Text: Heb 9:11-14, Title: More Than Fringe Benefits, Date/Place: NRBC, 4/17/11, AM
1. Opening illustration: “The cross of Christ, once respected, if not reverenced, as a significant religious symbol, has undergone a transmutation. For example, on a Holy Week cover of The New Yorker magazine from April 1995, a bunny rabbit—arms outstretched, head bowed, legs together as an obvious caricature of crucifixion—portrays ‘The Theology of a Tax Cut.” Such adaptations make a political statement and allow pop stars like Madonna to obscure the crucifixion’s significance. In the mind of the general public the cross amounts to mere jewelry that can be had with or without the ‘the little man’ on it.” And the scary part is that is happening in the church too. "I should think myself in the way of my duty, to raise the affections of my hearers as high as I possibly can, provided they are affected with nothing but truth.” –Edwards,
2. Background to passage: the writer is dealing with how Jesus is better than the Jewish faith to prevent those in this Hebrew congregation from apostatizing. He is a better high priest of a better covenant with a better sacrifice. And as we approach Good Friday, we should think about what His death meant.
3. Main thought: in this text we see four benefits of Good Friday on those who believe
1. Life with the Father (v. 11)
1. The writer speaks of a time of “reformation,” of setting things right or straight in v. 10. This was the time when Christ came. All these things (the temple, its implements, and its rituals) were only shadows, and were surpassed by the substance of the Messiah’s ministry. Christ came through a more perfect heavenly temple. And the point is that it is not on earth with a holy of holies that sees the presence of God, but in heaven where the actual presence of God dwells. The old covenant system could not give you a relationship with God; no real life.
2. Eph 2:4-6, John 11:26, 8:51
3. Illustration: “He that lives to live forever never fears dying.”
4. You can live with the Father forever! And it is the fullest life ever! Not only is this true in the hereafter, but it is also true here. You have a relationship with the Father that satisfies the very core of your being. And in heaven unimaginable, ever-increasing, mind-blowing joys await you when you are bodily present. The thing that we say at funerals of believers is that even though they are not alive here, they are more alive than they ever have been. Jesus ushers you into God’s presence on belief and repentance, into a relationship with God. Jesus died that you may have life!
2.
Complete Atonement (v. 12)
1. The writer says that Jesus didn’t enter this heavenly tabernacle with anything less than His own blood. And He made His sacrifice and offering once and for all! The former priests had to go over and over, year after year, animal after animal, grain and drink offering, wave offering, heave offering, burnt offering, sin offering…over and over and over. The blood of thousands, millions of animals flowed to cover the sin of people temporarily and symbolically. And now in the time of reformation, He entered in once dealing with every sin for all time for whole world. He never has to go back, no more blood shed; “It is finished!”
2. Heb 9:26-28, 7:26-27, 10:10, 1 John 4:10,
3. Illustration: every sin on Him was laid, here in the death of Christ, I’ll stand, Charles Spurgeon said, "Climb ye up to heaven, and behold the snow-white host, glittering like the sun in spotless purity. I ask them whence came they? The reply is that they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. It is most true that Jesus saves his people from their sins--earth knows it, hell howls at it, and heaven chants it; time has seen it, and eternity shall reveal it. There is none like to Jesus in saving power. All glory be to him! When he shall come from heaven with a shout, and all his hosts shall be with him, when the day of the supper of the Lamb shall come, and the bride hath made herself ready, and she that is the queen all glorious within, wearing her raiment of wrought gold, shall sit down at the table of God with her glorious husband then shall it be seen that he has saved his church, his people, from their sins."
4. And so it is with your sin! Once you have fallen at the feet of Christ, broken and without any hope in your own goodness, every sin you have ever committed, are committing now, or ever will commit is wiped away. They are forgiven, covered, buried, washed away, cleansed, and never held against you anymore. Not one sin has been overlooked or underpaid on. Rejoice in the weight that has been lifted! Rejoice you don’t have to earn it (because you can’t). Rejoice that you don’t have to find an animal, and get a priest, and all that!
3.
Permanent Purchase (v. 12)
1. The next thing that the writer/preacher says is that Jesus obtained eternal redemption for us. Redemption means to set free or release, to liberate or deliver. So he says that you have been permanently freed from your sin and the consequences of it. He says that it is unlimited in relation to its duration. Eternal life is either eternal or it’s not. He obtained it, and gave it, and He doesn’t take things back.
2. John 5:24, 10:28
3. Illustration: Watchman Nee tells about a new convert who came in deep distress to see him. "No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I'm losing my salvation." Nee said, "Do you see this dog here? He is my dog. He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food around, he fouls his clothes, he is a total mess. But who is going to inherit my kingdom? Not my dog; my son is my heir. You are Jesus Christ's heir because it is for you that He died." We are Christ's heirs, not through our perfection but by means of His grace.
