Hebrews 10:26-31

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26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. ~ Hebrews 10:26-31

We continue today in our study of Hebrews 10 where the writer of Hebrews has established the fact that the Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of all of the Mosaic Law. Through the blood of His sacrifice on the cross, the believer in Christ has been freed from the very wrath of God. Not only that, the Lord Jesus now is living His life in and through the believer. This is the exchanged life. The apostle Paul once said, "For me to live is Christ." In essence, the Lord Jesus is the believers justification and sanctification.

In v.26-27 of today's passage we read, "26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God."

Many come to this passage and assert a believer in Christ can lose his salvation. That makes sense if we ignore the context. The writer of Hebrews wrote these words to people who had a thorough understanding of Judaism. His readers knew that in the Old Testament there were sacrifices for all sorts of sin, but there was no sacrifice for willful deliberate sin. If someone was caught sinning deliberately and egregiously, they were put to death. 

It was into this understanding that the writer of Hebrews wrote these words. And, he wrote them to these young Jewish Christians who were having a hard time pulling away from the religion they had always known. 

The essence of his message to them was: Why go back to Judaism, knowing what you know about the Lord Jesus Christ and all He has done for you? This does not make sense. And, you do know there is no sacrifice for willful sin in the system of Judaism?

The "fearful expectation of judgment" spoken of here was the end result of those who were caught in willful sin, they were killed. This is why in v.28 the writer of Hebrews wrote, "Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses." 

Then, in v.29 of today's passage we read, "How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?"

Again, the writer of Hebrews was reminding his readers of the seriousness of rejecting the free gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Our only hope is in the Lord Jesus, alone. You see, it is the blood of Christ, not the blood of any Old Testament sacrifice, that sanctifies us. Rejecting God's only solution for sin results in us going to Hell. The Gospel means good news, but the flip side of the Gospel means facing the wrath of God on our own.

Insulting the Spirit of grace comes on the heels of a person rejecting the free gift. The job of the Holy Spirit is to draw us to faith in the Lord Jesus who did every ounce of all that was needed to wash away our sin forever. It is an insult to the Lord Jesus to think that we must add to His sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. The writer of Hebrews wrote to these young Jewish Christians about the new covenant of grace and to enjoy this new covenant which made them holy. By entering into the new covenant through faith in Christ, they had yet learned to rest permanently from sacrificing animals and depending upon the blood of animals to temporarily forgive their sins and to make them holy. And, by maintaining that mindset, they were hindering the grace of God from doing what it was meant to do ... to liberate them into a deeper relationship with God.

In v.30-31 of today's passage we read, 30"For we know him who said, 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge his people. 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."'

Again, the writer of Hebrews was writing to people who were tempted to go back to trusting Judaism and not trusting in the Lord Jesus. Spurgeon once said, "Think lightly of hell, and you will think lightly of the cross. Think little of the suffering of lost souls, and you will soon think little of the Savior who delivers you from them." The person who rejects the free gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus will in terror face God. Although some prominent evangelical leaders deny the doctrine of hell, we need to remember that the Lord Jesus spoke more about the terrors of hell than any other subject.  

Jonathan Edwards got his title for his infamous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” from today's text. In that sermon, Edwards hammered home with frightening force the terrors of God's impending judgment, and also the refuge of the cross. I trust, my friend, that you have trusted solely in the One who hung on that old rugged cross. If not, invite Him into you life right now and begin to enjoy His matchless grace that He freely extends to you.

Hebrews 10:19-25

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19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. ~ Hebrews 10:19-25

Having taught extensively on the Old Testament Tabernacle and the limited ministry of the Mosaic Covenant, the writer of Hebrews now turns our attention to the true tabernacle, the spirit of the believer in Christ. Pictured in the Old Testament Tabernacle is the whole being of the born again believer in Christ. The outer court represents the body, the holy place represents the soul, and the Holy of Holies represents the spirit. It was not until we came into a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ that we were able to know God through our spirits. According to Ephesians 2:1, our spirits were "dead in trespasses and sins." But, when we became believers in Christ, our spirits were made alive to God.

In v.19-21 of today's text we read, "19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God."

When we trusted in the work of Christ on the cross and invited Him into our lives, we became tabernacles for the living God. This is proven in Hebrews 3:6 where we learn that the believer in Christ has become the dwelling place of God. Unlike what many believe, Christianity is Jesus Christ living His life in and through us in all circumstances.

Therefore, we should have the greatest confidence in all of life because we are not only right with God, but He is actively performing His will in and through our lives as we yield to His leading. This means everything that happens in our lives comes through His will for our lives. Since, we have been made alive to God in our spirit, the only acceptable worship to God is worship which takes place in our spirit. We enter this, the writer says, by the blood of the Lord Jesus. 

In v.20 a very rare word is used, and, it is the word "new." It means "freshly slaughtered." We have confidence to enter into the very presence of God by the blood of the Lord Jesus by a freshly slaughtered Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ was freshly slaughtered so that the way to God would be opened to us. And, no man or thing will ever be able to close this way to us. All of the old sacrifices could not accomplish this great thing which yielded to us this "living way."

In v.22 of today's text we read, "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." 

In v.22-24 we have three "Let us" statements. The first "let us" statement has to do with faith, the second has to do with hope and the third has to do with love. That is the three pronged cord of the fullness of our salvation through the Lord Jesus. 

To "draw near to God with a sincere heart" means to live in the recognition of His presence in our lives right now. And, when we understand more fully the acceptance we have before God in Christ, we will draw near to God more so with a sincere heart.  The Greek word used for "sincere" describes a heart that has been gripped by the truth. This sincere heart has seen the truth and has been liberated to the point of being defined only by God. And, the opinions of others and the circumstances in life are increasingly not budging this one who is being granted a life that is being defined by God.

