Hebrews: The New Covenant Administration of Christ Max A Forsythe (c) Anno Domini 2004

From the Pulpit at Pilgrim's Rest Presbyterian Church in America

An Eternal Redemption
For the Lord’s Day:  the 25^th of September 2004

 Hebrews 9: 11-14

“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) 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.  For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, 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. ”

Introduction:  When I was younger, and had more time I assembled a three foot model of “Old Ironsides”.  There were the masts, the sails and threaded rigging along with the gun deck and the top deck.  There were even a dozen or two miniature figures to scatter around the rigging to give an illusion of reality.  It was a labor of love that lasted almost two and a half years.  That was not the only model I ever worked on; there were the more modern ships as well, including a World War Two Aircraft Carrier.  Once, on a trip to the south, the family was able to tour one of those renowned fighting carriers, and while I was unfamiliar with the many stair and ladder wells, I was still able to identify the most essential decks and structures because I had worked with the miniature models.  The thing that daunted me in the walk through memorial was the vast size of everything that I had no real concept of, from growing up in the Mid-West and having visited the sea coast only once or twice in my life.

What we are reading and hearing here in this text is both grandeur and larger than any humble example we can imagine.  Not only our understanding, but also our imagination in this context is limited.  As an example of our common earthbound human limitations, let me ask:  why it is that most of our manmade space rockets are really so tiny?  Did you ever wonder why those launcher rockets for the space shuttle are so thin and narrow?  The reason is simple, but political.  The factory that produces those essential rockets, is in the mountains of the American West and in order to be shipped to the launch site, they must travel by rail through a man made tunnel.  Thus, the limitations of that tunnel mandate the size and scope of our whole space program.  Could we do differently, if the factory were located nearer the launch site?  Very probably – but you have to remember that any program the size of our space program must generate revenues for as many congressional districts as possible – thus it is our all too human grasp of what is really and truly essential that limits our out of this world endeavors.

Do you begin to fathom why the Lord God took so many centuries to lift our frail and fallen vision to finally point us to the far greater grandeur of the cause of Christ?  Sheep, goats and calves are ever so much more worldly comforting to our human minds and it apparently required many centuries to prepare us for the greater reality of what the Lord God meant to do all along.  Remember, even in the presence of Christ for three years and the disciples continually ignored the clarity of His revelation of what must happen for our individual benefit. 

Our first point of instruction today must be taken from verses eleven and twelve. “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) 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.”   And this necessary point is simply this:  there is something far greater going on in the ministry of Christ than ever became the best aspects of the shadowy unfolding of this greater glory in the ministry of the Old Covenant priests.

Development:  Our second point concerns the ultimate value of the blood that was shed in the ministries of the two covenants.  The Apostle to the Hebrews writes carefully: “how much more will the blood of Christ,” sanctify those for whom it is shed?  I do not mean to be crass in this regard, but in my Driver’s education class we must admonish the students not to swerve for any of the small creatures that dodge into the path of their automobile.  The reasoning is simple, a human life is more valuable that that of a squirrel, opossum, raccoon or bird that may suddenly scamper into their path!  Yes, it is sometimes hard to listen to the sudden thud and realize the fact that a small life has been taken so that you can attain your journey’s end.  Here in Ohio it is only the wild Turkey egg which has more value than an unborn human.  According to state regulations you can actually serve time for destroying a nest of unborn turkeys, while it is perfectly legal to abort an unborn human!  What a mockery we make of God’s greater vision of things in this regard.

Now, let’s lift this discussion to the higher plane intended by the author of this letter:  “how much more will the blood of Christ” suffice for the salvation of our souls, than the countless repetitive animal sacrifices on Mount Zion?  Just as we must agree that we are of greater value than any road kill, so must we sense the awesome revelation of the Apostle set before us here:  Jesus Christ, the only Son of God died for us!  This awesome fact must, by comparison obtain much more than all of the combined sacrifices of the Old Covenant economy!

The author must here declare “the good things that have come” in the ministry of Christ do now declare the long anticipated appearance of the Lord’s Messiah, “and in Him the shadows have given way to the perfect and abiding reality.”  Further, as F.F. Bruce declares: “His entrance into the presence of God is not a day of soul-affliction and fasting, like the Day of Atonement under the old legislation, but a day of gladness and song, the day when Christians celebrate the accession of their Priest-King.”

