The Blood That Changes Everything

Good, it's good to see you guys. You guys feeling good? Nice everyone turn to your neighbors. Hey, you look good today. Oh Come on that sounds like your line Welcome the church today so glad that you guys are here My name is pastor Chris the youth pastor here and just have the honor and privilege to bring the Word to you guys today title of my message is the blood that changes everything and Can we pray this morning? Is that cool with you guys everyone bow your heads close your eyes Father I just thank you for this time together Lord I pray for every person in this room and that here's this message That the good news the gospel of Jesus Christ would move from their heads to their hearts Jesus name Amen Well, it's great to be here with you guys have questions for you guys How many of you guys have ever left your house and after you left your house? You then realized that you had a stain on your shirt or your pants raise your hand if you ever had that moment before I'm notorious for this. My wife makes fun of me all the time because I just can't seem to keep Food and drinks off on my clothes like no every every Sunday when I come home from church. I have coffee on me My wife's like, how did that kid? I'm like, I don't know. I don't know like one time I had brand new white shoes and she even wore my shoes like you're gonna get coffee on these I'm like now to be fine and literally the first service someone runs into me I'm like whoo and all the coffee goes on my shoes I'm notorious for this and I know that I'm not the only one with having stains on my clothes But how many of you guys have a tendency that when you notice that stain you try to fix that stain right? You're like oh, how'd this get there and you like stick it in your mouth? I'm not the only one that does that, right? I'm hoping you get a little taste from people. No, I'm kidding. That's disgusting But you like try to rub it off you try to wipe it away anything that you can't do to like get it Next thing you know like that stain is just kind of like in a swimming pool, right? It looks way worse than it did before And so then you know you're like trying to figure out how you can solve this problem You're like maybe if I just you know

I can put my sweater on or my jacket kind of like cover it up a little bit or I'll just hold my coffee cup a little bit Higher when I talk to people just look very sophisticated and I'll cover it, right? Or you're just talking like to someone and you're just all of a sudden like Turning your body in awkward angles and positions to try to like hide the stains or no one will notice right And it's kind of funny when it when it's with our clothes maybe a little bit embarrassing But how many of you guys know that when it comes to your soul, it's exhausting And here's what I mean by that Maybe some of you walked into church today and you were carrying something that you've gotten really good at covering a Failure that nobody knows about a Season that you regret a habit that you keep promising yourself That you're not going to keep going back to a Decision that you wish that you could undo and maybe everybody around you thinks that you're good Right, you know how to function. You know how to smile You know how to worship. You know how to serve you know how to ask or answer the question when someone asks you how you're doing You're like I'm good. I'm good, right? And you're like oh cool But underneath all of this If you're honest, you just have kind of gotten good at managing angles, right? Trying to make sure that nobody gets too close to the part of you or to the part of your story that you're ashamed of and beneath all of that Can be this question that we don't always say out loud, but it's the question of am I really clean before God? You see because religion Tells us to cover the stain, right? Religion tells us to try harder to look cleaner To hide what hurts to make yourself more presentable. Here's the good news church is that the gospel does not hand you a bigger jacket to hide that stain the gospel gives you Jesus Christ and Because Jesus didn't come to just help you hide your sin. He came to take away that sin. Amen and Hebrews chapter 9

Is gonna show us that when Jesus came That he accomplished something that no priest could accomplish that no ritual that no sacrifice in no amount of human effort could ever accomplish That Jesus came and that Jesus opened the way and That Jesus paid the price And if you have your Bibles today, you can open up to Hebrews, chapter nine. We're gonna continue in our Hebrews series. But before we read these verses, a few things that we need to understand that's happening in these verses, Hebrews was written to believers who were under pressure. You see, following Jesus had become very costly at that point, and because it was costly, some of the people around were tempted to just drift backwards, back towards something that was familiar, back towards something that was visible, back toward a religious system that they just understood. Anybody ever been tempted to go back to the things that feel comfortable before, right? I can relate to that. You see, sometimes even when God is leading us forward, there's something in us that just says, "Man, can I just go back to the thing that I already know?" And so throughout Hebrews, the writers lifting these people's eyes back to Jesus and reminding them, "Don't go back, Jesus is better." And to understand Hebrews, chapter nine, the picture, you have to picture the tabernacle here. The tabernacle was the sacred tent

