Introduction

Some stains laugh at soap. You scrub and soak, and they just smile back at you. Life has its stains too—memories that will not fade, words we wish we never said, habits that haunt our sleep. We carry quiet shame the way a traveler shoulders a heavy pack. We try harder, promise bigger, resolve stronger—and end the day with the same spots on the soul. What do you do with a guilt that clings? Where do you go with the ache you can’t explain?

God has always spoken the language of grace through a crimson alphabet. In the hush of the tabernacle, priests walked with careful steps, lamps flickered, incense lifted, and blood said what words could not: sin costs, and mercy covers. Those ancient shadows pointed to a sunrise. Every lamb, every altar, every priestly prayer carried a whisper that grew into a shout on a hill outside Jerusalem. There, the Lamb of God carried our sin and our shame, and the stain met its match.

Tim Keller once wrote, “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” (Timothy Keller) That sentence feels like a hand on the shoulder. It tells the truth about our mess, and then it tells the truth about our Messiah. You are seen completely, and you are loved completely. The cross is not a plan B; it is the heart of God on vivid display.

So, take a breath. Lift your eyes. The Savior who stepped into the Most Holy Place—into heaven itself—now appears for us before the Father. If your conscience has been noisy, if your heart has been heavy, his blood speaks a better word than your regrets. There is cleansing for your past, courage for your present, and confidence for your future. This is not a thin hope or a fragile wish. This is the strong assurance that Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient, his intercession is steady, and his return is sure.

Before we open our hearts to this mercy again, let’s hear the Scripture that sings it so clearly.

Hebrews 9:22-28 (KJV) 22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Let’s pray.

Father, thank you for the cleansing that reaches where our hands cannot. Thank you for the blood of Jesus that silences accusation and washes away the scarlet stain. Holy Spirit, open our eyes to see the beauty of Christ and open our ears to hear the better word his sacrifice speaks. Clean our consciences, comfort our hearts, and steady our steps. Let the cross be precious to us, and let resurrection hope rise within us. As we listen today, help us receive all that Jesus purchased—pardon for our sin, peace with you, power to walk in holiness, and the promise of salvation when he appears again. We ask in the strong and saving name of Jesus. Amen.

The Necessity of Blood for True Forgiveness and Cleansing

Hebrews says forgiveness does not happen without blood. That sounds harsh to modern ears. It is actually honest. Life is in the blood. Sin steals life. A life must answer for that theft.

Blood is the Bible’s way of showing that a life was given. It is more than a symbol. It is payment. It is cleansing. It is proof that sin was taken seriously.

Verse 22 speaks this in plain terms. Without shedding of blood there is no release from guilt. No clearing of the record. No washing of the stain on the heart.

We often try to fix guilt with effort. We try to make up for wrong with more good. The text shuts that door. Effort has its place, but it cannot forgive. Blood does what effort cannot.

This also protects the worth of people. If sin destroys life, then life must be the price. God does not wave away harm with a cheap word. He sets a cost that fits the damage.

Blood also reaches where the law cannot go. Rules can name sin. Rules cannot remove it. Only a life offered in our place can carry it away.

That is the weight of the altar in Israel’s story. Day after day a life was laid down. Each sacrifice said, “A life stands here for your life.”

All of that teaches the heart to be honest. Forgiveness is not light. It is rich and costly and real. It runs red because life was given.

Verse 23 moves the frame from earth to heaven. The old patterns in Israel were like sketches. They pointed to a greater scene. The real meeting place with God stands above all that was made by hands.

Those sketches needed cleansing with animal blood. The text then says the heavenly things needed better sacrifices. That line can feel strange. Heaven is pure. Why speak of cleansing there?

Think of it this way. The issue is not that God’s home is dirty. The issue is access. We needed a way to stand in that holy place without fear. A better sacrifice opens that way for us.

The old blood could purify a tent, a vessel, a ritual. It could set a worshiper apart for a time. It could not clear the conscience before the living God. It could not carry a sinner all the way in.

A higher court asks for a higher price. To bring human beings into God’s presence, a better life had to be given. A perfect life. A willing life. A life without any stain of its own.

So the letter says there was a need for better sacrifices for the heavenly things. That is the Bible’s way of saying, “We need more than symbols.” We need a sacrifice that works where it matters most. In heaven. Before the face of God.

This is why the teaching turns our eyes to Christ. He is the better sacrifice. He is the true cleansing that reaches the throne.

Verses 24 to 26 tell us what he did. He entered the true sanctuary. He appeared before God for us. He did not come with the blood of another. He came with his own.

Priests in Israel went in many times. Their work never reached an end. Christ’s work reached its goal. He offered himself once at the close of the ages to remove sin.

“Remove” is a strong word. It means more than cover. It means put away. It means the record is cleared and the power is broken.

This touches the conscience. Shame can cling even after we say we are sorry. Christ’s blood tells the conscience the debt is paid. The mind can rest. The heart can breathe.

This also honors justice. God does not overlook sin. He addresses it in his Son. The cross is where holiness and mercy meet in a way that does not cancel either.

Because the offering is complete, nothing needs to be added. We do not top it off with tears or vows. We receive it. We trust it. We walk in the clean place it gives.

And because he stands there for us now, our present is steady. His work does not fade. His blood does not lose power with time.

Verses 27 and 28 bring the future into view. Every person dies. After that comes judgment. This is sober truth. It makes sense of the need for a sure cleansing.

On that day, excuses will be thin. Only real forgiveness will stand. The text says Christ was offered to bear the sins of many. He carried what we could not carry.

To “bear” sin means he took the weight and the blame. He became answerable. He placed himself under the penalty that was ours. That is substitution. It is personal and complete.

Then the letter lifts our eyes to what is ahead. He will appear a second time. When he comes, he brings salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Waiting is not passive. It looks like trust. It looks like turning from sin again and again. It looks like worship and love and hope that holds on when days are hard.

This future hope shapes life now. If judgment is real, then forgiveness must be sure. If Christ carried our sins, then panic can quiet. If he is coming, then endurance has fuel.

So we draw near with a clean conscience. We confess without fear. We forgive others because we have been forgiven at great cost. We walk in the light because the price has been paid.

And when shame tries to speak again, we answer with blood. Not ours. His. The blood that brings true forgiveness and a clean heart before God.

Jesus the Perfect Lamb and His Once for All Sacrifice

Hebrews draws our attention to the person of Jesus ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO