CHRIST PROVIDED ETERNAL REDEMTION AND CLEANSING FOR SERVICE TO GOD

Hebrews 9:1-15

Key Verse: 9:12

“He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Today the Hebrews author will compare and contrast the earthly tabernacle to the heavenly tabernacle Jesus Christ now serves as high priest in. He also will show our need for the blood of Christ to cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death so that we may serve our living God. Lastly he reminds us of the promised eternal inheritance Jesus Christ has successfully mediated for us from God. I pray today’s passage may help us fix our minds and eyes on all Jesus Christ along with all the good things he has and is accomplishing for us.

Part 1 THE EARTHLY TABERNACLE (1-10)

            Look at verse 1: “Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.” Here we are given the summation of chapter 9. Following verse 1 the author will break down in detail the arrangement of the earthly sanctuary and the regulations the high priest had to strictly follow to properly worship God with in it. As we will see he does not do this to take the reader back to the study of Levitical law and worship. Rather he does it in order that he can use it to help us to begin to see the heavenly tabernacle Christ right now serves in as our high priest. Let us quickly jump to verse 11 and read it together. “When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say not a part of this creation.” The author has opened our eyes to the fact right now Christ serves in a greater and more perfect tabernacle that is in heaven. This heavenly reality is what we must keep in mind as we now look at the detail lay out of the earthly tabernacle. Throughout Christian history, huge churches, tabernacles, cathedrals have been erected. Certainly they are awesome to look at; nevertheless we must understand the only tabernacle our Most Holy God dwells in is the one in heaven that is not made by man. Moreover the only high priest authorized to serve in this heavenly tabernacle is Jesus Christ.

Now let us look at the detail description that is present to us of the earthly tabernacle. Look at verses 2-6. According to Hebrews 8:5, the tabernacle described here is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. As we look closely at the articles presented in the tabernacle we can find close parallels to the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. First we notice the tabernacle was a box like tent in order that it could have an inner room that could be closed off with a curtain. The outer room in this tent was called the Holy Place and the inner room, the Most Holy Place. Symbolically the inner room is where the Most Holy God dwelt. What we begin to see is that holiness is a very serious matter with God. In fact our Bible teaches without holiness no one will see the Lord. Simply put we should make acquiring holiness a high priority in our lives just as God makes it his number one quality.

            Next as we walk in the tabernacle we notice a lamp stand, a table and consecrated bread on the table. Certainly we can see how the lamp stand can symbolize Jesus as the light of the world and the concreted bread representing Jesus as the bread of life that can satisfy all people in all nations on the earth. After we walk through this room we come to a curtain which separates the Holy Place from the most Holy place. This curtain itself represents the access by which Jesus provides for us to come to God. There is no way into the most holy place other than going through this curtain.  Once in the inner room the most outstanding article was the gold covered ark. Before looking inside the ark we notice the ark is covered with what is called an atonement cover. Overshadowing this cover was the cherubim of glory. Here we see a symbolic picture of the awesome God of glory actually overshadowing or protecting his people when they are covered with the atonement he has provide for them. Jesus Christ is our atonement cover.  We can be certain when we hide under Jesus atonement then the God of glory overshadows us with his mercy and divine protection. Lastly are the articles in side the ark. They are Aaron’s staff that budded, a gold jar of manna and the stone tablets God used to write his 10 commandments on. These all are real artifacts that testify to the historical miracles God Almighty performed for his people. These articles remind us God wants his people to live by a sense of history and to use his word to be what guides them in their daily activities.  

            Turning now from the layout of the tabernacle we now will look at the ministry of the priest in this tabernacle. Look at verses 6. According to Numbers 28 twice daily the priest had to make a burnt offering of lamb in the morning and evening along with a grain offering. Then once a year the high priest could enter the Most Holy place after he had cleansed himself with blood. This holy event was to be a meeting between the holy God and the high priest chosen to represent God’s people. This leads us to ask the question: Did the high priest when he entered this Most Holy Place once a year really enter the Most Holy Place where the Most Holy God abided. Look at verses 8, 9 “The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshippers.” The answer is no, the high priest who was able to enter the Most Holy Place in the earthly tubercle never really entered the true most Holy Place nor did any of their offerings cleanse the inner conscience of those who went to this tabernacle to worship God. Let us see how Jesus Christ and his blood allow him to go and do what the earthly high priest could never do in the earthly tabernacle.

Part 2 The Blood of Christ (11-15)

            When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.(v1) Notice the words “of the good thing that are already here.” Based on these words we want to think of three of the good things Jesus Christ sacrificed and his forever high priestly ministry in the tabernacle in heaven has imparted to mankind. First Jesus Christ sacrifice and heavenly high priestly ministry has imparted eternal redemption to all who place their faith in him. Look at verse 12: “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” Notice it is Jesus and only Jesus who has obtained eternal redemption.  When people think they can enter heaven by their own good works they are very badly mistaken. It becomes even worse if they die without faith in the eternal redemption of Christ. Job one of history’s most righteous men even confessed of his need for a Redeemer in Job 19:25: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” No one can be more righteous than Job yet even this man did not place hope in his own righteousness but in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. This eternal redemption is the first of the good things Jesus sacrificed and high priestly ministry has provided for us.

