Hebrews, as I have said repeatedly, is actually one long sermon. I’m not sure if it was originally delivered in one sitting or not. I have a feeling the early church had a bigger appetite for such things than we do today. Today we are told a sermon should be only about 20-25 minutes long. That people cannot pay attention longer than 25 minutes. I’m not sure, from my experience at least, that some people can even manage to pay attention that long.
But in any respects, it’s difficult, especially considering today’s culture, to divide up the book of Hebrews into segments that are capable of being preached as stand alone passages. And one of the reasons it’s so difficult is that when you reach a new passage, the author always ties it back to the preceding passages with phrases like, “for this reason” as we encounter today in vs 15. So we always have to go back and review somewhat in order to begin a new passage.
A simple review of what we have been talking about lately can be summarized in three points, that God has given us a new high priest, governed by a new covenant, conducted in a new sanctuary, and now a fourth point, which is it is based on a better sacrifice. So as we begin in vs 15, we see all those things referred to in the phrase, “for this reason.” And if you read from vs 11-15, you will find mention of the new high priest in vs11, the new sanctuary in vs 11, the better sacrifice in vs 12-14, and now in vs 15, the new covenant. But particularly in this passage from vs15-28, we are going to look at the aspects of His superior sacrifice. And to do this I am going to forego trying to come up with a three point outline and for the most part just do a verse by verse exegesis. That way I can follow the pattern of the sermon that is before us, rather than trying to make a sermon out of part of a sermon.
I will say though, that in the last few verses of this chapter there is what may be a familiar outline to some of you. Many preachers have preached a sermon on vs24-28 called the Three Appearances. And I will point them out just so your recognize them. In vs24 Christ has appeared in heaven for us. In vs 25 He has appeared, or as some translations give it, has been manifested, to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And then in vs28, He will appear a second time, which actually is the third appearance spoken of in this chapter. So He appeared the first time to take away sin, the second appearance is in heaven to be our mediator, and the third appearance is the second coming of the Lord.
But as I said I am going to stick with a basic exegesis of the verses and trust that you are capable of following along. Notice in vs15, he says “for this reason.” The reason he speaks of is the sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of sins in vs14. So what he is saying is that the basis of Christ’s mediatorship of the new covenant was His sacrificial death. His death was the redemption, the payment of the penalty for sin under the law. His death, that payment, qualified those who are called to salvation to receive the inheritance of the covenantal promises.
The promises of the covenant are called here an eternal inheritance. So the new covenant was made with the believers on the basis of Christ’s death. And the inheritance of the new covenant was eternal life. A covenant, you will remember was a promise, in this case a unilateral promise made by God to us on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.
Now the author goes on to explain further this covenant in vs16. And he says that Christ’s death was necessary because a covenant cannot be ratified until someone dies. A covenant can be correlated to a last will and testament, which is what this author is indicating in the use of this analogy.
And in vs 17 he explains further that a testament doesn’t go into effect until a person dies. A covenant is related to a testament in that under ancient covenants, such were sworn to by a punishment of death, and often an animal was slain to ratify the agreement in blood as an example of what would happen to the one who should break the covenant. So in time a covenant became synonymous with a testament, and the same Greek word was used for both. Thus, he says a person who made the testament must die in order for the inheritance to go into effect. Just as in our day, a will is not in effect until the person dies who made the will. And then after his death the estate is divided among the inheritors.
Therefore, he says in vs18, that even the first covenant, which was the Mosaic covenant, was not inaugurated without the shedding of blood, or without death. The blood was a sign, a ratification of the agreement.
Then in vs19, he gives the historical example; after Moses had received the law from God, he read to the people all the book of the covenant, and then he shed the blood of calves and goats and sprinkled all the people as well as the book of the law, signifying that both parties were obligated under the covenant. 20, saying, “THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU.” You can read this in Exodus 24:3-8. And all the people answered him saying, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” It was a binding covenant, ratified by the shed blood of oxen.
