Jesus Christ - a better and once and for all sacrifice - a better covenant & confidence

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Jesus Christ - a better and once and for all sacrifice - a better covenant & confidence

Introduction:
Is “new & improved” always better - if not, are we willing to affirm the older “tried & true”?
When faced with change, what comforts and reassures us?
In which do we take more comfort - the old familiar or the new that addresses a real need that perhaps we hesitate admitting.
What does it take for us to completely shift from the old to the new/better?
Change and shifting to something new is never easy, especially when we are the first in to change and those around us resist the change and therefore rather than being included, we are viewed with some distrust.
First farmer in an area to use chemical fertilizer
First in a family or neighbourhood to shift from no faith or nominal religious to evangelical church
Believer’s baptism by immersion after having been christened or baptized by parents when we were babies
Walking away from a conservative evangelical trust in the Lord to embrace what is diametrically contrary to what they had previously professed to believe.
Having repeatedly reminded his readers that what Jesus Christ did was without question better than anything they had known and trusted, the writer of Hebrews again summarized what he had written in .
Hebrews 9:13–14 ESV
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
It was not that the shed blood of sheep and goats served no purpose. They did temporarily sanctify to the purification of the flesh, that the goat and bull blood were never able to deal with more than the outer flesh. They were never able to restore one on one intimacy with/closeness with God the Father. There unbridgeable chasm of sin was a glaring reality. Then there was the priesthood, the members if which only because of their ancestry could approach God on behalf of the rest of the nation. And even with the priesthood, only a limited number ever served in the temple in Jerusalem. And of that limited number, an even more limited number, selected by drawing lots, was allowed to enter the holy of holies once a year on behalf on the rest the nation of Israel.
For the average Israelite, forgiveness of sin and personal intimacy with the God was only something to be read and dreamed about. The sovereign, holy, all powerful creator of the universe was to be feared and served from a distance. On a comparatively few individuals, those called to by God, say a bit of His person and heard His voice. For the majority, it seemed God kept them at a safe distance.
BUT
BECAUSE Jesus (the blood of Jesus) secured an eternal redemption -
THEREFORE, He is the mediator of a new covenant -
THEREFORE, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus -
BECAUSE Jesus (the blood of Jesus) secured an eternal redemption -
Preparation of the tabernacle/temple - 9:1-5 - 5 verses as compared to 50 chapters in the OT describing in minute detail the layout of and preparation the tabernacle.
Tabernacle service - 9:6-10 - 5 verse summary of
BUT
Hebrews 9:10 ESV
but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.
BUT Jesus - high priest, sacrifice - own blood, once and for all
Jesus appeared as a High Priest
Greater and more perfect tent
Entered once and for all by means of His own blood
Offered - ministered
Secured eternal - past, present & future redemption

An evangelist tells a story from the days when he held tent meetings many years ago. One day, after a series of meetings was over, he was pulling up tent stakes. A young man approached him and asked what he had to do to be saved. The evangelist answered, “Sorry, it’s too late.” “Oh no,” was the response. “You mean it’s too late because the services are over?” “No,” the evangelist said, “I mean it’s too late because it’s already been done. Everything that could be done for your salvation has already been done.” After explaining Christ’s finished work to the young man, he led him to saving faith.

