other Believers to Love and Good Works v.24-25

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Based on the work of Christ on the cross, we must see and act on the consequences. What are the consequences of His work? Stimulating our fellow believers to love and good works. Other words for “stir up” are “provoke” or “stimulate.” He writer here reminds us that Christianity is not me-center, but it is focused on others. We have a responsibility toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.

If it is true that we have assurance because of what Jesus has done, if it is true that we have hope because of what Jesus has done, it is also true that we have obligations to one another because of what Jesus has done.  So He tells us to love one another, stimulating one another to love and good deeds.

The primary means of encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ is to ensure that we do not neglect our responsibility to gather as a body and do the work that God calls us to. There was an obvious problem with this church in the book of Hebrews that as they came under persecution many of the believers would not assemble together.

John MacArthur –

They were all in danger of falling back, and He’s saying, “Keep that fellowship going. Don’t go back. You need each other. You need to love each other. You need to kind of irritate.” The word “provoke” literally is irritate. It’s a negative word. “Irritate each other into good works.” Paroxymos. Stimulate good works, and stimulate love. These are the things that go together in the Christian experience, love and good works.

It is important for us as a local church to remember that we are a “manifestation” or visible presence of the church universal, ie., all believers all the world. As such, Scripture clearly gives us duties that we are to carry out and these include assembling together and encouraging one another through the study and preaching of the Word and in most practical ways by ministering to one another.

Hebrews 10:1-18 – The Perfection of Christ’s Sacrifice

 (This lesson is adapted from sermons and commentaries by J. Ligon Duncan, http://www.fpcjackson.org)

Constant repetition carries conviction. – Robert Collier (author)

If Robert Collier is correct, then the author of Hebrews had a very strong conviction about the supremacy of Christ.

A.W. Pink calls it “the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice unto those who believe.” He continues…

The principal design of the Spirit therein is to exhibit the excellency and efficacy of Christ’s satisfaction, and this, not so much God-wards, as saint-wards, showing the inestimable blessings which it has procured for the favored members of the household of faith. The method which the apostle was inspired to follow in carrying out this design, was to, once more, set in antithesis the typical sacrifices of the Mosaic dispensation with the one Sacrifice of Christianity, contrasting the shadow with the Substance, and this, in order to bring out the inadequacy of the one and the sufficiency of the other to provide a perfect standing before God, with the resultant privilege of drawing near to Him as accepted worshippers.

Hebrews 10:1-18

1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”

17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Three main divisions of this passage…

1. The Ineffectiveness of the Old Covenant Sacrificial System vv.1-4

1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

As we’ve made our way through the book of Hebrews, we said over and over again during the past few weeks that the OT sacrificial system was merely a shadow of the things to come. Not just normal things, but the “good” things to come.

As we’ve talked about before, the sacrifices that God gave to the nation ofIsraelduring the time of Moses for the Aaronic priest to carry out did not provide permanent access to God. There remained a barrier between God and man because man could not be reconciled on account of his sins. The sacrificial system foreshadowed the true High Priest and the real, permanent sacrifice that was yet to come. There were two major shortcomings in the Old Covenant system that required resolution:

1. It could not cause a permanent forgiveness of sins.

2. It could not grant you access to God.

Here in chapter 10, the author creates a new emphasis on these points that he’s made many times during the first 9 chapters. Notice how often beginning in verse 1 he will use the phrase “make perfect.” That’s the goal…that’s the thing that’s required that the OT system did not, or could not, provide.

This is an important point for these 1^st century Jewish Christians who are tempted to fall back into Judaism. He is saying, “You may be the perfect Jew that draws near to God through worship and the offering of sacrifices as required by the OT, but that is not able to make you perfect so that you can stand in the presence of God.” If this system had been capable of making you perfect, then why did it continue year after year? As he puts in verse 2, if this had been a permanent solution to your sin problem then the people “would not longer have any consciousness of sin.”

John Piper –

So the point is clear: the prescribed repetition of sacrifices for sin in the Old Testament Law was a built-in testimony to their inadequacy. They did not perfect the people. They did not deal with sin decisively, finally, once for all.

In fact, as verse 3 puts it, this system and the Day of Atonement specifically actually serve as a reminder of the fact that we are sinners.

J. Ligon Duncan –

So the point is if those Old Testament sacrifices actually accomplished forgiveness, then (a) why were they repeated? and (b) why in the very re-offering of those sacrifices were the worshippers continually reminded of their sins? The effect, he is saying of going down to Jerusalem year and year for the Day of Atonement is to remind you that your sins still haven’t really been dealt with. So this reminder of sin was built into the essence of this repeated sacrificial ritual. This stands in stark contrast.

Think about how this must have hit his Jewish audience…

3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

All that ceremony and all those sacrifices still don’t permanently save you. Verse 4 uses the word “impossible” to drive home the point.

You will remember back in Hebrews 8:12 when the writer quotes Jeremiah 31:34 where the Lord promises Jeremiah that “I will be merciful to their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more.” God points Jeremiah to a day to come when it will no longer be necessary to carry out the sacrifices of the Day of Atonement. He is pointing them to the permanent solution…to One whose blood is able to take away their sins forever unlike the goats and bulls in the Old Covenant sacrificial system.

