The Book of Hebrews #32 chapter 9:1-14 pt. 3
The Book of Hebrews
The New Covenant, Part 5
Hebrews 9:1-14
 
We’ve been looking at the first few verses of Hebrews 9 where the author is presenting a comparison between the Old Covenant with its earthly priests and sacrifices and tabernacle and the New Covenant which is all about Jesus.
 
So far we’ve seen the sanctuary, the services and the significance which basically meant worship was limited.  Only one man got to enter the Holy of Holies.  The cleansing was imperfect.  It only cleaned up the outside.  And the Old Covenant was temporary.  It served its purpose, but it was not an eternal purpose.
 
So that is the first half of the comparison dealing with the Old.  Then he comes to the new.
 
It hardly needs comment because the contrast between the two is so obvious.
 
 He starts out by talking about
 
1. The New Sanctuary
 
verse 11
 
First of all, there's a new sanctuary and it's not like the old. The old was a tent. It was a nice tent but it wasn’t all that pretty to look at.  The outside was badger skins.  It was practical, but not beautiful.  
 
 
And it was made from “this creation”, therefore it was corrupted.  Everything “of creation” was affected by the fall.  But Jesus came with a new tabernacle and it is not only not of this creation, it wasn't even made with hands.
 
Obviously he’s talking about Heaven. Where does Christ minister for us right now? In the throne room of heaven at the Father's right hand.
 
How do we know this verse is talking about heaven?  Where do we get the idea that Heaven is God’s perfect tabernacle?
 
We find very similar language in Acts 7:48 where we are told that God, the Most High, does not dwell in temples made with hands." That's a perfect comparison. And then that same thought is repeated in Acts 17:24 where we are told, "God, who made the world and all things in it, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands."
 
It's the same phrase. And everywhere else it means heaven. His temple is in heaven. His sanctuary is in heaven. He ministers for us in heaven, in the throne room of God, at God's right hand. In fact, later, in Revelation 21 we are told heaven has no temple because The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.  And here in Hebrews, Jesus is pictured as One who has a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands.
 
Now remember, we are talking about he contrast between the Old and New.  The old priest, in the Old sanctuary could go in there for the people, but couldn’t take the people in.
Jesus, on the other hand, can go in and take us with Him.  In fact, you and I have the privilege of already living there.  Our bodies may hang around here, but that is our eternal dwelling place and has been since the moment of our salvation.
 
Listen to Ephesians 2:5-6:  "Even when we were dead in sins, hath made us alive together with Christ. By grace are ye saved." Now, when you were saved, here's what happened. "And raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
 
We live in the heavenlies.  We've been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. Right now we exist spiritually in the presence of God. I am not one moment of my life without the presence of God. Spiritually speaking, I don't even live in this world. My body hangs out here, but I live in the throne room of God.
 
Christians need to realize that. That’ll clean your life up!  That will change your attitude.  That will adjust your motives.  You and I live in the throne room of God, spiritually speaking. Jesus has taken us in. He not only went in and sprinkled some blood for us, but He hauled us in with Him and says you can stay forever. That's the sanctuary where He ministers.
 
Then notice
 
2. The Services
 
What does He do? Look at verse 12
 
 
 
Three things I want to pull out of that.
 
First, His service is His own blood, not the blood of an animal. That's different than the priests.  It involved the personal sacrifice of Himself and His own blood.
 
Second, it was once for all. He didn't have to go in over and over and over and over and over. He entered in once into the Holy Place, did what He needed to do, and it will never need to be repeated. .
 
Third, he obtained eternal redemption. The earthly high priest couldn’t do better than a year at a time, and it only covered the past.  He couldn't do anything about the next minute. Jesus purchased a redemption that's not only good for the past, it takes care of the present and the future.  He’s got you covered!
 
So why is His service better because it involved His own blood, it was once, not repeated and it was eternal, not temporary. And so we see His sanctuary and His service.  Quickly, let’s see
 
3. The Significance
 
Verse 13
 
The old covenant, as weak as it was, had some good points. There was cleansing there, even though it was temporary and external. There was a covering for sin and a covering for defilement in the old sacrifices. There was a ceremonial cleansing in the old sacrifices. And that was necessary. 
 
But it also illustrates how much more magnificent is the sacrifice of Christ.
 
Verse 14
 
If the death of animals in a shadowy covenant like that could bring an outside cleansing, how much more can Christ do?  If that thing could clean you on the outside, how Christ's sacrifice must be able to clean you on the inside.
 
You'll notice that it says in verse 14 that He offered Himself without spot to God, through the eternal Spirit. You know that Jesus did everything through the Spirit. He did everything on earth in obedience to the Father through the power of the Spirit, even His own sacrifice of death.
 
And then it says, because He did this, He will purge your conscience. That means clean it out and free it from guilt. Total forgiveness in Jesus Christ.
 
Later, it says in 10:22, "Let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience." Boy, what a blessed thing. No longer bugged by our guilt, but free.
 
And it says this, "purge your conscience from dead works." That's inward defilement. He cleans the inside. You see, the old priest could cover up on the outside. Jesus cleans the inside. The old system could cleanse externally. The new one can change a man's nature. It removes inward defilement. What it does is change his nature. The old one covered up the outside. This one changes the man on the inside.
 
"If any man be in Christ Jesus," what? Not just cleaned up old creature, but what? New creature. In the old economy, it would have had to have been this. "If any man does a sacrifice, he's a cleaned up old creature." In Christ, "if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature." He removes inward defilement.
 
Before Christ, men did good works through their limited strength, the limited strength of their human nature. But when you become saved, you do the things that please Christ, not through your human nature, but through the new nature God gave you.
 
That's why in Romans 13 the apostle Paul says, "Here are the commandments. Don't covet. Don't lie. Don't do this. Boom. Boom. Boom." And then he says this, "But you have a new capacity. All you've got to remember is this. Love everybody, and you'll keep all the commandments" because you have a new capacity.
 
You see, in the Old Testament, they had to have them, because they didn't really have the capacity to just exhibit the new life. They never got a new inside when they believed. It didn't come. They were the same old people. It was all kind of on the external. And they needed all the rules to follow. But in the new covenant, he simply says, "You've got a new capacity in your new nature. Just love everybody and you won't need to worry about anything else."
 
There was an old evangelist from years ago named Wooten who was kind of eccentric.  He used to hold tent meetings. He was outside one day pulling up the stakes of his tent when a young man came up behind him and said, "Mr. Wooten, sir, can I ask you a question?"
He was bending over, and he said, "Yes, sir, go right ahead." He said, "What do I have to do to be saved?" Mr. Wooten turned around and said, "Sorry, it's too late." He said, "Oh, no." He said, "Yes, it's too late."
 
He said, "You mean it's too late because the service is over?" He said, "No, it's too late because it's already all been done." And then he proceeded to tell him he didn't have to do anything. Jesus did it all. All you do is believe it. And he turned to the boy and he said, "Only believe what He has done."
 
Our salvation, dear ones, is based on a covenant that is final, a sacrifice that is once and for all and a priesthood that is eternal. And everything in the Old Testament is only a shadow, and Jesus is the substance. I close with this. "Upon a life I did not live, a death I did not die, a God I cannot see, I stake my eternity."
 
Let's pray