Hebrews Christ Above All: A Better Sacrifice Chapter 9

Hebrews Christ Above All

A Better Sacrifice
Text: Hebrews 9

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Introduction:

Joke: There is a story about two New York men who had never been out of the city. They decided that they had had it with city living, so they bought a ranch down in Texas in order to live off the land like their ancestors.

The first thing they decided they needed was a mule. So they went to a neighboring rancher and asked him if he had a mule to sell. The rancher answered, “No, I’m afraid not.”

They were disappointed, but as they visited with the rancher for a few moments one of them saw some honeydew melons stacked against the barn and asked, “What are those?” The rancher, seeing that they were hopeless city slickers, decided to have some fun. “Oh,” he answered, “those are mule eggs. You take one of those eggs home and wait for it to hatch, and you’ll have a mule.” The city slickers were overjoyed at this, so they bought one of the melons and headed down the bumpy country road toward their own ranch. Suddenly they hit an especially treacherous bump, and the honeydew melon bounced out the back of the pickup truck, hit the road, and burst open. Now, seeing in his rearview mirror what had happened, the driver turned his truck around and drove back to see if he could retrieve his mule egg.

Meanwhile a big old Texas jackrabbit came hopping by and saw this honeydew melon burst in the road. He hopped over to it and, standing in the middle of that mess, he began to eat. Now here came the two city slickers. They spied their mule egg burst open and this long-eared creature in the middle of it. One of the men shouted, “Our mule egg has hatched! Let’s get our mule.”

But seeing those two men coming toward it, the jackrabbit took off hopping in every direction with the two city fellows in hot pursuit. The two men from New York gave everything they had to catch him, but finally they could go no farther. Both men fell wearily onto the ground gasping for air while the jackrabbit hopped off into the distance. Raising up on his elbow, one of the men said to the other, 

“Well, I guess we lost our mule.” The other man nodded grimly. “Yes, but you know,” he said, “I’m not sure I wanted to plow that fast anyway.”

Things change when you get a different perspective and that is what Hebrews 9 teaches us.

The Earthly Sacrifice Heb 9:1-10

1 ¶  Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.2  For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.3  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;4  Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;5  And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.6  Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.7  But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:8 ¶  The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:9  Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

Temporary Tabernacle

Paul points out the first tabernacle was temporary

Description of First Tabernacle

Hebrews 9:2-5 The first tabernacle was made; inside it was the lampstand, the table, the shewbread in the sanctuary. And behind the veil, the most Holy place. Which held the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant, inside of which was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the Ten Commandments; And over it the arch-angels of glory over - shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

Services of First Tabernacle

9:6-7 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the holy place in the service of God. But the high priest alone went once a year on the day of atonement, with a blood from a sacrifice, which he offered for himself, and then for the sins of the nation of Israel:

The message of the first tabernacle

Scripture: 9:8-10 The Holy Spirit was showing that the way into the Most Holy Place was not open. This was a symbol for then, showing that those gifts those sacrifices, could not make the high priest perfect, faultless. Those things were only until the time they should be fulfilled.

Paul was telling the Hebrew Christians that they were putting too much stock in the temporal instead of the eternal, in the physical instead of the spiritual, in the shadows instead of the real. They were caring too much about what was fading instead of what was everlasting.

 

Pilgrims Passing

Do we ever lose sight of where we are and where are going?

As Christians do we sometimes forget that we are just passing through this world?

This is not our final destination and we are not to become so attached and committed to the things of this time and place that we forget to focus our eyes on an eternal place.

Scripture:

1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

1John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Quote: Jim Elliot, a young missionary who was martyred for his faith, encouraged others to serve when he said: "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

 Transition:

Paul then moves from the earthly place of sacrifice to the ethereal place of sacrifice from the tabernacle built with human hands to the tabernacle built by God.

 

The Ethereal Sacrifice Hebrews 9:11-22

11  But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.13  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?15 ¶  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.16  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.17  For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.18  Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.19  For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,20  Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.21  Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

 

Perfect Priest and Sacrifice

But Christ came an high priest not of the past but of heaven to come. Christ the better high priest is also the better sacrifice in a better tabernacle. He sacrificed his own blood once for all in the holy place of heaven. Presenting himself as the atonement not at a symbolic mercy seat between imagined cherubim but at the very throne of God between the Archangels of heaven.