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross was the “real” sacrifice. It was, if fact, the only sacrifice that matters and it matters for eternity. The writer is saying that Jesus’ sacrifice is the only one that can cleanse your conscience. It is the only sacrifice that doesn’t remind you that you are a sinner because it deals with your sin permanently. It is once for all time and never needs to be repeated. He is pleading with these Jewish Christians to not walk away from this sacrifice.

So, the writer reminds us in the first four verses of the ineffectiveness of the Old Covenant system.

2. The Appeal to the Old Testament vv.5-10

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

His appeal to the OT is from Psalm 40:6-8. Remember we just said what a shock his statements in verses 1-4 about the Old Covenant system would have been to these Jewish people. Now he wants to point them to the OT and show them the words of King David to give validity to what he is trying to prove.

So, what is David saying in Psalm 40? He acknowledges the inadequacy in the OT sacrifice system. David knows the shortcomings of the system just like the writer of Hebrews has explained to these Jews. For David, the ceremony is lacking because it cannot bring him into the kind of relationship he desires with the Lord. That’s why he writes that his “delight” is found in doing God’s will.

J. Ligon Duncan –

Basically he is saying, “Lord, I know it is more important to You I delight in doing Your will and give myself to You in worship than it is for me to simply go through the motions of offering up sacrifices.”

Why does the writer of Hebrews make this appeal to the OT?

It is used to illustrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ and His obedience to the point of His permanently atoning death on the cross.

All the animal sacrifices (called “the first” in verse 9) are compared to the sacrifice of Christ (called “the second” in verse 9). Although God gave this sacrificial system in the OT, He did that in anticipation of what was to come because it was inadequate to deal with sin permanently. The OT system was not the vehicle chosen by God to accomplish this, so He sent His only Son as the perfect, once for all time sacrifice.

For this reason, Jesus came in obedience to His Father and to perfectly obey the will of His Father.

Philippians 2:8 – And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

J. Ligon Duncan –

So David’s words cannot ultimately be fulfilled in David. They have to look forward to David’s son, David’s lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. So David’s words, the author of Hebrews said, show us that David knew (a) that the ceremonial law was not an adequate expression of our love for God, our fellowship with Him, our devotion with Him; and that someone was going to have to come and do the Lord’s will in order for us to have fellowship with God forever. And that someone, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ, our great high priest.  

And because of His obedience, as verse 10 puts it, “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

So, the writer of Hebrews appeals to the OT to show how David pointed to the incarnation and death of Christ.

3. The Union between God and His People vv. 11-18

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”

17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

The writer has now reached his final argument of this section of chapter 10. The New Covenant, as promised in the OT would bring about a day of final justification for sins. It would be complete and final. No more sacrifices would be required. Our conscience would be clean and we can be sure that we are saved from the judgment we so rightly deserve because of the gracious provision by God of His only Son. It is the fulfillment of the promise from Jeremiah 31 that we talked about earlier.

We may now enter the time of rest brought about the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Here is one of the most beautiful and powerful verses in all of Scripture.

v. 12 – But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God…                                                                                                             

No more work of sacrifices is needed. It’s over. He is seated at the right hand of His Father. This was the event that David wrote about…

Psalm 110:1 – The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

J. Ligon Duncan –

The author of Hebrews says the Lord Jesus Christ isn’t standing. He has already taken His seat at the right hand of God indicating that His work of atonement is over. He has sat down from that work of atonement. He has now taken His seat at the right hand of God and the only thing He is waiting for now is the day when all His enemies are vanquished. He is not waiting for the day when He does the work for sins; He is waiting for the day when His enemies are finished. That is the only thing He is waiting for now; and, therefore, the author of Hebrews wants you to know that that means that the promise made in Jeremiah 31:34 has come to fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Here’s the point…the writer wants these Jews to understand that the OT promised the New Covenant. The Old Covenant sacrifices could not ultimately deal with our sins. Finally, Jesus Christ has dealt the final blow to sin and now is seated at the right hand of the Father. As verse 14 says, “by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” It is Jesus alone who has fulfilled all the promises of the New Covenant.

This is the central message of the Gospel. It is Jesus Christ alone who brings the final and complete forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 9:15 – The Only Possible Mediator of the New Covenant

(This lesson is adapted from sermons and commentaries by John MacArthur, www.gty.org and J. Ligon Duncan, http://www.fpcjackson.org)

Last week, we ended our study discussing verse 15 of Hebrews 9. What was the subject of verse 15?

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Jesus as Mediator of the New Covenant.

 What is a mediator?

Why do we need one?

You will recall that, as we’ve studied in Hebrews, the old covenant was insufficient to bring anyone into a permanent relationship with God because of our sin. The extent of the relationship under the old covenant was limited; it was temporary. It lasted only until the next sin was committed. The sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again.