This "full assurance of faith" means living out of Christ's adequacy. This means we have discovered a source of supply which never runs dry. Our dependence is no longer upon our weak abilities, our dependence now is upon the flowing power of the Spirit of the living God who dwells in us. And, He is the river of living water, the supply that never runs dry. This enables us to meet any circumstance with the confidence that He who is in us is greater than any enemy we may encounter.

As our faith in the God of the Bible grows, we begin to understand that we may come to God at any moment, even when we have purposely failed miserably. This is possible because "our hearts (are being) cleansed from a guilty conscience."  You see, God has already hurled His wrath onto the Lord Jesus Christ on the behalf of all who have and who will believe. Nothing should keep us from daily running into the arms of this God who loves us to the point of slaying His only begotten Son on our behalf.

At the end of v.22 we read, "having our bodies washed with pure water."

This is symbolic language taken from the Old Testament priests duties in the tabernacle. The bronze laver was one of the furnishings required by God in the outer courts of the tabernacle. It stood between the temple and the altar, and it held water for the priests to wash their hands and feet before they entered the tabernacle. God wanted His people to understand the importance of practical purity. This refers to our sanctification wherein God is changing us from the inside out. This is about an outward life which has been cleansed, rearranged, changed by our new life in Christ. 

In v.23 of today's text we read, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

The second "let us" has to do with hope. We are not only to draw near to God, but we are to share the gospel with all who will listen. We can be confident that in Christ we are perfected through His death, burial and resurrection. As our confidence grows in His salvation, we then will be freed from those things which would prevent us from sharing the Gospel in the first place. 

In v.24-25 of today's text we read, "24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

The third "let us" has to do with love. Here, our love is expressed in two ways: "spur one another on toward love and good deeds" and "encouraging one another." As believers in Christ, we are never judged by the confessions we make, or the creed we recite. We are always judged by our deeds. Our meetings are to be essentially encouraging times, and this is one way we stir up one another to love and good works.

These young Jewish Christians were having a hard time breaking with the old covenant. They were still holding on to legalism, and they were tempted to go back to the temple, the priests and the sacrifices. This is why the writer of Hebrews wrote these words of encouragement to one another.

As we get closer and closer to the end of time as we know it, and it becomes more and more difficult to tell the difference between truth and error, good and bad, and, right and wrong, we must be diligent to gather together and encourage one another by sharing the truth with one another that God is sharing with us. It is in the sharing of His life with one another, that we grow in this "new life" He is giving us. We must be diligent to do this as we see the Day of His return approaching.

Hebrews 10:11-18

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11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: 16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” 18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary. ~ Hebrews 10:11-18

Today, we continue our study of Hebrews 10 where the writer has been reminding us that daily the Old Testament sacrifices brought a reminder of the people's sin. With each sacrifice the people were reminded that the sacrificial system did not procure permanent forgiveness from God. This preceded their downward spiral into religion and ritualism wherein their hearts were less and less captured by God.

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins."

In this verse we are reminded yet again of the insufficiency of the Old Covenant sacrifices. Underscored was the fact that throughout the entire Old Testament period, there was a clear distinction between conditional and unconditional covenants. Only the unconditional covenants made only by God endured. And, at the heart of the conditional Mosaic Covenant was the Levitical sacrificial system which was incapable of completely removing the people's sin and bringing permanent forgiveness. 

In v. 12-13 of today's passage we read, "12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool."

The priest here is the Lord Jesus Christ who came in the order of Melchizedek which is an eternal system. Here, the permanence of God's forgiveness of our sin is accentuated through the perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. And, once we recognize this issue is over, that we are completely forgiven, we can focus on that which is most important: learning to give our hearts to God.

Once again, we are reminded the Mosaic system could not render a heart change in the human heart. But, the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus was made once and forever. His sacrifice is so unique that it could never be repeated, so, He sat down at the right hand of God. His sacrifice was the masterpiece of the ages. It accomplished everything it was ever intended to accomplish. His sacrifice was complete and there isn’t anything that needs to be added to it. 

All of the sacrifices in the Old Testament didn’t do a thing to get rid of Satan. And, when the Lord Jesus died on the cross, the devil and His values were destroyed. And now, the Lord Jesus is merely waiting until all of His enemies are under His feet. The image given here is that of a king who sits on His throne and His subjects are beneath Him. He is the preeminent One because of His cross. All of the enemies of God throughout all of the ages gathered together all their strength, and the best thing they could come up with was to crucify Him. 

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."

In this one verse we see justification and sanctification. Justification is seen in the phrase, "he has made perfect forever." And, sanctification is seen in the phrase, "those who are being made holy." Christ has fully accomplished and guaranteed the positional and the practical holiness of those who trust in Him as our Savior. And, of course, our positional holiness is our justification and our practical holiness is our sanctification.

The Greek word used here in v.14 for "perfected" is the very same word the Lord Jesus spoke while He was on the cross: "tetelestai" or "IT IS FINISHED!" The Lord Jesus did not just make us perfect until our next sin. He didn’t bring us into access with God until we blew it and deserved to get kicked out of God's presence. No, He brought us into God’s presence "forever." Those who say the believer in Christ can lose His salvation are sorely mistaken and this verse proves it.

The Old Covenant forgiveness was as good as the last sin. It covered yesterday, and when we sin today we have got to perform another sacrifice. This merely underscores man's complete inability to save himself. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ covers the believers sin forever. And so, there is a permanent state of completeness in salvation brought about by His one act of ultimate love.

In v.15-16 of today's passage we read, "15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: 16 'This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.'"

The permanent nature of this unconditional covenant based solely upon the person and worth of the Lord Jesus Christ was foretold in Jeremiah 31. The New Covenant is only realized in and through the Lord Jesus. It is not written on stone, but in the hearts of the willing. As a result of sin being removed, the very presence of God can now come into the once dead spirit of the believer in Christ.