The second good thing Jesus’ high priestly ministry provides for us is found in the power of his blood to cleanse our consciences. Look at verse 14: “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God.” Here is the high point of this chapter. Jesus blood he spilt on that cross is far superior over cleansing our inner consciences than all other ways to cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death. . Even though Jesus shed his blood for the sins of the world more than 2000 years ago it still in the sight of the Most Holy God has as much sin cleansing power now as it did back on the very day he was crucified for our sins. Still we can sing with absolute conviction: “Would you be free from your passion and pride? There’s power in the Blood, power in the Blood. Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide. There’s wonderful power in the Blood.” Still there are those that may question: “I don’t understand how Jesus shed blood still can be powerful to cleanse our consciences more than 2000 years later.  The answer is through the eternal Spirit of God. Notice verse 14. “How much more, then will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God….” We know the reason God’s word never loses its truth, power and authority is because it was given to men by the Eternal Spirit of God.” In the same way this Eternal Spirit of God empowers the blood of Jesus generation after generation to cleanse the consciences of all those who place their faith in Jesus Christ to cleanse their consciences from acts that lead to death.

            Let us think for a moment why in God’s sight it is important for our consciences to be cleansed. First we cannot deny the importance in the physical world of the many different cleansing processes. Women cleanse their faces with expensive cleansers so they may look beautiful. Other people drink expensive cleansing juices to cleanse their bodies of the many toxic chemicals that collect within their bodies to prevent exhaustion and even worse illnesses such as cancers. Every week a fellowship team in this ministry has to cleanse our bathrooms with sanitizers otherwise we couldn’t use our bathrooms. No one questions the importance of these kinds of cleansers’ processes. Nevertheless, nowhere in the medical profession have I read about the importance of cleansing our consciences from acts that lead to death. Instead our society builds great expensive institute such as mental institutes and criminal institutes to hold and incarcerate people whose consciences have become defiled and seared to the point their lives either are a danger to themselves or other people. Let me make it clear I am not finding fault with these institutes. These institutes are a necessity and I have personally met people who came to know Jesus Christ while being locked in these institutes. My point is I believe if Jesus Christ’s blood is the divine preventive medicine that has the power to keep people out of such institutes.  Our conscious is a spiritual organ God has given us to be our judge of right and wrong. It gives us confidence before God when we do right and oppresses us with fear and worry when we do wrong. Imagine if God gave us all our body parts but left out our conscience. Surely we would act no different than brutal beasts that eat and kill.  Not withstanding the one problem our conscience has is that there is nothing on this earth that can cleans it. For most people our kidneys cleanse our blood when it becomes foul. If our kidneys do not work then we can be placed on a dialysis to clean our blood.  As for our conscience only the blood Jesus Christ has power to cleanse this spiritual organ. Let me share with you what I personally believe is one of history’s greatest examples of the conscience cleansing power of Jesus’ blood.  Way back in AD700 -1100 lived the marauding Vikings. The conscience of these people was defiled and seared so that they gloried and through enjoyed fighting, killing, and kidnapping, stealing, raping, pillaging and burning. They would sail out of places such as Denmark, Norway and Sweden with their Viking ships and head to places such as England, Spain, Germany, Ireland and Russia to unease their reign of terror. During this time they found kidnapping Christian monks was far more profitable than killing them. These Christian monks were very educated men and while under captivity they would share the good news about Jesus Christ. Over time the Vikings abandoned their many false gods for Jesus. Then as more time went on they eventually on their own accord gave up Viking and literally beat their swords and spears into blow shares. How could this happen?  It happened because the blood of Jesus Christ cleansed their consciences from their many acts that led to death.

            Look at verse 14b starting at “So that.” “So that we may serve the living God” Taking the entire verse 14 in proper context we notice the author doesn’t end his teaching about the blood Christ with the cleansing of our consciences as an end in itself. We see Jesus cleanses our consciences from acts that lead to death so that we can have authority from God to serve God. It is extremely important for us to always connect the cleansing power of Jesus blood to serving God. Jesus taught in Matthew 12:43-45 what could happen to those who do not connect the cleansing of their conscience with service to God. He said: “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” Make no mistake we live in a world that abhors a vacuum. In the place of the evil the blood of Christ has cleansed us from we must fill in its place a constant maturing knowledge of Christ and service to God. Recently I was asked to encourage Shepherd Lawson to deliver a bible message once a month at Friday meetings.  Quite frankly I thought Lawson would close his ears to all such encouragement. It turned out my pessimism was incorrect.  Maybe it was his wife or Missionary Sarah’s prayer and encouragement but he ended up welcoming the request with enthusiasm. First he memorized Mark 11:20-25 then he wrote and delivered a message on it. He did it all with enthusiastic attitude. As it turned out I was pleasantly reminded of the importance to serve God with a glad heart and with enthusiasm. Soon Our Christmas worship will be celebrated. If we are asked to serve in celebrating our Savior’s birth, we should do it joyfully and confidently. Let us learn from this word of God that cleansing blood of Jesus Christ gives us all the authority and power we need to serve the living God.

Third, Christ mediated on our behalf the promised eternal inheritance. Look at verse 15: “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” In last week’s message Missionary Jacob shared very expertly why Jesus is a superior mediator of the new covenant. We now learn from this verse because of Jesus superior mediation ability before God on our behalf, he acquired for us an eternal inheritance guaranteed by God’s promise. As a result because this eternal inheritance is back by God’s promise it now is the most certain and eternal inheritance we can ever place our hope in. The problem here is most people only have eyes for a perishable inheritance. Hope in an earthly inheritance has twisted many people’s value system even to the point their closest blood relatives become their worst enemies. It has also caused them to make life decisions that brought evil instead of good upon their lives. None of these bad things happen when the eyes of our hearts are fixed on the eternal inheritance Jesus Christ has mediated for us. Paul shared in Ephesians 1:18:” I pray also that the eyes of your hearts may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” When we pray regularly to God as Paul did that he would enlighten the eyes of our hearts then we will come to see and value far above our heavenly inheritance over all wealth in this perishable world.

            Today let us thank God for giving us the blood of his Son Jesus to cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death so that we may serve the living God. Let us also pray God may open the eyes of our hearts that each one of us may personally know the glorious inheritance he has promised to give us in heaven.