I don’t know why but bridges have always been amazing to me. I think I am amazed by them because of what accomplish. They overcome barriers and literally “build bridges” to places previously difficult or impossible to get.
For example: The longest bridge in the world was completed in 2011. It is 102 miles long. It is the Danyang-Kushan Grand Bridge in China. It connects two provinces in China overcoming the barriers like the Yangtze River Delta of lowland rice paddies, canals, rivers, and lakes and opened the door for travel allowing 10,000 people per day to get work done that previously was virtually impossible.
The longest bridge in the United States is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. It has two parallel bridges almost 24 miles in length. Without it travel and connection in a lot of Southern Louisiana would require a boat or ferry.
For 10 years in my life I lived in Michigan. In Michigan there is a bridge that is nicknamed “Mighty Mac or Big Mac.” It’s the Mackinac Bridge which connects the southern Peninsula of Michigan to the Northern Peninsula. It is a suspension bridge that is almost five miles long. Want to get to it? Get out here on I-75 and head north. It is symbol in Michigan of what makes two land masses into one state. It links the state together and makes it one.
Explanation:
In the Bible, Jesus is likened to a bridge. He connects us to God. People even use “the Bridge” illustration to explain the life and ministry of Jesus.
I Timothy says: “For there is one God, and one mediator (bridge) between God and me, the man Jesus Christ. “
In Hebrews 9, we are reminded of how Jesus is like a bridge. Before Jesus, while people wanted to know it was difficult and ultimately impossible. The only way to make the attempt was to try to do it the Old Testament way; through the rituals and regulations outlined in the Old Testament.
Yet, when Jesus came; He literally became a bridge that provides easy access to God.
Today, let me ask you, how are you trying to get to God? The Old Testament way or the New Testament way? Jesus said: “I am the way...” The word there is the Greek Word “Hodos” -- meaning, “ the path, the bridge, the highway” to God.
In this passage we are drawn to run to Jesus by contrasting the “old ways” of trying to get to God versus the “new and living way” to get to God through Jesus.
Transition: How do people try to get to God? Let’s see:
I. Some Try To Get To God Without Jesus
Vs. 1-10- “Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.”
Explanation:
Since the beginning of time, intuitively and spiritually we know there’s a God. As a matter of fact, God says: “The fool says in his heart there is no God” Psalm 14:1
You were created to know God. Not only that, but God created you for eternity as we read: “God has set eternity in the human heart.” Ecclesiastes 3:11
You see, this life is not the end for us. This life is preparation for eternity and living it with God. The Bible says: “Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3
Yet, without Jesus, getting to God was impossible and to establish this fact; God gave an Old System in the Old Testament to prove it. That was so difficult that only one person could actually do it perfectly and it His name was Jesus.
Why was it so hard?
1) Everything was regulated. (vs. 1)
There were barriers to worship and getting to God.
Forty-seven chapters in Bible outline the regulations required to get to God through the Old Covenant. (The second half of Exodus and whole book of Leviticus was dedicated to all the regulations.)
Everything was spelled out and its full of regulations. It feels a lot like someone saying; sit up straight, what you are wearing matters, what you bring as an offering mattered. Everything was regulated.
For example: Exodus 26 and 27 that explains how the tabernacle was to be build was prefaced with the phrase “Exactly as I show you.”
Do you know what would have happened in a church in America? Someone would have said: “Can’t we have a committee on this?” The answer is “no.” Can’t we vote on this and ask questions? “No!”
Sacrifices were regulated. Two lambs every day one in the morning, one at night. Grain offerings, sin offerings, scape goats, cities of refuge, ceremony rules, feasts, sabbath rules, mandated tithes, diet restrictions, what you could eat, how you could prepare it, and etc.
Exodus through Deuteronomy could be summarized with “ You shall, you shall, you shall.”
793 times there were “you do this” and “you don’t do this.”
It makes you want to say: Can we talk about this? God says: “No.” What if I don’t? Best case scenario is excommunication, worst case death.
For example: If you broke the law for disrespecting parents you were stoned. There was no death row. Immediate and final death. Any of you parents get disrespected before church today? If so, all the children should thank God today for the New Covenant and Jesus! Amen?
If you are under the law you are always concerned about externals. You say, “It should look like this and not look like that.” The number one concern is outward not inward.
In the New Covenant there are not a lot of appearance restrictions. If your hair was too long, if your clothing was not right, if your place of worship was out of place, or if things are not as prescribed; you had a problem Houston.
2) Everything was remote- (vs. 2-3)
If you wanted to find God; you had to go to His tabernacle. God was not present life, in your neighborhood, not at work, not in your home; it was in God’s house where He presided.