The covenant keeping God of the Bible has chosen to make His home in the life of the believer in His Son. Through the presence of God in our hearts, God is writing His truth in our hearts and minds. As a result, the believer in Christ now has the ability to recognize truth from error. We have assurance that we stand perfected and completed in the eyes of our heavenly Father not because we are practically perfect now, but precisely because we are not practically perfect now.  

In v.17 of today's passage we read, "Then he adds: 'Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.'"

The law of Moses prescribed repeated animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of sin. And the very repetition of the sacrifices showed that the sacrifices never perfected sinners. Because if the sacrifices had perfected the people once for all, the sacrifices would have stopped being offered. There would be no need for them.

In v.18 of today's passage we read, "And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.'"

We do not go to the temple every day to make more sacrifices because the sacrifice of Christ was most effective. It has removed our sin from us for eternity. The cross of Christ has destroyed the enemy and his work in our lives forever. It has eternal security built into it. It is so perfect, we can’t add anything to it. The realization of these truths is now based on our willingness to believe in such a scandalous idea as this: undeserved forgiveness.

Hebrews 10:5-10

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5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God.’” 8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ~ Hebrews 10:5-10

Today, we return to our study of Hebrews 10 where the writer of Hebrews is convincing us of the total efficacy of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross for the payment of our sin. Pictured for us in the sacrifices made in the Old Testament tabernacle is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In the smallest details, everything in that tabernacle screams to us the life, death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Interestingly, more attention is given to the tabernacle than any other subject in the Old Testament. In fact, fifty chapters in the Bible are devoted to the Tabernacle.

In v.5-6 of today's text we read, "5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased."

It is clear God did not delight in sacrifices and offerings. All of the Old Testament sacrifices point us to the Son of His love, the  Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus came to earth to be the one time sacrifice fulfilling all of the righteous requirements of God for our salvation. The Father's love is made evident through the Son's willingness to go through hell to get us into heaven.

According to v.5 of today's passage, God prepared for the Lord Jesus a human body in which there was a willing soul. Through the many choices the Lord Jesus made, He consistently demonstrated dependence upon God the Father while He obeyed His written word! 

In the womb of a virgin a human body was formed by God for the Lord Jesus. God didn’t need a human father to accomplish this task. And, within that body was placed a human soul with the capacity to reason, to feel and to choose. The Lord Jesus, while in that human body, never once acted on His own, and, never once did He act in independence of His Father. This was the desire of God from eternity past.

The Lord Jesus has no interest in ritualistic religion which is motivated by routine. He desires a heart that is engaged, a heart that responds to His heart. The desire of the Lord Jesus led Him to the cross, and there, He laid down His life out of His love for the Father. 

In v.7 of today's text we read, "Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God."

In Isaiah 50:5-6 we read, "5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting."

Seven hundred years before Christ came to be our Savior, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah wrote those words the Lord Jesus would realize. Only the Lord Jesus Christ could measure up to the Law of Moses, therefore, it is only through Him that we have access to God. If He had not been willing, we would be dead still to God in our trespasses and sins.

In v.8 of today's text we read, "First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law."

The righteousness of God has never been satisfied by the sacrifices of the Old Testament because they never included access to His presence for the people. All of those sacrifices merely covered up sin, they never could remove sin. That elaborate system was given to us by the God who wanted to be discovered. And, the Lord Jesus came to declare His Father to the world.

In v.9 of today's text we read, "Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second."

The Lord Jesus took away the first covenant by fulfilling it. He didn't render the truth null and void, He substantiated it. He did this in order that He may establish the New Covenant, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 1:17 we read, "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."  

In v.10 of today's text we read, "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Those who choose to believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world are made perfect in the eyes of God. The word "holy" means "to put to the proper and intended use." God saved you and me to know Him for ourselves, but, He also saved us to be helpful to Him in sinners coming to know Him as we have. 

This one word, "holy," is a perfect participle with a finite verb. And, when there is a perfect participle with a finite verb, we have a tightly sealed argument that always wins. This is the strongest way for God to describe the permanent and continual state of salvation the believer in Jesus Christ enjoys. This one word, "holy," describes our position in Christ, as well as our purpose in this world.

Hebrews 10:1-4

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1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. ~ Hebrews 10:1-4

Today, we transition into Hebrews 10 where the main topic continues to be our faith in the efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ. The effect of all of those Old Testament sacrifices didn't last very long. One had to bring a fresh sacrifice every time he sinned, and once a year the whole nation had to offer the same sacrifice, year after year. The Old Covenant required repetition. But, the New Covenant is beyond time and space. The sacrifice of Christ was offered at one point in history, but its effects are eternal. As we transition into Hebrews 10, we find the characteristics of the death of Christ, which supply all that was lacking in the old sacrifices.  

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship."

The sacrifices of the Old Testament were so massive that the blood would often run down out of the temple into the Brook Kedron. Daily the priests performed sacrifices on the behalf of the people. But, as we have been pointing out for some time now, the Law of Moses just covered sin. It was not sufficient to have impact into eternity. Neither could it change the heart of anyone.

Annually, the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies once a year, bearing with him the blood of the sacrificial lamb. The people waited outside in fear, wondering if the sacrifice would be acceptable before God. If not, the high priest would die in the face of the judgment of God. And, if it was acceptable, the people would rejoice and give great thanks to God for His unfathomable forgiveness. 

Each year, pictured for Israel was the eventual coming of Christ who endured the very wrath of God and turned it away from us who believe. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament was to remind the people that judgment awaits everyone when we die. 

The ceremonial rituals were merely a pale shadow of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Greek word translated "shadow" here means a silhouette or a form without reality. Shadow is the best translation because it was a form without any substance. The many sacrifices of the Old Testament sacrificial system were only a form of Christ and was without substance in comparison. It portrayed something that was real but itself was not that real.

