Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah.
! It is wonderful that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah,
either by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray for us
that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself?
The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian,
we really, I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the
Bible, they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will do
what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a non-Christian,
checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't hesitate to send us
questions. It helps me actually to know, as I'm preaching, how to deal with the types of things
that you're really struggling with. So God bless.
The text we're looking at today. If you're familiar with house building, or if you're familiar with
general construction or general contracting, you know that one of the first things to be done
is that you would make a blueprint or drawings or architectural drawings of what's being, what's the
project is that's being proposed to be built. These blueprints must be very detailed. They must have
everything that's required to complete the building. Some of these things would be the footings of the
building. Some of these things would be the concrete work. Other things would be the framing, the electrical,
the plumbing, the HVAC. All these things are required for a building to be functional. They're all required
for it to pass inspection, and they're all required to be living. If you don't have these, you can't live in
it because it won't function properly. Some of you have heard me talk about before the time that
myself and Amy, my wife, we built a house in Perth, Ontario, during COVID. And during this time, we had
to make plans or blueprints of the house. So, and we decided to do it ourselves. And we did it. We drew
them up. We had a friend also help us. And then we presented it to the township of Perth, and they
rejected it right away because it wasn't detailed enough, because we didn't know everything that
needed to be on the plan. So we had to hire a professional to do it, get the stamp of approval,
and then it was passed. The thing about blueprints is that they will never look as good as the building
when it's completed and when you're standing before it. They'll never look as good. They may look super
fancy with all the drawings and all the certain things it tells you to do, the schedule of the
building. But it'll never look as good as the building itself when it's completed and you're
before it. What the writer to the book of Hebrews does is that he's showing that there is a blueprint.
It's come. It's already been created. And what he's pointing to, he points to the completed work
through the blueprint. He argues, and what I hope to show you, is that the completed work is far greater
than the blueprint, than what's been already made. The text I'm speaking on today is just over halfway
through the book of Hebrews. Normally you would want to start at the beginning of a book. When you
start it, you want to start at the beginning, go to the end, because you want to know the line of thought.
But because I'm preaching on the lectionary, I'm just, we're going right into the middle of it. The
lectionary, if you're not familiar with it, is in the book of, the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. And
what it is, is that it gives you on Sunday the texts that are to be read. So Ross read the Hebrews text,
I read the Gospel text. At the beginning of the service, we read a part of the Psalm that's proposed to be
read today. And what the lectionary was, at the time it was created, was that the people who came to
church on Sunday couldn't, they couldn't read. Most of them couldn't read. They're farmers, they're
laborers, they didn't have time to learn how to read. They went to work at a very young age, so they
couldn't read. So they created this lectionary so that those, when they came to church, they would hear
key scriptures through the year that would be read to them, and then they would hear scripture. They
wouldn't get everything, but they would get the key scripture moments. So that's what we're looking
at. But that's a complete sidetrack. Just one of those Anglican geek moments. So how do I hope to
show you that the completed work is better than the blueprint? Well, the texts that Ross read were
dropped right in the middle of the argument. And the argument is between the old covenant and the new
covenant. And it gives us the points. This text that we're looking at, it already lays out the points for us.
Which is very helpful for me, for PrEP. What the points are is that it procures redemption.
It purifies our conscience and sanctifies our service. I'll say it again. It procures our
redemption, purifies our conscience, and sanctifies our service. So turn with me, if you haven't already,
I believe the scripture will also be on the screen, to Hebrews 9, verses 11 to 15. It's helpful to have
your Bibles. If you don't have one, grab one up there. Because it's good to see what happens before
and what happens after, and the text itself. Because you never know, I might be up here not even saying
the right text to you. You have no idea. It's good to have your Bible with you. And also for this sermon,
because it's such a dense little verses, we need to jump around a bit in the book of Hebrews to get the
full scope of it. So I may have already lost you with this idea of old covenant and new covenant.
What the heck is that? Now just a quick explainer of it. A covenant is kind of like a contract a little
bit, but a covenant is more serious. Normally they're impossible to break, and if they are broken,
it normally results in death, or the repercussions feel like death. If it's broken, there's the consequence
and repercussions of death. When you buy a phone, we all have phones, you make a contract with the
company, and if you break it, there's a fee. A covenant is made with someone, and it's for life
or until it's fulfilled. In the Bible, God makes covenants with his people to show his love and
commitment for them. Oftentimes we confuse a covenant with a contract when we come to God,
but God makes covenants because he wants to show us his deep, deep commitment to us. And you see it
all through the Old Testament into the New, and we experience it ourselves as we walk and follow Christ.
