Sermon Tone Analysis

Hebrews 9:1-14: New Covenant Worship

Good morning!

If you have your bibles, please open them to Hebrews, chapter nine.

We will be discussing verses 1-14.

Recently, I traded in my 2009 Nissan sedan for a new (used) dad-mobile, a minivan.

If you would have asked me 15 years ago if I would ever drive a minivan, I would have likely laughed at you, scoffed at you, and maybe even called you crazy.

Fact is, we needed a change.

Fact is, the sedan just wasn't cutting it anymore.

The sedan was no longer relevant for what we needed for transportation in our lives in the present time.

While in our specific case, it wasn't a world changing event that had to shift our way of doing life, in the passage we will read today, we'll see that in a single moment, the way that the Jewish Christians worshipped God would need to be changed and altered in a significant way.

Let's read Hebrews 9:1-14

1 NOW EVEN THE FIRST COVENANT HAD REGULATIONS FOR WORSHIP AND AN EARTHLY PLACE OF HOLINESS.

2 FOR A TENT WAS PREPARED, THE FIRST SECTION, IN WHICH WERE THE LAMPSTAND AND THE TABLE AND THE BREAD OF THE PRESENCE.

IT IS CALLED THE HOLY PLACE.

3 BEHIND THE SECOND CURTAIN WAS A SECOND SECTION CALLED THE MOST HOLY PLACE,

4 HAVING THE GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE AND THE ARK OF THE COVENANT COVERED ON ALL SIDES WITH GOLD, IN WHICH WAS A GOLDEN URN HOLDING THE MANNA, AND AARON'S STAFF THAT BUDDED, AND THE TABLETS OF THE COVENANT.

5 ABOVE IT WERE THE CHERUBIM OF GLORY OVERSHADOWING THE MERCY SEAT.

OF THESE THINGS WE CANNOT NOW SPEAK IN DETAIL.

6 THESE PREPARATIONS HAVING THUS BEEN MADE, THE PRIESTS GO REGULARLY INTO THE FIRST SECTION, PERFORMING THEIR RITUAL DUTIES,

7 BUT INTO THE SECOND ONLY THE HIGH PRIEST GOES, AND HE BUT ONCE A YEAR, AND NOT WITHOUT TAKING BLOOD, WHICH HE OFFERS FOR HIMSELF AND FOR THE UNINTENTIONAL SINS OF THE PEOPLE.

8 BY THIS THE HOLY SPIRIT INDICATES THAT THE WAY INTO THE HOLY PLACES IS NOT YET OPENED AS LONG AS THE FIRST SECTION IS STILL STANDING

9 (WHICH IS SYMBOLIC FOR THE PRESENT AGE).

ACCORDING TO THIS ARRANGEMENT, GIFTS AND SACRIFICES ARE OFFERED THAT CANNOT PERFECT THE CONSCIENCE OF THE WORSHIPER,

10 BUT DEAL ONLY WITH FOOD AND DRINK AND VARIOUS WASHINGS, REGULATIONS FOR THE BODY IMPOSED UNTIL THE TIME OF REFORMATION.

11 BUT WHEN CHRIST APPEARED AS A HIGH PRIEST OF THE GOOD THINGS THAT HAVE COME, THEN THROUGH THE GREATER AND MORE PERFECT TENT (NOT MADE WITH HANDS, THAT IS, NOT OF THIS CREATION)

12 HE ENTERED ONCE FOR ALL INTO THE HOLY PLACES, NOT BY MEANS OF THE BLOOD OF GOATS AND CALVES BUT BY MEANS OF HIS OWN BLOOD, THUS SECURING AN ETERNAL REDEMPTION.

13 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,

14 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.

This passage speaks of the Jewish way of worship, and how the sacrifice and blood of Jesus changed all of this, granting us direct access to the Father, as He has assumed the role of High Priest.

Here is the main idea that we're going to unpack this morning.

It's a bit long, so bear with me:

Because of Jesus' fulfillment of the old tabernacle, we can freely worship, have a clear conscience, and serve in truth.

