The Ultimate Sacrifice [Hebrews 9:23-28]
Opening illustration: There were 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Have you considered the price they paid for putting their name on what the British viewed as a treasonous document? These 56 men who signed the Declaration knew that they would be considered traitors to the crown and would likely become targets of the British army. They also knew they could become targets of their own neighbors, as not everyone in the colonies agreed there should be separation from the Empire.
Here are a few details, based on historical evidence, about some of those brave men…
• Richard Stockton is believed to have been the only signer imprisoned by the British specifically for signing the Declaration of Independence.
• Four others were captured during the Revolutionary War while engaged in warfare against the crown and were held as prisoners.
• Seventeen held commissions in the army or did medical duty during the war. Many saw their properties and livelihoods destroyed while serving.
• Two would become President of the United States: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
These were committed patriots who firmly believed that their cause was just and right. They unequivocally said as much in the Declaration’s opening statements …
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, governments is instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Let us turn to Hebrews 9 and meditate on the ultimate sacrifice Christ gave for us …
Introduction: We consider the end of the ninth chapter of Hebrews this morning, and we ought to ask ourselves: considering what we know about what Jesus did – as High Priest and Sacrifice – did Jesus do enough? Was His One Sacrifice enough? Is there a need to repeat or re-present Christ’s Sacrifice to the Father for it to be effective? Or did Jesus accomplish His Work on behalf of all those He came to save by dying once on the cross?
Hebrews 9 has been focusing on the blood of Christ and what that blood has done for those under the New Covenant. We have also been made aware of the changes which have taken place because the Old Covenant – the Law – no longer holds any authority over the believer.
Why was it necessary for Christ to give the ultimate sacrifice?
1. Purification of the Earthly and Heavenly Tabernacle (vs. 23-24):
Everything associated with the tabernacle had to be made acceptable to God. This included the structure, its furnishings, and even the people who served there. All was flawed by sin and required a blood sacrifice to be made acceptable to God.
Verse 23 says that the copies of heaven must be cleansed with the blood of animals, but "the heavenly things themselves [have to be cleansed] with better sacrifices." Why is that? Is heaven defiled? Is there sin in heaven? Some have suggested that it's because Satan has been there. Others have suggested that it's because there are "spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).
Let us look at verse 24 closely – to appear in the presence of God on our behalf
Maybe! But I think the most important thing to see is what verse 24 focuses on. Why did Christ enter [that heavenly] holy place with his better sacrifice the sacrifice of himself? It was "now to appear in the presence of God for us." The words "for us" give the key to why there has to be cleansing in heaven. We are going to be there.
Jesus Christ, through His blood, makes us acceptable to come before God in the true tabernacle. His blood makes our worship acceptable, our prayers acceptable, our gifts acceptable, and our songs acceptable. Today we are that tabernacle (temple of the living God) and Christ’s blood sanctifies and purifies it alone.
If we understand that most things were purified by blood under the Mosaic Law, and sin is forgiven only through the shedding of blood, then it would make sense to us that the copies, the shadows, the types, the patterns of the heavenly things – the Tabernacle and all its parts and the sins of the people – would be purified with blood and the sins of the people would be forgiven through the shedding of – animal – blood.
But the Tabernacle and all its parts and, especially, the forgiveness of the sins of the people through the shedding of animal blood were only foreshadowing of the real things – of the heavenly things – which would require better sacrifices.
In order for the sacrifice to merit heavenly standards, a human would have to shed his blood for a human – and, like the animal that was sacrificed, it would have to be a human that was without spot or blemish – it would have to be a perfect, holy, sinless human. But that would only cover all the sins of a person’s past – if you could find a perfect human who would be willing to stand in for you to be sacrificed, your past sins would be forgiven through the blood of the sacrifice, but as soon as you sinned again, you would be under the Wrath of God again. So, not only would you need to find a real human being who was sinless, but that human being would also have to be God so He could survive the Wrath of God for all of your sin – past, present, and future.
2. Forgiveness of our sins (vs. 25-26):
If God said, in His Mercy, He would forgive our sin – as He did in the first Covenant, if we offered up blood sacrifices for our sin, and we never stop sinning, we would never be able to stop sinning, right? And if we died a sinner, which we all certainly would do, we would still be lost, damned, and under the Wrath of God, right?
