Hebrews 9::15-28
Vic Bottomly
July 28, 2013
The author assumes you know about the death and resurrection of Christ. He also assumes you know the Old Testament.
It is a book that focuses on why Jesus did what He did and understanding it.
The first covenant referred to the Mosaic Covenant. There was a tabernacle under the first covenant. The priests routinely went in to perform sacrifices. Once a year the high priest went into the holy of holies to sacrifice for the sins of the people but he had to have a sacrifice for himself first. There was a veil there to signify that the way to Christ was still unclear to them.
Christ himself is called the true tabernacle in chapter 9. Jesus became flesh and blood to experience what all experience yet without sin. Through Him is the true way to enter into the holy of holies. He is our High Priest. He offered His blood for our sins.
In our fallen condition we have only dead works to offer. This is why Jesus had to die and shed his blood so that we through Him would be able to offer living works to God.
Remember we look for Christ in the Old Testament and how He fulfilled the Old Testament. Don't get bogged down in all the details of how the ark was made and how the tabernacle was made etc. Look for Christ instead...the foreshadowing of Him.
The whole reason for the law was to show people that they are totally incapable of keeping it perfectly and their need for Christ and His work of keeping the law.
Testament = a covenant or dispostion
It is a one way covenant because man has no way to negotiate the terms.
V. 15 Almost all the doctrines of grace are packed into this one vers.
There are those called, those who inherit, promised inheritance, death, redemption, trangressions, the mediator.
Christ was the mediator who stands between God, the judge of perfection and sinners.
Those who were called receive a promise, a promise of eternal inheritance.
A will does not go into effect until the death of the testator (person who wrote the will).
Our testator owns all of creation. His covenant makes us the seed of Abraham. Gal. 3:29
What are we heirs of under this covenant? We are heirs to the kingdom of God if we are named in this testament, this will or covenant.
This covenant is described as a will and for it to be in effect there must be a death....the death of Christ.
God appointed heirs to the covenant. He is the one who owns the property and designated the heirs. This is great confirmation of the salvation of the church.
Heb. 6:17 God confirms His covenants....by swearing upon His own name. It was when Abraham offered his son Isaac and he was stopped at the last minutes because he obeyed. Gen 22:16 God swears upon Himself in the passage and makes the promise to Abraham. Abraham was promised a physical and a spiritual seed. He was to be the father of many nations. Abraham believed and God counted that as righteousness. The first expression of imputed righteousness by believing. God gave him the faith to believe.
Two immutable ways that we would have this promise confirmed upon us.
1. God swore upon His own name. He could not swear anyone higher. He is true to His Word. He can not lie
2. 7:22 Jesus is the surety of a better testament...He is the one who stands behind the promise and will pay the debt.
God by his oath says, "I will have myself a people." How it happens is by the surety....Jesus Christ.
The first testament was dedicated by blood. Moses read the covenant and the people accepted it and then he sprinkled blood on everything and the people. It meant, if we fail to do this that we promise to do we deserve death. Blood be upon you.
Blood is indeed upon sinners. God's people are washed in the blood of Christ. Sin demands death.
The covenant works demands we must obey the law and we can't. The wages of sin is death.
Ps. 110 speaks of The Lord to come. You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchisidec. Jesus is the one performing this function in the Gospels in the New Testament.
Gen. 15 Abraham cut animals up and divided them upon one side and the other of the pathway. Then he has a vision. A smoking furnace=the troubles of Israel ahead.
a Burning lamp=the glory of God....it passed between the animals alone. It was a one way agreement and symbolized God's promise to Abraham.
It is not a two way bargain. Sinner can not keep their end of the bargain up. God provides the redeemer and makes us His people. It's a one way bargain.
The Mosaic covanent is a covenant of grace. It looks like a covenant of works due to the rules, but it wasn't....it was there to show the Children of Israel that they could not keep their end of the deal....it was a one way bargain. The sacrifices pointed to the way of atonement for sin. These could not make the people righteous and they knew it.
v. 24 The contrast with the OT priests. The OT is full of types and shadows. Figures of what is true. We all want to do something to be righteous and be saved.
The importance of this passage is "once". It is mentioned five times in this chapter and a number of times before this chapter. The High priest entered once per year. Jesus only had to do it once. Only once because He is holy. Once is all that was required and needed. He was once required to bear the sins of many. He will appear a second time to those who are His.
Jesus finished His work and it was sufficient for all time for both Old Testament saints and New Testament saints.
v. 27-28 This is the final reason why Christ died once. We will all have a point of completion once. What happens after this death that each one of us face.....after that the judgement. Plain and simple. Judgement is real for all and all are subject to death. Judgement will be according to the law of works. Yet, this one death is our comfort of the promise of eternal life. He bore the sins of all who were called and believe and hear His voice. For those who look for Him and Him alone He will return for them. He is going to prepare a place for us. We will be in God's house....that is the inheritance.
🌞🌻Marsha🌻🌞
He is the Α and Ω and everything in between. Îστιν ÏŒ Α Ω. (Revelation 22:13)
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