The death of Christ is that ultimate real sacrifice which accomplished for eternity what an eternity of the other sacrifices couldn’t accomplish. The case of sin that's long hung over mankind is over, and we can close the books because the New Covenant is eternal, it is beyond time and space, and, is therefore most effective at reaching the human heart. 

The word "perfect" means to come to its complete end or to come to its full completion. The completed end of any kind of a pattern that God establishes is that man might come into a full relationship with Him. That’s possible only through the Lord Jesus Christ, not through the Law of Moses.

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins."

The Old Testament sacrifices had a shelf life, they had to because they could not fully cleanse sin nor could they cleanse someone's conscience. In addition, daily they returned to the place they were before where the people never really got any relief and/or freedom from sin. 

If, at any time along the way, the Old Testament sacrificial system had actually removed their guilt and actually brought them into fellowship with God, it would have ceased to be necessary because it would have accomplished its perfect end, but it never did. And so when they were doing this, not only did it not remove their sin but it constantly reminded them that it did not remove their guilt.

The Lord Jesus died in order that I might be free to die with Him, and He rose again in order that I might be privileged to rise with Him. And, we will never know the rising without the dying. This is the marvel of the Christian faith. When we truly see His heart for us, we will truly be willing to lay down our lives to bring Him glory.

In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

The great cry in the human heart has always been to be in the presence of God. But, the sacrifices of the Old Covenant could not bring the people to God. Even the priest at his best on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, could not take the people inside the veil. The veil always remained and the people could not access God. All those sacrifices, even those on the Day of Atonement, couldn’t bring access to God.

Rather than the Old Covenant removing sin, it stood as a constant reminder that sin was not removed. This merely underscores the fact that the sacrifice of animals is powerless to remove sin. To purify a man, to free a man from the conscience of guilt that binds all of us, much more was required. The perfect and the eternal sacrifice of the perfect Son of God was required. 

All of the blessings and privileges which come to us in the death of Christ were foretold in the Old Testament sacrifices. When John the Baptist first saw the Lord Jesus, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." Clearly, the last Old Testament prophet, John the Baptist, identified the Lord Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of all the Old Testament pictures. 

We were ransomed, bought and paid for by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. It is not because of anything we have done, but because He poured out His life for us so that we might live. Just as the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts kept the destroyer from killing all of the firstborns of the Israelites in Egypt, so also the Lord Jesus’ blood saves us from God’s wrath.

Hebrews 9:23-28

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23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. ~ Hebrews 9:23-28

We come to our final study in Hebrews 9 wherein the writer of Hebrews has been comparing the Old Covenant with the New. The New Covenant teaches us that the sacrifice of Christ needs not to be repeated. In fact, His last words were, "It is finished." The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is never to be repeated because it was perfect. While the Old Covenant demanded the use of blood for purification, it could not accomplish what was needed most, a new heart. 

Christianity is not a mere set of rules to follow. Nor is it something we do to earn or maintain God's favor. Christianity is what God has done in and for the willing of heart. In sending His Son to earth, God fulfilled and sustained the truth, making it possible for the believer to know and love God. And, when we see His big heart for us through the lengths through which He went to save us, we will want to be pleasing to Him.

In v.23 of today's passage we read, "It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."

The death of the Lord Jesus was a must. He had to die in order to purify all that had been tainted by sin. And, since the Old Testament sacrificial system was limited in what it could accomplish, God sent His Son not only to purify the system but also to substantiate the heavenly one. The Lord Jesus is infinitely superior to any animal. If it was necessary that the copy had to have sacrifices, how much more necessary for the real one. All the blood of the Old Covenant was nothing but a picture of the shed blood of Christ. And, it was only the death of the Lord Jesus Christ that satisfied the righteous demands of God on earth and in heaven.

In v.24 of today's passage we read, "For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence."

The Lord Jesus Christ did not go into an earthly Holy of Holies; He went into the very presence of God for us. When He went in, He took us with Him. In fact, the Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians that we have been raised with Christ and seated at the right hand of God. All of this because He died and we have trusted in His finished work on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin.

In v.25 of today's passage we read, "Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own."

There has never been the need for the Lord Jesus to repeat His sacrifice because He is and His sacrifice was perfect. His sacrifice is better because when He finished it, He entered into the presence of God and remained there seated at the right hand of God. Unlike the Old Testament priests, the Lord Jesus had no need "to offer Himself again and again," proving His sacrifice conquered our greatest enemy sin and death.

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself."

Since His sacrifice was propitious, the Lord Jesus need not die over and over and over. "But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself."

Christ's sacrifice was so totally effective, it was done once and that was it. When He died, it was the culmination of the ages which means the sacrificial system of the Old Testament is now fulfilled and no longer needed. His sacrifice was the last. The Messiah has satisfied life and truth and love and mercy so that we can have all of that and more. When the Lord Jesus put away sin, He died. And, He not only took care of the details, He took care of the principle of sin. So, when God looks at you and me, having trusted solely on the death of the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin, He sees His Son. We are perfect in Christ.

In v.27-28 of today's passage we read, "27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."

Due to sin, all men have to die, and our death is appointed. And immediately after death will come judgment. But, since Christ was judged, believers will not be judged. And, when He comes back a second time, He will judge those who will have not a willing heart to receive the free gift of forgiveness of sin from God. This is the very heart of Christianity: Christ died to bear our sins. He took on sin Himself on His own. He suffered for sins that we had done, so that we could have a personal relationship with God. 

Hebrews 9:15-22

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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. 16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.  ~ Hebrews 9:15-22

Today, we return to our study of the book of Hebrews which is primarily about how the New Covenant fulfilled the Old Covenant which foretold of the coming of the Messiah. All through the Old Covenant, God pictured for us His Son as the coming Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. When the Lord Jesus Christ hung on that cross, the Father ratified or confirmed by authoritative consent the gift of salvation to sinful man.