where God chose to dwell among his people during that time. And there was the outer courtyard, there was the holy place, and then behind a thick curtain was the most holy place, or the holy of holies is what it was called, the place that was representing the immediate presence of God. But here's the thing, that you couldn't just walk into this place, access was restricted. Only priests could enter the holy place, and only the high priests could enter the most holy place. One man, one day, one room, once a year, on the day of atonement is what it was called, and never without blood. And everything about this system was preaching something that God is holy, that sin is serious, and sinful humanity cannot just stroll into the presence of a holy God on their own terms. And so year after year, sacrifice after sacrifice, priest after priest. And then we get to Hebrews nine, chapter nine, verse 11, and I love how this verse begins. It begins with these four words that change everything. It says, but when Christ came. Man, man, man. You see, that's the turning point. Everything, the old system anticipated, everything that sacrificed is pointed towards, everything the priesthood foreshadowed. Jesus has fulfilled. In Hebrews chapter nine, verse 11 to 14,

this is where we are. You can listen, read along on the screen, here we go. It says, but when Christ came, a high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands. That is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and cows, but he entered the most holy place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls in the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean, sanctified them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, everybody say, how much more? Listen to this, how much more than with the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself on blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from acts that lead to death so that we may serve the living God. Everybody listen to this, that's in the room. The good news for every single person that's in this building and watching online is this, is that Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves. And because of Jesus, because of what Jesus has done for us, the door is open, the debt has been paid and that stain is gone. And three things I wanna take you through, here in this scripture, number one is that Jesus has opened the way. If you look at verse 11, it calls Jesus our High Priest.

You see, under the old covenant, the High Priest represented the people before God. But Hebrews tells us Jesus entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands. The earthly tabernacle was real, it was sacred, it was established by God, but it was pointing beyond itself. See, Jesus didn't just enter another earthly room. He entered the very presence of God on our behalf. And if you look at the difference of what Hebrews is talking about, the old priest entered one day each year, but Jesus entered once and for all. The High Priest went in alone, but Jesus went in to bring us near. And listen, I think this is important because ever since sin has entered into the world, human beings have been trying to invent this, another route to God, right? We've tried to find all these ways to God, we try morality, right? We look at the people around us and we're like, well, I'm not perfect, but I'm not them, right? And notice how it's always spiritually convenient of the people that we pick to compare ourselves to, right? You're like, I'm not that bad. Like, well, I attend church, I serve, I give, I know when to stand, I know when to sit, I know the words to all the worship songs, I know the best way to get out of the building that gets us to the parking lot in the fastest way possible. Right? We try self-improvement.

Now, if I just become more disciplined. Now, if I just stop doing this and I start doing that, I'll clean myself up and then I'll come to God. But listen, church, that's not the gospel. The gospel is not humanity finally building a ladder that's tall enough to reach heaven. The gospel is God coming down to rescue us through Jesus Christ. And morality matters and obedience matters and serving matters, but none of these things can reconcile a sinner to a holy God. Only Jesus can. And that's why something is so incredible happens when Jesus is on the cross that the curtain in the temple is torn from top to bottom. Scripture says, you see, God's holiness doesn't change in this moment. God didn't just suddenly decide that sin didn't matter. The curtain was torn because Jesus dealt with sin that kept us away. In Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19 says that now we have confidence. Everybody say confidence. Confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus. And this isn't arrogance, this isn't entitlement. This is confidence, the type of confidence this says, man, I'm not coming because I'm good enough. I'm coming because Jesus is enough. You know, and I wonder if some of us are standing outside the door that Jesus has already opened. You know, we believe that God loves people. We're just not convinced that he wants us close. You know he forgives, you're just not sure he's forgiven what you've done. And so you keep your distance. But listen, if that's you today, hear me say this, that you will never become clean by staying the one from the one who cleanses.

Like you don't clean yourself up so then you can come to Jesus. You come to Jesus because he's the one who cleans you. And maybe you're new to faith and you're like, man, I just got to get my life together and then I'll figure it out. No, come to God and let him begin putting your life back together. And maybe you're in the room. You're like, I've been following Jesus for 30, 40, 50 years. Listen, church, this is important because maybe you're here and you've been following Jesus for a long time. But sometimes it can get in the way where somewhere along the way the duty of being a Christian has replaced our delight in Jesus Christ. And what I mean by that is we're doing the Christian things, but we've forgotten the incredibleness of being able to come near and to pray and to worship and to receive his mercy and to find grace when we need it in those moments most in our lives. And so let's stop living in the hallway and step through the door and bring him our fear and bring him our questions and bring him our failure because Jesus has opened the door and he's opened the way for us. But it does come at a cost, verse 12, which is point number two, that Jesus paid the price. And verse 12 Hebrews says, "He entered the most holy place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." You see, under the old covenant sacrifices were offered again and again. And every sacrifice preached the same reality that sin brings death that forgiveness is costly and the final sacrifice has not yet come. And so there was always another animal, there was always another altar, there was always another year again and again and again and again. And then Jesus came.

