Hebrews | Chapter 9

Hebrews 9:1-10

“A clean conscience”

  • Introduction
  • 1-5 Better than the best
  • 6-10 Three limitations

 

 

Introduction

The ninth chapter of Hebrews is very detailed and to be quite honest for most of us, confusing with regards to how to apply its truths. First of all, we need to realize that what the writer was writing about was perfectly clear to the Hebrew readers. This section describes in detail Exodus chapters 26-28 and the tabernacle in the wilderness. The chapter deals with one of the most difficult aspects of humanity: What to do with our nagging conscience? The subject isn’t immediately identified until we skip forward in Hebrews chapter 9 to verses 13-14. It is in those two verses that we gain perspective of this chapter: “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?” The writer is drawing his readers into the practical effect of Jesus’ ministry which are highlighted by the words to, “cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” The problem the author is dealing with is something that we all have to deal with, “How to handle a nagging conscience?” A Conscience has been defined as:

  • “That still, small voice that makes you feel smaller still.”
  • “It’s what causes you to feel bad when everything else feels good!”
  • The Disney prophet Jiminy Cricket defined it as, “A conscience is that still small voice that people won’t listen to.”

The truth is a conscience is NOT the means by which we tell what is right and what is wrong. A conscience was never supposed to be that. It is ONLY training in God’s Word by His Holy Spirit that tells us what is right or wrong. It is only then that our conscience plays a part by insisting that we do what we now know is right and avoid what we now know is wrong. Without a sanctified conscience we can be misguided into thinking that what we think is right is wrong and what we think is wrong is right! Our conscience can accuse us when we violate whatever standard we have adopted, even when that standard may be wrong when viewed in the light of God’s Word by His Holy Spirit. And our conscience can also wrongly approve us when we live up to some wrong standard.

Based upon the text, these Hebrews did not have a troubled conscience because of “evil deeds”, but because of “dead works.” The readers of this letter who were professing Christians knew how to handle the problem of sin. They knew that when they disobeyed God’s word that the way to deal with their conscience was to confess their sin before God and receive His forgiveness. But their problem was an overactive conscience that was plagued with guilt over sins of omission (good left undone), not sins of commission (sinful behavior). They were trying to put their conscience to rest by religious activity, trying to easy their troubled conscience by appeasing God by greater religious activity! You can’t find fault with their desire to please God, but you can find fault with the motivation they employed to do so, intensive religious activity! The difference from those who have an overactive conscience in comparison to those who don’t can’t be measured by activity but instead must be weighed on the MOTIVE behind such activity! We don’t serve to placate God! Our activity is not to try to win the acceptance before God! God is not impressed by our increased effort. At issue is the motivation behind the religious activity that these Hebrews were being tested to go and do to “cleanse their conscience”. This section divides into two sections as we look at two covenants through the lens of two sanctuaries the first, we will tackle this morning the next we will look at next week:

  1. 1-10 We look at the religious activity of the first covenant: In verse 2-5 we will look at the sanctuary, verses 6-7 we will look at the services in the sanctuary and finally in verses 8-10 we will look at the significance of all of this.
  2. 11-14 We look at the sanctuary in verse 11, the services in 12, and their significance in verse 13-14.