But, as the author of Hebrews tells us, Christ did not offer Himself up repeatedly. Why? Because Christ perfectly accomplished what He intended to do through His One Sacrifice. As a real, sinless human being and as God Himself, Jesus offered Himself up as the blood sacrifice – as the Substitute for all those He came to save – and He could receive in His Body all of the Wrath of God for all of the sins of all those people He came to save, and He could rise from the dead, victoriously, freeing us from our slavery to sin and crediting us with His Righteousness.
To answer the question, there is no need for another sacrifice because His first was the last. There is no need for another because it atones once for all.
One of the things that many Christians struggle with is discouragement because of their sin. For some it becomes a point of despair to think about their past. It is difficult to get them excited about serving God and enjoying the Christian life because they are convinced that God is angry with them or has given up on them. They just can’t get past their past. Life in general becomes a roller coaster because of this discouragement. There is no stability in their relationship with God.
My brothers and sisters, there is great stability with God through the blood of Christ. His was the last sacrifice for sin for all time. Past sin is covered and the future sin is taken care of.
The one offering of Christ for sin, puts away all sin by Himself and through Himself – as both High Priest and Sacrifice. If you believed in Jesus Christ Alone for salvation, then Christ died to pay the debt for your sins, to free you from slavery to sin, enabling you to seek after holiness, and He has credited you with His Righteousness, so you are seen by God as righteous, even though, in this life, we continue to sin as we strive towards sanctification.
3. Bear the sins of the world (vs. 27-28):
It has been said that two things in life are certain—death and taxes. The writer of Hebrews uses this same idea to make a point to us. Just as it is certain that men die, so too is the certainty that Christ is coming again.
For what reason is He coming back?
• It is not to deal with sin
• Not to offer another sacrifice for sin
• It is to gather His own
Both the dead in Christ and believers who are alive
What does this mean?
That no matter the circumstances I have no reason to fear or worry, as the song says: I have a future in heaven for sure!
In the meantime, I have the most powerful Person in the universe on my side – they don’t know who they are up against. If He wants it to happen, it will.
Yet, whether we die or Christ returns first, all humans will be resurrected in their bodies to face the judgment. This should not disturb we who are Christians, because we have been saved by Christ’s One Sacrifice. However, even Christians will go through the judgment, but to a different end.
Jesus said, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done” (Matthew 16:27, ESV). This is what the angels, on the Day of the Ascension, told the disciples would happen.
Christ’s One Sacrifice was enough to pay all of the debt for all of the sins of everyone who would ever believe and to free them from their slavery to sin; Christ only needed to shed His Blood once for our salvation.
Due to our first parents’ sin, we are all liable to die once, and when Christ returns, all people will go through the judgment of their works. Those who have been saved through Christ’s Sacrifice will be received into the Kingdom, after eagerly awaiting the return of their Savior.
This is what it all comes down to: My sins are forgiven, I am accepted, and Jesus Christ is coming for me, all because of the shed blood of Christ for my sin.
Illustration: In Mel Gibson’s Movie, “The Passion of Christ” there is an obscure detail in the crucifixion scene that probably goes unnoticed by most people, but it is a detail that says so much.
When Jesus is being placed on the cross, the camera comes close to watch as a large spike is positioned in the middle of Jesus’ hand. Then, a mallet comes into focus, and a rugged hand swings it to drive the spike. Those are all things you expect to see.
But there is something you don’t see. You never see the face of the one who drives that nail. You never get a glimpse into the eyes, or heart of the one who so assuredly pounds away until the spike has passed through Jesus’ flesh and comes to rest in the wood of the cross.
You might be interested to know that the person who plays that role in the movie is the director himself, Mel Gibson. But why does he never show the face of the one who put Jesus on the cross? Why does he not give us the identity of the one who had the gall to put the Son of God to death?
He didn’t show us that face because that face was his. It was ours. We are the ones who put Jesus to death. It wasn’t the Romans. It wasn’t the Jews. It was our sin that nailed Jesus to the cross.
Colossians 2:13-14 says: “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.”
Application: The Ultimate Sacrifice for our sins was given by Christ Himself. God had to die for us to give us life eternal. When we are exhorted to respond to His Sacrifice for our redemption, what do we do? Do we really respond back with our very lives?
He gave us His best and His all, how have we responded?
When we come around the Lord’s Table, we take the time to remember Jesus’ sacrifice--a sacrifice made for us—a sacrifice made for even the ones who drove the nails in his hands.