However, Jesus Christ appeared bringing full and eternal access to God because of His all-sufficient sacrifice. Unlike the blood of animals in the old covenant, the blood of Jesus was able to permanently erase the sin that stains us and give us eternal redemption.

The Old Testament priests were flawed, as we all are, but they attempted to serve as a mediator between God and man. However, because of their sin, they were never fully effective in that role. Jesus, as the perfect and eternal High Priest, is able to offer a better priesthood that gives Him the role as Mediator between God and man.

So man’s dilemma remains the same today as it was in the first century and as it was in the Old Testament times…we need an acceptable mediator between ourselves and God. Jesus, as the perfect and eternal High Priest, is able to offer a better priesthood that gives Him the role as Mediator between God and man.

This morning, we will finish unfolding the concept of mediator first in verse 15 before we move on to the remainder of the chapter and look at three (3) of the essentials for the effectiveness of the New Covenant next week.

Hebrews 9:15-28

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and 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 that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

First, this morning, let’s look at…

Jesus as Mediator of the New Covenant

It’s important to understand that God has established a standard that all of us have fallen short of…

Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

It’s also essential that we understand the penalty required for our sin in failing to meet God’s standard…

Romans 6:23a – For the wages of sin is death

So, our access to God is blocked because we stand condemned before Him for our sin. The penalty of our sin must be paid if we are to approach God. We need someone to mediate this irreconcilable situation between us and God. The way to God must be opened by someone who stands acceptable before Him.

This brings us back to Hebrews 9:15… Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant…

“mediator” – gk. “mesates” – refers to a go-between

Jesus, by virtue of His death, is now the go-between from God to man under a new covenant.

We left off here last week with a question…

What sins (for whom) are covered by the death of Jesus Christ?

Look at the whole verse 15…

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

I will admit that this is somewhat of a mystery to me, but Scripture teaches it and that doesn’t mean that I have to understand it for it to be true. It’s likely that you’ve heard the question or may be even asked it yourself, “how were the people in the Old Testament saved?” The answer is here in Hebrews 9:15 in that they were saved the same way we are saved, by the death of Jesus Christ. His death has redeemed those called of God under the Old Covenant from their sins committed against God. Don’t ask me to fully explain how that works because I can’t. I just know He said it right here in Hebrews9:15.

Remember that Hebrews is a sermon and it’s being preached to these first century Jews. Preached to people who are part of the nation ofIsrael. After hearing this detailed explanation of why Jesus Christ is superior and is the only access to God, the Jews had to asked themselves, “what about our brothers and sisters who have died before us?”

John MacArthur –

[The] Messiah became the mediator not only in order that He might pay the penalty of sinners who lived since the cross, but that He might pay the penalty of sinners who lived long before the cross. When Jesus died, He gathered up all the sinners from the beginning of time to the end of time in that one sacrifice.

This principle is taught other places in the New Testament. Let’s look at…

Romans 3:23-26

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

God’s righteousness against our sin had to be satisfied. This is why God sent Jesus into the world to die. That’s what verse 25 means when it says that “God put forward [Christ Jesus] as a propitiation by his blood.” A death was required in order for God to be satisfied. The blood of the animals was not able to permanent and completely take away sin. They were symbolic acts full that represented what was to come. They were given to the nation ofIsraelto show the obedience of the people toward God. They were an expression of their faith in God. But, these sacrifices did not pay the price required by God.

What does the end of verse 25 tell us?

When sins were committed by people before the cross, God demonstrated his “forbearance” or patience by forgiving those sins through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. God credited the death of Jesus to their account. God forgave their sins solely by their faith in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ that was to come.

The obedience of those living under the Old Covenant demonstrated that their faith was valid or legitimate. These acts of obedience were also pointing forward to the once for all time sacrifice that would bring eternal redemption. Until that day came, God overlooked their sin.

Acts 17:30-31

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

John MacArthur -

[Those who believed under the Old Covenant] could not have full access until that final sacrifice was made which truly satisfied God. In the past, God overlooked sin until Jesus could bear it away. God had provided the sacrifice that even reached backed and gathered them up who were believing Jews. It was true for those who were believing Jews, that their sins were covered by the death of Christ, which, from man’s viewpoint, was yet to come, from God’s viewpoint was done from before the foundation of the world.

If you think that sounds a bit strange, I agree. I told you that I can’t fully comprehend what this means. What helps me with understanding it is that time does not constraint God. Think about it. God is not confined by time. He created time for our benefit, not because He needed it. Scripture fully confirms this…

Ephesians 1:3-10

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known  to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Revelation 13:8 – and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.

For God, there is no past, present or future. He views things eternally. He sees the blood of Christ covering the sins of all who believe from “before the foundation of the world.” From God’s viewpoint, the sacrifice of Jesus was always in effect. The “eternal redemption” of verse 15 in Hebrews 9 is for everyone who has believed throughout time.

What this means is that the work of Jesus Christ on the cross serving as the one and only sacrifice that we need for access to God is retroactive in nature.

Look ahead for a moment in Hebrews 9…

Hebrews 9:25-26

25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

It only took this one sacrifice and it remains sufficient for all time past, present and future for those who believe.