1-5 Better than the best

Vs. 1-5 Throughout the book of Hebrews the writer continues to illustrate the superiority of Jesus by comparing him to all that these Hebrews held holy about their religion. But throughout all of these comparisons the writer never says that things that the Hebrews worshiped or held in high regard were worthless, instead he said they were God ordained. The writer never elevated Jesus at the expense of running Judaism down, instead he made Jesus even greater by showing Him superior to what they already held as precious! He didn’t need to elevate Jesus by belittling their faith! The first point the writer needs to make is to defend the first covenant so that his readers won’t misunderstand his point. The activity of the first covenant was NOT worthless or pointless. In fact, it was sanctioned and authored by God! There problem wasn’t that that they weren’t from God, no, their problem was that they were temporary and symbolic!  Here in these first 5 verses, we see the description of the tabernacle with all of the activity that went along with it. By comparison, only two chapter are dedicated to the creation account whereas there are over 50 chapter dedicated to the tabernacle specifically chapters 25-40 of Exodus. The reason for this is that it is a portrait of Jesus and His work. This is why the writer here in this chapter goes out of his way to show that the problem wasn’t the activity, or the place of the activity, the tabernacle. All of this was God’s idea and His design and all of the activity that went on in that place was God-authorized. There was nothing wrong with the activity of worship in the tabernacle; it was God-authorized, and perfectly proper. There was nothing wrong about the God-authorized regulations; the preparations the priests had to continually do in performing their duties. So if there was nothing wrong with the activity, why couldn’t it continue? That is what the writer will go on to discuss in verses 6-10 and 11-14!

6-10 Three limitations

Vs. 6-10 All of these activities had to do with the Old Testament, the worship in the tabernacle, and the regulations connected with it. The writer in verse 9 points out these activates had three limitations:

  1. 9 Limited value: First the writer says in verse 9 that these activities were, “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.” These activities only affected the outer man and did nothing to change the heart. The activity of service, the ritual, sacrifice, or ordinance, had no power on the person who performed it let alone on the person they performed it for. The activity only affected the outward part of the body of the person involved in the activity. If all a person is doing is focusing on the activity of baptism, then all they are really doing is getting wet and perhaps washing of the outer dirt from the body. It’s not the activity of the “baptism” that’s the problem it’s the heart of the person getting baptized that’s the problem. No religious activity has VALUE in and of itself. This truth needs to be declared over and over again to people. Religious people are convinced that God places value in religious activity! But the author of Hebrews says, “No, not even if the religious activity that is God-authorized being done in God’s place of worship.” Jesus spoke against such religious activity in reading the word of God in John 5:39 where he said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” There was no value in religious reading of the Bible thinking that doing so would save a person; no, it’s in what the person does with what they read, TRUST in JESUS THAT SAVES A PERSON. If the conscience is not touched even though they have been engaged in the activity, then their focus is on the activity and not upon God who alone gives us rest and peace! Religious activity is like a person who goes down and buys new clothes every time they need a bath. Their activity never deals with their real problem; all it does is but keeps covering it.
  2. 9 Limited truth: The second point the author makes is that these activities all were intended to have a deeper message. He writes, “It was symbolic for the present time.” No ritual or activity had MEANING in and of its itself, instead the activity or ritual ONLY had meaning in what it stood for! Every one of these activities in the tabernacle were intended to convey a deeper message. Take for instance the activity of the provisions of the show bread, the incense, the offerings, the ornate building itself with its altars. All of this religious activity was to teach the people their importance was not to place importance upon the outward activity it was only “symbolic”. What was important wasn’t the activity but what it stood for. But the Hebrews completely missed this and thought God was interested in the activity or ritual. In Isaiah 1:11-14 God tells the nation, “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats.  Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies– I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.”
  3. 9 Limited reach: The third point the writer makes is that these activities never touch the conscience. In verse 8 the writer said, “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.” The phrase “Is still standing” is a mistranslation; as it should be “still has any standing.” That idea is, “still has any value in their sight.” The Hebrews could never see what the truth that God was showing them at as long as they had their attention focused on the activity or ritual. And the mere activity never had any effect upon their guilty conscience. All it did to their conscience is require more and more activity in an attempt to appease the conscience. The truth is these Hebrews needed to see the worthlessness of the activity or ritual before they could appropriate the truth behind the symbol. David illustrated this truth when he wrote about it in Psalm 51:16-17 “For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart– These, O God, you will not despise.” David realized that the activity of “burnt offerings” was just the symbol of the true sacrifice of “a broken and a contrite heart” of which “God, will not despise.” This psalm was written after David’s double sin of adultery and murder. And in the Psalm David confesses that God brought conviction to his heart, not through the activity of the ritual but what it pointed towards “a broken and a contrite heart”. This is why David had conscience cleansed because it went beyond the endless religious activity.