Listen: If this is the only place where you find God this week in church; something is radically missing in your life. You have a religion of regulations; not a relationship with Jesus.
This is what it looked like:
a) There was a tabernacle or tent prepared- vs. 2- It was a portable place of worship. The Holy place was 15 feet by 45 feet. The courtyard was 150 feet X 75 feet about the size of our gathering center on campus.
b) There were lights- Hebrews 9 reminds us of a lampstand. It had three branches with small pots at the top where oil was put and the oil was lit. The Most Holy place had no light because since God is light, the one time a year when God showed up, He illumined the Holy Place.
c) The furniture- The table and bread of presence was placed on the table once a week. There were 12 flattened loaves representing the 12 tribes. The ones from the last week was eaten and replaced once a week.
d) The Most Holy place- The altar of incense was put in the most holy place and once a year blood was put on there on the horns of the altar. One permanent piece of furniture was in the Most holy place called the Ark of the Covenant and inside it was to be: Aaron’s budding rod, the law of God (10 commandments), and the golden jar of manna.
The presence of God would come in between the two angels wings and the people saw it almost as magical so when they went to battle they would take it thinking that they were taking God into battle with them and often they were defeated because of the idolatrous handing of the Ark, as well as, once a oxen stumbled and touched the ark and died on spot because there was no mercy in the handling of God’s sacred stuff. (2 Samuel 6- Uzzah dies)
Notice that the angels on the cherubim understood the Holiness of God so well that that their heads were bowed down because they could not look on God.
3. Everything was restrictive- (vs 6 &7) First the only people that could even get close to the presence of God was the priests. They went into the “outer court” everyday serving and cooking up worship for God, but in verse 7 we find that that getting into the shekinah glory of God was so rare that it only happened once a year with the High Priest and he had to take blood and first offer sacrifice for his own sins and then offer up sacrifice for other peoples sins.
4. Everything was revealed- (Vs. 7) We read that he was offering up sacrifice for unintentional
sin. It says that the High Priest offered up sacrifice for “sins of the people committed in
ignorance.” Did you know that if it was intentional; it was not covered.
Remember David’s intentional sin with Bathsheba? There was no provision for this and for
this reason David said: “You don’t desire sacrifice or I would bring one.” Psalm 51
There is no provision for intentional sin under the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant reveals
that sooner or later it’s not going to work.
Obvious I am in deep trouble.
Illustration: Western Wall and the Wailing Wall
If you travel to Jerusalem you can go through what is known as the Western Wall Excavations. This area is the where you can see the foundations of the ancient temple in Jerusalem and literally step back in time and touch and feel the walls and places that remain since the time of Jesus.
In that area you can come to a place that is considered to be one of the most sacred places for the Jews. It is the location that is closest to where the Holy of Holies was located.
There Jews crowd and pray. The reason? The feel that the temple is the dwelling place of God and since it was destroyed in AD 70 they long to get as close to the location where the glory of God would be manifest.
Yet, you know what they do there? They weep. It’s not a place of hope; it’s a place of sorrow.
The same thing happens in Jerusalem at the “wailing wall.” It is what is left of the temple foundations. I have been there many times to pray. Yet, while I have gone there knowing that God has made me and all believers His temple; they wail because of the absence of the temple made with human hands.
It’s the wailing wall because they wail and wish for the Old Temple and sacrifices that will not satisfy. Do you know why? They either don’t know or believe that Jesus has opened the door for a better way!
Application
Read verse 8 with me: “The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed (Opened) while the outer tabernacle is still standing which is a symbol for the present time. According both gifts and sacrifices are offered.....
What this means is that they either don’t know that there is a door into God or reject the door into God.
Jesus said: “I am the door.” He said: “I am the way.” He is clear that He made a way when there was no way.
Aren’t you grateful today that Jesus is the way!!!
Transition: How do people try to get to God? Let’s see:
II. Many Get To God Through Coming Through Jesus
Vs. 11- “But when Christ appeared....”
Explanation:
But notice verse 11, “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is to say not of this creation....
When Christ appeared.... things changed. Bridges to God replaced the barriers to God.
What do bridges do, they overcome barriers and get us to places that we could not get to. High Priests were the greatest hope in the Old Testament to get you to God. If they could offer a sacrifice; there was a hope that they could get you to God.
What do we know about Jesus?
a) We have better priest that can get us to God- (vs. 11) The only way to go to heaven
someday is to go through Jesus Christ. In verse 11 we read, “But when Christ appeared as a
High Priest...”
b) We have a better priest in a better place- ( vs. 11- perfect tabernacle)- The Old Testament
had a temporary tent. In the Old Testament they had a tent that had to be taken down and put
up everywhere they went. Yet, Jesus went to heaven to the Tabernacle in heaven and presented Himself to God and today that’s where He remains. He is the High Priest of Heaven and He opens doors for you because He is the “door” into eternal life.
Notice verse 24 we read: “For Christ did not enter a hold place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us.”
c) We have a better provision- (vs. 12) There’s a better provision. It’s not through the blood of goats or calves but he entered the holy place (notice this) once for all --- He secured it at one moment, with one blood, for all eternity. The word “obtain” means “to secure.” He locked it down and provided eternal redemption.
The word “blood” appears in the Bible 99 times in the New Testament. Ephesians 1:7.
In Christ we get permanent and perfect redemption.
Illustration: Ashes and Jesus
This past Wednesday was “Ash Wednesday”. Strangely enough it was also Valentines day. I thought that was interesting.
But one Ash Wednesday there is a sprinkling of ash on people. The purpose is to in some way seek to cleanse the sins of people. In some places people eat donuts and party on “Fat Tuesday” and then on “Ash Wednesday” people go to a priest and get ashes put in them to commemorate penance and mourning and mortality. Some do this only as a symbol pointing to trust in Jesus while others do it in hopes for salvation.
Application:
Yet, ashes won’t cleanse sin; only the blood of Jesus does.
Look at verses13-14: “For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Listen: The Old Testament Priest put ash on people hoping that through the ritual would provide some temporary cleansing of sin. Yet, the writer of Hebrews makes it clear that while that Old Testament ritual was used by Priests of the Old Testament; then what really cleanses perfectly and permanently is the blood of Jesus offered.
He tells us what Christ offers? A cleansing of conscience- This is incredible. You can throw away your memories of a sinful past and deeds you have done. Isn’t it wonderful that no matter what you’ve done in life (in Christ) you can get on a new page? You can begin again and start a new life serving the living God.
There’s a real God a real eternity a real heaven and hell and we have an opportunity to live for him and we can do it because of Jesus.
d) We have a better promise- (vs 15)- What does God promise? He promises us fulfillment now and eternity later. The old promise was “try hard and we will see”-- the new promise is: “stop trying and start trusting”
So what’s the conclusion?
Conclusion:
He concludes reminding us of two things on our schedule that should make us sit up and pay attention to what is being said here about Jesus. What are two things on our schedule:
a) An exit- vs. 27- It is appointed (you’ve got an appointment) for men once to die. (No
reincarnation. You die once.) I heard it say that there are two things you and I will not get out
of: Taxes and death.
b) An examination- vs. 27- “after this comes the judgment.” - Judgment- A final analysis. This analysis will either be made on the Old Covenant or the New Covenant. It will be made on the “old contract” or “new contract.” The Old Contract is based on your behavior. The new one is based on Christ’s blood. We actually get a choice of how we will be face judgement. We can be judged without Christ or with Christ.
God desiring for all to be saved and come to Jesus reminds us of two great things Jesus is doing now and in the future.
So what is Jesus doing in response? Two more things:
1. Right now: He is calling.
In verse 15 we read about what God is doing right now in this room.
He describes it with these words: “those who have been called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” In this room God is calling.
The funny thing about receiving calls us that we do several things with them:
a) We ignore them. (Let it go to voice mail)
b) We answer and hang up. (Not interested)
c) We answer and respond.
2. In the future: He is coming.
In the final words he calls us to remembrance of the High Priest who would come out of the Old Testament tabernacle after offering up a sacrifice for sins. When he would come out the people would shout and sing. They would celebrate the fact that the sacrifice is complete. The work is done and forgiveness is complete.
Yet, in contrast, the writer reminds us of the fact that Jesus will someday soon leave the tabernacle in heaven and will come to get His bride-- His people.
In verse 28 we are reminded of what is in store for us. It reads: “so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation, without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. “
Concluding Illustration: Asleep at the wheel
In October (2009) the pilots of Northwest Airlines Flight 188 blamed a "loss of situational awareness" when their plane shot past its destination, Minneapolis, and continued flying for another 150 miles. The flight, with 149 people aboard, sped along, unaccounted for, for 78 minutes before a concerned flight attendant contacted the pilots on via intercom.
Turning around over Wisconsin, the aircraft finally landed safely at its original destination. While the pilots claim they were simply distracted, most authorities believe they fell asleep at the controls.
Invitation:
Have you ever had someone say to you: “You might ought to stay awake for this?” I have to admit, I have fallen asleep in movie theatres several times and have heard those words.
Listen: I think we are in the 11th hour of ages. If you’re coming to Jesus, you might ought to do it now! He’s on schedule and He’s coming again. Listen: You might ought to either wake up, or stay awake for this.
Don’t fall asleep, the best part is coming! Jesus our High Priest exiting the tabernacle and is coming again!