So, we go back to Jesus as the Mediator of the New Covenant in verse 15.

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Jesus is the only possible Mediator for the New Covenant. No other would be sufficient. No other would be acceptable before God. The only hope for anyone to approach God is through this unique Mediator who is acceptable to God.

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

What is “the way?” That’s our approach to God. In fact, without it, we are hopeless. That’s the point that the author of Hebrews is attempting to make to these first century Jews. Without this perfect sacrifice, this perfect high priest, the mediator of the New Covenant, all is hopeless.

Ligon Duncan –

What is so significant about this truth? There are several things. First, can you imagine the force of this argument? That people who were thinking about going back to Judaism and the author tells that them that going back to that old covenant form of religion will do you absolutely no good because its effectiveness is completely tied to the work of Christ. Take Christ away and it means nothing. So if you turn your back on Christ, the old covenant ritual does not even mean what it meant when it was originally given. The old covenant ritual becomes meaningless. What a tremendous argument the author is putting before these people. And yet we face the same struggle every time we attempt to turn away for the sole sacrifice, the sole instrument of reconciliation, the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, to anything else. We are facing the same dilemma that these people were in.

Hebrews 9:11-15: Eternal Redemption

(Revised to include verse 15)

(This lesson is adapted from sermons and commentaries by John MacArthur, www.gty.org and A.W. Pink, http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink)

How would you define the word redemption?

I think it is so appropriate that in the providence of God, we have come to this concept in the book of Hebrews on resurrection day. When you talk about the word redemption, we go back to the word ransom.

Mark 10:45 – For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

As believers, we are delivered from consequences of our sin and from the punishment we so rightly deserve under the justice of God. We are saved, we are redeemed by ransom of the life of Jesus Christ laid down freely on the cross. He has delivered us from the bondage of sin.

Romans 6:11, 14

11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

We come today to this point in Hebrews chapter 9…eternal redemption. What does this mean?

First, let’s see where we are in the study of Hebrews. We have spent the past several weeks looking at both the Old Covenant and, more recently in chapter 9, the significance of the tabernacle and its ceremony.

John MacArthur offers a nice summary…          

So the first covenant wasn’t satisfactory. It couldn’t set things straight. Oh, its sanctuary was meaningful. Its services were meaningful. But the significance was as a picture of Christ and a lesson in itself of inadequacy. And if you don’t have Jesus Christ, all you have is an inadequate system into which the Spirit of God has built the inadequacy so that you can see it right there. So the old, sure, divine services, a divinely ordained sanctuary, but earthly, passing, temporary.

But today, as we start in verse 11 of chapter 9, we see a very important comparison. It is a comparison that will open the access to God that was restricted under the Old Covenant. These points of comparison are simply the descriptive terms that point the way to eternal redemption and lead us to serve God with a purified conscience. This morning, we will look at:

The Greater Tabernacle

The Greater High Priest

The Perfect Sacrifice

Wayne Grudem – The Mosaic covenant was an administration of detailed written laws given for a time to restrain the sins of the people and to be a custodian to point people to Christ…although the sacrificial system of the Mosaic covenant did not really take away sins, it foreshadowed the bearing of sin by Christ, the perfect high priest who was also the perfect sacrifice.

Hebrews 9:11-15

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify  for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

1. The Greater Tabernacle v. 11

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)

We spent the past two weeks discussing the various sections of the tabernacle and the furnishings that were used in the tabernacle. It was a wonderful place, but it was limited in its scope. It was not necessarily a place you might see as visually appealing. The outside of it was made with badger skins.

However, this new tabernacle, this new sanctuary is not like the old one. First, it has beauty beyond anything we can imagine. It’s also permanent, not like the earthly tabernacle which could be moved from place to place. This tabernacle was not made by human hands, but by the word of God Himself.

Jesus Christ entered into the real tabernacle; the greater tabernacle. He entered into heaven…the heavenly tabernacle. Jesus Christ entered into the very presence of God. This was not simply the dwelling place of God’s glory, but the throne room of God the Father. This is now the place of service for our High Priest as He ministers by His intercession before God the Father. It is the greater and perfect tabernacle.

Acts 7:48-50a

48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,

49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?’

Acts 17:24-25

24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything

 Ligon Duncan

He [the writer of Hebrews] means that Christ entered into the real tabernacle, not just the shadowy earthly tabernacle.  He entered into the heaven of heavens, into the very presence of God, Himself.  What is he saying by that?  Is He entering into some sort of platonic mysticism there?  Absolutely not.  He is saying that Christ is the reality which the Old Testament tabernacle merely shadowed or foreshadowed or set forth.  Christ really did enter into the very presence of God.  And that was only symbolized by the high priest entering into the Holy of Holies once a year.

So, we see clearly that Jesus Christ entered the greater tabernacle. He is also….

2. The Greater High Priest v. 12

 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

How often did the High Priest enter the Holy of Holies? Only one day per year.

By what means was the High Priest able to enter the Holy of Holies? It was only through the offering of the blood of the bull that he could come before God and offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. The means of his entering into God’s presence was the blood of a sacrificed animal.

