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Vol. I Issue 6 October 19, 1997
Hebrews 9
1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a
worldly sanctuary.
2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick,
and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of
all;
4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round
about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod
that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we
cannot now speak particularly.
6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the
first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without
blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was
not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both
gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as
pertaining to the conscience;
10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal
ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this
building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer
sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God?
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.
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.
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.
21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels
of the ministry.
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without
shedding of blood is no remission.
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.
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:
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.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the 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.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has far greater meaning than is usually mentioned in sermons and treatises concerning his death. For without Jesus' death, there would never have been a New Testament. For the Church of Jesus is the Last Will and Testament of Jesus Christ. We, the members of Christ's Church, have inherited the last will and testament of Jesus Christ, which is the Holy Ghost. Jesus' death has enabled us to walk into the holiest of all through the power of the Holy Ghost, that has been given to us by the testament of Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, only once a year. If he entered the Holy of Holies without blood for first his sins and secondly the sins of the congregation he would die. Jesus gave himself to be a sacrifice for us that has enabled us to come boldly before the throne of Grace. (Hebrews 4:16) The Holy Ghost is the inheritance that Jesus has left for us when he died and rose again. He left us his Spirit so that we might have power to come boldly before the true Holiest of All in heaven. Not a tabernacle made with hands, but the true tabernacle in heaven where the hosts of heaven reside. Whereas the tabernacle plan in the wilderness was a symbol of things to come, Jesus has given us access to the real tabernacle in heaven.
Jesus has given us an inheritance that is ours today, for he has given us a New Testament to live with. He has given us a sacrifice that far exceeds the sacrifice of bulls and goats. His sacrifice has made it possible that by his sacrifice alone, there is no further need to offer up a sacrifice of bulls and goats, for he was the supreme sacrifice. It is his sacrifice that has given us the ability to even have access to the Holiest of All. Though the offering of bulls and goats were commands of the Lord, they were a shadow of better things to come. For there is no sacrifice that can compare with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, for he is the ultimate sacrifice.
Jesus sacrifice and the shedding of his blood has made it possible for us to have an inheritance that is above any earthly inheritance. The following citation from the Amplified Bible explains this in far better prose than I can.
Hebrews 9:14-17
14 How much more surely shall the blood of Christ, who by virtue of [His] eternal Spirit [His own preexistent divine personality] has offered Himself an unblemished sacrifice to God, purify our consciences from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the [ever-] living God.
15 [Christ, the Messiah] is therefore the Negotiator and Mediator of an [entirely] new agreement (testament, covenant), so that those who are called and offered it, may receive the fulfillment of the promised everlasting inheritance, since a death has taken place which rescues and delivers and redeems them from the transgressions committed under the [old], first agreement.
16 For where this is a [last] will and testament involved, the death of the one who made it must be established,
17 For a will and testament is valid and takes effect only at death, since it has no force or legal power as long as the one who made it is alive.
Though God had instituted the Old Testament and the sacrifices His divine will was not inaugurated without the shedding of blood. And the offering of various sacrifices did not wholly satisfy God, for these sacrifices just didn't measure up to a sacrifice by his own Son. Only a sacrifice by Jesus could really fulfill the demands by the Lord of all. Only the shedding of blood by Jesus could fulfill the real sacrifice required by the God of heaven.
There is no other sacrifice that can enable us to enter the holiest of all. There is no amount of good works that we can accomplish that will be enough to please the Lord God. We need a mediator to stand for us, and that Mediator is Jesus the lord. He is the only one that stand before the throne of God and say who is covered by his precious blood. Without Jesus, there is no sacrifice.
3014 E Street Philadelphia, PA 19134 Church Office Phone: (215) 634-3637 Published by: Rev. LeRoy D. Cressy (215) 389-5870
Services:
Sunday School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10:30 AM
Sunday Morning Worship . . . . . . . . . . 12 NOON
Sunday Evening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:30 PM
Wednesday Evening . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:30 PM