In v.15 of today's passage we read, "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."

Christ became the believers "mediator" when He hung and died on the cross. It was there on Mount Moriah the Lord Jesus paid the penalty for man's sin. At that moment, He then opened our way to God. His death on that cross was the primary act of mediation that opened the possibility of us enjoying a personal relationship with our Creator and Friend!

The Old Testament priest could have never become our Savior-Priest because he was fallen and the veil was always there. He could never mediate between God and man fully. The Lord Jesus became the perfect Savior-Priest, bringing men to God through His perfect life and death. He removed the barrier of sin by paying the wages of sin which is death. 

In v.16-17 of today's passage we read, "16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living."

If there is a will, the guy who gives the will has got to be dead or the will isn’t applicable. As long as the guy is alive, we can’t collect the inheritance. God offered eternal inheritance through the will of His Son's death for all who believe. But we cannot receive the inheritance until the One who gave the legacy dies. This is the point of these two verses.

The Greek translated "will" is diathēkē, used throughout the New Testament of a covenant between two who are not equals. This means God makes the rules and we either receive the free gift or not. A will is not a bargain between two people, it is something made out by one person, and the other person either takes it or leaves it. God has promised an inheritance and that inheritance depends upon the death of the One who made it in order for it to be received. A will cannot operate until the One who made it dies; therefore, the Lord Jesus had to die to release the will of God to men.

In v.18 of today's passage we read, "This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood."

The shedding of the blood of Christ ratified God's will that man may believe in His Son as our Savior. And the confirmation came from the resurrection of Christ from the dead. The Lord Jesus had to die to release the will of God. And, He had to be raised form the dead in order to make God's will operative. 

In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep."

Both the Old and New Covenants were put into effect by blood. The blood proved the death, thereby enforcing and enacting the will of the One who died. According to Leviticus 17:11, it was necessary for blood to be spilt and applied, because it proved death. It also was given for atonement. For without it, there could be no forgiveness for sins.

In v.21 of today's passage we read, "In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies."

The rites of the Old Covenant continually looked forward to their fulfillment in Christ Jesus. They were only types and shadows of what was to come in Him. They actually did nothing but anticipate His fulfillment of these things. 

In v.22 of today's passage we read, "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

Even the Abrahamic Covenant was sealed by blood. In Genesis 15:9-10, we read, "9 God said to Abram, 'Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.' 10 And he brought him all these, and cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half."

Long before God gave the Old Covenant to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave Abraham a covenant. When God established His covenant with Abraham, He sacrificed animals. It was through the death of those innocent animals that God was saying to Abraham that His standard was blood or death for sin. This is why the Lord Jesus said, "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you." The shedding of the blood of the Jesus Christ made it possible for His atoning death to bring new life to the willing.

There is nothing else that can atone for sin but the blood of Christ. The only way to enter into God’s presence and into participation in Christ's New Covenant is by trusting solely in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith in God's promise that His shed blood on the cross was sufficient for the forgiveness of our sin is what grants us the status of sonship with God. The forgiveness of God was the costliest experience for the Lord Jesus. He gave all He had, and because He gave it all, we can rest assured that we no longer bear the responsibility of our sin.

In Revelation 4-5, we are given a glimpse into the original Tabernacle in heaven. There are many similarities there between the heavenly Tabernacle and that of the Old Testament. There is one difference though. There will be no more sacrifices in heaven and in eternity because the Lord Jesus died once and for all for the sin of man. He did that when He came to earth the first time as our Savior. Sin and death has been conquered by His death on the cross. 

Hebrews 9:11-14

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11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 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, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 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! ~ Hebrews 9:11-14

We return to Hebrews 9 where the writer of Hebrews has used the Old Testament Tabernacle to lead us to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the point of the whole Bible, to usher us to the Lord Jesus because He is the fulfillment of all things Bible.

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation."

In Acts 7:48 we read, "The Most High does not live in houses made by human hands." Then in Acts 17:24 we read, "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands." And here in Hebrews the Lord Jesus is pictured as One who has a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands. God's tabernacle or temple is in heaven. 

In Ephesians 2:1-6 we read, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus."

When we trusted Christ to be our Savior, we were transferred from the control of this world's fallen way of thinking into God's way of thinking and living. We were placed in a process whereby we are being taught God's culture. It's a process. And, God is not in a hurry. And, right now, we, having believed that Christ's death and resurrection procured God's forgiveness for us, are positionally in Christ, seated at the right hand of God. We are not one moment without the presence of God, because we have the perfection of Christ applied to us, right now. 

Spiritually speaking we do not even live in this world, and now, we are alive to God and to His culture. Christ's death and resurrection granted us entrance into God's heaven. This is justification. Now that we are guaranteed heaven, God wants to get heaven into us, now. This is sanctification, the process whereby He is delivering us from this fallen world's way of thinking and living.

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "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, thus obtaining eternal redemption."

The Lord Jesus has taken us into the very presence of God through the shedding of His own blood. He accomplished this with His own sinless blood, not the blood of any animal. And, He entered once into the Holy of Holies to wipe our sin slate clean before God. And, He did this once and for eternity, never to be repeated again.

In v.13-14 of today's passage we read, "The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 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!"

As long as the Law of Moses was around, the people were reminded that they were sinful and they were failures. And that was good, because the good news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is not good news if we do not know about the bad news. The Law had to crush us to the point of seeing our need for a Savior. The Law had to be fulfilled and removed as a means of judgment. So, Christ through His sacrifice, accomplished for us a complete work. We are no longer the recipients of God's wrath.

Christ not only made us acceptable before God, He also, is clearing our conscience free of guilt. The Levitical priests only addressed our outside but the Lord Jesus addresses our inside. In Christ, we are a new creation. Completely clean inside and out through Christ's righteousness. Our consciences are now being made free to think God's thoughts and walk in His ways.

Nothing so impedes our access to God and our walk with Him as a guilty conscience. We can not draw near to God boldly unless our hearts are cleansed. And, if we are to overcome this world's false way of thinking, we must accept the fact that the blood of Christ has completely satisfied God on our behalf. We can not improve on Christ's perfection which He has given to us. God welcomes us into His presence not on the basis of our Christian progress or our good behavior, but on the basis of the perfection of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Hebrews 9:6-10

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6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But 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. 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 functioning. 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. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order. ~ Hebrews 9:6-10

Today, we return to Hebrews 9 where the writer of Hebrews is writing about the Tabernacle. It was a place that had three areas, the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year to make atonement for the sin of the people. Today, we learn about how the Tabernacle was designed of God to point us to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

In v.6-7 of today's passage we read, "6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But 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."

Only the priests went into the Holy Place every day to trim the oil on the lampstand, to put the incense on the altar of incense. And, on every Sabbath day, the priest would go into the Holy Place to change the 12 loaves of bread out on the table of the Showbread.

The work of the Levitical priest was a never-ending work. Every day many sacrifices were made by the priests for the sins of the people who had knowingly sinned. And, all of this provided a perfect picture of the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ who does not cease lighting our way and feeding us through His Word. He also does not cease interceding on our behalf. His work is continual and never ceasing.  

Only the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies once per year. And, when he went in there, he entered with the blood of the sacrifice for the sins of the whole nation, including the priests. Nothing pictures Christ more than this event. On the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, a sacrifice was made and the blood of the sacrifice was applied to the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies for the sins the people, even those sins they yet didn't realize they had done. On the Day of Atonement the sacrifice was needed because sin severed the Jews relationship with God, and only forgiveness through sacrifice could put it back together.

After the High Priest performed the sacrifice, he removed his robes made just for the occasion. He then bathed himself again from top to bottom so that he was completely clean, and then he put on a pure white linen garment with no decoration on it at all. This garment was a symbol of holiness and purity. A perfect symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ who in His work to make atonement for sinful man laid aside His glory and humbled Himself to being crucified on the cross. The garments of the Lord Jesus are always white, indicating He has never lost His holiness.

In v.8-10 of todays passage we read, "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 functioning. 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. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order."

The Holy Spirit ever lives to glorify the Son of God. It is He who shows the impossibility of access to God without a perfect priest and a perfect sacrifice and a perfect covenant. And, by allowing the people to go no further than the Outer Court and allowing the priest to go no further than the Holy Place, the Holy Spirit reveals to us the Old Covenant was limited to meet the most important needs of sinful man. 

No Jew has ever gone to heaven because of the Judaistic system. Every Jew who has ever gone to heaven entered there  because the Lord Jesus died and conquered sin through His resurrection. According to Luke 16:19-31, prior to Christ’s resurrection, Hades was divided into two realms: a place of comfort where Lazarus was (Abraham’s bosom) and a place of torment where the rich man was (Hell). The place that Lazarus was comforted is called "paradise" in Luke 23:43. The place of torment is called “Gehenna” in Mark 9:45. Between paradise and hell, there was "a great chasm"  according to Luke 16:26. It wasn’t until the Lord Jesus died on the cross that He went to Sheol and gathered the believers and escorted them into God's presence in heaven. 

The Old Testament High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies or the presence of God, but, the priest could not enter into the Holy of Holies until the Lord Jesus had perfected the sacrifice that ripped open the veil in the Temple from top to bottom. That’s why the Bible says they remained in that place called Paradise, Sheol, or Hades. When the Lord Jesus died, He descended and led the captives out of captivity and brought them into God's presence in heaven. That was the first time any sinner has had full access to God, and it was provided through the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

The Tabernacle was never intended by God to be permanent. It had built-in lessons about its own impermanence. God made the Tabernacle to be a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ who when the fullness of time had come was born unto man. In fact,  there was a spiritual expectation at the time of Christ's birth unlike any other time. The people of the earth were hungry for the Messiah to come. And so many were converting in different parts of the world in the first century, to Judaism. In fact, if you read your New Testament you know that the Centurion is spoken about favorably in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts. Many of them believed in the Lord Jesus who commended one particular centurion for having more faith than any Jewish person in the entire land. 

The Lord Jesus never said follow my teachings. No, though His teachings are important. He said follow me. He never said, my teachings are the way, the truth, and the life. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." He came as 100% God and 100% man to redeem those who were under the Law of Moses, that we might receive the adoption as sons. I trust you have invited Him to be your Lord and Savior. If you have not, let me encourage you to talk to Him. Tell Him that you know that your sin has separated you from Him. Ask Him to come into your life.

Hebrews 9:1-5

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1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 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. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. ~ Hebrews 9:1-5

Having established that the priesthood of Christ is better than the Old Testament Aaronic priesthood. And, having established that Christ's death on the cross made it possible for God to live in His followers, giving us a new heart with His truth written on our hearts, the writer of Hebrews turns our attention to the Old Testament Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was of most great importance to the Jew because that is where God dwelt among them.

In v.1-2 of today's text we read, "1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place."

The Old Testament Tabernacle was the place the Jews knew God's presence. First given to Israel after they left Egypt, the Tabernacle was erected in the middle of the moving city known as Israel. God gave to Moses precise measurements which had to be perfectly put together. And, every time the Jews moved to another place, the Tabernacle had to be taken down, and when they arrived at their new place, the Tabernacle had to be erected perfectly as before. 

With the Tabernacle, God gave Israel certain ceremonies. And, in order for the priests to carry out their priestly duties, there were certain pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle. Everything about the Tabernacle was given to point us the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Tabernacle was 150 feet long and it was 75 feet wide. And there was only one entrance, on the east side of it. The entrance was 30 feet wide, seven-and-a-half feet high, a perfect picture of the Lord Jesus who said in John 10:7, "I am the door for the sheep."  