How did Christ enter the presence of God the Father?

By means of a sacrifice. What kind of sacrifice? A perfect sacrifice, namely the sacrifice of His own body on the cross. He did not need an animal sacrifice. There was no need for a repetition of the sacrifices like the Levitical priest had to perform. As the people were redeemed for their sins by the blood of the animals, so we are redeemed through the blood of Christ as He enters the heavenly tabernacle.

What is the difference?

Look at verse 12 again.

…thus securing an eternal redemption…

This is not a once a year sacrifice, but a once for all time sacrifice!

A.W. Pink –

This “redemption” is eternal, which is in contrast from Israel’s of old—after their deliverance from Egypt they became in bondage to the Philistines and others. As the blood of Christ can never lose its efficacy, so none redeemed by Him can ever again be brought under sin’s dominion.

The first century Jews who were listening to or reading this letter knew very well that every year they must return to the tabernacle (temple) for redemption from their sins. Not so with this High Priest. It was not the blood of animals, but His own blood that was used once for all time (eternal) to redeem His people from their sins.

Galatians 3:13-14

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit  through faith.

John MacArthur points out three things about the priesthood of Jesus Christ as to why He is the greater High Priest:

Number one, His own blood. His service is His own blood, not the blood of an animal. That’s different than the priests, isn’t it? His own blood. Personal sacrifice of Himself. His own blood. Second thing, once for all…You see, He didn’t have to go in over and over and over and over and over. He entered in once into the Holy Place. Once. Never repeated it.Third thing, he obtained what kind of redemption? Eternal. Did the high priest ever obtain eternal redemption? He got redemption good for the last year past, not the one coming up. He could only take care of the past. Couldn’t do one thing for the next minute. Jesus purchased a redemption that’s not only a past, it’s a present and it’s a…future. So why is His service better? It was His own blood. It was once, not repeated. And it was eternal, not temporary. And so we see His sanctuary, that’s heaven; His service, oh, so different.

We’ve seen that Jesus Christ is the greater High Priest who entered the greater tabernacle. Finally, He is…

3. The Perfect Sacrifice v. 13-14

13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify  for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Isaac Watts –

Not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away the stain, but Christ, the Heavenly Lamb, takes all our sins away, a sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they.

No sacrifice of any kind under the Old Covenant system could permanently and completely satisfy the wages of sin. It could not bring constant peace of conscience to those of whose behalf the animals were sacrificed. But, here in verses 13 and 14, the writer of Hebrews has what we might call a breakthrough moment. He argues from lesser to greater in making his point.

If the blood of these animals was sufficient to offer the temporary purification of the flesh…how much more will the blood of Christ…do what?

…purify our conscience from dead works (ie., sins).

A.W. Pink –

This is one of the effects produced by Christ’s sacrifice, an effect which the legal ordinances were incapable of securing. Because Christ’s sacrifice has expiated our sins, when the Spirit applies its virtues to the heart, that is, when He gives faith to appropriate them, our sense of guilt is removed, peace is communicated, and we are enabled to approach God not only without dread, but as joyous worshippers.

In contrast to all of the symbolism and the temporary effects of the Old Covenant, this perfect sacrifice, done once for all time, is effective to purify our conscience from our sins. Our conscience is cleansed by the work of Jesus Christ.

John Piper – The Only Answer

The only answer in this modern age, as in every other age is the blood of Christ. When your conscience rises up and condemns you, where will you turn? Hebrew 9:14 gives you the answer: turn to Christ. Turn to the blood of Christ. Turn to the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give you relief in life and peace in death.

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?

I urge you this morning, turn to Christ, turn right now to Christ and receive the free gift that he bought at infinite price: the gift of perfect forgiveness and cleansing.

Jesus is not only the Perfect Sacrifice, but He is, finally…

4. The Only Mediator v. 15

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

“Therefore” or “And for this reason” in NKJV

We must look back in verses 11-14 to understand the reason. Because He entered the greater tabernacle and because He is the greater high priest and because He is the perfect sacrifice, for all these reasons, He alone is qualified to be the mediator of the New Covenant.

One of the things associated with many of the covenants in the Old Testament was an animal sacrifice.

Genesis 15:9-10

9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

These sacrifices honored God and signified the establishment of the covenant. So it is with the New Covenant where Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross is the establishment sacrifice.

Next week, we will begin to look at why the mediator’s death was required for the New Covenant.

Hebrews 9:11-14: Eternal Redemption

(This lesson is adapted from sermons and commentaries by John MacArthur, www.gty.org and A.W. Pink, http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink)

How would you define the word redemption?

I think it is so appropriate that in the providence of God, we have come to this concept in the book of Hebrews on resurrection day. When you talk about the word redemption, we go back to the word ransom.

Mark 10:45 – For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

As believers, we are delivered from consequences of our sin and from the punishment we so rightly deserve under the justice of God. We are saved, we are redeemed by ransom of the life of Jesus Christ laid down freely on the cross. He has delivered us from the bondage of sin.

