Today’s Reading: Hebrews 9:1 – 10:10

The first covenant provided regulations for worship, as well as a place to worship. Following the Lord’s instructions, the people built a Tabernacle with two rooms. The first room was called the Holy Place, and this is where the priests would perform their religious duties. Behind a curtain there was a second room called the Most Holy Place, and only the High Priest could enter this room and only once a year.

And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use. – Hebrews 9:7b-8

The gifts and sacrifices presented by the priests were able to fulfill the requirements of God, but they were not able to cleanse the consciences of God’s people. The blood of the sacrificed animals could cleanse the people from ceremonial impurity, but the blood of Jesus Christ purifies our consciences from all of our sins so that we can be reconciled to God. This allows us to authentically worship God from a place of forgiveness and restoration.

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood – not the blood of goats and calves – he entered the Most Holy Place ONCE FOR ALL TIME and secured our redemption forever. – Hebrews 9:11-12

Jesus Christ offered himself to God as the PERFECT sacrifice for our sins (9:14). Then the PERFECT sacrifice became our PERFECT High Priest, mediating a new covenant between God and man. Because of his death on the cross, we can be set free from the penalty of our sins; because of the new covenant Jesus mediated, we can receive the eternal inheritance that God has promised to the redeemed (9:15).

For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. – Hebrews 9:22b

This is why Moses used the blood of calves and goats to confirm the first covenant that God had made with His people. But this was only a human effort to replicate a heavenly ceremony. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals (9:23).

The old covenant involved the shedding of animals’ blood and had to be repeated on certain days and at certain ceremonies. Even then, the cleansing from those sacrifices was not perfect, not permanent and not capable of taking away feelings of guilt (10:1-2). If an annual sacrifice had been necessary, Jesus would have had to die again and again, but His blood was more powerful than that of animals.

JESUS’ BLOOD WAS SO PURE AND HIS SACRIFICE SO PERFECT THAT IT TOOK CARE OF THE NEED FOR BLOOD TO BE SHED ONCE AND FOR ALL!

But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. – Hebrews 9:26b-28

JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS — WHY WOULD WE REJECT THIS SALVATION BY CONTINUING IN SIN?

God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of Jesus (10:10). So, if God’s plan is for us to be holy, which is possible because of the blood of Jesus, what happens if we choose to continue in sin rather than walk in holiness? What happens if we continue to give in to the urgings of the sinful nature instead of giving in to the urgings of the Spirit God has given us?

The writer of Hebrews talks about those who have repented of their sins, experienced all of the wonderful things a relationship with God has to offer, including the Holy Spirit, but then reject the Son of God. The writer says, “by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame” (Hebrews 6:6). How heartbreaking!

God’s plan is for those of us who are working for Him to KEEP on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what we hope for will come true. His plan is that we would not become spiritually dull or indifferent but that we would follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their FAITH and ENDURANCE (6:10-12).

Oh God, we hold tight to the hope that lies before us – the hope given through this new covenant made possible by the death of your Son, the perfect sacrifice. Lord, we desire to let go of our own plans and all this world offers and cling to You and You only. Thank you for this hope that we have in You. It is a trustworthy anchor for our souls, giving us the faith and endurance to keep on loving and to keep on serving (6:18-19). Amen.