WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday June 16, 2019
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THE
NEW COVENANT’S SACRIFICE IS JESUS
(CHRIST
is the perfect sacrifice)
(Hebrews
9:11-28)
JESUS CHRIST, our LORD and SAVIOR, has now entered into the perfect
sanctuary that was not made by human hands, but rather, by the hand of GOD.
There HE has become High Priest over all that is good. Once and for all time HE
has carried HIS OWN blood into the Most Holy Place in Heaven, and with it, HE
has secured our salvation forever.
Under the old law, the
blood of goats, bulls, or rams could offset the defilement of human sins
temporarily. How much more effective then, must the blood of CHRIST be in
purifying the human heart from deeds that had long led man to death. Now the
bloodshed of CHRIST is continuously allowing man to re-establish personal
relationships of friendship with GOD, whenever he is willing to repent and turn
from his sin.
Here in chapter 9, the
writer prompts his readers to recall that all elements of the Mosaic Covenant
had special meaning, in that, it reflected the realities in Heaven. But our
HIGH PRIEST, JESUS, entered into Heaven itself, bearing HIS OWN blood, and by
HIS OWN sacrifice, obtained for us, the greatest gift of all time, salvation.
JESUS is the mediator of the New Covenant, a covenant that was activated by HIS
OWN death on the cross.
In Old Testament times,
animal blood sacrifices were the standard requirement by GOD for the sins of
man. In essence, the institution of this requirement by GOD indicates that sin
merits death. However, GOD was willing to accept an animal sacrifice as a
substitute for the more valuable life of the human sinner. Hebrews chapters
8-10 teaches us that the system of Old Testament sacrifices was actually an
“object lesson” used by GOD to aid us in the understanding of the coming
sacrifice of HIS only begotten SON, JESUS, the CHRIST.
The Old Testament
sacrifices had an “external effectiveness”, but JESUS’ sacrifice at Golgotha
has an “internal effect” that cleanses the conscience that bounds us to the
guilt of our past. We are no longer overcome with a past that renders us inadequate
to function in the present and keeps us from moving forward to a brighter
future with GOD.
When a person dies and
leaves a Will, no one can collect on the benefits of that Will, until there is
proof that the person who wrote that Will is actually dead. Likewise, under the
old covenant, GOD required the blood of certain animals as proof of the death
of a person’s sinful desire, and the blood confirmed a person’s desire to
instead, be obedient to the covenant. Afterwards, a person was able to collect
on the benefits of GOD’s Will, which was founded in HIS forgiveness, and from
that point forward, strive to walk in righteousness with GOD.
The blood of animals was
sufficient to purify things here on earth, and by the sprinkling of animal
blood on the altar of GOD, man was allowed to continue to live here on earth.
However, the real things, which are only found in Heaven, had to be purified
with a far better sacrifice than the blood of unblemished animals. It took the
blood of an unblemished man to meet the requirement of GOD to enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven, and that perfect sacrifice could only come in the person of
JESUS CHRIST.
However, first, JESUS
had to become a man, born into the world like all other human beings, so that
HE could suffer through everything man has to suffer through here on earth,
overcome it, and then, present HIMSELF faultless before HIS FATHER GOD as the
perfect sacrifice for the sin atonement of all persons, past, present, and
future, once and for all time.
And just as it is
appointed by GOD that each person dies only once, after which, comes judgment,
so too, CHRIST died only once as a sacrifice that took away the sins of the
people who choose to believe in HIM. JESUS will come again, but not to deal
with our sins again. This time HE will bring with HIM, the salvation that is
promised to all those who believe, and eagerly await HIS return, and judgment for
all those who don’t.
A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander
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