To purify our consciences from dead works to serve to living God - 9:11-12
purify our consciences
purify - cleanse the cleanse NASB - purge your conscience KJV
cleanse ceremonially or morally
conscience - inward moral impressions of one’s actions and principles
Written in our hearts.
Romans 2:25 ESV
For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.
Romans 2:15 ESV
They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
Ignoring conscience desensitizes and eventually silences
1 Timothy 4:2 ESV
through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,
Titus 1:
Titus 1:15 ESV
To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.
our conscience needs to purified and recalibrated
Dead works /dead offering as compared a living Saviour, living
When told that before Christ anything and everything that we would offer to God is dead, why would we, anyone think that be so presumptuous as to bring to God a dead offering.
Second to that realization would be that we are not only serving a living God, but we have access to Him through a living mediator - Jesus Christ.
An eternal/once for all redemption - 9:13-14
THEREFORE, He is the mediator of a new covenant - 9:15-10:18
The Scriptures assure us and affirm unequivocally that Jesus secured an eternal redemption. From Jesus’ perspective on the cross, “It was finished”. When the Father raised Jesus from the grave, the Father was affirming that the eternal redemption was secured. The redeemed are brought back and set free.
That having been underscored that Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant.
Mediator - “go-between/arbitrator - in this sense between God and man.
1 Timothy 2:5 ESV
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
Under the Old Covenant - dependent on the priests and high priests as mediators.
While we are encouraged to pray for, intercede, give thanks for all people including kings and those in high positions, the mediation that Paul and the writer of Hebrews spoke of focused on salvation.
1 Tim
1 Timothy 2:4 ESV
who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Promised eternal inheritance - 9:15
That the called might receive.
Called to salvation in Christ - God calls all men to be saved.
For those who hear God’s and believe as well as those who hear God’s call and reject it.
Romans 8:30 ESV
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Acts 17:30–31 ESV
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Eternal inheritance - salvation
Hebrews 6:12 ESV
so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
1 Peter 1:3–5 ESV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Pet
Eternal
Redeems those from the transgressions committed under the first covenant
Looked forward to the promised Messiah
Romans 3:24–25 ESV
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
Rom 3:
Death required for a will to take affect.
Covenant - first covenant inaugurated - dedicated KJV - with blood - inaugurate & dedicate equally valid when we remember that the focus is confirming something NEW.
NO shedding of (Jesus) blood - NO forgiveness of (our) sins/purification - 9:22,23
vs 22 - old covenant
vs 23 - new covenant - heavenly things - better sacrifices- body and blood of Christ.
once and for all at the end of the ages - New Testament/New Covenant era
Hebrews 1:2 ESV
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
1 Corinthians 10:11 ESV
Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, … to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him - 9:28
All men have to die. After death the judgment.
Not only did Christ rise from the dead, He ascended and is coming again.
Second time for salvation - not to deal with sin - but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him - unto salvation KJV - wait for Him NASB - Greek - waiting salvation - BETTER - BUT - He is our salvation - our salvation draws nigh.
Jesus is our salvation.
Luke 21:27–28 ESV
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Luke 21:28 ESV
Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Lk 21:
We have been saved/sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ once and for all - 10:1, 10
Here the writer of Hebrews seems to be stressing that the Hebrew believers need to discard their old system and offerings that were part of the old covenant.
They did not work, and were therefore needed again and again.
If the OT believers’ consciences had been cleansed by condemning guilt - 9:9, there would have freedom and and sense that the sacrifices were no longer needed.
Hebrews 10:22 ESV
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
It was never about the sacrifices - David understood and Jesus amened what David said -
Hebrews 10:6–8 ESV
in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ ” When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law),
Heb 10:
Christ’s witness:
Do God’s will
Does away with the first covenant
Holy Spirit’s & Word witness:
Law written hearts - Jer 31:33
Remember sins no more -
And by that will - 9:16 - we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ, once and for all - Greek word all.
Sanctified - made holy - set apart - root of NT word saint
Will of God
1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
Perfect tense- strongest and clearest way of stressing the believers permanent salvation - action in the past with ongoing implications.
While we should hunger and thirst after righteousness as an act of loving submission and obedience, it is only Jesus that we are declared righteous and holy.
Leviticus 11:44 ESV
For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground.
1 Peter 1:16 ESV
since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
THEREFORE, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus - 10:19-39
Someone has correctly noted that when we have come to know and fully understand the Gospel of Jesus an all of its truth, that person will make one of two decisions. Between theses two choices there is no middle ground.
CHOICE #1 - Repent and believe = salvation -
When one embraces the Gospel by faith, the new birth becomes clear in a new life assured by faith, held fast by unwavering hope that stirs up love and good work.
Faith - 10:22 - Hope - 10:23 - Love - 10:24
- faith, hope and love - abide & inseparable in the life of the believers. If one of them does not abide, we have Scriptural grounds to ask whether that person is in Christ.
CHOICE #2 - Reject the truth/the Gospel - set aside the law of Moses, the sacrifice of Christ - - APOSTASY
Go on sinning deliberately, after receiving but rejecting the truth
APOSTASY - deliberate rejection of the truth - rejecting the truth means not only rejection but also in essence, by actions and life affirm that the truth is not the truth. BUT denying the truth does not make the truth a lie!
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith - 10:21
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope - 10:23
Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works - 10:24
Warnings re apostacy - 10:26-31
Recall the former days - 10:32-39
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