And this is what makes the gospel so stunning to me, is that Jesus is both the high priest and he's the sacrifice. He's the one who offers and he's the offering that Jesus didn't just bring the blood of another, that he gave his own. And when scripture talks about the blood of Jesus, we're not just talking about some religious problem, we're magical substance, we're talking about his life that was willingly poured out for us. And verse 14 says that Jesus offered himself, and I don't want us to miss that because I think it's important for us to recognize that the cross wasn't an accident. Like Jesus wasn't trapped in some plan that he didn't understand. Nobody took his life from him against his will. Jesus willingly offered himself in love and obedience. And he lived the sinless life that we could not live. And he stood where we deserve to stand. And he received the judgment of our sin that we deserve. And 2 Corinthians chapter 5, 21 says that God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. the spotless lamb that took the stain of the world. Your sin and my sin had a price and Jesus paid it. And Hebrews says that he obtained eternal redemption. You see, redemption means that it's freedom. We receive freedom that's secured by a payment or a price. And notice the word eternal. It's not just a temporary redemption. It's not a redemption that is only until we have another bad week, right? It's not just redemption until you lose your temper or redemption until you maintain your flawless performance.

It's eternal redemption. You see, the work of Jesus is not fragile, right? Like his sacrifice doesn't need to be repeated. It doesn't need to be improved. It doesn't need to be completed by you or me. When Jesus said that it is finished on the cross, he did not say to us that I did most of it and you can handle the rest of it. (congregation murmurs) He didn't put the down payment on and say, you handled the monthly installments. It is finished is what he declared. (congregation murmurs) You see, and yet some of us were still trying to make payments on the debt that Jesus has already paid. We replay our failure. We overwork trying to prove that we belong. We punish ourselves because somehow we think carrying shame makes us more spiritual. But listen, if that's you today, I just want you to hear this, that shame is not a second savior. Now you can't punish yourself into peace and you cannot make the cross more complete. Now listen, don't get confused. Repentance is important, it matters. Like grace never makes sin small. There are things that you're gonna have to confess. You need to seek accountability and restitution and real consequences to our choices exist.

And you know, but repentance is not paying God back. Repentance is turning away from sin and receiving what only Jesus was able to purchase. And some of us need to hear this today, that you do not honor the cross by refusing the grace that was purchased. Like you honor the cross by trusting that Jesus really did enough for you. And if you're here today and you never surrender your life to Christ, I just want you to hear this and to understand this, that you can't save yourself. But the good news is that you don't have to, that Jesus has paid a price for you. And if you're a believer in the room and you've been following Jesus for a little bit, maybe you're still dragging around old chains that Jesus already broke. Listen, sin is no longer your master. Like shame is no longer your name, your past doesn't own your future. We don't work for redemption. We live from the redemption that Jesus has given us because he's paid our debt in full. He's paid the price. And this is where I think the book of Hebrews where Hebrews just become so incredibly personal because Jesus didn't only deal with something that was recorded against us, he can deal with something that's happening inside of us. And point number three is that Jesus makes us clean.

See, Hebrews now takes the message of the temple and he brings it into the human heart. The old sacrifices could make someone outwardly clean. They could restore someone ceremonially so they could participate in worship in that matter, but they could not reach all the way down into the human conscience. So then the writer of Hebrews asked this incredible question and reflection and he writes, "How much more?" Like if the shadow could cleanse outwardly then how much more can the perfect sacrifice of Jesus cleanse inwardly? How much more can the blood of Jesus reach the place that you can't scrub away? That you can't hide away, that you can't work away? And Hebrews says that Jesus cleanses our conscience. Your conscience can become this inner courtroom. It's where accusations get replayed. It's where you remember the things that you wish you could forget. It's where you rehearse the things that you wish that you should have said or what you shouldn't have said or done and it's where the enemy, Louispers, like if people really knew the type of person that you were. You see, and that's why we can dress right and we can talk right and we can serve faithfully and we can lift our hands in worship and we can know every word to every song, but yet we can still go home carrying a private sentence of condemnation.

But Hebrews says that Jesus cleanses the conscience. Now, that doesn't mean pretending that the past hasn't happened. It doesn't mean that we excused the harm that we've caused. Jesus doesn't ask us to pretend that our guilt doesn't, isn't real. He deals with our real guilt before God. You see, the gospel doesn't say It magnifies the sufficiency of Jesus. In Romans chapter 8 verse 1 says, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus." And we need to understand the difference between conviction and condemnation. This is important. Conviction brings the sin. It recognizes that sin and we bring it into light and we turn from it and we receive grace. Condomnation is the opposite. Condomnation says that's who you are, that you're hopeless, that you should hide. So conviction draws us towards Jesus. Condomnation drives us away from Jesus. And listen, I've had to learn this personally in my life. You can preach grace to everybody else. You can stand in front of everyone and preach grace and yet still struggle to live in it yourself. That you can stand on a platform, that you can stand in front of people and you can share the message that Jesus forgives. And that Jesus restores, that Jesus gives grace. And then you can quietly grade your own life by every place that you fell short. See the Holy Spirit had to remind me of this, that grace is not just the only message that I preach, grace is the ground that I stand on. That I don't need Jesus less because I'm a pastor. I need him every single day, right? And so do you. One thing I've learned is that the seasoned believer never graduates from grace. Like maturity isn't needing the blood of Jesus. Less material, spiritual maturity is realizing how much more deeply the precious blood of Jesus actually is. And Hebrews talks about the cleansing from acts that lead to death to dead works. And that includes deeds that lead to death, but it also exposes the emptiness of everything that we trust to save ourselves and prove our worth. So prayer isn't dead, serving is intended, obedience isn't dead, those things are beautiful and they're needed and they're important. But listen church, even good things become powerless when we ask them to do what only Jesus can do. And notice this, we're going to finish right here. Notice this verse 14 ends with this, that he cleanses our conscious so that we might serve the living God. And that's the order. Like that's the order that we don't serve so that God will cleanse us, we serve because he has cleansed us. We don't obey hope and God might love us, we obey because in Christ we have already encountered his love. The grace doesn't make us passive, it makes us alive, that Jesus cleanses us and he fills us with the spirit and he sends us into the world as living evidence that his grace is real in our lives and that the stain on our life is gone because of Jesus and that Jesus has made me clean. And this is the blood that changes everything. And I want to just take a moment to just slow down, you guys can close your eyes and just picture the beauty of what Hebrews is showing us. The verse 14 says that Christ through the eternal spirit offered himself on blemish to God. Listen, the father, the son, the Holy Spirit, God himself is moving towards us in redemption. God did not stay distant from our mess.

God came to rescue us that Jesus took on flesh and he stepped into our world and he was tempted in every way yet without sin and he touched lepers and he welcomed outsiders and he forgave sinners and he carried the cross. And it was there on the cross that he hung suspended between heaven and earth, that the sinless son of God poured out his life for us, that his blood speaks a better word than your shame. This blood says that you're forgiven, that you're redeemed, that you're clean, and then they took his body and they placed it in a tomb and three days later Jesus physically rose from the grave because Jesus is alive. Like the one who has opened the way, he's alive. The one who has paid your price. He is alive. The one who makes you clean is alive. And he is here by his spirit and he's calling people to come near. And so this is how we're going to finish right here with this question that I want you to just ponder today. Of what are you still carrying that Jesus already carried to the cross? What are you still trying to paint for? What are you still trying to hide? What are you still trying to cover? What are you still trying to manage? Because you see, the message of the gospel is not to try harder. The message of the gospel is that Jesus has done what you could never do. And maybe that's something that somebody needed to hear today. The blood is enough for the worst thing that you've done. The blood is enough for the years that you've wasted. The blood is enough for the failure that you keep replaying. The blood is enough for the shame that you carried into this room, not because your sin is small,

but because Jesus is enough. That you haven't outsed in the mercy of God. That you haven't exhausted the grace of Jesus. But because of what he's done for you, the way he's opened and the invitation is real and the Savior is calling you. And so Father, I pray in this moment for every person in this room, God, that you have moved the gospel message, Lord, from their head to their heart, Lord, and do what you need to do. - In Jesus' name, every head bowed, every eye closed, still just continued in this moment of prayer right now. We're thankful that the blood of Jesus covers all sins. It's been paid in full once and for all. But I wonder if there's anyone here today that you've never made a decision of full of Jesus. Or I wonder if maybe you made a decision at one point, but you know right now, you're really not living for God. There's no affection for the Lord. There's no regular walking with Jesus. There's no time that's spent in His word. Hungerful, you know, and if you died today, you wouldn't be sure of where you were spending your journey. You're not walking with him right now. Today is a beautiful day to recommit back to the Lord. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month. The Bible says that today is the day of salvation. Romans 10, it's very simple. Declares if you declare with your mouth

that Jesus is Lord. You believe in your heart that God raised from the dead. You will be saved. And I want to give you this invitation today to make Jesus Lord your life. Or recommit back to Him, ready, every head bowed, every eye closed. Nobody's looking around us just between you and God. I want to give you that invitation today. I want to count to three, and when I count to three, if you need to make Jesus Lord your life, you want to ask Him. You can just lift your hand right here in this place. Signifying what God's doing in your heart. Ready, one, two, three. Come on and lift that hand up. Put it right back down. Fantastic hands being lifted. He's a God who saves. Even on this Sunday, come on pray with me. Everyone pray, so no one prays alone. Pray out loud. Say, Jesus, say, here's my life. All that I am. Say, God, I ask you to forgive me. I ask you to change me. Say, be the Lord of my life. And from this day forward, I'll follow you. In Jesus' name we pray.