For the rest of the morning, we will what the passage says about these three key words, and then we'll close with some practical things that we can do in our lives as followers of Christ to worship Him in spirit and truth.

Two things I want to do, however, before we explore this further.

First, let's discuss the tabernacle itself.

What we will end up seeing is that every item of the tabernacle points to Jesus.

The author of Hebrews is trying to point these early Christians to understand this more clearly.

In the first five verses, the author speaks to their old sacrificial system.

He speaks of the furnishings that were located in the Holy Place and the Most Holy place.

On the screen behind me and on the screen if you're watching online, you should see these items and the tabernacle.

What's interesting is that each of these things all pointed to Christ in some capacity or another.

Verse 5 (to me) is comical.

The author is basically saying, "I don't have the time or the need to speak about this right now."

But we will touch on this briefly.

For example, in the outer courtyard are the laver - which is a washing bin - and the alter.

The laver represents the cleansing power of the blood of Christ, which we'll see more of later.

Inside the Holy Place (specifically mentioned here in verse 2) is the lampstand, the table of showbread, and the alter of incense (even though this is listed as being in the Most Holy Place by the author of Hebrews).

The lampstand represents Jesus as the light of the world.

The showbread represents Jesus as the bread of life, and the incense represents the prayers of the saints.

Then, in the Most Holy Place is the ark of the covenant, which contains the manna, Aaron's rod, and the tablets.

The author also mentions "CHERUBIM OF GLORY OVERSHADOWING THE MERCY SEAT."

The mercy seat represents Christ's atoning sacrifice through the shedding of blood.

We can go on and on, but the primary purpose here is that they all point to Christ.

Second thing, I want to address how Jesus fulfilled the picture of the old tabernacle.

John 1:14 says that: AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US, AND WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY, GLORY AS OF THE ONLY SON FROM THE FATHER, FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH.

That phrase, DWELT AMONG US, literally means that Jesus pitched His tent among us, that He tabernacled with us.

In addition to this, we also know from Matthew 27:51 that the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn in two when Jesus was crucified.

Second Corinthians 3:18 tells us that the veil has been lifted and we can now behold the glory of the Lord.

Jesus makes this possible.

Another clear example of this comes from Jesus Himself in John 14:6, when He declares that He is the only way to the Father.

He was the final and finished sacrifice.

He completed the work of the Mediator between man and God.

I recently finished a book.

In this book, it was a call for revival.

Based off of the author's personal experience of becoming born again during the "Jesus Movement" of the 60's and 70's.

He noted that one of the symbols of that movement was this "One Way" sign.

This is to say that what we do - or don't do - is never enough to save us, only Jesus can.

A few moments ago, in our main idea, I mentioned ...

THREE KEY TRUTHS FROM THIS PASSAGE

1.

We can freely worship.

a.

This passage helps us to learn several things about God

i. God is a God of order

1.

Everything that He did here had a purpose.

We could easily spend a lot more time speaking about all the details of the tabernacle.

In fact, John MacArthur says that there is over fifty chapters in the bible about the tabernacle, and in contrast, only two on creation.

This was obviously something very important to the Lord.

Why?

a.

I think, in part, this was because this is where God chose to manifest His presence among His people, in an earthly copy of the heavenly tabernacle that Pastor Pat touched on last week.

b.

I think, more than that, however, it is because:

ii.

God instructed His people to build the tabernacle

1. God created a systematic approach to His people, in that time, to worship Him.

2. It was focused around His holiness and it was focused around their obedience.

iii.

But, it was temporary and incomplete

1.

We see this when we get into verses 6-10, where the function of the priests and high priests are described.

2. So, the people have free access to go into the outer area.

This is where they bring in their daily sacrifices.

The priests bring those into the Holy Place to slaughter and offer the sacrifice.

3.

But only once per year is the High Priest able to enter the Most Holy Place, and as you likely know, that is during the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur.

a. So, what does this tell us about that system of worship?

It was restricted.

In a way, it was impersonal.

It was ritualistic.

It was no longer relevant.

iv.

In Christ, the system changed