Romans 6:11, 14

11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

We come today to this point in Hebrews chapter 9…eternal redemption. What does this mean?

First, let’s see where we are in the study of Hebrews. We have spent the past several weeks looking at both the Old Covenant and, more recently in chapter 9, the significance of the tabernacle and its ceremony.

John MacArthur offers a nice summary…          

So the first covenant wasn’t satisfactory. It couldn’t set things straight. Oh, its sanctuary was meaningful. Its services were meaningful. But the significance was as a picture of Christ and a lesson in itself of inadequacy. And if you don’t have Jesus Christ, all you have is an inadequate system into which the Spirit of God has built the inadequacy so that you can see it right there. So the old, sure, divine services, a divinely ordained sanctuary, but earthly, passing, temporary.

But today, as we start in verse 11 of chapter 9, we see a very important comparison. It is a comparison that will open the access to God that was restricted under the Old Covenant. These points of comparison are simply the descriptive terms that point the way to eternal redemption and lead us to serve God with a purified conscience. This morning, we will look at:

The Greater Tabernacle

The Greater High Priest

The Perfect Sacrifice

Wayne Grudem – The Mosaic covenant was an administration of detailed written laws given for a time to restrain the sins of the people and to be a custodian to point people to Christ…although the sacrificial system of the Mosaic covenant did not really take away sins, it foreshadowed the bearing of sin by Christ, the perfect high priest who was also the perfect sacrifice.

Hebrews 9:11-14

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify  for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

1. The Greater Tabernacle v. 11

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)

We spent the past two weeks discussing the various sections of the tabernacle and the furnishings that were used in the tabernacle. It was a wonderful place, but it was limited in its scope. It was not necessarily a place you might see as visually appealing. The outside of it was made with badger skins.

However, this new tabernacle, this new sanctuary is not like the old one. First, it has beauty beyond anything we can imagine. It’s also permanent, not like the earthly tabernacle which could be moved from place to place. This tabernacle was not made by human hands, but by the word of God Himself.

Jesus Christ entered into the real tabernacle; the greater tabernacle. He entered into heaven…the heavenly tabernacle. Jesus Christ entered into the very presence of God. This was not simply the dwelling place of God’s glory, but the throne room of God the Father. This is now the place of service for our High Priest as He ministers by His intercession before God the Father. It is the greater and perfect tabernacle.

Acts 7:48-50a

48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,

49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?’

Acts 17:24-25

24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything

 Ligon Duncan

He [the writer of Hebrews] means that Christ entered into the real tabernacle, not just the shadowy earthly tabernacle.  He entered into the heaven of heavens, into the very presence of God, Himself.  What is he saying by that?  Is He entering into some sort of platonic mysticism there?  Absolutely not.  He is saying that Christ is the reality which the Old Testament tabernacle merely shadowed or foreshadowed or set forth.  Christ really did enter into the very presence of God.  And that was only symbolized by the high priest entering into the Holy of Holies once a year.

So, we see clearly that Jesus Christ entered the greater tabernacle. He is also….

2. The Greater High Priest v. 12

 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

How often did the High Priest enter the Holy of Holies? Only one day per year.

By what means was the High Priest able to enter the Holy of Holies? It was only through the offering of the blood of the bull that he could come before God and offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. The means of his entering into God’s presence was the blood of a sacrificed animal.

How did Christ enter the presence of God the Father?

By means of a sacrifice. What kind of sacrifice? A perfect sacrifice, namely the sacrifice of His own body on the cross. He did not need an animal sacrifice. There was no need for a repetition of the sacrifices like the Levitical priest had to perform. As the people were redeemed for their sins by the blood of the animals, so we are redeemed through the blood of Christ as He enters the heavenly tabernacle.

What is the difference?

Look at verse 12 again.

…thus securing an eternal redemption…

This is not a once a year sacrifice, but a once for all time sacrifice!

A.W. Pink –

This “redemption” is eternal, which is in contrast from Israel’s of old—after their deliverance from Egypt they became in bondage to the Philistines and others. As the blood of Christ can never lose its efficacy, so none redeemed by Him can ever again be brought under sin’s dominion.

The first century Jews who were listening to or reading this letter knew very well that every year they must return to the tabernacle (temple) for redemption from their sins. Not so with this High Priest. It was not the blood of animals, but His own blood that was used once for all time (eternal) to redeem His people from their sins.

Galatians 3:13-14

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit  through faith.

John MacArthur points out three things about the priesthood of Jesus Christ as to why He is the greater High Priest:

Number one, His own blood. His service is His own blood, not the blood of an animal. That’s different than the priests, isn’t it? His own blood. Personal sacrifice of Himself. His own blood. Second thing, once for all…You see, He didn’t have to go in over and over and over and over and over. He entered in once into the Holy Place. Once. Never repeated it.Third thing, he obtained what kind of redemption? Eternal. Did the high priest ever obtain eternal redemption? He got redemption good for the last year past, not the one coming up. He could only take care of the past. Couldn’t do one thing for the next minute. Jesus purchased a redemption that’s not only a past, it’s a present and it’s a…future. So why is His service better? It was His own blood. It was once, not repeated. And it was eternal, not temporary. And so we see His sanctuary, that’s heaven; His service, oh, so different.