 

Hebrews 9:11-16

“From duty to delightful devotion”

  1. Introduction
  2. 11-14 Not made with hands
  3. 15-16 All things through Christ

 

 

Introduction

Here in verses 11-14 the writer gives his readers the contrast to religion with its activity that had:

  1. Limited Value: No value in religious activity in and of itself!
  2. Limited Truth: No meaning in religious activity apart from what it pointed towards!
  3. Limited Reach: No ability in religious activity to change the heart or conscience!

The contrast is immediately apparent in the first two words of verse 11, “But Christ”! Jesus is the opposite of religion even when religion had its ordinances, ritual’s service and activity that was ordained by God because Jesus’ impact didn’t have “limited value, truth or reach” into our lives! Religion, (even God ordained activity) has a faulty motor inasmuch as it depends upon human activity of the worshiper to do what only God can do change the inward heart! All the activity of the worshipper can only affect the outer man; it can do nothing to change the inward man. It can never clean clear or quiet the conscience. If it could, then there would be no need for Christ we would be totally dependent upon our own religious activity. In this section we look at one of the most difficult aspects of the Christian life, Duty at the expense of Devotion! The writer is walking a fine line as he expounds upon what has changed it the believers service of God that the religious Hebrews didn’t want to abandon. Saints, our religious works will never work, to ease our troubled conscience, but those who have understood grace will be set free to serve not to receive love and forgiveness because they have love and forgiveness!

Vs. 11-14 Not made with hands

Vs. 11-14 That’s why we Christian’s depend upon “Christ as our High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more permanent tabernacle not made with hands, that is not of this creation.” The new covenant depends not on the activity of the worshipper but on the activity of Christ in our place! Because of this the effect of Jesus moves from the outward man to the inward man. When our conscience, is confronted with the value, truth and reach of Christ’s blood, it has nothing to say! In verse 12 we are told of three things that Jesus does in this “perfect tabernacle not made with hands”:

  1. “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood”: First, Jesus’ service is in His own blood, not in the temporary sacrifices. The sacrificer was the sacrifice!
  2. “He entered the Most Holy Place once for all”: Second, He made His sacrifice of Himself only once, and that one sacrifice was more than sufficient for ALL people. That means that not matter type of sin or how often you sinned, accepting Jesus’ sacrifice is all we will ever need!
  3. “Having obtained eternal redemption”: Third, Jesus obtained a “permanent eternal redemption”. Because of this Jesus has cleansed us from “past, present, and future” sins once and for ALL!

All of our religious activity adds NOTHING to our acceptance before God. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:6 that God has made us “accepted in the Beloved.” As difficult as it is for us to believe this: God doesn’t “LIKE US BETTER” because we serve Him, go to church, read our Bibles, or pray! Some may argue that I just destroyed the motivation of doing those things; and I would argue that I just changed the motivation from fear to LOVE, from works to GRACE! God’s love has never been based upon what we do for Him, God loves us because He is love and that is what He does! Serving God is not our DUTY it is our DELIGHT! Nothing impedes our growth and maturity more than a guilty conscience. A guilty conscience is one of satan’s most effective weapons as he knows you will never draw near to God if you have a guilty conscience. If a Christian wants to be victorious over the devil, you will need to accept the fact that the blood of Christ completely makes you acceptable to God. The glorious truth is that God the Father welcomes us into His presence NOT on the grounds of:

  • Our successful spiritual progress
  • Dedicated service
  • Biblical knowledge
  • Ability to say no to sin

Instead, He welcomes us into His presence on the sole grounds of our acceptance of the blood of Christ cleansing us from all sin, past present and future! It is this truth that has far to often been a secret in Christianity that has enabled believers throughout history to overcome the satan as we are told in Revelation 12:11 that the martyred believers during the tribulation will overcome satan, “by the blood of the Lamb.” These future saints refused to wilt before his accusations of the devil and were, able to enjoy access to the throne of grace.

