Search This Blog

Monday, September 24, 2012

Jesus Christ, Our Redeemer

Jesus Christ---Our Redeemer

"But By His Own Blood"

Book of Hebrews Chapter 9

The word "Redemption" comes from several Greek terms that mean "to set free by the payment of a price".

One of those Greek words is "agorazo" and it means "to purchase in the market place". It was associated with slaves in the market place in Bible times.

Redemption in the Bible means that through His death, Jesus Christ has set every believer "whosoever they are", free from their enslavement to sin!

Every believer has been purchased out of the slave market of sin and set free from sin's bondage!

1Co 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Every believer should now be a slave to do God's Will!

There is another Greek word that relates to our redemption. It is "exagorazo". This word means that every believer has been redeemed from the curse and bondage of the law that can only condemn and not save!

Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

AND,There is another Greek word that explains redemption. That word is "lutroo". This word means "to obtain release by the payment of a price. In other words a "ransom".

Every believer has been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus:

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Every believer is then a special possession for God!

Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, [that he might redeem us from all iniquity], and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

That great "Redeemer" is Jesus Christ, The "Only Begotten" Son of God.

*****Our Text

Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Our lesson begins with verse 11 because the theme of our lesson is the "Redeemer". In the first ten verses of this chapter in Hebrews proves that Our Redeemer ministers in a superior sanctuary.

1.) In contrast the Levite priest ministered in an earthly sanctuary, in other words it was made by man's hands. It was always in need of repair and it could only be in one place at a time.

2.) This earthly tabernacle contained things that were only "patterns of the things in Heaven". It can be said that many spiritual truths were wrapped up in these instruments of the first Tabernacle. They certainly were designed as "types" of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

3.) We know of the Holy of Holies, and this place had no access to people. Only the High Priest could enter and He only once each year.

4.) We know this earthly Tabernacle was only temporary. It was a tent with a veil covering the entrance.

Even when the Temple was built there was this veil that covered the opening into the Holy of Holies but our Redeemer purchased us access to the true Holy of Holies.

Mat 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

Mat 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

5.) We know that in this earthly tabernacle, sacrifices that were made were only ceremonial. They were "carnal" ordinances that were for the outer man but they could never change what was in man's heart. They could not change the inner man. No one was "reborn" or what Jesus said, to be "Born Again" because of what they did in this Tabernacle.

We will now see how much more superior the Heavenly things are!

It is a fact that no one in the Old Testament was saved by keeping those old laws!

It is also a fact that no one in the Old Testament was saved by animal sacrifices!

The Bible is specific:

Gal 3:24 Wherefore [the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ], that we might be justified by faith.

Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, [we are no longer under a schoolmaster].

All things good have come to pass by Our Lord Jesus Christ!

We need to pay special attention to the Heavenly ministry of Jesus in these last days.

There is a real Heaven!

We have a real High Priest in Heaven!

AND, We can have true Spiritual Worship in every house called by His name [but only because] Our Redeemer paid the price for our "redemption"!

The New Covenant sanctuary was not made by the hands of man.

You know, we call our places of worship the House of God but we know He does not live there.

But we sure do hope He comes to visit us as we worship Him and He does!

"Not of this building" means not of this earthly creation!

We can spend God's money to try to make our places of worship beautiful and more pleasant to the eye but this only speaks to our flesh and it only ministers to the physical side of us.

We should maintain the buildings we have and grow as the need requires, and take care of our Pastor and others that are needed, but we need to concentrate God's money on furthering the Gospel to as many as we can!

*****Heb 9:12 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.

We are called a bloody religion because we are a bloody religion.

It is by the blood of our "Redeemer" that we are saved!

So, What is at the heart of the Gospel story?

What command does God give every Pastor, Preacher, and Evangelist and every soul that is saved?

Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, [to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood].

This the message to every "house of God"!

Without this message there can be no church!

Where does our "redemption" come from?

Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption [through his blood], (the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;)

How were we redeemed?

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

1Pe 1:19 [But with the precious blood of Christ], as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

How are we cleansed from sin? How has He made us kings and priest?

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, [and washed us from our sins in his own blood,]

Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Who can be saved by the blood of Jesus?

Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, [and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation];

In the Old Testament sin was only atoned! Sin was only appeased!

And that only a year at a time.

In took the red, sinless, pure blood of Jesus to redeem those that are lost!

There is a great big difference between atonement and redemption!

Atonement was yearly in the Old Testament.

Redemption is Eternal, through the "Blood of Jesus"!

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now [no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus], who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath [made me free] from the law of sin and death.

*****Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

Heb 9:14 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?

Not one of these Old Testament rituals could change what is in a person's heart.

They knew they could come back each year to have their sin atoned for.

This does not mean they could not trust God. His Word was just as true then as it is now!

Every one that obeyed the Word of God was truly declared clean!

These rituals offered purification for the flesh but there was no cleaning of the conscience!

To be "Born Again" in Christ Jesus, is to have a conscience that is purged from dead works!

We should serve God knowing that we have full assurance that our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

We are saved and justified by the work of Our Savior upon Calvary's Mountain.

Redeemed by His Blood!

We have not arrived to our Christian life until we recognize that Our Redeemer has absolutely and eternally, forgiven and cleansed us of sin!