We’ve seen that Jesus Christ is the greater High Priest who entered the greater tabernacle. Finally, He is…

3. The Perfect Sacrifice v. 13-14

13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify  for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Isaac Watts –

Not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away the stain, but Christ, the Heavenly Lamb, takes all our sins away, a sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they.

No sacrifice of any kind under the Old Covenant system could permanently and completely satisfy the wages of sin. It could not bring constant peace of conscience to those of whose behalf the animals were sacrificed. But, here in verses 13 and 14, the writer of Hebrews has what we might call a breakthrough moment. He argues from lesser to greater in making his point.

If the blood of these animals was sufficient to offer the temporary purification of the flesh…how much more will the blood of Christ…do what?

…purify our conscience from dead works (ie., sins).

A.W. Pink –

This is one of the effects produced by Christ’s sacrifice, an effect which the legal ordinances were incapable of securing. Because Christ’s sacrifice has expiated our sins, when the Spirit applies its virtues to the heart, that is, when He gives faith to appropriate them, our sense of guilt is removed, peace is communicated, and we are enabled to approach God not only without dread, but as joyous worshippers

John Piper – The Only Answer

The only answer in this modern age, as in every other age is the blood of Christ. When your conscience rises up and condemns you, where will you turn? Hebrew 9:14 gives you the answer: turn to Christ. Turn to the blood of Christ. Turn to the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give you relief in life and peace in death.

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?

I urge you this morning, turn to Christ, turn right now to Christ and receive the free gift that he bought at infinite price: the gift of perfect forgiveness and cleansing.

Hebrews 9:1-10: The Earthly Tabernacle – Shadow of Things to Come (Part II)

(This lesson is adapted from sermons by John MacArthur, www.gty.org )

Last week, we briefly discussed the attempts that people make to get to God.

I read a statement this week that said, “There are as many paths to God as there are people.” Really? Why is this view so popular in our culture?

This is so popular because it solves all our problems. Anyone can get to God; we can all access heaven in our own individual ways. It tells us that whatever path I choose to take, it will lead me to God. Problem solved.

The Jews knew the truth and only path to God. They had an issue of access. Why?

They knew that they must be perfect to enter the presence of God. Nobody will stand in the presence of God without facing His wrath unless they are holy and perfect. And we know that all people stand condemned as unholy, imperfect sinners.

As we discussed last week, the writer of Hebrews has already touched on the subject of access to God back in chapter 7. He made his case to these Jews regarding the quandary they face in relying on the Old Testament sacrificial system to make them perfect before God.

Hebrews 7:11 – Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?

So, where do we turn?

Hebrews 7:18-19

18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

It is this better hope that we clearly know as Jesus Christ that has been the focus on the writer through the first seven chapters.

Last week, we saw the focus change to the subject of the earthly tabernacle as a shadow of things to come. We said that the writer has proven over these chapters that a new priesthood and a new sacrifice are required for these Jews (and us) to gain access to God. In chapter 8, he made the case that the Old Covenant is insufficient and a New Covenant is needed. In fact, he reminded the readers of God’s promise through Jeremiah that He would “…make a new covenant with the house ofIsrael.”

In Chapter 9, the writer wants to show these Jews that they are focused on something that is only a shadow, only a representation of the real thing. He will implore them to stop looking at the representation and open their eyes to the actual, supreme Son of God.

Today, we review briefly the first 5 verse of chapter 9 that we looked at last week and then move on to verses 6 through 10. In these verses, we will see the writer of Hebrews wants to show us the purpose of the Old Covenant by looking first at the earthly tabernacle.

Hebrews 9:1-10

9:1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. 2 For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence.  It is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, 4 having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. 5 Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age).  According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

Last week we looked at…

1. The Significance of the Tabernacle. vv. 1-5

He tells us first in verse one that the earthly tabernacle was a place of worship and it was a place of holiness. We know it was a place of worship, but why was it a place of holiness? Because the glory of God dwelt there. (Exodus 29:42-45)

We saw the details of the tabernacle (refer to maps of tabernacle):

v.2 – For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence.  It is called the Holy Place.

Lampstand – Exodus 25:31-40

Bread of Presence – Exodus 25:23-30

v. 3 – Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place,

You would now move through the veil, the curtain, limited to the High Priest once per year. There is only one piece of furniture in this area.

vv.4-5

4 having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. 5 Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

The golden altar of incense was located just outside the curtain. The only piece of furniture inside is the ark of the covenant holding the manna from the wilderness, Aaron’s staff and the tablets of the law.

The design of the ark was very important.

It had “cherubim” on top of it. Cherubim are winged creatures. Their wings formed a shadowing of the “mercy seat” on top of the ark. It was in this area that God met with man. Of course, only one man representing the people; the High Priest.

Exodus 25:17-22

As we talk about the design of the ark and the mercy seat, it is significant to see the limitation of this system. Yes, it is a beautiful representation of the real thing, but only a representation. It’s like looking at a photograph versus looking at the real person. There was a separation between God and His people.