At the beginning of the Bible, in the second book, the book of Exodus, which we're going to refer to a
little bit, it's all about the liberation of God's people out of slavery from the land of Egypt,
because they've become enslaved. They're in Egypt, they've been enslaved, the Egyptians are treating
them poorly, and God sees it, and he liberates them. And then the rest of Exodus is a law, God gives them
the law, the Ten Commandments we said at the beginning of the service. See, God liberates them,
and this is normally referred to as the Mosaic Covenant, because Moses is the one who led them.
God spoke through Moses to the people, so it's called the Mosaic Covenant. Now this is where the
Ten Commandments is given, and the designs for the tabernacle, the place of worship, and where God
dealt among his people. And how to worship God, God explains it through rituals and ceremonies.
The tabernacle had two rooms. This is very important for us to think about in our minds when we're
talking about this text, because the text is all about these two rooms. But the two rooms, there's
the Holy of Holies, and this is the place where God dwelt. This is the place where the high priest
would come once a year to make atonement for the sins of his sins, then also atonement for the sins
of the people. And these sins were for unintentional sins. So you come once a year. The other room was for
the everyday rituals and ceremonies to make yourself clean before God. This was done through sacrifices
of animals, through the blood of animals that were without blemish. So this is the blueprint. This is
the blueprint that the writer of the book of Hebrews is referring to as he makes his argument through it.
It's the Old Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, through the temple, the tabernacle, through the Holy of Holies,
and then also the other room where everyone would come for the everyday worship. Well, this finally
gets us to our first point. We're eight minutes in, and we're at the first point. So look with me.
Hebrews, we're going to look at Hebrews 9, verses 11 to 12.
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater
and more perfect tent, not made of hands, that is, not of this creation, he entered once for all into
the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood, thus securing
and of eternal redemption.
See, up to this point in the book of Hebrews,
the writer has been arguing
that Jesus is the greater high priest.
He's the better high priest, the one who lasts forever.
And how is Jesus better than the other high priests that are
elected?
Every high priest that comes before, or came before Jesus
and came after Jesus, died.
Christ did not die.
If you look at chapter 7 in the book of Hebrews, verses 23 and onwards, it says this,
talking about Jesus.
The former priests were many in number because they died, because they were prevented by death
from continuing in office.
But Jesus holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever.
However, consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost
those who draw near to God through him,
since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Because of the fall, humanity is continually in a state of death,
physically and spiritually.
So the office of the high priest had to be continually filled.
When the priest would die, the need for a high priest would continue.
And this cycle would continue.
It needed to be performed once a year, this idea of atonement,
that the priest would enter the Holy of Holies.
It was a continual cycle inaugurated at Mount Sinai.
You see it in the book of Exodus.
But because the human heart is inclined to sin,
the ritual can never fully make people right before God.
Hence the continual cycle.
Humanity became enslaved to it and started relying on it,
on the ritual, to make them right before God,
instead of going to God himself.
See, they would rely on their works and forget about God.
They thought if they did this, they'd be good.
And they forgot about relying on him to personally rely on God.
The thing about the ritual is that it was for unintentional sins.
So it did not cover intentional sins.
So sins, the people who made intentional sins,
were always left with no hope.
It always weighed on them.
A better high priest was needed.
Look again at verse 11.
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come,
then through the greater and more perfect tent,
not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
See, did you notice it says the good things have come?
The ritual of atonement for the people's sins pointed to a better way.
It was the blueprint.
It pointed to something greater.
And Moses talked about it in the book of Deuteronomy.
It points to it.
And you see it all through the prophets.
They're all pointing to something that is better.
And when Jesus went to the cross for you and me, it came.
The blueprint came.
The building was built.
Jesus assumed the role of high priest.
He assumed the role of the sacrifice that was needed.
And when he went to the cross through his blood,
he entered into the tabernacle, not made with hands.
He entered into the throne room of heaven
and sat down at the right hand of the Father
to break the continual cycle that was happening of enslavement to sin and death.
The cycle was broken.
And I don't know if you've noticed that in verse 12,
right at the end of it, it says,
by means of his own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.
Now, this word redemption is very important here.
When you see it in the Greek, it's very important.
And the best way it's described, the commentaries describe it like this.
So if it provokes ill feelings, it's not the intention
because what's going on here is that it's pointing to something greater.
It's pointing to a great hope.
The way it's described and the way the word makes sense within this text
is that you have the picture,
the best way to describe it is to picture a slave market.
And a slave market was where they were present.
It was present in this time,
and it was present during the African enslavement.
The slave market was for captured slaves,
not for bond servants that's talked about.
It was for captured slaves,
people who weren't willing to become bond servants.
These people were taken, and they became slaves.
And the idea here is that the slave market,
once the people were enslaved, there was no hope for them.
They would become property.
They'd be forced to do whatever their owners deemed fit until they died.
They would go up onto the platform and be sold,
or into the market and be sold.
But here's the thing.
This is what the word redemption means.
The idea is that when the people were presented to be sold,
someone buys them.