If your conscience is cleansed of guilt you will realize that you could not have been cleansed by "dead works"

Anything that we could do to try to earn our salvation would be a dead work!

Good works are not as cause of salvation[but a result of salvation]!

*****Heb 9:15 [And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament,] that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Many ask, Why did the Lord Jesus have to die?

We have our answer in this verse!

Jesus Christ had to die in order to begin a New Covenant!

The Old Covenant could not provide "eternal redemption" and God had to make some arrangement for sin!

This arrangement had to include [all sin past and future] to include those under the Old Covenant!

This verse makes it perfectly clear that there was no final or complete redemption in the Old Testament.

It was the sacrifice of Jesus, on that cross that brought spiritual cleansing:

Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Because Christ Jesus has provided such an eternal redemption, we can now share in an eternal inheritance!

*****Verses 16-21 are not part of our lesson today.

BUT, We know we are redeemed by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

This is a Blood Covenant! Since the word inheritance was used in verse 15, the Holy Ghost points out that this New Covenant is also somewhat like the "last will" of a dying man.

An inheritance in most cases cannot be received without a "Will". In the case of a "Will" a death must occur! The death of the one who makes that "Will"!

It "was not" the death of Christ Jesus, that made Him out Mediator!

It "was" the death of Christ Jesus that gives us our inheritance and our "salvation".

Jesus Christ had to die before Our Inheritance could be received!

It is not the "Will" that is ratified by His Blood!

It is the "New Covenant" that was ratified by His Blood!

The death of Jesus made God's New Covenant to be valid!

There could be no atonement without His death!

After His death, then Blood then became the token that made this New Covenant valid!

Had Jesus not died on Mount Calvary there would be no hope of eternal life!

There would have been no hope for forgiveness!

But because He died, {"whosoever" will accept Him} can be saved!

These things take us up to our next verse.

*****Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

It seems the world will never understand that there is no way to go to Heaven except by and because the Lord Jesus faithfully died on Golgotha.

Had He not died there could be "No Hope" of "Redemption"!

Mankind could have never been reconciled to God if Christ Jesus had not died!

Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, [we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son], much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

To be "Reconciled" means God can provide peace in place of being an enemy.

To be "Reconciled" means we can have fellowship with our "Creator"!

2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, [who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ] and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

*****Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

First we must not ever believe that Jesus died and shed His blood to purify anything in God's Heaven!

Heaven can never be defiled!

BUT, Before we can enjoy the beauty of Heaven, there are certain requirements that have to be met.

The Old Covenant was established by blood and so was the New Covenant!

BUT, The New Covenant was established by a better sacrifice, and applied in a better place!

The Blood of Jesus is much more costly than any animal in God's creation!

*****Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

We would be foolish to trust our salvation and our spiritual life to anything on this Earth that is made by the hands of man!

This verse plainly states that it is Heaven itself that is the "True Sanctuary"!

This is where Our Lord Jesus Christ is located as our Mediator.

He is face to face with our Father who is in Heaven!

Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

*****Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

To compare the Old Covenant to the New Covenant:

1.) The Old Covenant had repeated sacrifices.

The New Covenant only had one sacrifice, Our Lord.

2.) The Old Covenant used the blood of others(animals)

The New Covenant, Our Lord used His Own Blood.

3.) The Old Covenant, sin was just covered for one year.

The New Covenant, Sin has been put away forever.

4.) The Old Covenant was for Israel only.

The New Covenant is for "whosoever will believe".

5.) The Old Covenant had the Holy of Holies.

The New Covenant, Christ entered Heaven itself and remains there at this time.

6.) The Old Covenant, the priest had to come out to bless the people.

The New Covenant, Our Great High Priest "will come" to take His people to Heaven.

The work of Jesus Christ for our salvation is completed, it is final and it is eternal!

AND, Jesus Christ now is ministering in Heaven on our behalf!

*****Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

This verse plainly says that every man, woman and child has an appointment with death.

The Greek word "apokeimai" means death is reserved for each of us!

This same Greek word is translated as "laid up" in other places in the New Testament.

But, the meaning is not just to die but to die "once" as Jesus Christ died "once"!

We must not forget this book was written to believers.

It is a fact that every unbeliever will die twice!

After this death comes the judgment.

There is the judgment seat of Christ for the believer:

2Co 5:9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

To the unbeliever the Great White throne judgment:

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

We have to make our choice before we die the first death, to believe or to not believe.

To the believer when we next see Christ we will be like Him"

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

1Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

To the unbeliever when they next see Christ they will be cast into the burning lake of fire.

Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The believer has:

1.) A sanctuary in Heaven.

2.) Our Father is in Heaven.

3.) Our Savior is in Heaven.

4.) Our citizenship is in Heaven.

5.) Our Treasures are in Heaven.

6.) Our HOPE is in Heaven.

7.) Heaven is our HOME!

The most important book for the unbeliever is the Lamb's Book of Life.

The most important book to the believer is God's Written Word, The Bible!

I built power lines for over 42 years. This is my field of expertise.

Brother Buddy is a builder of many things. This is his field of expertise.

Brother Robert is a mechanic. This is his field of expertise.

Our God is an expert in giving new life to all those who trust Him.

Salvation is His field of expertise!

How could we ever forsake Him?

Questions?

Lets Pray!


No comments: