Sunday Night Bible Study Hebrews 9:15-28 June 19, 1994 Hebrews 9:15-28 Intro: We are reading a letter written to Jewish believers. People who understand the intricacies of the Old Testament Law and sacrificial system. Last week we were reading about how the Old Testament system could only do an outward, ceremonial type of cleansing from sin. It was not able to help a person's conscience. But the Blood of Jesus, a much better sacrifice, is able to cleanse our conscience from sin. 15. And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions [that were] under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. :15 mediator 3316 mesites {mes-ee'-tace} from 3319; TDNT - 4:598,585; n m 1) one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant Jesus is the "go-between". He is the one who makes peace between us and God. 1Ti 2:5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; :15 he is the mediator of the new testament Note: He is not the mediator of "a new testament", but of "THE new testament." Warning: the phrase "the new testament" doesn't refer to the books of the new testament, as in Matthew through Revelation. The phrase "new testament" means a new covenant, or, a new agreement or contract between God and His people. NIV & NASB: "new covenant" The "new testament" refers back to the section we've already studied in Hebrews 8 Heb 8:8-12; keep in context! This was a quote from the prophet Jeremiah: Jeremiah 31:31-34 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33 But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. The high points of this new covenant are: 1. God would put His law in our hearts 2. We will know the Lord 3. Our sins would be forgiven and forgotten. Last week we saw how the sacrifices under the Old Covenant weren't able to purge a person's conscience clean. But the blood of Jesus is able to cleanse our consciences. Since Jesus' blood is able to cleanse us from our sins, this makes Him the "mediator" of this new testament. Side Note: Why are the last 27 books of our Bible called the "New Testament"? Because they are all about this "New Testament" between God and man, where God puts His law into our hearts, where we are able to know the Lord, and where our sins can be forgiven! 16 For where a testament [is], there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament [is] of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. :16 testament ... death It might help us here to look at the word "testament" and think about the idea of a "will". In fact, wills are often called "the last will and testament" of a person. A Will doesn't take effect until the person who makes the will dies. If in my will, I leave all my earthly possessions to my third son Timothy, this doesn't take effect until after I die. 18 Whereupon neither the first [testament] was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20 Saying, This [is] the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. :18 the first testament ... blood The first testament being the covenant with Moses. Since a testament requires death, there was a substitutional death in the form of a sacrifice and it's blood. :19 when Moses had spoken... This is from Exodus 24:1-8 After getting the beginning precepts of the Law from God (including the ten commandments, Exodus 20-23), then Moses reads it all to the people. The people respond that they will obey all. Moses sprinkles the people, then sprinkles the book (probably a scroll, which Moses wrote the laws down on). :19 with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop This isn't recorded in Exodus 24. But it doesn't mean that it didn't happen. We may just not have been given all the details by Moses. But these things, mentioned together, do crop up two other places The Cleansing of a Leper Le 14:4-6 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive [and] clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: 5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: 6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird [that was] killed over the running water: The Cleansing from Death, the Red Heifer. Nu 19:6 And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast [it] into the midst of the burning of the heifer. I think, somehow, these things speak of cleansing, and so it would seem appropriate that at the time the old covenant was instituted, these things were involved also, especially now when we see that the purpose was cleansing (see vs.22) :20 This is the blood Quoting Moses: Ex 24:8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled [it] on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words. Compare it with what Jesus said: Mt 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Does this add a little insight into our communion service? Jesus isn't just saying worthless, unimportant words. All this stuff in Hebrews ties into our communion service. Jesus is saying that the cup reminds us of His shed blood, which not only brings "the new covenant" into effect (the death of the testator), but is also the means whereby our sins can be forgiven, which is the root of the New Covenant in the first place. 