4. You have been delivered from your sin and the consequences of it. Its bondage has been broken! You will never be reenslaved in a permanent fashion. You will never be let go, terminated, laid off, forgotten, dropped, left behind, or let slip through the cracks. You can’t get out, fall out, jump out, explain out, or get out. Nothing you can do to maintain it or lose it! Isn’t that great? The doctrine of eternal security does that, it provides security for all of us who believe. If you believe, your sin is paid in full! And even though that can never be taken away, it doesn’t mean that we can live however we want. The bible is clear that true believers will look/act redeemed as a pattern of life. But no amount of sin will keep you out. You are secure in Him if you have truly repented and believed.
4.
Cleansed Consciences (v. 13-14)
1. Finally the writer notes the truth that if the old covenant provided ceremonial purification with animal sacrifice, the new covenant far supersedes it in that it cleanses our consciences from dead works so that we can serve and worship God. The word used is that of priestly services performed in the temple for God. Old covenant gave external cleansing, new covenant gives internal. The death of Christ cleanses the consciences of believers, releasing them to serve God out of love and thankfulness and spiritual wholeness rather than simply fear alone.
2. Heb 9:9, 10:22, Micah 7:8-9, Rom 7:19-24
3. Illustration: Farther Than Your Grace Can Reach, “The only thing, therefore, which ever disturbs the conscience, and makes death dreadful, and God an object of aversion, and eternity awful, is guilt. If that is removed, man is calm and peaceful; if not, he is the victim of wretchedness and despair” –Albert Barnes, “how can I come to God when I feel so dirty, and who can I come to my wife and children with transparent love, when my conscience is so defiled? Whether it’s computers, TV soaps, romance novels, stock market pages, spirit-numbing music…We can cut ourselves, throw our children into the sacred river, or give a million dollars to the United Way, or serve in a soup kitchen at Thanksgiving, or a hundred other forms of penance and self-injury, and the result will still be the same: the stain remains and death terrifies. We know that our conscience is defiled -- not with external things like touching a corpse, a dirty diaper, or a piece of pork. Jesus said it is what comes out of a man that defiles, not what goes in (Mark 7:15-23). We are defiled by attitudes like pride and self-pity and bitterness and lust and envy and jealousy and covetousness and apathy and fear. Verse 14 says that these are "dead works" -- that is, they have no spiritual life in them. They don't come from new life; they come from death and they lead to death. The only answer in this modern age, as in every other age is the blood of Christ. When your conscience rises up and condemns you, where will you turn? Hebrew 9:14 gives you the answer: turn to Christ. Turn to the blood of Christ. Turn to the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give you relief in life and peace in death.” -Piper
4. How can we approach God? Our minds, bodies, and mouths have again done what we have vowed and promised not to do, repented from, taken steps to kill. A guilty conscience relentlessly plagues us, telling us how we couldn’t really be Christians; how God is disgusted with us and doesn’t want to hear us again coming to Him for the same thing. This is the experience of believers who are attempting to kill sin and be conformed to Christ. But we find peace through the blood of the spotless Christ that can cleanse within, freeing us to come to Him and worship despite our sin. Christ’s death purchased for you a clean conscience so you can worship Christ freely under no condemnation b/c all your sins are completely covered forever, and you have life with Him! This is the point of life: worshipping God! This is where true freedom, true life, true peace comes from: the blood of Christ—trust Him!
1. Closing illustration: In 1972, a shepherd had brought his sheep into a walled-off, enclosed area for the night, and he had just gone to sleep when he heard a commotion. He quickly rushed over to where the sound was coming from and to his horror he discovered that a wolf was in the process of dragging off one of his sheep through a hole in the wall. He was mauling this sheep and blood was flying.
The shepherd quickly began hitting the wolf, and the wolf turned on him and began attacking him. He bit him over and over while the shepherd was striking him with his staff, and finally with one final blow of his staff, he killed the wolf as he himself collapsed into a bloody heap.
He managed to crawl over to the half-dead sheep, and began to bandage its wounds. He gave it some water, and then took it in his own bloody arms, and shepherd and sheep went to sleep together. The next morning the shepherd was found dead, his body literally draped over the sheep to comfort it and keep it warm. The following day the headline in the Jerusalem paper said, “Sheep Alive, Covered in Shepherd’s Blood.”
2. All of this to worship/serve God
3. 1 John 5:12, Psalm 116:12
Additional Notes
* I lie awake at night and wonder
How You can still put up with me
I know I push You to the limits
Or so it seems
And I start each day with good intentions
Then fail You in a thousand ways
But still You keep forgiving me
Of the same mistakes
CHORUS:
No fault, no wrong, no dark of night
Can hide me from Your eyes
And I cannot fall or fly
Farther than Your grace can reach
I know You've heard this prayer I'm praying
What I've done and where I've been
And Lord I don't deserve Your mercy
But once again You say
CHORUS
Rock of ages
Cleft for me
God bless us all the weak and weary
Captives of our flesh and blood
Our only freedom is the refuge
Of Your love
