Hebrews: Jesus Who Washed Our Sins By His Blood
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Hebrews: Jesus Who Washed Our Sins By His Blood
Hebrews 9:11-14 (ESV)
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.
One of the most beautiful verses about our salvation is found in Isaiah 1:18, saying, "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
This verse is an open invitation by our holy God to any sinner who desires to be washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. I remember reading a story that illustrates this truth:
A woman came to a pastor one day carrying a container of wet sand. "Do you see what this is, sir?" she asked. "Yes, it is wet sand." "But do you know what it means?" "I do not know exactly what you mean by it, what is it?" "Well, sir," she said, "that's me; and the multitude of the sins that constantly dirty my heart cannot be numbered." Then she exclaimed, "Oh, shameful creature that I am! How can I ever be saved and keep clean from the influences of the world?" "Where did you get the sand?" asked the pastor. "At the beach." "Go back, then, to the beach. Take a spade with you; dig and raise a great mound; shovel it up as high as you can, then leave it there. Take your stand by the seashore, and watch the effect of the waves upon the heap of the sand." "Sir," she exclaimed, "I see what you mean—the blood, the blood, the blood of Christ, it would wash it all away and would keep washing any new dark stains away."
What a great truth about the kind of forgiveness that we believers received because of the powerful blood that Jesus shed on the cross. He thoroughly washed all our sins!
This amazing truth will be the main focus of our study in the book of Hebrews. Unfortunately, the authorship of this book is not readily established. Still, if we carefully examine the contents, there are vital pieces of evidence pointing to the apostle Paul or one of his closest friends like Luke or Barnabas as the author. I believe Paul is the author because of the way the writer presented the arguments proving that faith in Christ is far more superior than obedience to the Mosaic Laws. If Paul was the author, he, then, probably wrote it between 64-66 AD, before his second imprisonment in Rome and execution in 67 AD.
The book's central purpose is to encourage and strengthen the Hebrew or Jewish believers who were considering returning to their former religion because of the severe persecutions they have been going through. So, to help them become more steadfast in their faith, Paul systematically presented how Jesus Christ and faith in Him were far better than their former religion. Notice the breakdown of the book:
Christ better than the angels (Chap. 1-2)
Christ better than Moses (Chap. 3)
Christ better than Joshua (Chap. 4)
Christ better than Aaron (Chap. 5-7)
Christ provides a better Covenant (Chap. 8)
Christ provides a better Tabernacle (Chap. 9)
Christ provides a better Sacrifice (Chap. 10)
Christ provides a better Faith (Chapter 11)
Call to follow Christ as the captain of our lives (Chap. 12-12)
However, because of our time constraints, we will only focus on our overall theme – "Jesus who washed our sins by His blood."
Looking at the overall emphasis of the Book of Hebrews, the question we need to ask ourselves is:
Am I convinced already that I found the best approach to God through Jesus Christ?
I trust that you are totally solid with your faith. But, just in case you still need some convincing, I pray this sermon today will help move you to some firm convictions. So, allow me to share three essential elements of Christ's work of cleansing us through His blood:
I THE DEMAND FOR A BLOOD SACRIFICE
Before the fall of Adam and Eve to sin, God made it clear to them that the moment they disobey His simple command of eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they will surely die (Genesis 2:16-17). To simply put it, the ultimate consequence of sin is Death. And we need to always understand this Death according to its three applications:
Spiritual Death means that man in his entire state (body, soul, and spirit) is separated from God.
Physical Death happens when man's soul and spirit separate from his body.
Eternal Death happens when man is completely separated from God for eternity. The Bible refers to this as "the second death" because man will spend eternity in hell (Revelation 20:14; 21:8).
Now, since life was required as the penalty for sin, God in His goodness provided a "substitutionary sacrifice" to justly forgive man's sin. I know the phrase "substitutionary sacrifice" is not a common term, so allow me to explain. This phrase means, "someone is acting as a substitute on behalf of another person." In other words, instead of me dying for my sins, someone took my place as a substitute. Now, this requirement is fair and just according to God's standard of holiness and justice. This truth is reinforced clearly in Hebrews 9:22 (ESV):
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Notice, to receive forgiveness of sins, blood must be shed, or in other words, life must be taken away. And for this reason, God has established the sacrificial system as the means to receive forgiveness of sins.
So, back in the Old Testament, typically, once an individual sinned against the Lord, the only way they will be restored to God is to go to the Temple bringing a healthy lamb, one without any blemish, and asking a priest to assist in offering it as a sacrifice. Once in the altar, the priest will offer the sacrifice, while the sinner will grasp the lamb with both hands confessing sins to God. After confessing, the lamb will be killed, and the priest will collect some of its blood and sprinkle them at the curtain that divides the holy place and the holiest of holies where the Mercy Seat of God is located. The sprinkling of the blood on the Mercy Seat conveys that appeal for God to exercise mercy by forgiving the sins of the person who offered the substitutionary sacrifice.
