Christ fulfilled the Old and became the mediator of the New Covenant (Heb 9a qa)

CHRIST FULFILLED THE OLD COVENANT AND BECAME THE MEDIATOR OF THE NEW COVENANT

Hebrews 9:1-15

 Key Verse: 9:12

1.    What was the tabernacle of Israel? What was the  role of the tabernacle in the first covenant? (v1)

a.    Heb. 9:1 - The first covenant had regulations for both worship and  an earthly sanctuary.

b.    The tabernacle was set up while Israel was roaming in the wilderness and  was made of tents and moved about with people.(Ex. 40:34-38) (cf. tent of the meeting Ex. 33:7-11)

c.    The tabernacle was a place to serve God, located at the center of Israel’s habitat.

d.    The tabernacle was a tent, as a copy of the heavenly sanctuary

e.    The tabernacle was made by Israel during their time in the wilderness, instructed by God through Moses, simultaneously given by God along with the Law.

f.     So, the Law and tabernacle cannot be separated. The tabernacle was the epicenter of working out the Law out—the meeting place with God.

2.    What was the content and role of the holy place? What things were in the most holy place? (2-5)

a.    Heb. 9:2 - A tabernacle was set up. In its first room, there were the lampstand, the table, and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.

b.    Heb. 9:3 - Behind the second curtain, was a room called the Most Holy Place (Heb. 9:4), which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered Ark of the Covenant. This Ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant—(Heb. 9:5). Above the ark, were the Cherubim of  Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover, but we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

c.     According to Ex. 30:6-8, the altar was in front of the curtain of the Most Holy place. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest is to offer incense (Lev 16:12-13) on this altar; otherwise, ‘death’ will come. This is closely linked to the Most Holy place as one went up to meet God. The altar and the Most Holy place could not be thought of separately in the process of meeting God in the tabernacle. This is the purpose of this statement.

3.    Who has access to the Most Holy place for what purpose and on what occasion? Why did God put up such  controlled access to the Most Holy Place among His people? How does it reflect the heavenly sanctuary and how is it different from it?

a.    Heb. 9:6 - When everything was arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry.

b.    Heb. 9:7 - Only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.

c.    The Holy Place was the place of work for the high priest every day,  but  access to the Most Holy place was extremely limited.  Here we can understand two characteristics of God: one, God was eager to be with His people, and two,  God specifically instructed Moses to set up a tabernacle where people can meet with Him. It was initiated and set up by God’s own will. His presence in the form of a cloud was noted  over the tabernacle, yet men’s access to God was extremely  limited. As follows:

d.    Only the high priest— the one chosen by God-- needed blood, and was not exempt from God’s stipulations for performing sacrifices:

i.              To be performed only once a year—very seldom but must be repeated again and again

ii.            To be performed only with blood—the essence of  sin and forgiveness

e.    Here we can understand that God wants to be with man and wants us to come to Him, but this was hampered by the nature of our  sinfulness. Yet He was determined to provide access to Himself by these control, the essence of which is ‘blood’, yet the blood of animals did not open wide the way to the Lord. Sacrifices must be repeated again and again; the way remained available,  yet mysterious.

4.    What does the Holy Spirit tell us about the significance of the tabernacle in relationship to the heavenly sanctuary? (8-10)

a.    Heb. 9:8 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. There is the place of God, called the Most Holy Place; it is available for all men to come.

b.    Heb. 9:9 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 worshiper. Our time is the time of Jesus, whose sacrifice earned us an access to the heavenly sanctuary. As of now, since we have experienced the perfect, heavenly sanctuary, we come to know that the imperfection of the old one is fully revealed when the perfect one comes. This works at the hearts and consciences of men.

c.    Heb. 9:10  This is a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order; the old one was only a shadow of  the real one—the blood of Jesus Christ.  Jesus’ perfect sacrifice ends the old way of sacrificing. As far as sacrificing was concern, it is done away with by the blood of Jesus, offered to the heavenly sanctuary and opening an access to the Most Holy Place, a copy of the true tabernacle  in heaven.

5.    Which sanctuary did Jesus enter and with what (11-12)? Think about what “entering the Most Holy Place by his own blood” means. What does it mean that it is not man-made and not part of this world? Why was it possible for Jesus to obtain eternal redemption? What did he bring as a sacrifice? How was the effectiveness of Jesus’ blood different from that of the blood of an animal (Num. 19:1-10,14)? Why?

a.    Here is the difference between offering  the old and the new.

b.    Heb. 9:11 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. It was not the tabernacle on the earth that Jesus brought his blood to, but to the heavenly sanctuary; he was crucified on the cross at the Mount of Calvary, and was looking up to heaven as he gave himself..

c.    Heb. 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. His blood is powerful enough to be effective eternally for all; through this, it is quite clear that  sin could not be done away with by the blood of animals. Jesus, the innocent Son of God, shed his blood  to purify men from the effects of sin.

6.    What is the power of Jesus’ blood (14)? What is the reason  he became the mediator of the new covenant? What is the primary difference brought by this new covenant (15)? Think about the God who set up an earthly tabernacle and  sent Jesus as a sacrifice to the heavenly sanctuary.

a.    Heb. 9:14 How much more, than, 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! The death of Jesus on the cross resulted in the shedding of all of his blood, which was quite graphic.

i.              Jesus’ death was a sacrifice— a total change is understanding  the cross of Jesus (this transference is clearly seen in Isaiah 53:1-3 to 53:4-6)

ii.            This was more graphic as he died on the cross, shedding all of his blood.

iii.           All these were meaningful in two ways—a. Jesus is the unblemished King and Lord,; yet he offered himself; b. this sacrifice was of the Spirit, before God,  filled with total submission and obedience in trust (the true nature of being unblemished)

b.    Heb. 9:15 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.

i.              offering of himself, unblemished, to God is the key that made Jesus  the mediator of the new covenant, that is actually carried out by ‘dying as a ransom to set people free from their sins’

ii.            The ultimate goal and outcome of such mediation is to endow the promised eternal inheritance to those who are called.

c.        There are a few differences between the old and the new covenants.

i.              The high priest offered the blood of an animal; Jesus offered his own blood

ii.            The animal sacrifices were unable to make them acceptable to God and could not enable them to receive the eternal inheritance; Jesus’ sacrifice was able to cleanse consciences, enabling them to be accepted by God

iii.           Animal sacrifices never set them free; Jesus set those who received him free from sins committed under the first covenant

iv.     Jesus’ death met the requirement of the first covenant fully. The first covenant was never fully met  until the new one came (Gal 4:4-5Gal 4:4). But when the time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law (Gal 4:5), to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.