Now as a side note, the author of Hebrews mentions the ashes of a red heifer. The account of the ashes of the red heifer is found in Numbers 19, which was a reference to the purification ritual of the temple. Ironically many people are today looking for a red heifer to be born, which is considered a great rarity, in order that the 3rd and final temple can be constructed, supposedly as a precursor to the coming of the Christ. Many people believe that when Christ comes back, the third temple will be standing on the temple mount in Jerusalem.
In fact, just yesterday I saw an article that was originally from a news source in the UK called
The Daily Star. In the article it said that a Jewish organization called The Temple Institute had announced the birth of an entirely red female calf that “brings the promise of reinstating Biblical purity to the world”. Rabbi Chain Richman, director of the Temple Institute, hailed the red heifer’s birth as suggestions the time could be right for the Third Temple.
However, it is my belief that such a temple is not necessary for Christ’s return. Hebrews makes it clear that the sacrificial ceremonies were abolished by the sacrifice of Christ for all time. Those looking for a reinstatement of the temple and the sacrificial rites are seeking to make the cross of Christ to no effect. The greater tabernacle which Hebrews speaks of has taken the place of an earthly temple. We that believe are the temple of the Holy Spirit. There is only one way to draw near to God, and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of bulls and goats was merely a picture of what was to come, but now that the perfect has come, the partial picture is done away with. Jews are saved by faith just as Abraham was saved by faith. Never could the earthly sacrifices provide eternal redemption.
Thus, in the new covenant, there is a perfect sacrifice, an eternal sacrifice, that has eliminated any need for any further sacrifices of animals.
The author of Hebrews goes on to say in Vs23, since the earthly tabernacle was a copy of the heavenly tabernacle, then it made sense for the earthly things to be consecrated with earthly sacrifices. But the in the heavenly tabernacle things had to be sanctified with better, (spiritual, heavenly) sacrifices.
We emphasized earlier that the people of God are the temple of God, who dwells in their midst. So they need inward cleansing, not just external cleansing, so that they may draw near to God without defilement, in order to be a fit habitation for God. Even as the earthly tabernacle had to be cleansed and consecrated in order for God’s presence to dwell among them, so the new temple, the church, must be sanctified with Christ’s blood so that we might become a dwelling place of the Spirit of God. 1Peter 2:5, “we are being built up to become a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Now in vs24 we are told of one of the appearances of Christ, the second appearance. “For Christ did not enter a holy 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.” Not into an earthly tabernacle which is only a copy, but into the presence of God in heaven, Christ has gone as our high priest. Notice that it says he appears in the presence of God FOR US. At this very moment, Jesus Christ is in the presence of God for us! For you! For me! Our representative High Priest, who is interceding for us! What assurance that should give us. What confidence that that great High Priest, the Son of God, is my representative in the presence of God at this very moment. On our behalf, as our representative. We that were sinners have been brought near by Christ.
The author goes on to say in vs25 that Christ has also entered once for all time. As contrasted by the old covenant priests who came in yearly by the blood of animals. He has entered once, by his own blood, and remains there continually as our intermediary. Since his sacrifice is perfect, perfectly fulfilling all requirements for holiness, then it is is perpetually effective and need not be repeated.
26. It would be absurd to imagine that his sacrifice would have to be repeated, since that would require him to suffer death again and again. But as it is written, it is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment, then Christ only had to die once, and the resulting judgment was that He was righteous and spotless, and therefore sufficient for all time. Thus He was manifested at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Christ has been manifested at the end of the ages, what Matthew calls the consummation of the age, and Paul calls the end of the ages, and Peter, the last days, all synonymous and referring to the last age in which Christ has appeared, the time of fulfillment of the first covenant, and the beginning of the new covenant. He has come to remove sin, to set the captives free, to announce the favorable year of our Lord.