Vs. 15-16 All things through Christ

Vs. 15-16 But what does all of this have to do with the blood of Christ? It is this aspect that the writer address in verses 15-23. In verse 15 he begins to address this saying, “For this reason He (Jesus) is the Mediator of a new covenant, by means of death..” As I said a few weeks back the clearest way to understand a “covenant” is to call is a “contract”. There are many different kinds of contracts but the two which the writer looks at is a two-part conditional contract also called a “if-then” because it has terms that needs to be completed in order for the promises to be received. But if you look at verse 16 the writer refers to another type of contract that he calls a “testament” and he describes this type of contract by what must take place for people to be the beneficiaries of it has he writes, “For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.” So, what kind of contract requires the death of someone for the beneficiaries to receive the promises? A WILL! The writer points out, that no will that is written that can bestow any benefits until after the death of the person who wrote the will. Jesus’ blood is inescapable; His death was not for his sake, but for ours. He was our representative. The cross is God’s way of telling us that there is nothing in us worth saving at all, we have no salvageable content in us whatsoever. He takes us and says, “There is nothing any of you can do for me, not one thing.” In 2 Corinthians 5:21 we are told that God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This is Paul’s way of telling us that God says, “There is nothing in you that can please me; there is nothing you can do in your own effort that is worth a thing.” The Cross of Jesus eliminates us, from claiming any approval, we simply are NOT good people, and we can NOT do good works to make up for our failures. This why our religious activity cannot improve our relationship with God in the slightest degree. The truth of this destroys our pride. We Christians are not indispensable to God; He is indispensable to us. It is this great truth to that brings us to realize that: We are completely bankrupt to do anything for God, so that we can receive everything from him. That is why the writer says in verse 14, “the blood of Christ … purifies our conscience to serve the living God.” Included in the gospel is the truth that Jesus has made Himself available to us, to do everything in us. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” Jesus is the one who calls you to do something, but He is also the One who intends to do it, through you. Therefore, we need to stop thinking that we have to depend on our intellect, our ability, our gifts, our talents, or our anything, and start realizing that we are relying on Jesus’ ability to supply what He asks us to do. That is what Paul said in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” All of these “benefits” are available to us Christians but only if we rely upon the FACT that Jesus has died for these benefits to be released towards us!  The “WILL” is NOT in effect if there is NO death of the benefactor. That was the problem with these religious Hebrews as they didn’t want to accept His death because that would make “null and void” all their religious activity making them a “special people”! If we refuse to accept this fact, then we will never find any lasting acceptance before God because it will always be conditional upon our religious activity. We will always be wrestling with whether we have done enough to be pleasing to God by our activity. But if we accept this truth we will move from DUTY to DELIGHTFUL DEVOTION in our service. The writer of Hebrews will sum it up very well in his doxology in 13:20-21 where he writes, “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

 

Hebrews 9:16-28

“Accepted sacrifice”

  • Introduction
  • 16-17 A will and death
  1. 18-22 Forgiveness and blood
  2. 23-26 Once for all
  3. 27-28 Judgment and a substitute

 

 

Introduction

 

We go back now and focus a bit more of verse 15 where the sentence started with the phrase “And for this reason” which points back to what the writer had just wrote that “Because of Jesus’ death He had become the mediator of a new and better contract.” This contrast is between two contracts both of which as noted were not made with us gentiles or the church but with Jews. Furthermore, the writer states that the fault of the first didn’t lie with the contract but what it had to work with, people as represented in the Jews. Looking at these two contracts we can see that:

  1. The POINT of the contract was still the same: Too reconcile fallen humanity back to a righteous God.
  2. The TERMS of the contract were still the same: 18:4 “The soul who sins shall die.”
  3. The MEANS of the contract hadn’t changed: Hebrews 9:22 tells us that “without the shedding of blood there is NO REMISSION.” There cannot be any reconciliation apart from the shedding of blood. But the problem lies, in what the writer will say in chapter 10:4 that “It is NOT POSSIBLE that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.”