Paul makes the undeniable point. If the blood of bulls and of goats sanctified the unclean flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

 

Proper, Powerful Perspective

Like the Hebrews we need true vision and a proper perspective, to see the lasting value of Christ in comparison to this world’s passing and diminishing value. In fact there is no real comparison between what this world offers us and what we have in Christ only a stark and glaring contrast.

The greatest blessings and the finest luxuries of this life are nothing will be nothing but dust one day and the slightest blessings and the basest gifts of heaven are in comparison pure gold that will never fade away.  

The first count for little and the last count for ever. We need to hold to a true perspective in order to see the value of heaven’s eternity contrasted with the vast emptiness of earth’s fleeting emptiness.

Jesus said it best in Matthew 6:19-21 during the Sermon on the Mount

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

I must keep my eyes upon the place where my treasure lies.

 

Illustrations:

Tom Young’s lesson on perspective “In a year no one will remember who let that guy get a touchdown.” The lesson was this the things that count are the things that last. As a Christian, I am in touch with eternity every day, I see and feel the spiritual all around me by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. I cannot allow my eyes to stay on the things that are passing when I have been promised by God a reward in heaven that will last for eternity.

The Eternal Sacrifice Hebrews 9:23-28

It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Savior’s Sacrifice

Paul concludes this section by contrasting the eternal sacrifice of Christ to the ending sacrifices of the tabernacle.

He points out that these past sacrifices were necessary to that the earthly tabernacle should be purified with the blood of bulls and goats, with the ashes of the red heifer. They had their place in the symbols and types by which we were to catch a glimpse, to see a foreshowing  of the heavenly tabernacle, the eternal temple. But those shadows could not purify the heavenly things. They must be purified with a better sacrifice.

Hebrews 9:24-26 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

The high priest in the earthly tabernacle entered often to sacrifice but Jesus entered only once to offer himself as an eternal sacrifice.

Just as man dies but once, Paul says, Jesus offered himself only one time for all time.

27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Christ was offered once for all. The phrase means a one time event that will never be repeated. His sacrifice was enough for all eternity. It is never to be repeated and never will need to be reapplied to the believer. It was, is and always will be Once for All!

 

Believing In The Best

Oh how we need to grasp the powerful reality of Once For All. So many are suffering in their Christian lives because they don’t comprehend it, don’t fully accept it for their own life and soul.

Once for all means we have escaped the judgment of sin. Once for all means never being alone. Once for all means the assurance of heaven. Once for all means the joy of an eternity with God and the children of God.

I must also understand that “Once for all” is not waiting to start but has already begun.

I must change my way of thinking, change my focus from one day when I die and go to heaven to right now, this minute. I’m living in eternity because of  the blood of Christ shed once for all and my acceptance of that saving gift.

 

Survey of Ephesians

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

We dwell in eternity now because Christ gave himself for us Once for all. Eternal life doesn’t begin when I die, it began the day I believed and I must begin to live, think and shape my life in that reality.

No more fear of death, I’m living in eternity.

No more domination of this world’s sin I dwell in heavenly places in Christ.

No more fear of losing my salvation it is kept for me by the one who sits at the right hand of God.

Accept it, Believe it, Live it.  Because Christ has died and saved us Once for All.

Illustration: The Hymn Once for All

1 Free from the law, O happy condition,
Jesus hath bled, and there is remission;
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,
Grace hath redeemed us once for all.

2 Now we are free, there's no condemnation,
Jesus provides a perfect salvation;
"Come unto Me," O hear His sweet call,
Come, and He saves us once for all. [Chorus]

3 "Children of God," O glorious calling,
Surely His grace will keep us from falling;
Passing from death to life at His call,
Blessed salvation once for all. [Chorus]

Chorus:
Once for all, O sinner, receive it,
Once for all, O friend, now believe it;
Cling to the cross, the burden will fall,
Christ hath redeemed us once for all.

Conclusion

What should I take with me from Hebrews Chapter 9 as I go back into the world?

Always look to eternity not just today.

Always keep an eternal perspective instead wearing the blinders of today’s trails and problems.

Finally, always believe and joy in what Christ has done, “Once for All”