Title: Living in the Shadows
Purpose: To encourage Christians not to pre-occupy themselves with worldy things


Intro:
  1. This morning we will be talking about shadows
  2. Last week say how Jesus entered into Heaven as a High Priest after orfder of Mel.
  3. In so doing, became mediator of a better covenant.
  4. Chapter 9 & 10 describes this covenant
  5. Text: Chapter 9
  6. How is this covenant better?


I. It is based on an inner cleansing, not an outer one

  1. Under the new covenant, our "conscience" is cleansed
  2. I often think of Jimminy Cricket in Pinnochio
    1. Let you conscience be your guide
    2. Think of the conscience as a little voice that tells you what decisions to make
    3. However, that is not quite what the Biblical idea of conscience is
      1. A conscience is "inner thoughts" or "awareness of sins"
      2. This can cause guilt
      3. In this text, it stands in contrast to the physical "body"
      4. What is contrasted is an inner verses outer cleansing
  3. Notice what the text says about the old system
    1. The old system could not make the worshipper perfect in conscience
    2. To be made perfect in conscience is to have the hinderances removed that prevent us from entering into God's presence
      1. While the tabernacle stood, there was not way into the "inner sanctuary"
        • That is where God "dwelt" (in the Mercy Seat)
        • Only the High Priest could enter, and only once a year to make atonement
      2. Numbers 16:1-3; 17:12-13 - People could not approach
      3. It was laid down "let him not remain long lest he put Israel in terror"
        • People literally held their breath when High Priest went in
        • Breathed a sigh of relief when he returned from God's presence still alive because God accepted the offer
    3. The "heavenlies" needed to be cleansed with Christ's blood
      1. Does not mean things in Heaven, but spiritual things
      2. Same thought in Eph 6:12 talking about wicked forces in the "heavenlies", meaning the spiritual realm
      3. The Copies (furniture, articles, even people) needed to be cleansed before they could serve God in his house
        • The church is now God's house
        • But God does not dwell in the building or furniture
        • God dwells IN US as his church
      4. Therefore, we need to be cleansed inwardly before God can dwell in us
        • This is the cleansing of the conscience
        • Putting on the new man
        • Being transformed by the renewing of our mind
  4. Under the new covenant, we have free access to God at any time
    1. It is because we have been cleansed inwardly
    2. The old system was powerless to cleanse our conscience
    3. The reason was because of the content of the sacrifice, the blood of animals


II. It is based on the blood of Jesus, not of animals

  1. Jesus shed his blood only once in contrast to animals who were sacrificed time after time
  2. What is the significance of the blood of Jesus as opposed to animal blood?
    1. Could Jesus go to the blood bank and donate some?
      1. No! It wasn't the red matter
      2. It was the fact that Jesus shed his LIFE for us
    2. Jesus with his sacrifice became a "will maker"
      1. A will does not go into effect until the one who made it dies
      2. Jesus had to die so that we could be under a last will and testament of grace
    3. Jesus was the son of God
      1. Animal blood made ceremonially clean
      2. Blood of Jesus makes truly clean
      3. Therefore only one sacrifice of Jesus for all time
  3. I used to Drive a brown Gremlin
    1. Had blue primered door and side view mirror hanging by the cable
    2. Used to take it fishing, so it smelled of fish
    3. Maybe that is why I could never get a date
    4. Took all kinds of carpet fresheners to try and get rid of smell
      1. At first the results were disasterous, smelled both like carpet fresh AND fish
      2. After I used enough the smell was gone
    5. However, when it got hot or humid, the smell came back
      1. The smell never really left, it was just covered up only to resurface
      2. I kept a supply of air fresheners on hand in case I had guests in my car
  4. That is how it was under the old system
    1. The sacrifices were an "atonement" for sins
      1. Atonement means something like "covering"
      2. They were covered by the animal sacrifices
    2. However, the text says that Jesus appeared to "put away" sins once for all
    3. He appears in the presence of God on our behalf
    4. He will appear again after being in the true tabernacle
    5. So we have a better mediator under the new covenant


III. It is based on reality, not shadows

  1. The idea of the old being a shadow already introduced in Chapter 8
  2. Now the same idea comes up again
    1. The Old System is a "symbol"
      1. Grk: parabole - or "parable"
      2. Earthly story with a heavenly meaning
    2. What were they supposed to learn from the parable?
      - (Lev. 10:10) Holiness, separation, sinfulness
    3. Jesus is the fulfillment of the parable/symbol/shadow (v.23-28)
      1. The copies were cleansed with animal blood (the "parable" or "shadow")
      2. The heavenly things (our conscience) is cleanse with Christ's clood (the "reality")
    4. The real ministry took place in Heaven, the true tabernacle
      1. Jesus entered into the TRUE tabernacle with his own blood
      2. What happened in earthly tabernacle only a shadow of what happen in heaven
      3. Reality cannot be seen on this earth
  3. Before dishes can be used, we clean them
    1. Reading a story to the kids about washing dishes doesn't get them clean
    2. However, that story tells how they really get cleaned
    3. The earthly tabernacle tells how our sins are truly cleansed by Jesus
  4. We have a much better system under the New Covenant of Christ
    1. The Old System is just a story pointing to a greater reality
    2. The New System is not just a story, but reality


Concl:

  1. This has been a very theological lesson
  2. What was the purpose of all this information
  3. Remember who this was written to:
    1. A people who had been waiting for Christ to return in their life time
    2. A people being persecuted for their faith in Jesus
    3. A people slipping back to the old ways a Judaism
  4. Those old ways of Judaism are inferior, and the way of Jesus is superior
    1. The new is based on an inner cleansing, the old on an outer one
    2. The new is based on the blood of Jesus, not animals
    3. The new is based on reality, not shadows
  5. The old system was just a shadow, it only pointed the the reality of the work of Jesus in Heaven
  6. they were going back to what was not reality

  7. WE AS CHRISTIANS DON'T LIVE ACCORDING TO THE SHADOWS
    1. We live according to reality
    2. We walk by faith, not by sight
    3. We focus not on what is seen, but on what is unseen
    4. Our citizenship is in Heaven
    5. Our bank account is in Heaven


  8. Even though we live by faith, we can see evidence of God all around us
    1. "The Heavens declare the glory of God..."
    2. "God's invisible attributes can be understood from his creation"
    3. But these things only point to God, THEY ARE A SHADOW OF TRUE REALITY
    4. Don't concentrate on the shadow! (We are often so wrapped up in things of this earth)
  9. Song: "Beyond the sunset's radiant glow, there is a brighter world I know"
  10. Focus on the hand, not on the shadow it casts on the screen
    1. It may be easier to
      • Stay at home and not come
      • Not read your Bible
      • Keep mouth shut about faith
      • Not go over your Children's Bible school homework
    2. All to have more time for self, or to make life easier ON EARTH
    3. Don't slip into the shadows, look beyond the sunsets radiant glow