However, all the animals used during the Old Testament as sacrifices could not take away sins. They were used as temporary coverings until the coming of Jesus Christ, who was the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Listen to these words in Hebrews 10:3-4 (ESV):
3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.
4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
If these animal sacrifices can't take away sins, then what is the purpose of all these offerings? Here is the explanation coming from Anne Graham Lotz:
"The entire bloody ritual was like IOU note that bought the sinner temporary atonement until the perfect sacrifice would come and pay it off."
Thank God because He provided the perfect sacrifice in the person of Jesus Christ! John the Baptist openly declared this truth in John 1:29 (ESV):
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Now, let's move to my second point.
II THE DOMINANCE OF CHRIST'S BLOOD
In a way, all the Old Testament sacrifices suspended the penalty for sins until Jesus Christ finally completed His work on the cross. The forgiveness of sins of the saints before Christ was on credit until Christ paid the bill. Let's examine the words in our main text – Hebrews 9:11-12:
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.
With these two verses, you have to highlight three crucial phrases to emphasize the superiority of Christ's sacrifice:
1. Christ as the High Priest (v.11)
In the Old Testament, the sinner needs the assistance of a priest to offer the sin sacrifice. In the new covenant, Jesus Himself was the High Priest who presented His own blood to forgive our sins. The beauty of this picture is that the presenter Himself became the actual sacrifice for the world's sin.
2. "He entered once for all" (v. 12)
The sacrifice Jesus offered was both efficient and sufficient that it doesn't have to be repeated ever again; once is more than enough to forgive the sin of the world.
Can you imagine how expensive and burdensome it was for the Old Testaments saints to secure forgiveness for sins? Let's try to calculate - If we were to offer a quality lamb today, it would cost us around $300 - $400. If we do it at least once every quarter, this is equivalent to spending at least $1,200 to $1,600 a year. Now, if you keep doing it for fifty years, you will eventually spend at least $60,000 to $80,000 to secure a sense of approval before God.
But in the New Covenant, it is absolutely free because it is Jesus who paid the price through His own blood. Allow me to read this truth as Peter said it using the Message Translation:
1 Peter 1:18-19 (MSG)
18 It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in.
19 He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb.
Take note, "It cost God plenty." Yes, our salvation is free on our side, but it is not cheap because it cost God a lot when He gave up His one and only Son to shed His blood to redeem us from our sins.
3. “Securing eternal redemption” (v. 12)
We should not miss the phenomenal blessing we have received from the cleansing our sins, which is eternal redemption. In other words, our forgiveness and acceptance before God are permanent and complete. Once Jesus' blood has washed you and me, it is sufficient for us to secure eternal life, so we get to enjoy the presence of God in heaven forever and ever. This same sentiment is found in Hebrews 7:25 (ESV):
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Undoubtedly, the New Covenant that gave us salvation is far more superior compared to the Old Covenant because of the blood of Jesus that cleansed us from our sins.
III THE DEDICATION DUE TO CHRIST'S BLOOD
Lastly, since we have obtained an excellent sacrifice for our sins, how should we live our lives? Well, the last part of verse 14 provided the answer - purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Most definitely, we won't be able to pay the price for our salvation. But we as believers can certainly express our gratitude to Jesus Christ by doing two significant actions:
A. "Purify our conscience from dead works."
The key to understanding these words is found in "dead works." You see, some people will keep doing good works to keep a clear conscience. In their mind, their good works will compensate for all their moral failures and eventually will bring them to heaven. However, if you have been forgiven through the blood of Christ, you can rest and sleep soundly at night without feeling guilty in your conscience. Your salvation is already settled, and you don't have to keep it by doing good works.
Don't allow the Devil to continually accuse you of your sins when the blood of Jesus Christ already covers you. Paul said it clearly in Romans 8:1 (ESV):
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Yes, now that we are in Christ, rest assured that we would no longer be condemned.
B. "Serve the living God."
The most proper response to Jesus Christ is to start serving Him as the living God. Let's reflect on the three implications of this statement:
Since you are serving the highest person, it is an honorable service. Although it is sometimes difficult to serve God, it is always an honorable pursuit because of the object of our service.
Since it is serving the living God, you will always have adequate help while serving Him. Indeed, those who serve the Lord will always be opposed by the Devil and his demons. But God has always promised to be there at their side.
Romans 8:35-39 (ESV)
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither Death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
3.Since you are serving a living God, then your service will not be in vain. God is alive and can account for every service you render to Him.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
As I close this sermon, first, I trust that we all would seek to be cleansed by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. It is only through His blood that we will enjoy His presence and His love forever. Once we have already applied it, we should never fail to rest in Him and start doing our best to honor and serve Him. He is worthy of being exalted in our lives!
-Bishop Jeremiah Lepasana