And He has accomplished that by putting away the stain of sin, having paid the penalty of sin, that we might be considered righteous in the presence of God. Thus his sacrifice is eternally effective for all who put their trust in Him.
Now, we see, we read here, “He has been manifested to put away sin.” Let’s think about that for a moment. “To put away sin.” Let me try to explain that by saying what it is not. He did not come to deny sin. He did not come to soften the penalty for sin. He did not come to redefine sin. He did not come to call it a mistake.
We have a tendency as human beings to try to redefine sin. To soften the injury of our sin. To call it something else, a disease, a mistake, an error, or whatever. But Christ called sin sin. In fact, rather than winking at sin, He raised the standard of righteousness so that we might see sin as God sees it. But thank God, Jesus came to put away sin.
Now how did He do that? It says He put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He knew full well what the wages of sin was, and what we deserved for our sin. And so He offered Himself as the payment for sin, that it might be removed from us. There was no other way to take away our sins. Religion can’t take away sin. Rituals cannot take away sin. Ceremonies cannot take away sin. Only by death can sin be taken away.
In vs27 we read one of the great doctrinal texts of the Bible: “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment…” There is a lot of theological truths that can be extracted from this statement, but there is one aspect of it that bears pointing out in particular at this point. And that is, that though a man dies once, there is yet a judgment of that man to come. So the question is then what is indicated by his death. It must be that death is the death of the body, but in the spirit will still face the judgment of God. Man’s spirit is going to live forever somewhere. But where his spirit lives is determined by the judgment of God upon the death of the body. The tragic truth is that when I hear of someone who committed suicide, presumably because the burden or stress of life is too much for them, is that there is no escape in death, but there is only a transition to another plane of existence, which will determined as this verse indicates by God’s judgment which comes upon every man and woman.
For those of us that believe, our judgment has been exacted upon Jesus Christ. And God being just, cannot punish twice for the same sins. That would be what is called double jeopardy. That’s not legal in our courts, and it certainly is not possible in God’s court. Because God has afflicted Christ with our punishment.
Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being [fell] upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”
We often sing the song “Hallelujah What A Savior, and in that song is the verse speaking of Christ, “Bearing shame and scoffing rude,In my place condemned He stood; Sealed my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Guilty, vile, and helpless we; Spotless Lamb of God was He;“Full atonement!” can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!”
So even as man is appointed to die once, so also Christ as our representative died once, the just for the unjust, bearing our sins on the cross that we might be reconciled to God. Even as the ancient Israelites rejoiced to see the high priest emerge from the tabernacle on the day of atonement, knowing that they had received forgiveness from God, so we might rejoice even more knowing that God has counted our sins upon Christ, and credited His righteousness to us, and now Christ has sat down in the heavenly tabernacle, having finished his sacrificial work, and now is our eternal mediator on our behalf to God.
But that is not the end of the story, for Hebrews tells us in vs 28 that He is going to appear on earth a second time, this time not to atone for sin, because that has been taken care of, but the second time he comes to reclaim His people who await Him for the consummation of their salvation. Linguists tell us that the word used for to appear in this instance carries with it the meaning of to be seen. The Bible tells us that at the second coming of Christ, every eye will see Him coming in the clouds. And some will rejoice, and some will mourn, seeing Him whom they rejected.
Two appearings have taken place. Christ has been appeared at Calvary to take away our sin. And at the present moment, he appears at the right hand of God to intercede on our behalf as our great High Priest. One more manifestation remains - when He appears at His second coming for the saints. And the question, of course, is, are we really looking for him? Are we eagerly looking for him?
I trust that because of our confidence in Him and our confidence in His sacrifice on our behalf, we too are eagerly awaiting His return. And not in dread of the coming judgment as others who have no hope. We that have trusted in Him look forward to receiving our inheritance as sons and daughters of God. Therefore let’s not grow weary in well doing, but with patience and faith persevere until He comes again.
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