I. Introduction
A. In Heb.5:11–6:1 the author warned his readers that he had some pretty heavy things to talk to them about. He knew these things would be a challenge for them to understand, but that they were nevertheless crucial for them to grasp in light of their growing temptation to return to Judaism.
1. Today we finish chapter 9. We’re coming close to the end of what the author calls “solid food for the mature” in Heb.5:12-14.
2. In 10:18 he seems to finish the things he was referring to there, and moves on to the “Therefore” part of his appeal in 10:19. So stick with me for today and next week, and then the sailing will become much easier.
3. I’m trying hard to make this meaty section understandable, but I can’t turn meat into milk. And if a preacher makes this section easy then I would suggest he hasn’t faithfully explained the text.
B. Since a departure from Christianity to return to Judaism would mean moving from the new covenant back to the old covenant, in chapters 8 and 9, the author has been talking about the superiority of the new covenant over and against the old covenant.
II. Now I’d like to read Hebrews 9:15–28 with comments:
A. 15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
1. The Greek word for covenant is DIATHEKE, the best Greek word to capture the idea of the OT Hebrew word for covenant, BERITH.
2. He is speaking to those who grew up under the old covenant and now had come under the new covenant. Since their former life had been under the first covenant, he refers to their sins as “transgressions committed under the first covenant.” We did not grow up under the first covenant, of course.
B. 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.
1. The Greek word DIATHEKE has another meaning besides covenant. It is also the Greek word for will (as in last will and testament). (This, by the way, is why we call the two parts of our Bible the Old Testament and the New Testament, referring to the old covenant and the new covenant.)
2. So the author uses this connection between covenant and will to make the point that the covenant was enacted at the death of Christ, it involved the shedding of blood.
C. 19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
1. Here he describes the arrangement of the old covenant.
2. But soon he goes on to describe the situation in the new covenant...
D. 23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, & after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
III. Here is a summary of what the author is saying:
A. v.15-22 Blood/death are necessary to achieve covenant acceptance.
B. v.23 “The argument of v. 23 might be paraphrased by saying that while ritual purification is adequate for the material order, which is but an earthly copy of the spiritual order, a better kind of sacrifice is necessary to effect purification in the spiritual order.” – FF Bruce
C. v.24 It took Christ’s death and intercessory ministry on our behalf to accomplish this purification.
D. v.25-26 This spiritual and eternal redemption of Christ happened once-for-all when He came and sacrificed His life on the cross.
E. v.27-28 Though Christ’s ATONING work is done, there is more for Him to do — to rescue us from this cursed world. This He will accomplish when He appears a second time.
IV. Application
A. What this passage says about this world in which we live
1. In Hebrews 9:23, notice the distinction between “the copies of the heavenly things” and “the heavenly things themselves.”
2. And notice the phrase “copies of the true things” in v.24.
3. This reminds us of a number of things which Jesus said or were said about Him:
a. John 1:9 “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”
(1) It doesn’t just say Jesus was the light, but that He was the true light. In other words, light is not being used here as a metaphor. This is saying that Jesus is the true/actual light and that the light we see with our eyeballs is a mere picture of the true light.
b. Luke 16:11 “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”
(1) Again, worldly wealth is not real wealth. Real wealth is invisible and eternal.
(2) God is the truly rich one, though He doesn’t even possess a wallet or a bank account.
c. John 6:32 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.”
(1) Remember when God sent manna to the Israelites in the wilderness when they had no food?
(2) Well, this verse says that Jesus is the real manna, and that the old manna was just a picture pointing forward to Him.
d. John 6:55 “For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.”
(1) Again, in saying this, Jesus is saying that the food and drink we consume each day is not true food or drink. He is the true food and drink!
e. John 15:1 “I am the true vine.”
(1) If I asked most Christians to recite this well-known verse, most would say, “I am the vine.”
(2) But Jesus actually said, “I am the true vine.” Why?
(3) Once again, He’s not just using a vine as a metaphor, as if to say, “I am like a vine.”
(4) He is actually saying the opposite! He is saying that He is the true vine, and the things which grapes grow on are actually like Him!
4. Do you see how the things down here are “copies of the heavenly things”?
5. All created things are copies. But some things are specially created to be copies. E.g. all eating is symbolic of our need for God and how we are sustained by Him, but the Lord’s Supper is a special symbol of that.
6. Heaven is the reality, this world is the copy, the tabernacle was a special copy
7. A lion is like God, the Bible uses this image a number of times (e.g. Jer.49:19; Hos.11:10; Rev.5:5). But man was specially made in the image of God: God is the reality, man is the special copy, the picture, the reflection.