“If the point of both contracts were the same, and the terms of the contracts were the same, and the stated means of the contracts were ineffective in guaranteeing the stated aim of the contract; then how could the contracts ever be completed?” The only way that to reconcile fallen humanity back to a righteous God is through shed blood and the way in which that had been done by order of God was through the blood of “bulls and goats” was deemed by God as “impossible” to execute the contract. That would mean that the terms stated: “The soul who sins must die”, would NOW be expected. The writer has explained to his readers that the “blood of bulls and goats” were only meant as a temporary symbol of the permanent plan of Jesus that according to chapter 10:10 that His death was “once for all”. The reader’s problem would have been how to comprehend what they and their forefathers had practiced as the “means” to reconciliation if it was impossible to reconcile them back to God. Since God had ordained the animal sacrifice and required their forefathers to practice it to be reconciled to God what happened to those, who for hundreds of years had practiced this and then died? Did God make an exclusion for them? Did the blood of bull and goats work for them and if so, why wouldn’t it work for the readers of this letter? This is the point of this section as the writer’s focus is the threefold necessity of the Messiah’s death.

 

Vs. 16-17 A will and death

Vs. 16-17 First let’s address the readers concerns: First the question as to “how the first Testament believers were saved”: They were saved on the same basis as believers today – “By the finished work of Christ”. One of the first accomplishments of Jesus’ death was to redeem those who had believed in God under the first contract. He preached “liberty to the captives”. Jesus’ death was “retroactive”! Just as the symbol of the blood of bulls and goats coveredsymbolically the people for the previous year! They were credited by faith with what Jesus, their promised Messiah, would one day do for them and all sinners. In the truest since Jesus’ sacrifice had already been made in God’s mind long before it was made in human history, as we are told in Hebrews that it was finished from the foundation of the world! Here is where theses Hebrews were mistaken: The Old Testament sacrifices were NOT THE MEANS to salvation;they were the SYMBOLS of the perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world! This is why what Paul wrote I 1 Corinth 1:23 was true of the Jews as they saw the Cross of Christ as a “stumbling block”. It had nothing to do with their own Scriptures in which they ignored what God said in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. They instead preferred their own ideas about the Messiah and adopted their own religious ideals that took in works as a means to salvation! The first of necessity of Jesus’ death, is that:

  1. 16-17 A will demands death: As noted last week is that a “WILL’s” benefits, provisions, and promises don’t come into effect until the person who made it DIES! The writer says that God gave an eternal inheritance to Israel, but it was in the form of a contract or will. But it the first contract acted only as a “promissory note” until the provider of the note died. There is no mention of how or when the person will die only that He will. What happened with most the Hebrews is that they took the “promissory note” as the true will instead of what it pointed towards. As such the writer pints out that the benefits, provisions, and promises don’t come into effect until the person who made it DIES!

Vs. 18-22 Forgiveness and blood

Vs. 18-22 The second point that the writer says regarding the necessity of Jesus’ death is that:

  1. 18-22 Forgiveness demands blood: The shedding of blood is a symbol of death and were even seen in the covenant made with Abraham all of which point towards Jesus. In verse 19 the writer draws attention to the contrast that though both the Old Covenant as well as the New Covenant are sprinkled blood (Exodus 24:6-8 and Matthew 26:28) Moses did so with the blood of animals whereas Jesus took up the cup saying, “This is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” But saints it is good for us to be reminded that Jesus’ physical “blood” isn’t that which saves us, it’s His dying on the cross on our behalf that does. The pour out of His blood just symbolizes His actual death. Without this distinction than all that would have been necessary was Jesus giving up a pint on a blood drive! The purpose of the blood was to symbolize His sacrifice for our sins which brought about our cleansing from all sin and with this the truth that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” The writer is drawing this conclusion to demonstrate that some of the Jews had focused upon the symbol instead of the person. For instance, the Law allowed a poor person to bring two quarts of fine flour if they couldn’t afford the lamb or even the turtledoves, (Lev. 5:6-7). This proves that such things were meant to be symbols that pointed towards Jesus’ death. The reason for this “blood” symbol is Lev. 17:11 where we are told that “the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls”. The penalty for sin is death and nothing but death (symbolized by the shedding of blood) can atone for our sin. We can gain forgiveness by self-effort, if we could than Jesus Christ died in vain. Neither can we come into His Holy presence by being “good Christians” reading our bibles and going to church. The truth is “forgiveness is the most expensive known to man” but cost has been paid for by the death of Jesus! There is no substitute! The reader of this letter is warned “never to presume or trivialize the grace of God!” God doesn’t forgive our sin by saying, “Since I love you so much, I’ll let this sin go.” God’s nature doesn’t let our sin slide, His holiness and righteousness demand payment by death and the only death that can pay for our sin is His only begotten Son Jesus. God’s great love doesn’t lead Him to “overlook” our sin, it leads Him to provide payment!

Vs. 23-26 Once for all

Vs. 23-26 Again the writer reminds the reader that the earthly tabernacle was a “copy” of the heavenly one and all it had to offer was a symbol for the real thing. The “Heavenly tabernacle” offered “better sacrifices” which is the writer’s point. The animal sacrifices that some of the Hebrews were insisting upon were just a sketch, a faint picture of the shed blood of Jesus. Paul writing of this declared in Philip 2:9 that because of Jesus’ sacrifice “God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, that at THE name of Jesus EVERY knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and those under the earth.” The argument is plain, to which of the animal sacrifices did God the Father give this exaltation? Only Jesus satisfies what God’s holiness demands no one can come to the Father except through Jesus! Jesus presents us in Himself, and this is why we are told that we are “Accepted in the Beloved”! Go the Father sees:

  • Jesus’ righteousness instead of our unrighteousness
  • Jesus’ sacrifice instead of our sin
  • Jesus’ payment for our sin instead of the penalty for our sin

No person is declared “just as if they have never sinned” until they are placed into the death of Jesus! Furthermore, Jesus didn’t enter the earthly tabernacle He went into the very presence of God the Father and when He did, He took us with Him as we are told in verse 24 that He did so “FOR US”! God’s satisfaction with Christ’s sacrifice doesn’t depend upon a continual sacrifice, as we are told in verse 26 that “He would have to suffer often”. This should put to rest the heretical doctrine of the Catholic Mass where Jesus is perpetually offered as a sacrifice, instead of once and for all! To the Catholic Church Jesus is STILL being sacrificed whereas the Bible teaches that we are to REMEMBER Jesus sacrifice NOT believe that it is repeated every week! This is why most Roman Catholic crucifix’s still have Jesus on the cross!

 Vs. 27-28 Judgment and a substitute

Vs. 27-28 The third and final point that the writer says regarding the necessity of Jesus’ death is that:

Vs. 27-28 Judgment demand a substitute: All humanity will die; it is the one appointment that no one will be late for. But there is another appointment that we want to miss and that is “judgment”. We aren’t able to make atonement for sins, to pay what God’s righteous judgment demands the only thing we can do is trust on our only substitute, Jesus! Jesus died like all men but unlike all men He never faced judgment and instead took our sins, NOT His sins; as we are told in 2 Corinth 5:21 that “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” In verse 28 is a reference that every Hebrew would understand and that is the relief that would experience on the “Day of atonement”. It happened when the High Priest would come out of the Holy of Holies. If he didn’t come out it meant that he did something wrong and that their sins remained, but if he appeared than they knew that the sacrifice had been accepted by God. The reference here is that they second coming will cause a greater sense of relief as they will look on Hi whom they have pierced and realize that His sacrifice was accepted!