The Mediator Hebrews 9:15-28 Illustration In his book Written In Blood, Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor. "Would you give your blood to Mary?" the doctor asked. Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, "Sure, for my sister." Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room--mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned. As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny's smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, his voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence. "Doctor, when do I die?' Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he'd agreed to donate his blood. He's thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. In that brief moment, he'd made his great decision. Johnny, fortunately, didn't have to die to save his sister. Each of us, however, has a condition more serious than Mary's, and it required Jesus to give not just His blood but His life. If Jesus Christ had laid down His life through the shedding of His blood on the cross, there would be hope of salvation for humanity. In order for us to live, Christ had to die. Man is unable to enter into a relationship with God by himself because he has been cut off, alienated from the life of God because of his sin. In his lost condition, he is alienated from God and in need of reconciliation. Philip Ryken One of the most painful effects of sin is that it separates us from God. Adam and Eve experienced this in the Garden of Eden. As soon as they sinned, there was a breach in their intimate friendship with God. They could no longer walk with Him in the cool of the day; indeed, they felt the overwhelming urge to run and hide. This is because they were alienated from God by their sin. In the end, they had to be banished from the garden altogether. The truth is that mankind has felt this alienation ever since, which explains why he often feels so alone in the world. He is not living in fellowship with God, therefore, he is cut off from the source of his life. His only hope is ATONEMENT.
Christ s death on the cross is referred to as the atonement. The word atonement itself expresses an all-important truth about salvation that through the blood of Jesus, sinners can be made at one with God. The phrase at one was used in the English language as early as the 1300 s to describe two people who had been brought into a state of unity after a period of disagreement. Though they had formerly been estranged, they were now at one. From this phrase came several words: Atonement restoration of relationship Atonemaker person who made peace between two parties Biblically, atonement means the restoration of the relationship between God and sinners. Without atonement, there can be no relationship. Jesus Christ is the atonemaker who provides the needed atonement through His death on the cross. This is what the writer of Hebrews is saying in these verses. The word that he uses to describe Christ as the atonemaker is the word Mediator or our go-between. Mediator one who comes between two parties and acts as a link; literally means a go-between or a reconciler As our Mediator, notice how Jesus does several things on our behalf: 1. He RECEIVED our sentence (9:15-17) And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. God s standard is perfection. His character is holy. And according to His standard of justice, God has said that the soul that sins must die. Therefore, the only way that a sinful person can ever come to God is to have the penalty of his sin paid. Sin carries the sentence of death:
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 1 Peter 2:24 Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. The death of Christ satisfied the demands of a holy God, yet it also opened the way up for blessing. The point being made by the writer of Hebrews is that without a death, it is not possible to receive the benefits of the covenant or testament made by God. The principle is that a testament demands death. Testament or covenant; basic meaning corresponds to that of our present day will Think of it like this: a will does not take effect until the one who made it dies. Until that time, its benefits and provisions are only promises. Building on verse 15, the writer of Hebrews is saying that God gave an eternal inheritance to Israel in the form of a testament or will. And as it is with any will, it was only a promissory note until the provider of the will died. If you've seen a lot of movies, chances are you've watched this scene unfold before. A bereft family sits in a dark office while the last will and testament of their deceased, wealthy grandfather is read by an attorney: Being of sound mind and body, I, M.R. Moneybags, hereby bequeath my vast fortune and all my earthly possessions to the one person who has been there for me day in and day out, rain or shine my dog Sparky. The family then demands answers and vows to contest the will of the crazy old man. Unfortunately, in real life there wouldn't be much the family could do about it. As long as it's drafted properly, a will is one of the most iron-clad documents in contract law. Your last will and testament is a very important document that ensures your wishes are carried out after you die. r possessions -- be it money, land, your computer or your pet cat.
It's important to know the legal terms you might see in a will. Let's take a look at them: Testator - the person whose will it is Executor - the person named by the testator to carry out the terms of the will Beneficiary - the person or group that receives assets from the deceased Probate - the court that proves the validity of the will and oversees the executor Bequest - the gift of personal property from the testator to the beneficiary A will is of no value to the beneficiaries until the death of the testator. 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. Because He willingly laid down His life, think of all the vast benefits that are now ours as those who have placed our faith in Him: Forgiveness of sins A clear and free conscience Peace with God Purpose and meaning Eternal life and heaven Not only did Jesus die as provider of the will, but He also lives as executor of the will! Those who place their trust in Him are the beneficiaries of the will who will receive all that He has bequeathed, and it has all been settled in the probate court of heaven. In order for reconciliation to be received, the sentence had to be carried out. The innocent took the place of the guilty and the sentence was carried out. 2. He REMOVES our sin (9:18-22) Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you. Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle
and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. As our Mediator, Jesus Christ received our sentence by dying in our place and He also removes our sin by the shedding of His blood. The writer of Hebrews is pointing out in these verses how the old covenant began with blood being shed. Exodus 24 gives the full account of this as everything was sprinkled with blood before it could be useful for worship the law, the people, the tabernacle, and all the instruments that would be used. The principle is that forgiveness demands blood. Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. The great amount of blood that we see throughout Scripture is a reminder of the awful penalty of sin death. On the last night before He would be crucified, Jesus sat with His disciples in the upper room and said: Matthew 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. The purpose of the blood was to symbolize sacrifice for sin, which brought cleansing from sin. Remission freedom, pardon, deliverance, or forgiveness Unless blood is shed, there can be no remission or freedom from sin. Kent Hughes The Old Covenant sailed on a sea of blood, for two vast reasons. First, to emphasize the seriousness of sin. The Bible takes sin seriously, more than any other religion. Sin alienates one from God. Sin is rooted in the hearts of humanity. Sin cannot be vindicated by any self-help program. Sin leads to death and it will not be denied. The second reason is the costliness of forgiveness. Death is the payment. It will either be Christ s life or ours! Since the penalty for sin is death, nothing but death, symbolized by shedding of blood, can atone for sin. We cannot enter God s presence by self-effort to be righteous. If we, on our own, could be good, we would not need atonement. Nor can we enter His presence by being model citizens or even by being
religious. We cannot enter His presence by reading the Bible, by going to church, by giving generously to the Lord s work, or even by praying. The only way we can enter into God s presence is through the atoning death of Jesus Christ, made effective for us when we trust Him as Lord and Savior. The blood of Jesus was SHED so that our sins could be forgiven. Martin Luther Although out of pure grace God does not impute our sins to us, He nonetheless did not want to do this until complete and ample satisfaction of His law and His righteousness had been made. Since this was impossible for us, God ordained for us, in our place, One who took upon Himself all the punishment we deserve. He fulfilled the law for us. He averted the judgment of God from us and appeased God's wrath. Grace, therefore, costs us nothing, but it cost Another much to get it for us. Grace was purchased with an incalculable, infinite treasure, the Son of God Himself. Acts 20:28 Shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God s. Forgiveness is free, but it is not cheap. Our forgiveness cost the precious Son of God His life, yet there is the tendency for us to take such grace ever so lightly. Romans 5:20 But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. Then, perhaps anticipating how some could distort this wonderful truth, he goes on to say in verse 1 of chapter 6: Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? We must be careful that we not become so familiar with grace that we abuse it and cheapen it. Dietrich Bonheoffer Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. All for sin could not atone. Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin.cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion
without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and self all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: ye were bought at a price, and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. 3. He REPRESENTS the sinner (9:23-26) Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with the blood of another He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. As Mediator, Jesus received our sentence and removes our sin, but notice that the Bible says He also represents the sinner. As our faithful High Priest, verse 24 says that He is in heaven now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. v. 24a For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands. In other words, our faith does not rest in an earthly priest who annually visits the Holy of Holies in a temporary sanctuary. Our faith is in Jesus Christ who has entered once for all into the eternal sanctuary. You and I should always beware of trusting in anything in our spiritual life that is made with hands. Such will not last.