8. The difference between our family and pictures of our family.
a. When we had a house fire in 1990, everyone was worried about me because they saw me go into the burning house and were afraid I’d burn up. Where was I? I was shuttling stacks of photo albums out the back door and piling them up in the woods.
b. But the pictures of my family weren’t the first things I got out of my home. The first thing we did was to shepherd, carry or coerce our six sleep-walking children out of the house and Mary Ann shepherded them over to the neighbors’ house.
c. The pictures were valuable to me because they were pictures of my family, my loved ones.
d. But, as I told them the next day, I would have preferred to lose every picture of our family ever taken rather than lose one finger on one of their precious little hands.
9. There is a connection between the picture and the reality, but they are far from the same thing.
B. What this passage teaches us about the gospel, about salvation
1. Verse 15 tells us a few things: “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”
a. It tells us that salvation comes in the context of a covenant, specifically the new covenant.
b. It tells us that the mediator of this new covenant is none other than Jesus.
c. And it tells us that what redeems us from sins (transgressions) is His death (on the cross).
d. It also tells us that this salvation, this redemption, is not for everyone. It is only for “those who are called.”
e. And finally it tells us that what is received in salvation is not primarily earthly comforts or material blessings, but a “promised eternal inheritance.”
2. Verse 22 also has something to teach us about salvation: “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
a. The shedding of blood to appease a wrathful God is scandalous to a lot of people. They insist that we find a more civilized way of thinking about salvation.
b. Well, the problem is that God hasn’t assigned us the job of inventing a way of salvation. He has accomplished salvation for us and has revealed to us how He did so. Our job is to embrace it, not evaluate it.
c. “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!” (Robert Lowry, 1876)
3. And look at v.24 “Christ has entered into heaven to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”
a. This is the gospel.
b. Our salvation is found in Jesus pleading before God the Father on our behalf. We have no case to bring ourselves. But Jesus appears before God in our defense to argue that He died on our behalf and took the penalty we deserved, and therefore it is only just that we be forgiven!
C. What this passage tells us about Jesus
1. Verses 25-26 tell us that His atoning work on the cross was once-for-all. (“Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly... for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
2. Verse 28 tells us that He will appear a second time — to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.
a. On the day of atonement, Israelite worshipers in the old covenant would watch the high priest go into the tabernacle or temple, knowing he was entering into the very presence of God in the Holy of Holies to sprinkle blood on the Ark of the Covenant for their sins. They would wait outside expectantly for his reappearance, which was a very welcome sight, producing a sigh of relief/joy.
b. The author of Hebrews uses this as an analogy for new covenant believers waiting for Christ’s return. For our high priest has entered into the very presence of God, the heavenly Holy of Holies, in order to offer His own blood on behalf of His people. And one day He will reemerge in glory, much to the joy and relief of His people.
c. Verse 28 also tells us that He will not deal with sin when He returns — because He did that already at His first appearing.
D. What this passage says about believers
1. Verse 15 tells us that we “are called.” Even if we don’t realize it, the reason we have come to Christ is because God called us to Himself.
a. There are two types of calling: general and effectual.
(1) General: invitational
(2) Effectual: elective and effective (like when Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb)
b. Believers have been called by God effectually.
c. It’s the same kind of calling referred to in Rom.8:28 “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
d. And in Romans 8:30 “those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (See also Romans 9:22-26.)
2. Verse 15 also informs us that believers will “receive the promised eternal inheritance.”
a. It is natural to feel poor. Every one of us is lacking things we wish we had.
b. But the believer is rich in a way that is hard to comprehend.
c. In Christ we have been promised an inheritance that ought to make us feel like the richest people on earth.
d. In Ephesians 1:18 Paul is praying for the Ephesian believers to be able to realize how fantastically rich they are in Christ. He prays that they, “having the eyes of [their] hearts enlightened, may know...what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.”
e. Few of us are rich in worldly wealth, but in Luke 6:20–21 Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.”
f. In Psalm 16:5–6 the psalmist expresses how happy he is with the allotment he has received in life. Others have been given wealth, or intelligence, or skill, or great families, but he’s been given the best thing of all: the Lord Himself! “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”
3. Verse 28 tells us that, we will be rescued by Him when He appears a second time, and also refers to believers as those who are eagerly waiting for Him.
a. In 1997 God showed me in the reading of Maurice Roberts&rs