January 8, 2023
Evening Service

The Earthly Holy Place

 

Hebrews 9:1  Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 

Hebrews 9:2  For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 

Hebrews 9:3  and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 

Hebrews 9:4  which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 

Hebrews 9:5  and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. 

The apostle explains to the Hebrews the typical reference of their ceremonies to Christ. The tabernacle was a temple able to be moved. This is a shadow of the unsettled state of the church on earth and the human embodiment of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was a 100% human and 100% Divine, He came as a creature of man with the fullness of the Godhead. This is something that is not easy to understand from the human perspective, because we think if something is 100% something, there cannot be any other capacity for something else to occupy the same space in the physical nature, but this is where our faith in the Lord Jesus comes into the equation. The things shown in former observations and the ordinances and articles of the Mosaic covenant point out Christ as our Light, and as the Bread of life to our souls. Christ became all these things to us in His Divine Person, his Holy and Highest Priesthood, His perfect righteousness, and His all-prevailing intercession for our sinful souls. These articles of worship and holiness in the former covenant was the Lord Jesus Christ, all and in all, from the very beginning. The gospel interprets all these things as a glorious representation of the wisdom of God, and confirms our faith in Him who was foreshadowed by them.

 

Hebrews 9:6  Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 

Hebrews 9:7  But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance; 

Hebrews 9:8  the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 

Hebrews 9:9  It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— 

Hebrews 9:10  concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.

The apostle elaborates a bit further of the Old Testament services. When Jesus became our High Priest and all the characteristics thereof, he could not enter again into heaven until he shed His blood for us; this same thing applies to us as well, we cannot enter into God's gracious presence here in this life, or His glorious presence hereafter, but only by the blood of Jesus. When we assess sin and look at it very sensibly, we know that sin is a result of error in judgment and in practice through our actions; and who is alive, being only a man can understand all of his own errors? They leave guilt on our beliefs and moral sense, depleting our standards and cannot be washed away but by the blood of Christ. A Christian must plead this blood of Jesus on earth, while Jesus is pleading it for us in heaven. Some believers under the Divine gospel teaching, saw something of the way of access to God, through communion with Him, and of admission into heaven through the promised Redeemer. However, the Israelites in general looked no further than the outward forms and these could not take away the corruption or preeminence of sin. Outward appearances cannot do anything to give relief to the sinner’s debts, nor resolve the insecurities of the priest who did the service. New covenant era should be times of reformation and a clearer understanding of what is needed from the believer. Jesus spoke of a greater love than ever before, we are challenged to love all and even to lover our enemies, we are directed to forgive all and not to harbor ill-will to anyone, but to exhibit good-will to all. With a greater freedom from the law and all the ordinances that go along with being under the law, we have a greater spirit to help us and dwell within us and this should make living a more righteous life sought even more. Jesus came and fulfilled the law and made a way for whosoever will believe and when given this most gracious and love filled gift from our Savior, we need to be good ambassadors of His love. Trying to live like Jesus taught us to live while in the flesh, not relying on our own understanding and driven will, but to align our will with our Father’s will by dying to self.

 

Redemption Through the Blood of Christ

 

Hebrews 9:11  But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 

Hebrews 9:12  Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 

Hebrews 9:13  For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 

Hebrews 9:14  how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 

All good things that have been, things that are good currently, and good things to come in the future, were and are established on the priestly office of Christ, and come to us from Jesus as the source. Our High Priest entered into heaven for all humanity and has obtained eternal redemption for penitent sinners. The Holy Ghost further indicates that the Old Testament sacrifices only freed the outward man from ceremonial uncleanness, and fitted him for some outward privileges. So what is it that gives such power to the blood of Christ? It was Jesus offering Himself without any sin occurring in his character or life. The blood of Jesus applied to our hearts for the forgiveness it offers will cleanse the most guilty conscience or deadly works done in the flesh to serve the living God.  It will save us from sinful works that corrupt the soul, the way dead bodies corrupted the Jewish people who touched them. Grace from our Savior seals our pardon through our belief and faith in Him as our Redeemer and He newly creates our polluted souls with a soul containing the Holy Spirit to live for and serve God as our Master. Non-belief in the power of Jesus’ blood is the most destructive force working against the faith of the gospel, non-believers weaken the direct power of the blood of Christ. It is not the power of Jesus’ blood is ever weakened, but it is weakened for the non-believer because faith is necessary to use the blood’s atoning power. The sacrifice of Christ Jesus is very hard to understand, we are totally unworthy of His love and mercy, yet He loved us so much, He gave His life for ours to be saved from death! The comprehension of this kind of love is not able to be fathomed by our small minds and conscience, His ways and thoughts are so much higher, we just can’t grasp the mind of God, as it should be for followers! We simply are unable to calculate the greatness of it, or the wisdom, the love, and the grace that is in it. Placing our faith in Jesus blood shed and the sacrifice of Christ, our faith finds us life anew, nourishment for the soul, and refreshment in living a life pleasing to the Lord.

 

Hebrews 9:15  And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 

Hebrews 9:16  For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 

Hebrews 9:17  For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 

Hebrews 9:18  Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 

Hebrews 9:19  For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 

Hebrews 9:20  saying, "THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD HAS COMMANDED YOU." 

Hebrews 9:21  Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 

Hebrews 9:22  And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

 

These sincere agreements between God and man, are sometimes called a covenant, here a testament, which is a will of a person, granting inheritance to people as the will describes on such persons as are described, and it only takes effect upon the will makers death. Therefore Christ died not only to obtain the blessings of salvation for us, but to give power to the distribution of those blessings. All of humankind is guilty by sin and this makes us guilty before God, and therefore we by our own hand have forfeited everything that is good. God however was and is willing to show the greatness of His mercy and He proclaimed a covenant of grace through faith. No works of any kind are clean from a sinner, not even his religious duties. The fact that even these religious works done by a sinful being (all of us are included) would not make us exempt from our guilt. A sacrifice of blood was always necessary to make the atonement, not only for the sinful deed or act, but also the person doing the ceremonial cleansing. The sacrifice also was to be of a value that was sufficient for the cleansing. I thought here of an appropriate amount of time served for a crime committed to give me relevance to the meaning of the value being sufficient. This tells us to make our offerings of the spiritual nature to be sprinkled with Christ’s blood to purify them from their defilement.

 

Hebrews 9:23  Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 

Hebrews 9:24  For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 

Hebrews 9:25  not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 

Hebrews 9:26  He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 

Hebrews 9:27  And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 

Hebrews 9:28  so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

 

It is very clear to see the sacrifices of Christ are immeasurably better than those done while under the law. The sacrifices under the law could not purchase pardon for sins, nor could it contribute any power against it. Sin would have remained upon us and have had dominion over us; but Jesus Christ, by His one sacrifice, has eliminated the works of the devil, that believers may be made righteous, holy, and content in the Lord. There is no wisdom, acquired intellect, gifts, money, treasures, or power, can keep one of us humans from death, so there is nothing that can deliver a sinner from being condemned at the day of judgment, except the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. As it has been said, no person can be saved from their place in hellfire that despise or neglects the gift of salvation. The facts are that when one decides not to make a choice, the choice made by this way of thinking is that they do not need to be redeemed and therefore will be condemned at the Day of Judgment. Those who believe the Redeemer lives and awaits the day of seeing Him will see their faith come to fruition. This is the character of the true Christian, their faith and patience in waiting on the Lord is what makes them sincere believers, counting on the Lord for all things and praising Him in both the good and hard times. Continue to pray for ourselves and others as we wait.