21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. :21 he sprinkled with blood We don't have the actual account of this happening, but we can certainly show that it must have happened because of other Scriptures that talk about how the tabernacle and it's vessels were to regularly be cleansed in this way. Ex 29:12,20,36 Le 8:15,19 9:8,9,18 16:14-19 2Ch 29:19-22; Eze 43:18-26 22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. :22 almost all things are by the law purged with blood Blood is usually the means of dealing with sin, but not always. There is one bloodless sin offering Le 5:11-13 But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put [any] frankincense thereon: for it [is] a sin offering. 12 Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, [even] a memorial thereof, and burn [it] on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: it [is] a sin offering. 13 And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and [the remnant] shall be the priest's, as a meat offering. Since there was one exception, for a poor person who couldn't even afford two turtledoves (very affordable), the writer says "almost". :22 without shedding of blood is no remission What a heavy verse! Is it necessary that we believe that Jesus shed His blood for us? Absolutely! Lesson: Have you allowed Jesus to wash you with His blood? 23. [It was] therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. :23 the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these Just as the earthly tabernacle had to be cleansed with these animal sacrifices, the heavenly tabernacle was cleansed, not with cheap, inferior sacrifices, but with the real, heavy duty, industrial strength sacrifice. Why did the heavenly tabernacle need to be purified? (this at least seems implied) It's not that heaven has faults or sin. At least not until man shows up. The cleansing is for man's sake, to meet God's requirements of righteousness. Another thought: I wonder if it could somehow refer to cleansing heaven from Satan. Currently, Satan has access to heaven and to God's throne. See Job 1,2 But sometime in the future, a war will take place in heaven, and Satan will be excluded from heaven and cast to the earth (no, this hasn't happened yet) Revelation 12:7-11 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, [which are] the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: :24 now to appear in the presence of God for us This is following the typology of the high priest on the day of atonement. On that one day each year, the high priest would go through his ritual, and finally stand in the Holy of Holies, before God's throne (the mercy seat), and be the go-between between God and man. He would pray for the people and offer blood to cover their sins. Jesus has fulfilled this typology to stand before God for us. What does Jesus do for us in God's presence? 1. He intercedes for us Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. This means that He's praying for you! He cares about your needs! 2. He defends us. 1Jo 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world. This means that Jesus is taking your side when the devil is accusing you before God. Jesus is sticking up for you! 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. :26 then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world If Jesus' sacrifice was as inferior as those of the Old Testament, He would have to do what the other priests did, and have to keep offering sacrifice for sin. He would even have had to have been suffering since the very beginning of the world, when Adam sinned, to keep up with it all. But since His sacrifice was hefty enough to cover all the sin of the world in one shot, He only had to suffer once. And since it was such a hefty sacrifice, He even covered the sins of the Old Testament, from Adam on. Retroactive Atonement What the Old Testament sacrifices where doing was pointing to Jesus. When a person sinned, and if they came to God for cleansing, they would bring a sacrifice. And God, seeing that person's faith that God would cleanse them, would take that sacrifice, and in a sense give them credit for what Jesus would do in the future. :26 in the end of the world Did the early Christians think that they were in the end times? Yes! Were they wrong to think so? No! Matt.24:42-51 Watch and be ready! It's the "evil servant" that thinks that Jesus isn't coming back soon! Not only is it healthy for us as Christians to always be ready for Jesus to come back, but now, more than ever, the signs of the times show us that we really, truly are VERY CLOSE! 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: :27 it is appointed unto men once to die This is a good Bible verse to use with those who are dabbling in reincarnation. Can a man die and then be born back in another body? No! You die, then comes judgment. 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. :28 So Christ was once offered Jesus didn't become reincarnated in a "future life" and then have to give His life for us again. Men die only once. :28 without sin When Jesus comes back again, it's not going to be under the burden of our sin. He was victorious over our sin. :28 unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time Look - eagerly wait apekdechomai 1) assiduously and patiently waiting for We need to be eagerly looking for the second coming of Jesus! It doesn't mean that those that aren't looking for Him are just going to miss out and life goes on as usual. Matt.25:31-46 The Sheep and the Goats. 1Jo 3:2-3 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. As we keep looking for Jesus to come back, we'll be acting in a way to show we're ready. 2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.