In the Tabernacle, there were three separate and distinct parts: the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and, the Most Holy Place. The further one went into the Tabernacle, the more intimacy he would experience with God. This was a picture of our sanctification. 

In the Outer Court, there were two pieces of furniture which the writer of Hebrews does not mention because of the Jews obvious familiarity with it. From the east going into the Tabernacle, is first the brazen altar which stood 4 1/2 feet off the ground. The top was covered by a brass grate, and the coals were underneath the grate and the sacrifice was placed on the grate. The brazen altar was a perfect picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who was sacrificed for our sin.

Past the brazen alter, moving west, was the brass laver. Here, the priests washed their hands and their feet as they went about the bloody services of sacrifice. This was another picture of the Lord Jesus Christ whose blood washed away ALL our sins the moment we trusted in Him as our Savior. Past the brazen altar was the brass laver for the daily cleansing that keeps the believer in full fellowship with the Lord. Together, the brazen alter and the brass laver picture the work of Christ on our behalf on the cross.

In the Outer Court of the Tabernacle, everything was connected to our justification, for it was outside of God's presence that the Lord Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. When the priests entered the Holy Place, he would see the Menorah or the golden lampstand picturing Christ as the light of life who directs our paths. He is the One who through the Holy Spirit illumines our minds to understand spiritual truth. He is the One who guides us through this world of darkness.

The Holy Place measured at 15 feet by 15 feet by 30 feet. And, just beyond the Holy Place was the Most Holy Place which was a perfect cube, 15 feet by 15 feet by 15 feet. In the Holy Place, there were three pieces of furniture, and here the writer only mentions two of them. The first was the seven-lit golden lampstand, also known as the Menorah, with pure olive oil. This golden lamp stand was beaten out of solid gold. The lamp stand reveals the Lord Jesus as the One who directs us each day through His Word. 

To the right of the lamp stand was the table of showbread. Made of acacia wood, the lamp stand was overlaid with gold. It was three feet long, one-and-a-half feet wide and about two-and-a-quarter-feet high off the ground. And on it every Sabbath they laid 12 loaves, one for every tribe in Israel. The table of showbread reveals the Lord Jesus as the One who sustains us each day through His Word. 

In v.3-4 of today's text we read, "3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 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."

Beyond the Holy Place, there was the Most Holy Place. In there was only one piece of furniture, the Ark of the Covenant which contained Aaron’s budded rod, manna, and the tables of the Law of Moses. Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place. The Ark of the Covenant was made of acacia wood. It too was overlaid with gold. And the lid on top of it was called the Mercy Seat. 

In Exodus 25:22, God said, "I’ll commune with you from above the mercy seat from between the cherubim." 

Under the Old Covenant, only the High Priest could go into the presence of God which was over the Mercy Seat. And the people never got any further than the Outer Court; they never even got into the Holy Place. When we met the Lord Jesus as our Savior, He ushered us into the very presence of God because He is our Mercy Seat.

According to Psalm 99, the Mercy Seat represented the throne of God’s judgment. Since, Christ is the believers Mercy Seat, it is only on the basis of the blood of Christ that God accept us into fellowship with Him. The Greek word for Mercy Seat is hilastērion which means propitiation. Propitiation means satisfying sacrifice. The Lord Jesus was the means by which God removed of penalty of our sin. The Mercy Seat points us to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ where the penalty for our sin, which is death, was paid in full.

Hebrews 8:6-13

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6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. 7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. 10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. ~ Hebrews 8:6-13

Today, we complete our study of Hebrews 8 wherein the Lord has been comparing the Old Covenant with the New Covenant. The Old Covenant, also known as the Law of Moses, was God's first covenant with Israel. There was nothing wrong with the Old Covenant; the fault was with the people who were sinful. Both covenants provide the truth, but, it is the New Covenant that provided the infrastructure for the truth to be applied to the heart, the soul, and the spirit of mankind.

In v.6-7 of today's passage we read, "6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. 7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another."

The man who is dead to God, because he still bears his sin, most often chooses to linger too long with the shadows when he can come to the reality of a personal relationship with God. The Old Covenant is the shadow of the New Covenant. And, since the sinfulness of the people weighed down the effects of the Old Covenant, God had to send His Son to measure up to the truth. He not only measured up to the truth, He also sustained it so that it could be applied to sinful man who could not solve his own sinful problem for himself.

The Jews under the Old Covenant thought God wanted them to keep these Ten Commandments as the only way they could please him. But what they did not understand, though, God knew they could not sustain the truth in their lives. He did not give it to them to be kept, for He knew they could not keep it. He gave it to them to show them their desperate need for the Savior. But with presumptuous confidence they tried to keep it and when they could not, they pretended to keep the Law and the result was they deceived themselves to the point of being hardened to the truth. This explains why most of the Jews missed their long-awaited Messiah.

In v.8-9 of today's passage we read, "8 But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. "

The Law of Moses was excellent for what it was meant to do: to point us to Christ. Paul wrote to the Galatians that the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. And so, to accomplish this, a New Covenant was needed, one that did more for the willing than what the Old Covenant did for them. Since the people were sinful, God had to do more for them than taking them by the hand and leading them out of Egypt. He had to address the unfaithfulness of the human heart.

The words found in Hebrews 8:8-13 is a quotation of Jeremiah 31:31-34. The night the Lord Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, He said, "This cup is the new covenant made in my blood." The Lord Jesus spoke of this as the New Covenant, or, the New Agreement from which the life of all who will ever know Him will be lived.

Though, long ago, the prophet Jeremiah had informed the Jews of this New and Permanent Covenant that was yet to come, they allowed the shadow of that which was to come to become ritualistic and their hearts were not involved. God and the sacrificial system had become old hat to them and they lacked a real heart relationship with God. So, God had to do something real radical: He had to place His Spirit in man preventing man from going after illusions which will never solve the real problem of sin.

In v.10-13 of today's passage we read, "10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear."

The Greek word translated "covenant" here is diathēkē which was reserved for the making of a will. The other word God could have used here for "covenant" is sunthēkē which describes an agreement made by two equals, like in a marriage. But, due to our wretchedness, God could not make equal covenants with man. God and man never enter agreements on equal terms. We can never bargain with God. We can never argue the terms of God’s covenant. God makes a covenant and we either accept it or reject it. Our relationship to God is based solely on God’s terms, never on our terms. He is the author and finisher of, not only the New Covenant, He is also the author and finisher of our faith. Our role is to bow our will, and then, hold on for the greatest ride of our lives.

God promised, "I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts." The problem in the human heart is not uncertainty as to what is right. The problem is sin in the human heart. And, as a result, the problem with the human heart is its inability to do what is required.

This is where the New Covenant comes in. The believer in Christ perseveres in the faith because the Holy Spirit dwells in our spirits. As a result, we discover God's laws are written by the Holy Spirit upon our hearts and our souls.

God says, "I will be their God, and they will be my people." 

There is within the human heart a desperate hunger for a hero. To this God promises to be our God. As a result of atoning for our sin through the cross, God made it possible for His perfection to abide within us via the Holy Spirit who teaches us the culture of God. He guides us and He teaches us the ways of God. This is God's answer to the universal sense of condemnation that everyone knows in our hearts because we are sinful. 

God says He will remember our sins no more. He also says all will know me from the least to the greatest. The word "know" is the Greek word "oida" which is intuitive knowledge. Due to the presence of the Holy Spirit, the recognition of the believer of God and His ways will be given to all who are "born again." Strategic was it that the writer of Hebrews did not use the Greek word "gnosko" which is the relational and more deeper word used of those who go deeper in fellowship with God. Oida makes it possible for gnosko to be enjoyed by the believer. In order to experience gnosko, we must be willing of heart for this to happen.

Hebrews 8:1-5

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1 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being. 3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” ~ Hebrews 8:1-5

Today, we transition into Hebrews 8 where the writer of Hebrews continues to highlight the High Priestly ministry of the Lord Jesus. Immediately after the first couple disobeyed God, they both realized they were guilty. Adam and Eve tried to cover their guilt and shame, but they chose a poor cover up. Manmade solutions for sin and guilt never work. Fig leaves of religious works never cover our guilt and never make us right before God.

According to Genesis 3:21, God chose skins to cover Adam and Eve. Throughout the Bible, garments are symbols of righteousness; either God's righteousness or man's self-made righteousness. The coats of skin with which the Lord clothed Adam and Eve represented a righteousness provided by Him in which they could stand in His holy presence. These coats of skin were a type of what God provided for us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The garments that God made for Adam and Eve foreshadowed the sacrifice and death of the Lord Jesus. 

In that very first animal sacrifice, we see the pattern for our salvation which has always been a means of God's grace. The animal was God's gift and not the work of man. The Lord provided the skins to cover Adam and Eve. They did absolutely nothing to satisfactorily cover themselves. The only sacrifice God has ever accepted measured up to His requirements, and the only sacrifice that makes us totally acceptable before God is the sacrifice of His Son. 

In the Old Testament, the animals were innocent substitutes. God could not obtain the skins of the substitute without putting it to death and shedding its blood. The Hebrew word for "garments" signifies a complete covering from head to toe. The same word is used for the high priestly robe, which covered the whole body of the priest. Adam's leaf covering was sufficient only to cover his loins. God's provision was sufficient to cover his whole body. All of this pictures for us the ultimate sacrifice made on our behalf by the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the fullness of time, God provided His own perfect sacrifice to cover our sin and provide us His righteousness. As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are clothed with His perfect righteousness. How tragic that we go around trusting in inadequate coverings for our sin, when only the perfect all sufficient sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ will do. 

In v.1-2 of today's text we read, "1 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being."

When the Old Testament priest performed his duties in the Tabernacle or the Temple he never sat down. This was because there was no furniture in there. This was so in order to show that his work would never have been completed. When this text says the Lord Jesus "sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven," we conclude He did this to show forth the completeness of His work as THE HIGH PRIEST. His sacrifice was efficacious to wash away every sin that has and will ever be committed.

In v.3-4 of today's text we read, "3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law."

The Old Testament priests offered gifts and sacrifices to garner the forgiveness of God for the sins of the people. They had to offer sacrifices daily because the blood of bulls and goats did not wash away the peoples sins. Throughout the Old Testament millions of daily sacrifices were made. And, they were never enough to garner eternal forgiveness. The continuance of the blood at the alter of sacrifice underscores the utter evil nature of sin.

In v.5 of today's text we read, "They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."

The word "copy" in v.5 means a hazy outline. The word "shadow" is a silhouette which has no independent existence. It has no existence at all. It exists only as proof of the fact that there’s a reality somewhere. When we see the shadow, we look for that which made the shadow. The Aaronic priesthood was always a copy and a shadow of the real which is in heaven. It never had an independent existence in and of itself. The whole Old Testament priesthood was a copy and a shadow of that which is in the eternal heaven.

And so, the Lord Jesus is better than the Old Testament priests because theirs was insufficient, and, the Lord Jesus has a superior sanctuary because it is eternal and not a copy. The Lord Jesus is seated, which no priest ever thought of doing, for His work was never done. When the Lord Jesus said "It is finished" while hanging on the cross, He used the Greek word, "tetelestai" which means "paid in full." We, as believers in Christ owe God nothing because the Lord Jesus has satisfied His standard. All of our obedience, now, is a thank you to God for His incredible gift.