And then immediately, right after the person buys them,
he announces that you are free from your enslavement.
No longer will there be pain.
No longer will there be eternal suffering.
I redeem you for all eternity.
That's the idea here,
is that this redemption is made through the cross of Christ,
because before it, the old covenant, the blueprint,
enslaved you.
Because of our hearts,
we wanted to do things ourself and not rely on God.
That's what the blueprint points to,
is through God's work.
The blueprint of the earthly high priest pointed to the finished work.
It points to the finished work,
the work of the heavenly priest,
who procures redemption.
And it says here,
once and for all in verse 12.
It's done.
It's been done once and through all,
through Christ's work.
But what else does the completed work do?
Well, look with me at verses 13 and 14.
And this is point two.
It purifies our conscience.
Look with me at it.
For if the blood of goats and bulls
and the sprinkling of defiled persons
with the ashes of a heifer sanctify,
for the purification of the flesh,
how much more will the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal spirit,
offered himself without blemish to God,
purify our conscience from dead works
to serve the living God.
See, Josiah earlier in the service
led us through the Ten Commandments.
And we all responded,
inclined our hearts to keep this law.
This is done in most Anglican churches
during the season of Lent,
because Lent is a season to remind us
how deeply we need Christ.
It is a season where we're called
to reflect on God's moral law
and to realize how much we need Christ.
Lent is a season of self-reflection
and repentance that culminates
in the celebration of Easter.
Why bring this up?
See, the law was given to the people of Israel
as they entered into the promised land.
But the promised land was full of nations
that practiced other ways of worship.
It would have been called pagan worship.
God gave them the law
so they would be recognized
as the living God's people
and to keep them from falling
into this pagan worship.
But here's the thing,
the law can never be kept.
It was to show the people
they can never measure up
as hard as they tried.
It was to show them
that only God is holy
and they needed God in their lives.
The more they tried,
the more they failed.
The more their consciences
would haunt them.
Maybe you're here
and you call yourself a Christian,
but it feels like you constantly
are failing at being one.
You always go back to the things
you know you shouldn't.
You feel the weight of the law
on your shoulders.
Your conscience haunts you.
Martin Luther,
who is a famous reformer,
one of the most famous ones,
he struggled with this for a long time
before he read the book of Romans
in a thoughtful way.
And he struggled with it.
And he would go to extreme measures
where he would punish himself
by whipping his back.
Or maybe you're here
and you don't call yourself Christian,
but you call yourself a good person.
You give to the poor.
You help out your neighbor.
You try to be polite
and a good member of society.
But if people truly knew your thoughts,
you would fear
they would never talk to you again.
Because in your mind,
you're not the way you portray yourself.
You feel the weight
of your self-imposed law
on your shoulders
because your conscience haunts you.
You never live up to your own law.
When you try to live up
to the standard of your own mind,
your own law,
you put yourself
under a works-based model.
And that's what the blueprint was as well.
It became a works-based model
for the people of Israel.
They thought,
if I do this,
then I'll get that.
But that's not the gospel.
The gospel is good news.
That is bad news.
So what is the gospel?
And you may think,
well, Matt,
you've already talked about the cross.
What is it?
How else can you talk about it?
Well,
the writer of the Hebrews does it.
And he does it in chapter 8.
And we're going to look at it.
Chapter 8,
verses 8 to 12,
it says this.
And he's quoting Jeremiah.
I believe it's chapter 31 of Jeremiah
he quotes.
It says this.
This is God talking.
Behold,
the days are coming,
declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
not like the covenant
that I made with their fathers
on the day
when I took them by the hand
to bring them out
of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue
in my covenant.
And so I showed no concern for them,
declares the Lord.
For this is the covenant
that I will make
with the house of Israel.
After those days,
declares the Lord,
I will put my laws
into their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God
and they shall be my people.
They shall not teach
each one his neighbor
and each one of his brothers,
saying,
Know the Lord,
for they shall all know me.
For the least of them
to the greatest,
for I will be merciful
toward their iniquities
and I will remember
their sins no more.
See, Jeremiah points
to the completed work.
The blueprint left on its own
does nothing.
But did you notice in this text,
it says,
I will five times.
God is the one
who will take the weight
of the law
and he does this
through his son.
If you believe
that Jesus is your Lord
and Savior,
no longer do you need
to measure up
because Christ
has done it for you.
If you don't believe
that Jesus is your Lord
and Savior,
you will never measure up.
But you can
if you believe
in Jesus as your Lord
and Savior.
Trust in him.
Through Christ
being our high priest,
our hearts become new
and willingly accept
God's law.
That's why we say,
write these laws
in our hearts,
incline our hearts
to these laws.
But if we don't follow it,
if we follow it
to impress him
or elevate ourselves,
we become under
the works-based law.