So this morning, we move to the second part of this discussion for verses 6-10…

2. The Meaning of the Tabernacle. vv. 6-10

6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age).  According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

What ritual is being described in these verses?

He is describing the Day of Atonement in these verses which he uses to explain the theological significance of what he was pointing to in verses 1-5. It’s almost as if he’s saying to these Jews, you’ve been participating in the Day of Atonement in theTempleall of your life, but do you understand what it means?

John Piper poses this question, “How can people with stained consciences draw near to God?”

These Jews understood this ceremony in the Day of Atonement dealt with their sins before God, but they knew they would be back next year to do it all over again.

John MacArthur –

So the Day of Atonement was kind of a catch-all. All of the ones for which you had not made direct sacrifice would be gathered together, and they would all be covered in the sacrifice of the Day of Atonement for the whole nation. So it was a great day of liberty of the conscience… you’d been racking them up, and you knew you’d remembered some of them but you hadn’t remembered all of them. And so you longed for the Day of Atonement, when the sacrifice was made and at least for a few minutes you could be free. Sin severed the relationship. Only forgiveness through sacrifice could put it together. And so there needed to be a catch-all to pick up the things that people had forgotten. And so that was the Day of Atonement

Let’s look at the Day of Atonement…

The High Priest would enter the tabernacle (or temple) dressed in a very fancy robe that he only wore once per year at this time. Among other things, the robe contained two onyx stones on the shoulders that bore the names of the tribes ofIsraeland there were 12 stones on the breastplate that contained the names of the 12 tribes.

What is this a picture of?

Jesus Christ bearing our sins of His shoulders and having our names on His heart as a symbol of our relationship with Him. He was the image of power and strength to function as the High Priest.

The High Priest would then go into the tabernacle and sacrifice about 22 animals before he reach the part of the service known as Atonement. After completing these sacrifices, he removed this beautiful robe and bathed himself until he was completely clean. After he was clean, the High Priest donned a new robe. This robe was a simple pure white, linen robe to symbolize holiness and purity.

John MacArthur describes the picture here…

…it is a perfect symbol of Jesus Christ, who, in the work of atonement, stripped off all of His glory and all of His beauty and became the humblest of humble, dressed in the simplest, if we will say so, linen of human flesh. But notice it’s still white. In all of His humility, He never lost his what? His holiness. And so when Jesus came to do the work of sacrifice, to make the atonement for sin, He took off the glory, but He never took off the purity, and He never took off the holiness. And so, again, a perfect picture of Jesus Christ.

With his simple garments on, the High Priest then taken some of the coals from the altar and puts them into a censer with incense which he then carries into the Holy of Holies. As we understand the New Covenant meaning, this is a picture of Christ going before us into the presence of God. This burning incense symbolizes the intercession of Christ before God on our behalf. The only way for us to approach God is that Jesus Christ goes before us.

The High Priest then returns to the altar and sacrifices a bull that he has bought with his own money. The blood is collected and the High Priest returns to the Holy of Holies and sprinkles the blood over the mercy seat for his own sins.

He would then return to the altar where two goats were prepared for him. The High Priest drew lots and each goat was designated; one “For Jehovah” and one “For Azial” or the scapegoat. The goat “For Jehovah” was then sacrificed and the High Priest collected the blood and return to the Holy of Holies where he sprinkles it over the mercy seat.

The scapegoat was waiting for him when he returned. The High Priest placed his hands on its head and confessed his sins and the sins of the people. He was symbolically transferring these sins to the scapegoat. This goat was then taken out into the wilderness and released.

John MacArthur -

…the first goat… represented satisfaction. Christ’s death was a death satisfying God. He bore all the fires of judgment. He shed His blood. He paid the penalty. It was done. The second goat represents the removal of sin, which satisfies man. The first goat satisfies God. The second goat satisfies us. The two are not two offerings, but one. Listen to Leviticus 16:5. “And he shall take two kids of a goat for a sin offering.” They’re just two parts of the same thing… there was satisfaction to God. There was satisfaction for men. Propitiation, if you will, and pardon. In both cases, it was substitution. Now, those are perfect copies of Jesus, aren’t they? Jesus, who was the substitution, propitiation. He died on the altar and shed His blood. Jesus, who bore away our sins.

So, why is all this so significant? Return to Hebrews 9, verses 8-10…

8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age).  According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

There are 3 lessons for us in the symbolism of the Day of Atonement that the writer of Hebrews points out. These are made available to us by the teaching of the Holy Spirit.

            1) Access to God was limited under the Old Covenant.

            2) There was imperfect cleansing under the Old Covenant.

            3) The Old Covenant was temporary.

John Piper –

Isn’t it remarkable that the basic problems of life never change. The circumstances change, but the basic problems don’t change. We are humans, and we have consciences that witness to our sinfulness with testimonies of real guilt. And we know that what keeps us away from God is not dirty hands or soiled clothes or distance from an altar or a priest. What keeps us from God is real sin echoing in a condemning conscience.