Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Reminder of Chapter 8:
• There was an old covenant - 'do this and live'
• The old covenant could never cleanse the conscience
• A promise in Jer 31 of a new covenant - God would write the laws into the hearts of men
• Christ would come and fulfill all the Old Testament types
• 8:13 - the old covenant was obsolete
• If it is obsolete, what was its purpose?
• Chapter 9 explains this
• Chapter 9:
• A contrast between the earthly and heavenly sanctuary
• Consider the earthly sanctuary
• Not the temple but the portable tabernacle
• Every instruction given to Moses on the mountain
• Consider the heavenly sanctuary
• Relevance to us:
• As Christians we can form material attachments
• This can happen in worship too
• We never depise the good gifts that God has given us, but we do not hold onto them

The Purpose of the Earthly Sanctuary (v1-5)

• Divine service by divine appointment
• Certain functions to perform
• Worship in only one particular way
• Why all the details?
• He is drawing a picture in our minds
• He is reminding us that it is symbolic
• That all of this was from God and it had a purpose
• The implements:
• Only a priest could go into the Holy Place
• Duties: offering sacrifice, attending the lampstand, replacing the showbread
• A second curtain into the Most Holy Place
• The Ark, the golden pot, Aaron's rod, the tablets, the cherubim above the mercy seat
• These things speak of sin and that people cannot come in
• The things point towards Jesus Christ
• The tabernacle teaches above all that God dwells in unapproachable light
• Example of High Priest
• All were barred from entering
• Only the High Priest could go once a year on the day of atonement
• God must be worshiped in His way but under the old covenant true access could not be granted
• How futile therefore is man made religion today?

The Limitations of the Earthly Sanctuary (v6-10)

• The endless rituals (v6)
• Day after day
• Perhaps the priest got tired, repeating the same tasks over and over
• The earthly sanctuary was a lot of work
• The high priest (v7)
• Entering the Most Holy Place four times
• He offered for his own and the people's sins
• The way into the Holiest of all was not yet available (v8)
• This access would come through Jesus Christ
• There are many attempts today to have mediators between God and men
• Example of Mary, various saints
• The Bible teaches there is only one mediator between God and man - Christ Jesus
• The cleansing they received was only outwards, it could not cleanse the conscience (v9)
• Example of sexual immorality and stealing
• Human action can never wipe away sin
• The temple sacrifice could never cleanse the conscience

The Replacement of the Earthly Sanctuary (v11-15)

• A Better Priest (v11)
• A High Priest of the good things to come
• He can do what no other can do
• Jesus can sympathise and give aid to people
• Jesus can grant last peace and lasting joy
• A Better Sanctuary (v11)
• Through Jesus Christ you can come into the very dwelling place of God
• A Better Sacrifice (v12)
• Not the blood of animals but Jesus own blood
• A once for all sacrifice
• Jesus' blood obtained eternal redemption
• A Better Blessing (v13-14)
• If the blood of an animal could make you ceremonially clean, how much more could Jesus' blood make you clean?
• Cleansing from dead works:
• Deliberate sins
• Thoughts
• Works with wrong motives
• Vain things that waste time
• In order that we might serve the living God
• Sometimes those who don't serve God do so because of their guilty conscience
• Christ's blood cleanses all
• A Better Scope (v15)
• All of our sin and all of the sins of those in the Old Testament is forgiven
• All is forgiven only by the blood of Christ
• We have an eternal inheritance

Closing Remarks

• The new sanctuary replaces the old
• We are never to trust in tradition or ceremonies
• We trust in Jesus Christ