We have been spending our time looking at the meaning of the blood of the covenant. The reason this is an important study is because Jesus proclaimed that when we take the cup in the Lord’s Supper, that cup is representing his blood of the covenant. We looked at the use of this term in Exodus 24 and Zechariah 9. But today we are going to look at how the writer of Hebrews uses the term. Open your copies of God’s word to Hebrews 9 and we are going to look at verses 19-21.
For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. (Hebrews 9:19-21 ESV)
What I would like us for to notice is that the writer of Hebrews is referring to the event at Mount Sinai recorded in Exodus 24. Remember that Moses took the blood of animals and threw half of that blood against the altar. The other half of the blood he sprinkled on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant.” The people were proclaiming that they will do all that the Lord has spoken and this sprinkled blood sealed them into this covenant. But the writer of Hebrews uses chapters 9-10 to show that the offering of the blood of Jesus is far superior to the blood that was sprinkled under the Law of Moses. So let’s go back and follow the point the author is making to lead us to understand what Jesus’ blood of the covenant is to mean for us. Turn back to Hebrews 9:11 and we will start there.
What Blood Accomplishes (Hebrews 9:11-14)
The first word of Hebrews 9:11 is “but.” So the writer is giving us a contrast against the prior paragraph. In the first nine verses of Hebrews 9 the writer of Hebrews is reminding his audience about the aspects of the tabernacle and the work of the priests in that tabernacle. Christ is put forward as a contrast to that tabernacle system. Christ came as a high priest and entered into true and heavenly tabernacle of God, not the one on earth. He entered the heavenly tabernacle with his own blood, not the blood of animals like the priests on earth did. Now the author is helping us see where he is going in this chapter. You will notice in verse 12 that he says that Christ entering the heavenly tabernacle secured our eternal redemption.
Now the author will prove this. In verse 13 he says that the blood of animals purified the bodies of those who were deemed unclean. So if the blood of animals could take care of those ceremonial defilements under the Law of Moses, what kind of cleansing do you think the blood of Jesus can accomplish? You see this point in verse 14. The blood of Christ was offered without blemish to God to purify our consciences from doing dead, sinful works so that we can serve the living God.
So there is a key distinction being made. The blood of animals under the Law of Moses only dealt with the ritual defilements of the body. For example, we read about many of clean and unclean laws in Leviticus. But this did not deal with the problem in its entirety. You see the writer of Hebrews make this point more thoroughly at the beginning of chapter 10. Hebrews 10:1 says that those constant sacrifices could not make perfect those who were drawing near to God. What is the problem? You will notice in Hebrews 10:2 that he says that if the blood of animals could perfect the worshipers, then those worshipers once cleansed would no longer have a consciousness of their sins. Instead, every time the worshiper came to the altar with their sacrifices, they had a reminder of their sins. Year after year the worshipers remembered all their sins because the blood of animals does not cleanse the conscience. What was God showing? God was showing that the blood of animals was insufficient to forgive sins (Hebrews 10:4). The blood of animals cannot cleanse us from the inside out. The blood of animals does not deal with the guilt of our sins and our consciousness of them.
But the writer of Hebrews is making a very important point. The blood of Jesus can cleanse us from the inside out. The blood of Jesus does purify our conscience from dead works. Friends, the blood of Jesus has the power to say to you that your sins are forgiven and forgotten. God is showing us that blood is a purifying agent but the blood of animals is not enough to cleanse the heart. But the blood of his Son is powerful enough to cleanse the heart so that we can serve the living God.
What Death Accomplishes (Hebrews 9:15-22)
But the picture is not complete yet. Continue reading in Hebrews 9:15-18. Now we are told that Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant since a death has occurred. Why did a death occur? Why did Jesus have to die? Why is the death of Jesus the only way in God’s plan? Look at verses 16-17. For a will to take effect, the death of the one who made that will must be established. A will takes place only at death and is not in force while the person is still alive. We understand this picture. I am sure many of us have prepared what is called a last will and testament. In this document, you are determining what is supposed to happen legally once your death is established. The document has no effect while you are alive. The will only takes effect once you have died. So for this new covenant to take effect, the one who made the covenant had to die. This is why Jesus had to give up his life. In fact, you will notice in verse 18 that even the first covenant required blood and death.
Without the death of Jesus, then a new covenant that gives us life cannot be put into effect. But go back to verse 15 and see the impact of Jesus’ blood of the covenant. Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant “so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.” Keep reading verse 15. Jesus’ death redeems us from transgressions so that we can received the promised eternal inheritance. So without this new covenant we could not be set free from our sins so that we can receive the promised eternal inheritance. A new covenant that would give the people life had to be put into effect. Only the blood of Jesus is enough to pay the price necessary to buy us back from death and give us hope for the eternal inheritance.
Verse 22 brings this idea to its conclusion. Blood is required for purification and without blood shed, there cannot be the forgiveness of sins. The writer of Hebrews uses this as the culminating picture for his illustration regarding the blood of the covenant in Exodus. Everything needed to be cleansed with blood. But think about what Moses did with the blood in Exodus 24. The writer of Hebrews says that he used the blood to purify all the vessels of the tabernacle. The rest of Hebrews 9 will show that Jesus did this with the heavenly tabernacle with his own blood (Hebrews 9:23-26). But the people will also sprinkled with the blood. What did the writer of Hebrews say that blood does? Blood cleanses. Blood purifies. So the blood of Jesus cleanses us from our sins. Without his death, there could not be forgiveness of sins.
If you will go forward to Hebrews 10:14-18 you will see that this is an excellent summation of the blood of the covenant concepts.
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds, then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. (Hebrews 10:14-18 ESV)
Notice that the covenant is written on our hearts and minds. We are going to do all that the Lord has spoken and we are going to desire to obey it. God’s part of the covenant is that he will not remember our sins any longer.
The Third Dimension
So I would like for us to come back to the Lord’s Supper and thinking about what Jesus meant when he told his disciples that the cup was “my blood of the covenant” or “the new covenant in my blood.” What is the writer of Hebrews showing us that Jesus would want us to remember? The blood of Christ that established this covenant means you are completely forgiven. We need the purification that only he can provide. Look at what the blood of the covenant means to us.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:19-23 ESV)
The blood of the covenant means that we can confidently enter into the presence of God because we have a great high priest who gave himself for us. So now we can draw near with true hearts with full assurance. Why? What has happened to bring us in? Our hearts have been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience. Remember that the blood of animals only dealt with outward defilements. But the blood of Jesus purifies us from dead works to serve the living God. The blood of the covenant means that we have been cleansed inside out. Friends, the purification that has been accomplished through Jesus’ blood of the covenant is so strong and so effective that we can “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
So we are remembering the effect of the Christ’s death. This new covenant means that we can be completely purified. All of your past sins are forgiven. You are coming to the table and starting fresh again with him. How many times do we not draw near confidently to God because we are thinking about our past sins? The Lord’s Supper is reminding us that we have confidence to come near to God and find grace and mercy because the once for all sacrifice for sins has completely cleansed us and brought us into a new covenant which means we can received the promised eternal redemption.
Let’s end the lesson by bringing the three dimensions of the blood of the covenant we have considered so far. We have learned that the blood of the covenant is the establishment of a new covenant in which we are proclaiming that we will faithfully obey all the Lord has spoken. Further, the blood of the covenant is the reason we have been set free from our sins and no longer need to return to our old way of living. Finally, we see that the blood of the covenant shows the extensive nature of our forgiveness. Our consciences have been cleansed so that we can receive the promised eternal inheritance.