"...the Law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22).
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
In our text this morning the author to the Hebrews shows that there are three appearing's that are needed to "wash away my sin and make me whole again."
In a Bible book that is heavily mixed with doctrine and exhortation, this passage directly focuses on doctrine. The author explains some of the things that had to done in order to appease God. Now, because of Jesus' blood, we no longer need a system of works that need to be done to make up for our sin and we as Christians may receive God's inheritance by the blood of Jesus.
When Jesus commands His followers to be His "witnesses", it is not a command that we should overlook. Acts 1:8 is a necessary verse to look at when it comes to reaching those near and far with the Gospel of Christ. This message is a recap of Derek Patz's mission trip to Eastern Europe and a reasoning of why working alongside God in what He is doing around the world is commanded, yet attainable.
Mrs. Bernice Love was my adopted grandmother. She gave me two candelabras before she died. They hang in my living room. I often think of her when I look at them. They mean a lot to me. If all of a sudden Mrs. Love showed up in my living room, but I kept trying to remember her by looking at those candelabras, that wouldn't make much sense. But that is what the author of Hebrews is trying to get across to his readers. Why hang onto the symbol when you have the reality standing in front of you! The Old Covenant is only a symbol, a shadow, the backdrop, a temporary picture. You don't need shadows when reality comes!
Hebrews is a difficult book to study. Most of the difficulty comes from the fact that we cannot see it in the same light as the Jewish readers. The author is showing them that Jesus is superior and sufficient. He is all they need! Since Jewish theology was dominated by the Mosaic Law and the priesthood the author spends considerable time (cha 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) belaboring the fact that Jesus is a superior priest. In Monday's Dennis the Menace comic, Dennis says to the Pastor on the way out of church, "Great sermon! You didn't go on and on and on this time." It seems the author of Hebrews did not get the memo!
We have climbed the summit of Mt. Everest (the superior Priesthood of Jesus) with Hebrews 8:1 being the peak. Now we are descending with more great doctrine.
The New Covenant (Grace by faith) is better than the Old Covenant (Law by sacrifice). Why? Because the priesthood of Melchizedek is better than the priesthood of Aaron. As long as the veil remained closed the access to God remained closed. The one thing mankind needed most couldn't be provided by the priesthood of Aaron. However, a priest from a new order (the order of Melchizedek), that is Jesus Christ, tore open the veil and now we have access to God by the New Covenant. The author wraps up the thoughts on Melchizedek in our text this morning.
"The problem in the world and in our lives is not our troubled marriages or our wayward children or our financial pressures or our failing health or our government or our cultural degeneration. The main problem in our world - everyone's problem - is how to be reconciled to God so that we escape His terrifying wrath at the judgement." John Piper
The Biblical answer to this problem is the priesthood. The priests of the Old Testament interceded (mediated) for us with Holy God. God made a temporary way to get right with Him through the Old Testament priests and then He provided His Son, our final superior High Priest. So, all this talk of Jesus in comparison to Melchizedek is to show us that Jesus is our only hope to be reconciled to God so we can escape His terrifying wrath.
During his 27th reading of the Bible, Everet R. Storms, of Kitchener Canada determined to tally up all the promises found in God's Word. The task took him a year and a half. He concluded there are 8,810 promises in the Bible. Another person concluded there to be 31,173. His rationale was, "every verse is a promise." As we come to Hebrews 6:13-20, you can trust in the promise, "...that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil 1:6)