But if we follow it
out of devotion
to God's love towards us,
no longer does our conscience
haunt us
because we can trust
in Christ
and then we can say
willingly,
nothing to the cross
I bring,
simply to the cross
I cling.
The old covenant
could never achieve this
because it was done
with animals.
Animals could never
pay the price
that was required.
And because of Christ's
completed work,
we can serve God
out of love
and not gain.
Look again with me
at verses 13 and 14.
For if the blood
of goats and bulls
and the sprinkling
of defiled persons
with the ashes
of a heifer
sanctify
for the purification
of the flesh,
how much more
will the blood
of Christ,
who through
the eternal spirit
offered himself
without blemish
purify our conscience
and from dead works
to serve
the living God.
See,
something that's
very tempting
is to view
our service
to God
as acts
of earning.
But that instantly
puts us under
the old covenant
again.
This is a very
common thing
among pastors.
They start to view
their ministries
as their identities
and how it performs
dictates their mood
and standing
before God.
Please pray
for myself,
for George,
for Daniel Avitan,
for Josiah,
for Jono,
and all others
in leadership positions
because this can
so easily creep in
and we can succumb
to this temptation.
Please pray for us.
But people who aren't
in leadership positions
can also fall prey
to this,
that they view
their service
as a way
of gaining merit
to God.
And this isn't
a new thing either.
When we read
the Gospels,
we always are reading
about the Pharisees
and how they
dedicated their lives
to memorizing Scripture.
They dedicated their lives
to doing the law
of God perfectly.
And they dedicated
their lives
to serving the people
of Israel.
But a quick reading
will show you
that their ministries
were poisoned
by pride
and self-promotion
and gain.
And Jesus is quick
to call them out on it.
This is not just
a religious issue either.
It's a human issue.
This idea
of gaining merit.
Service becomes
the marker
of how we measure
oneself in society.
The more you serve,
the more you should
be glorified by society.
This is where the notion
of virtue signaling
comes from.
I recently read
an article,
I don't remember
where I read it,
but I remember reading it,
that the premise
of this article
is that you can judge
someone now
by if they're
a good person or not,
by if they return
their shopping cart
to the shopping corral.
You can judge
them on this now.
And that deems
you in society
if you're a good
person or not.
And let me tell you,
as someone who
was a cart pusher
for most of his
teenage years,
we did not care
if someone returned
their cart or not.
It just gave us
work to do.
But we are at
this point now
that we have
these unspoken laws
within our culture
that the way
we can measure
ourselves
and measure
others against
to see if we
measure up or not.
So what are we
left with?
If Christians
are called
to serve their God
and if non-Christians
are called
to serve society
but both fail
to do it,
how do we go
from here?
We have to go
to the cross
where Jesus
performed the duty
of high priest.
We have to trust
in his blood
and we have to realize
we can only serve
God through
Jesus' work,
not our own.
If we don't
or choose not to,
once again,
we are left
under the burden
of the old covenant
of the blueprint.
Here we see
the old covenant,
the blueprint,
was that,
a blueprint,
something looking
forward to fulfillment
of the good things
to come.
We see that
the new covenant,
which is done
through Christ's
shedding of his blood,
which the blueprint
pointed to,
is the completed work.
Look at verse 15.
Therefore,
Christ is the mediator
of the new covenant,
so that those
who are called
may receive
the promised
eternal inheritance
since a death
has occurred
that redeems them
from the transgressions
committed under
the first covenant.
It's all through
Christ's finished
work on the cross.
He lived
the perfect life.
He was completely
unblemished.
He lived
the perfect life.
He died
for the sins
that we commit
for the burden
that was supposed
to be put on us,
the wrath of God.
He went to the cross
and he rose again
for us
so that we can
come before God,
that we can enter
in to the Holy of Holies
because of Christ's
redeeming work
of being our
high priest.
That is what is
going on in the text here.
It is a great hope.
That is the Christian hope
that Christ came
for us.
See, through Jesus
we have redemption,
eternal redemption.
You don't have to
continue this cycle.
We go to the cross.
Through Jesus
our consciences
are purified.
When we feel like
we're not measuring up,
remember the cross.
It is finished.
Give your struggles
to Christ.
Tell your brothers
or sisters in Christ
what you're dealing with
and pray together.
And through Jesus
our service
becomes sanctified
because remember
the work is already completed.
Nothing we do
will merit us
before God.
Everything we do
is a blessing
because Christ
has done it already.
That's what's going on
in Hebrews.
That is the story.
That is the gospel.
That is what everything
points to.
The pinnacle moment
of the cross.
That is the gospel.
And let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
Father, we thank you
for Christ.
We thank you
that he is our high priest
who will never die.
We thank you
that he sits
at your right hand,
that he mediates for us
and intercedes for us.
Father, help us
to trust in his finished work
and not in our own work.
And I pray this
in Jesus' name.
Amen.
desde
!