Christ provided eternal redemption and cleansing for the service to God

CHRIST PROVIDED ETERNAL REDEMPTION AND CLEANSING

 FOR THOSE IN SERVICE TO GOD

Hebrews 9:1-15*

 Key Verse: 9:12

How can a sinful man understand life as he sees Jesus’ death  on the cross? There were many under the cross watching Jesus, the one who claimed to be the king of the Jews, being crucified. There were some who never believed Jesus was the king and were determined to bring judgment on him, some who had good feelings about Jesus, and others who firmly believed him to be the Son of God and the coming Savior of Israel. The gruesome nature of the crucifixion was strong enough to cause anyone to think about life and death, evil and good, righteousness and unrighteousness, sin and punishment. At the end of this train of thoughts, sits meaninglessness and hopelessness of men that Jesus succumbed to death in vain. This was and is the  only understanding available for men, if they have no illumination from God. Such a final sentiment is not just for those who hurled insults at Jesus, but also for those who believed Jesus was the Son of God, the coming king. If we are blinded and  Christ’s tragic death is the only understanding available to me, it would have been much better not to know or hear about Jesus.

But, in Stephen’s speech, it was clear that God was the one who orchestrated Jesus’ death with a clear purpose (Acts 2:23 This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross). Again, if there is no illumination from God about Jesus’ death, then all the disciples were left in the dark shadow of death. Despair, frustration, and hopelessness shall rule. Yet God had spoken about this and did not leave them in the shadow of fatalism and the meaninglessness of death. How about Jesus?

Jesus also spoke the most powerful word of God through his death. What does it mean?

As we’ve studied, Jesus spoke God’s word in a most authoritative and powerful way. Even by his word, many were amazed. But he did more than teaching the truth. He did miracles, feeding 5,000 people and raising the dead, like Lazarus, to life, a very powerful statement and revelation of who he was and where he came from. Like these, He  revealed the truth of God. His revelation of truth did not stop here. He actually spoke the most powerful truth at his death (Rom 6:4). Yet the word he had spoken by his death could not be understood. Much of the understanding is still left unanswered to sinful minds.

As we review what God meant to do in and through the death of Jesus, we want to know the true meaning of his death on the cross. This is what God teaches through today’s word. Here, God gave an illumination of that truth through the old covenant. It is about redemption.

When Moses met God on the mountain Horeb, God gave him the law as well as instructions on how to build the tabernacle. The tabernacle was the center of their religion. Whatever they had to do with God, it should happen at the Tabernacle. The tabernacle had two courts or chambers: one called the Holy Place, the other called the Most Holy Place, the innermost sanctuary. In the Holy Place, priests were to serve daily, through burning offerings and  incense. Even ordinary people could come into this court and serve God in a manner  prescribed by the Law. The activity happening in this court is a clear contrast to what happened, or could have happened, in the innermost court, the Most Holy Place. Here the access was extremely limited; only the high priest could enter here. Even the high priest was not to enter daily; he entered the Most Holy Place once a year, on a specific date, the Day of Atonement. Even on this date, he could not enter freely. First, he had to purify himself by sacrificing a bull for his own sin, and then enter the Most Holy Place. This access was for the atonement of sin for himself as well as for the people of Israel. As a whole, one access to the Most Holy Place is allowed a year, only after sacrificing a bull and lamb and only by the high priest.

 God said this to Moses in Lev. 16:2 “The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover”.

Priests had access to the Holy Place daily, but the Most Holy Place, they could not. If he did so, he would die. Why? It is because God  appeared in the cloud over the atonement cover. Before Holy God sinful man has no place to stand. Sin and God’s holiness cannot be together! As we are, if we present ourselves to God, we will die. One word, sin must be paid off before one comes to the God of Holiness.

Here we can understand three things:

1.     There was  very limited access to the Lord for His people.

2.    There is only one way that access to God is permitted: by sacrificing animal and  blood offerings on behalf of men.

3.    This access to the Lord is limited, specifically in time, in place, and in performance.

No payment for sin, no access to the Lord. God created us. He is the Lord of all human race and the whole universe is His. But to him we have little or no access. Animal blood provided very limited access to the Lord.

