Skip to main content

Hebrews 9 Devotional

Sin is messy business.  Most importantly, sin separates us from God.  Not only does our sin get us into trouble with consequences, when sin goes unchecked/undiscovered, it eats away at us from the inside.  It creates a depraved state that can potentially run amuck and grow to catastrophic proportions!  In the Old Testament, we read about the sacrificial system, where people acknowledged their sin and brought forth sacrifices to atone for their sins.  On a busy day, the priest’s hands would be pruned from washing blood from them.  There would be a metallic smell in the air from the blood that would eventually affect the animals waiting to be sacrificed. So they would become restless and fearful.  You could taste the stress and fear.  Sin is messy.  Emotionally.  Physically.  Mentally.  Spiritually.

 

Today, we’re looking at Hebrews 9.  These 28 verses are about atonement.  Christ’s once-for-all, perfect, atonement.  We are going to see in the Scriptures today, that The first covenant pointed to Christ’s perfect, eternal new covenant.

 

When we walk away from our time together today, I want you to know God used the old covenant to point to His perfect “Plan A”: Jesus!

 

Holy Father, open our hearts and minds today to receive the Truth from Your Word.  Reveal to us what we need to know to right our thinking and cleanse our hearts.  In Jesus’ priceless name. Amen.

 

We have two divisions:

1.The Earthly Sanctuary and Priests Ministry (9:1-10)

2.The Heavenly Sanctuary and Christ’s Ministry (9:11-28)

 

Let’s dive right in to this amazing chapter of Scripture.

 

Read Hebrews 9:1-5.

 

In the first five verses of chapter 9, the author explains that the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary.  Then he goes on to describe the tabernacle.  The tabernacle has two rooms: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.  In the first room, the Holy Place, there is the lampstand and the table of consecrated bread.  In the second room, the Most Holy Place, there is the golden altar of incense and the ark containing the jar of manna, the budded staff and the stone tablets of the covenant.  The atonement cover is the lid for the ark.

 

I am both irritated and glad that the author says we cannot discuss these things in detail now.  These five verses could be a lesson all by themselves!  In fact, because I’ve studied the tabernacle in depth, these verses effectively stopped me in my tracks this week!  I don’t want to take too much time on this, but I do want to address it for those of you who feel the same way I did when I first read this passage.

 

Why does the author of Hebrews place the altar of incense INSIDE THE MOST HOLY PLACE when Exodus 30:6-8 and 40:26 places it in THE HOLY PLACE?  Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies once per year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), so, if the altar of incense were in the Holy of Holies, how could the priest offer incense EVERY DAY???  This may not bother you like it did me, so I will be brief.

 

There are several scholarly opinions on this question.  The explanation I find most plausible is that the actual location of the altar of incense is within the Holy Place, but it belongs to the Most Holy Place.  This is evident in the Greek language used in Hebrews 9:2, 4.  In verse 2, the text says the table and lampstand are “in” (the Greek is “en he”, as in location) the first part of the tabernacle.  In verse 4, the text says, “…the Holy of Holies having the golden incense altar…” (the Greek is “echousa”, meaning to have, possess [in the technical sense of having control over the use of]).  This gives me chills because, throughout Scripture, incense is symbolic of prayer.  So, I see the altar of incense as being the altar of the prayers of God’s people.  God initiates prayer, so He, technically has control over the use of prayer.  Wow!!!  And now that Jesus has come and opened the Holy of Holies with His own blood and tore the curtain from top to bottom, all our prayers go straight to God the Father.  Jesus opened the passage!  This connects to the next part of the passage.

 

Read Hebrews 9:6-10.

 

Here, the author reminds us that the priests perform their ministry regularly in the outer room, aka the Holy Place.  They maintained the lampstand.  They replaced the showbread.  They offered the incense.

 

He also reminds us that only the High Priest would enter the inner room, aka the Holy of Holies, ONCE A YEAR, and never without blood.  The blood was an offering for himself and for the sins the people had committed IN IGNORANCE.  This blood came from animals.

 

The author states that the Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Holy of Holies hadn’t been disclosed while the tabernacle was still functioning.  This is an illustration for the temporal.  Such gifts and sacrifices were/are unable to cleanse the conscience.  Actual guilt remained.  These were ceremonies pointing to the better way: Jesus!  This leads us to our first principle:

 

The earthly sanctuary and the ministry of the priests point to Christ’s more perfect ministry.

 

How has earthly ministry prepared you to engage Christ’s plan and will for your life?  If you are a Christian, how is your ministry helping to point others to Christ?  How is your life pointing to Jesus Christ if you are not involved in formal ministry?

 

Now let’s look at Christ’s ministry in the true tabernacle.

 

Read Hebrews 9:11.

 

The first thing the author discloses is that Christ went through the greater, more perfect tabernacle: heaven.  Not the created tabernacle made by human hands.  Christ entered and opened the true tabernacle that the one made with human hands was based on.  Christ entered the tabernacle that God used as a pattern and warned Moses to duplicate just as he was shown.

 

Read Hebrews 9:11-14.

 

Let’s talk a little about the blood.  Jesus didn’t enter this perfect tabernacle with the blood of animals.  Jesus entered with His own blood.  God’s blood.  Sinless blood.  Perfect blood.  Blood that is powerful enough to redeem every person who would ever be born.  One sacrifice.  For everyone.  Forever.  Blood that was freely given.  Blood that covers every sin.  Blood that offers eternal redemption.  Blood that cleanses completely.  Blood that frees from guilt and cleanses every conscience.  Blood that enables us to serve!  Savor that word for a few minutes.  Are you serving?  If not, where CAN you serve?

 

Read Hebrews 9:15-18.

