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 Previous Return to Hebrews Next 

THE SUPERIORITY OF THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST

Hebrews 9:12-14

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    The writer of Hebrews introduces subjects briefly, then comes back to them in later portions of the book.

 

B.      Two earlier themes:

1.      The sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:3)

2.      The true tabernacle (Heb. 8:2)

 

C.     He returns to these in the first part of chapter 9 (See vss. 11-12)

 

D.    In Hebrews 9:1-14, the author will show his readers the superiority of Jesus’ sacrifice.

 

i.                    THE DESCRIPTION OF THE OT TABERNACLE (Heb. 9:1-5)

ii.                  THE DEFICIENCY OF THE OT SACRIFICES (Heb. 9:6-10)

iii.                THE DOMINANCE OF JESUS’ SACRIFICE (Heb. 9:11-14)

 

I.                   THE DESCRIPTION OF THE OT TABERNACLE (Heb. 9:1-5)

 

II.                THE DEFICIENCY OF THE OT SACRIFICES (Heb. 9:6-10)

 

III.             THE DOMINANCE OF JESUS’ SACRIFICE (Heb. 9:11-14)

 

A.    The Service of Christ (Heb. 9:11a)

 

B.      The Sanctuary of Christ (Heb. 9:11b)

 

C.     The Sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 9:12-14)

 

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

 

1.      The contrasts:

a.      Blood:  human and divine, not the blood of animals

b.      Once:  Jesus went once, that is, “once for all time,” into the holy place, not once year after year after year

c.       Into the holy place:  remember in our last discussion we found out that the Jewish high priest went into the Most Holy Place, but he did not go into the Most Holy Place.  He went into the physical Most Holy Place, but not into heaven itself.  Jesus on the other hand, has gone into the Holy of Holies in heaven (Acts 1:10-11).

d.      Eternal redemption:  eternal redemption was not possible under the Old Covenant.  Jesus, on the other hand, “obtained eternal redemption for us.”

e.       Conscience:  The blood of Christ had the ability to purge the conscience of dead works.  The blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer purified the flesh of those in the Old Testament.

2.      Other considerations:

a.      The blood of goats was for the people (Lev. 16:9, 15) and the blood of a calf or young bullock was for the high priest (Lev. 16:3, 11).

b.      Redemption involves the payment of a price in order to buy one out of captivity.  In this case the purchase price was Jesus’ blood to redeem man from the captivity of sin.

c.       It is eternal redemption.  It is eternal in the same way in which the church as eternal (See Eph. 3:10-11).  Redemption was part of God’s eternal plan. 

d.      The ashes of a heifer referred to the ashes of a cow that were gathered after the burning of the heifer outside the camp (See Num. 19).  These ashes were used in the ceremonial water of purification.  They were used specifically when someone had touched a dead body and was defiled.

e.       The eternal Spirit

1)      Three important notes:

-          The word “the” is not in the Greek text.

-          The word “Spirit” is capitalized, but this was a choice of the translators.

-          The word “Spirit” stands in contrast to flesh in the text.

2)      Coffman:  “Moreover, the wonderful offering of Christ was by the purpose and consent of the eternal Spirit, not the Holy Spirit as usually understood, but the pre-existent, eternally divine Spirit of Christ himself which he had before the world was, and which during his earthly ministry was conjoined with his human nature.  This distinction between the flesh of Christ and his Spirit appears in three other New Testament references, Rom. 1:3, 4; I Tim. 3:16; and I Pet. 3:18” (Coffman, p. 198 as quoted by Wacaster, p. 347).

f.        Jesus offered himself up without spot, that is, not having any sin whatsoever (I Pet. 2:22).

g.      Jesus can cleanse the conscience

1)      The conscience is a feeling that originates in the mind that either accuses or excuses us based upon the training it has received.

2)      If the conscience is clean, it never has to think of the sin it has committed again.  The cleansed conscience will never accuse one of being guilty.

3)      Under the Old Covenant, the Jews were reminded of their sins year after year.  Their consciences were never free from their sins.

4)      Jesus’ sacrifice cleanses the conscience.  Once we are forgiven of a sin, we never have to be held guilty of that sin ever again.

h.      Upon having one’s sins forgiven, one now “serves the living God” with a pure conscience.  Notice that this becomes the aim or mission of the one cleansed.