It has to do with the sins of man and the holiness of God. Sinful man cannot bear with the Holiness of God, and the God of holiness shall not bear with sinful man.

At the present age, there is nothing called sin. There is  criminal activity against the law of the country. There are wrongs and rights, but not sin. Sin is what causes man to fall short before God. Men deny God and deny sin, but God spoke unequivocally through the system of the old tabernacle: no payment for sin, no access to Him.

Animal blood gave them limited access, but no resolution of sin.

How can this be summed up?

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.

The way to the Most Holy Place is the way to God Almighty. God who created us had desired to be with man, so he instructed Moses to build a tabernacle among his people. In other words, God wants man to come to Him, to be His people, and to serve Him,  but this is greatly hampered by sin. Sin must be dealt with; otherwise there is no way for man to come to God. So  access to the Lord is not yet disclosed.

What does it says further?

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.

The tabernacle and the sacrifices of animals and their blood in the tabernacle limited access to the Most Holy Place. All these tell us that gifts and animal sacrifices cannot clear the conscience of sinful man. Sin demands the life of man; therefore, anything less than the life of man cannot make up for the sins of man. Also it was showing what was yet to come: the full disclosure of truth for salvation.

As I mentioned earlier, the death of Jesus on the cross was  a tragedy for the ordinary eyes of men. It induced strong senses of right or wrong, good and evil, and pure and sinful. The end result is the same, filled with meaninglessness, hopelessness, fatalism, and powerlessness, no matter which side you are.

Also, I mentioned that this is orchestrated by God through His Son, Jesus. If He did not reveal His purpose and  meaning, we still would be in the darkness of death. Every sense of meaninglessness,  hopelessness, and fatalism would prevail over our thoughts and spirit. But God acted with a clear purpose, which was treasured in the old system of sacrifice: every year, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place with the blood of an animal to atone for the sins of men.

V11, 12. Jesus entered the tabernacle that was not here on the earth but in heaven.  How did he do it?

V12. He entered with his own blood. He suffered and died in his own will as a ransom for many. His death was the sacrifice for sinners, and  his blood was shed for all  on the cross. This was  high above, on the hill of Golgotha, not on the Temple Mount. He was innocent and  able to destroy those who condemned him to death, but he did not destroy them. Rather, he was silent and prayed for sinners: “Lord, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”. He submitted his life to the hands of the Lord Almighty, like a lamb slaughtered for the sacrifice in the first tabernacle.

He offered his own life and  blood as a ransom to buy pardon for sinners. He brought his own sacrifice directly to the heavenly sanctuary. He was without sin. He obeyed  the Lord fully. Animal blood could not procure the full obedience and submission of man, but Jesus did this, even to the point of death. What did Hebrews says about it?

V14b. “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 core of sin is self-righteousness, disobedience to God and His authority. This is ingrained in our flesh and bone, so we are sinful from our inmost being. Sinful man cannot understand the will of God, or obey Him, but Jesus offered himself as a ransom for sinners to not only buy pardon for all the sins that we have committed, but also cleanse our being from its most foundational, inmost being.

Animal blood could not do it. The old system could never provide such a radical cure for the sinfulness of man; many repetitions, year after year, did not and could not do it either. But Jesus, on the cross, did it once for all, not on or in the earthly sanctuary, but toward the heavenly sanctuary, where he is sitting at the right hand of God. He is presenting his own blood on behalf of sinners, like you and me, even now.

V15. 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 this way, Jesus established a new covenant, and is the mediator of that covenant. This covenant is powerful enough to cleanse our being from our inner being. This mediator is still living and working on behalf of each of us in the heavenly sanctuary. He has his own blood in his hand as a witness of our redemption, even now presenting to the Lord for your behalf and mine.

In the old system, it was very undisclosed and  limited, but it is open for all of us and we have access to the Lord in the heavenly realm because Jesus is right there with his own blood. He did this by giving his life on the cross as a ransom for sinners as an unblemished sacrifice.

Now we can serve the Living God, the creator of the heaven and the earth. Amen.