John MacArthur Jesus is the only one who satisfies the Father, and therefore no one comes to Him except through Jesus. The idea that God accepts us as we are is utterly unbiblical. We come to Jesus just as we are, since there is nothing worthwhile we can bring. But He does not present us to the Father just as we are. We are totally unpresentable as we are. Otherwise, we could represent ourselves. When Jesus appears in the presence of God for us, He presents us in Himself, as He is. Thus, now when we enter into the presence of God, the Father sees Jesus instead of us. He sees Christ s righteousness, not our unrighteousness He sees Christ s sacrifice, not our sin He sees Christ s payment for our sin, not our penalty for our sin Jesus came fully aware of the sinner s bankruptcy before God. He recognized that the wrath of God had to be satisfied if we were ever to enjoy fellowship with God. Therefore, He offered His own blood on our behalf. v. 26 He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. To Put Away literally means a cancellation; appears only twice in the New Testament, both occurrences are in Hebrews The blood of Jesus doesn t simply cover sin; it completely cancels it. Unlike those temporary sacrifices in the Old Testament, by offering the sacrifice of Himself, Jesus has put away sin. Now, we have a representative, an Advocate, at the throne of grace: v. 24b now to appear in the presence of God for us. Believer, know that there is someone seated on the throne in heaven who is for you! Romans 8:28-32 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Our Mediator received our sentence, removes our sin, and represents the sinner. Notice also: 4. He RETURNS for the saints (9:27-28) And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. As our Mediator, Jesus has promised that He is coming again in order for us to be where He is. In these last couple of verses, the writer of Hebrews mentions two truths. First, notice the APPOINTMENT every man has. v. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. All men have to die, and our death is by divine appointment. It is the one appointment that everyone will keep. And after death come judgment, which is also appointed by God. And since we are not able to atone for our own sins, God s judgment demands that we pay or have a substitute to pay for us. Because Jesus took our sins upon Himself, He took our judgment upon Himself. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He died the one death that judgment demanded. Second, notice the APPEARING every man must be aware of. v. 28 So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. In verse 24-28, the word appear is used three times, each of which illustrate a truth of how Christ is working on our behalf: v. 26 He has appeared to put away sin by dying on the cross; He has dealt with sin s PENALTY v. 24 He is appearing now in heaven before the throne for us; He has dealt with sin s POWER v. 28 He will appear to take us home to be with Him; He will deal with sin s PRESENCE
Jesus Christ HAS appeared for me by dying on the cross in my place. Jesus Christ IS appearing for me before the throne of grace as my advocate. And Jesus Christ WILL one day appear for me to receive me unto Himself, that where He is, there I may be also! In the Old Testament, the people would always wait with great anticipation on the Day of Atonement for the high priest to come out of the Holy of Holies. If he did anything wrong, if he failed to follow any of God s specific instructions, he would die on the spot. So there was always a sigh of relief when he reappeared. When the high priest walked out of the old sanctuary, the people knew that his sacrifice had been accepted. He had done everything right on their behalf. This is what the writer of Hebrews is alluding to in verse 28. If those under the old covenant were so eager to see their earthly high priest emerge from the Holy of Holies, how much more should believers under the new covenant look for their Great High Priest to emerge from the Holy of Holies in heaven? John Phillips Calvary was the focal point of two eternities. All the ages prior looked forward to it, and all the ages since look back to it. There, reared against the world s skyline, at the center of all the ages, is the cross of Christ with its message of eternal significance. Man dies only once and then faces the judgment; Christ can die only once and only once must He bear sin s penalty. When Jesus appears again, it won t be to deal with sin; it will be to deliver the saints. He ll be coming for His church. A testament demands death. Forgiveness demands blood. Judgment demands a substitute. As our Mediator, the Lord Jesus has fulfilled all the necessary demands on our behalf. 1) He RECEIVED our sentence 2) He REMOVES our sin 3) He REPRESENTS the sinner 4) He RETURNS for the saints These Hebrews were faced with a choice would they continue to live for the earthly and the temporary, or would they choose to live for the heavenly and the eternal. Such is the same choice that you and I have all these centuries later.