How much do you know about wills?  A will is a document that spells out the desires of a person.  It bequeaths property after the death of the person who created and signed it.  So, for a will to be in effect, the person who made it must be dead.  Jesus is the Mediator of the new covenant, the Executor of the will, the Inheritance, the One Who died to put the will into effect.  And the first covenant pointed to Christ in the form of innocent sacrifice.  Let’s take a look at how Moses presented the sacrificial system to the people.

 

Read Hebrews 9:19-23.

 

Moses proclaimed the law to the people.  He sprinkled blood on the scroll and the people.  He proclaimed the blood of the covenant.  He sprinkled the blood on the instruments to be used in the worship practices, consecrating those utensils.  He explained that the law required this cleansing, and that there is no forgiveness without bloodshed.  The copies had to be purified with blood.  And then, verse 23 ends by pointing back to Jesus as the better sacrifice: the heavenly things, the true tabernacle, had to be cleansed with better sacrifices.  With THE BEST SACRIFICE: JESUS.

 

Read Hebrews 9:24-28.

 

Christ entered heaven with His blood, not the shadow – the copy – of the true tabernacle.  He entered the real thing.  He entered the very presence of God the Father!  Not a manifestation of God’s glory in the Holy of Holies once a year.  Christ offered Himself ONCE.  Not again and again like the Old Testament sacrificial system.  Jesus is the High Priest Who entered God’s presence with His own blood!  He did away with sin once-for-all by the sacrifice of Himself!  Victory over sin and death and Satan is won!!!

 

And we who are destined to die once and face judgment now face a choice:  accept that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and receive His free gift of eternal redemption, or not.  Which do you choose?  If you would like to accept His free gift of salvation, pray with me:

 

Heavenly Father, I come to You as a sinner in need of a Savior.  And I believe Jesus is that Savior Who was crucified to pay the price for my sins.  Who died so I can spend eternity in heaven.  Who rose to reveal victory over the death and promise me the same.  I receive the salvation Jesus purchased for me with His blood.  In His mighty name.  Amen.

 

If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of God.  Contact me or a Christian friend who can put you in touch with a Bible preaching pastor to help you through your next steps of discipleship.

 

And here is our final principle:

 

Christ’s more perfect ministry saves souls for eternity.

 

In what area(s) are you challenged to accept Christ’s once-for-all free gift of salvation?  How have you been trying to earn your salvation or repay Christ for His free gift?

 

God has made a way to deal with the mess of sin!  Once for all.  No more sacrifices.  Jesus is the once-for-all sacrifice Who makes all men right with God if they accept His free gift of salvation.  The author of Hebrews indicates that sacrifices are still being made at the temple at the time of the writing of this letter, so scholars place the writing of this book prior to 70 AD, which is when the temple was destroyed.  The destruction of the temple changed everything for the Jewish people because there haven’t been sacrifices for almost 2000 years!  Why is this important?  To them, it means that there is NO ATONEMENT FROM SIN!  They cannot come before God!  They cannot worship!  They cannot be cleansed.  They do not recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.  Do you?  Let us pray.

Holy Father, in the name of Your Son, Jesus, I ask that you would open the hearts and minds of all people to see the Truth and accept it as fact.  I pray that they would humbly embrace Jesus Christ as Savior and receive redemption and peace.  Amen.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Homiletics Training: Content

Homiletics .   By definition, “homiletic” is the art of preaching or writing sermons.   I think we would all agree that our pastors study the Bible thoroughly to deliver sermons every Sunday to their congregations.   The beautiful news is that every child of God can use this discipline to study the Bible for themselves. As a member of Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) Leadership, part of my required preparation each week is to prepare homiletics for the passage we are studying.   BSF offers an engaging seminar on how to use this method to study the Scriptures.   I’ve taken the seminar several times under two different leaders and I’ve learned something new every time I’ve attended.   I’ve also been doing the process of homiletics for over ten years and I can say that there is no better teacher than the Holy Spirit in this process!   So keep practicing.   Keep sharing and discussing.   I’ve been posting my homiletics on this blog for quite a while, now.   And I would like to share wit

Homiletics: John 7

Contents ( not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture ):   Where?                                                                 Who? 1 1-2 After, J went Gal, not Judea bec Jew ldrs look to kill; Jew fest of tabernacles near 2 3-5 J bros: go Judea so disc see works, show self to world; bros not believe 3 6-8 J: my time not here; world h8 me bec I testify works evil; you go festival, my time not cm 4 9-10 He stay Gal; bros left for fest, He went in secret 5 11-12 @ fest, Jew ldrs watch 4 J: where He?   Widespr whisp: He good man/He deceives ppl 6 13-14 No one say publicly for fear of ldrs; not till ½ way thru fest did J beg to teach 7 15-16 Jews amazed: how man get learning w/o been taught; J: my teaching cm frm who sent 8 17-18 Who choose do will of G find

Homiletics: John 10

Contents ( not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture ): 1 1-2 VT ITY Phar, any1 enter shp pn by gate=thief/robbr; 1 enters by gate=shepherd 2 3-4 Gatekpr opns gate 4 hm/shp listn/he calls shp by name/leads out/shp follo bec kno voce 3 5-6 They nvr follo stranger, run away bec recog voce; J used fig o spch, Phar understd 4 7-8 Thrfr J: VT ITY I gate 4 shp; all who cm b4 me=thievs/robbrs, shp listn them 5 9-10a I gate, whoevr entr thru me savd/they cm/go/find pasture; thief cm only steal/kill/destry 6 10b-12 I gd shepd, lay dn life 4 shp; Hird hd shepd/own shp, see wolf/abandn shp/wlf attck/scattr 7 13-15a Man run bec care nthg 4 sheep; I gd shep; kno sheep/sheep kno me as Fr kno me/I kno Fr 8 15b-16 I lay dn life 4 sheep; have othr sheep of this pen