Our third point for the day concerns the access obtained in the two economies.  In the Old Covenant, Aaron and his tribe entered the earthly model only on the Day of Atonement by virtue of the blood of animals.  Here in this revelation of the new administration:  Christ has entered the heavenly sanctuary “by means of his own blood.”  The ministry of Aaron and his family brought into the Divine presence only a token sacrifice and the redemption implied, remained temporary until the finality of Christ’s far greater sacrifice.  F.F. Bruce reminds us that “the blood of slaughtered animals under the old order did possess a certain efficacy, but it was an outward efficacy for the removal of ceremonial pollution. … The sin-offerings presented … had no effect on the consciences of those on whose behalf they were brought.”

By contrast, the very Son of God attains the throne room in heaven and their the greater impact of His self-sacrifice and resurrection is attained.  It was “no mere ceremonial cleansing that is effected by the sacrifice … Those earlier rituals might effect external purification, but the blood of Christ – His offering up of Himself to God – cleanses the conscience; it does the very thing that they could not do.”

Application:  Our final point for the day is one in which we can take great and abiding joy.  What does the blood of Christ attain for us?   The answer is in the last phrase of verse fourteen:  Christ’s blood will “purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”  Raymond Brown acknowledges three results from this great accomplishment.

1.        It procures our redemption:  “the blood of involuntary animals is set alongside the voluntary sacrifice of God’s Son.”  There is simply no comparison – the work of Christ is more sufficient.

2.    It purifies our conscience:  for all who have ever fretted and worried about works-righteousness, “the blood of Christ is God’s answer to man’s disturbed conscience.”

3.     It sanctifies our service:  there is no longer the lamenting of dead works, since now the fruits of the Spirit are pleasing in the sight of Him who causes the ministry of the new life in Christ.

Think of it this way, if you go to the “Magic Kingdom” of Disney – you may convert your money to the “coin of the realm,” just as you may convert your currency when visiting any foreign country.  In many cases, the value of the American dollar is paid out in thousands of local notes.  And wherever you go in the world, an American $20 bill or better yet a $100 bill will set you up as a prince among men.  Just as many British subjects retire to Portugal to make their meager resources go further, so too is the infinitesimal increase in value of the grace procured by Christ to the old economy of the sacrificial services that finally proved void when not converted to the new economy administered by Jesus who paid the price for our sin in His own blood.

Now, we have to ask ourselves, why on earth would anyone today prefer to live under the terms of the old economy – where everything is still a shadow of the good things that have already arrived two thousand years ago?  There are people who still prefer to gamble their eternity on their own ability to choose wisely and to prove the value of their own good works.  There are also people whose conscience is still seared with the thought that their final future rests in their own hands.  There are still people who when asked why they should be allowed into heaven – do point with all due fervor:  to all that they have believed and done.

This is not the coin of the “Kingdom of Heaven” – all that we have and are is of no account, we come in our filthy rags, our pathetic deeds and gifts.  I am reminded of a children’s sermon that I have used over the years.  As I describe the humble mouse offering of a family feline in thankfulness for the kindness and care received – we have to realize that all the very best of our efforts and treasure stand as nothing for the owner of the incredible universe spread out before us.  For our sins, the blood of goats and bulls will not suffice, it is only the blood of Christ that atones for sin.  And only if we repent and receive the gift of spiritual life do we have any hope in the present and on into eternity.  Why should we be allowed into heaven, is James Kennedy’s favorite evangelistic question?   Not what I bring, not who I am – but what Christ has done alone.  Only the blood of Christ atones – will you accept that great gift and count it all grace?  Amen.

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PREACHING RESOURCES
Brown, John.  A Geneva Series Commentary:  Hebrews.
Brown, Raymond.  The Bible Speaks Today:  The Message of Hebrews.
Bruce, F.F.  The Epistle to the Hebrews.
Owen, John:  Commentary on the Book of Hebrews.
The Holy Bible:  English Standard Version.

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