Not All the Blood of Beasts - Hebrews 9

"But when Christ appeared as a high priest

of the good things to come, He entered

through the greater and more perfect tabernacle,

not made with hands, that is to say,

not of this creation;

and not through the blood of goats and calves,

but through His own blood,

He entered the Holy place once for all,

having obtained eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer

sprinkling those who have been defiled,

sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

how much more will the blood of Christ,

who through the eternal Spirit

offered Himself without blemish to God,

cleanse your conscience from dead works

to serve the living God?

(vs 11-14)

Chapter 9 begins with the continued comparison between the old and the new covenant. That comparison culminates in Christ. He is the golden thread that runs throughout all of the covenant of grace. It was He who was the promised seed of Genesis - the One who would crush the head of the serpent. Christ is the ark that Noah and his family must hide in. Christ is the ram in the thicket that will be sacrificed in Isaac's place. Christ is the greater David - the King who will subdue us and all of His and our enemies. Christ is the passover lamb, the scapegoat, the serpent lifted high on the pole that will save God's people from their sins. All of Scripture is a road map pointing us to Christ. In the old covenant they were looking forward to what He would accomplish, in the new we are resting in what He HAS accomplished. "The Old Testament set forth in shadows what was to come; the New Testament is the accomplishment of the old." (Matthew Henry)

Having done what He came to do we now have no need for the blood of goats and calves and bulls. We have the blood of Christ which cleanses our conscience from dead works to serve the living God!

Once again we have Christ held forth as our Great High Priest. It is He that is the High Priest of all the "good things to come." It is He that has guaranteed our inheritance. He is the certain Surety of all the promises of God. He has secured them for us!

He is the High Priest of a "greater and more perfect tabernacle" - His own body!! And He has entered into the TRUE holy of holies -heaven. Not into the "type" or figure of it which was found in the temple.

He is the Great High Priest who came "not with the blood of goats and calves," but with His own blood!

He is the Great High Priest who has no need to continually make sacrifice for sins. He did His work "once and for all." He has "obtained eternal redemption!"

Everything about Christ is greater! He came without spot, blemish, or sinful stain. His work on our behalf reaches not simply to the "cleansing of the flesh" but to the "cleansing of the conscience."

Rejoice all you believers!!! Your Great High Priest has done His job. He has cleansed your conscience from dead works that you may serve the living God. Are you serving?

"Not all the blood of beasts, on Jewish altars slain, could give
the guilty conscience peace, or wash away the stain:

But Christ, the heav'nly Lamb, takes all our sins away, a
sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they.

My faith would lay her hand on that dear head of Thine, while
like a penitent I satnd, and there confess my sin.

My soul looks back to see the burdens Thou didst bear, when
hanging on the cursed tree, and knows her guilt was there.

Believing, we rejoice to see the curse removed; we bless the
Lamb with cheerful voice, and sing His bleeding love.

(Isaac Watts, 1709)

Serving, by grace, with a clear conscience,

Lori