Sermon Outline, July 4, 2004

The Gifts of God, Hebrews 9:1-10

INTRODUCTION

It is often said that we come to worship to give and not to receive. That is a dangerous half-truth. Praise, thanks, adoration are all part of worship, of course, and God delights in our praise. But in worship as in all of life, we have nothing to give unless we have first received. We give praise to God because He first gives gifts to us, and our gifts to Him are simply an Amen to His gifts to us. We come to worship to receive, so that we can give.

THE TEXT
?Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary . . . .?E(Hebrews 9:1-10).

A COVENANT OF EXCLUSION
The writer to the Hebrews is in the midst of describing the superiority of the ?second?Eto the ?first?Ecovenant (Hebrews 8:7-13). This superiority is partly liturgical. Under the first covenant, the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle was off-limits to all but the high priest, and he entered the Most Holy Place only once a year (9:7). This exclusion from the direct presence of God goes back to the Garden, when Yahweh set up cherubim-guardians with flaming swords to prevent Adam and Eve from returning to Eden (Genesis 3:24). Israel was an Adamic people, excluded from the garden-sanctuary of Yahweh. As the writer to the Hebrews says, ?The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed, while the first tabernacle is still standing?E(9:8), since the gifts and sacrifices of the Law cannot cleanse the conscience (9:9).

The gospel announces, however, that the covenant of exclusion has come to an end. At the death of Jesus, the veil of the temple was torn, a sign that the ?way into the holy place?Ehas now been disclosed (cf. Matthew 27:50-51). Jesus entered a ?greater and more perfect tabernacle?Ethrough His own blood, which He offered once on the cross (Hebrews 9:11-12, 25-28). Because of Christ?s work, we too are allowed to ?enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus?E(Hebrews 10:19), since Christ serves as priest and since we have been sprinkled and washed in pure water (Hebrews 10:21-22).

THE HIDDEN GIFTS
At the beginning of chapter 9, the writer to the Hebrews begins describing the Mosaic tabernacle, but then breaks off. He does not explain the significance of the things he describes. Yet, he says that ?of these things we cannot now speak in detail?E(9:5); this implies that he could have spoken of the tabernacle furnishings in detail if time had permitted.

With regard to the ?second tent,?Ethe Most Holy Place, the writer to the Hebrews lists three things that were housed in the ark: a golden jar of manna, Aaron?s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant (9:4). Considering these three items will help us to grasp what we now have access to, now that the ?way into the holy place?Ehas been disclosed.

First, ?manna?Ewas the ?bread of heaven?E(Psalm 105:40) or ?bread of angels?E(Psalm 78:24-25) that Yahweh provided for Israel during their forty-year sojourn in the wilderness (Exodus 16:13-36; Deuteronomy 8:1-3; Joshua 5:12). As a memorial of Yahweh?s provision, He commanded Israel to retain a jar of manna in the tabernacle (Exodus 16:32-33). The first hidden gift is the gift of food.

Second, the ark contained ?Aaron?s rod which budded?E(Hebrews 9:4). The author of Hebrews is referring back to an incident recorded in Numbers 16-17. Korah, a Levite, led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, arguing that Aaron should not have any special privileges since ?all the congregation are holy, every one of them?E(Numbers 16:3). Korah ended badly, when Yahweh opened the earth and so that Korah and his followers, along with ?their households, and all the men who belonged Korah, with their possessions,?Ewere swallowed and ?went down alive to Sheol?E(Numbers 16:32-33). To demonstrate further that Yahweh had chosen Aaron to stand and serve as priest, Yahweh told Moses to take a rod from 12 leading men, and set them in the holy place. Aaron?s rod sprouted with almond buds and blossoms, demonstrating that Aaron would be fruitful in the presence of Yahweh and showing that Aaron had been chosen as the ?watcher?Eof the sanctuary (Numbers 17; the word for ?watch?Eand the word for ?almond?Eare the same in Hebrew). Aaron is the one who stands before Yahweh clothed in garments of glory and beauty. Aaron?s rod too was to be kept as a sign (Numbers 17:10). The second hidden gift is the right to stand and serve in the presence of God, clothed in glorious robes.

Third, the ark contained the ?tables of the covenant?E(Hebrews 9:4). When Moses ascended Mount Sinai, Yahweh gave Him two stone tablets, on which He wrote the ?Ten Words,?Ea summary of the covenant between Yahweh and Israel (Exodus 24:12; 31:18; 32:15-16). Though Moses broke the first tables when he saw the Israelites worshiping the golden calf (Exodus 32:19), Yahweh provided a second set of tablets (Exodus 34:1; Deuteronomy 10:1-5). These tablets were placed in the ark. The third gift is the word of God.

THE OPEN SANCTUARY
According to Hebrews, we now have access to these gifts, since we have access to the true Most Holy Place through Jesus. First, Jesus spoke of Himself as the ?bread from heaven,?Ethe true manna (John 6:30-51) and Paul taught that the manna was a type of the bread of the Lord?s Supper (1 Corinthians 10:1-6). We come to worship to receive food. Second, through Christ, the distinctions between priests and non-priests in Israel have been dissolved, and everyone who has been washed in baptismal water is invited to draw near (Hebrews 10:19-22). We are all given a standing before God, and this is possible because God in Christ has cleansed us from all sin. We come to worship to be renewed in a right standing before God, to receive the gift of forgiveness. Third, worship involves instruction in the Word of God. We have now received the full revelation of God through Jesus (John 1:17), and the Spirit has written the Law of God on the tablets of our hearts (2 Corinthians 3). We come to worship to hear the voice of our Lord, and to be instructed in His ways.

THE GOD WHO GIVES
Different conceptions of worship are closely connected to differences in our conception of God. If we think of God as selfish and egotistical, we will think of worship exclusively as ?giving to God.?E But God is not selfish and egotistical; He is not the cosmic Narcissist. God does do all things to bring glory to Himself, but when we recall that God is Triune, this truth has very different implications. It means that God the Son does all He does to glorify God the Father, and God the Father glorifies God the Son, and God the Spirit glorifies the Father and Son. In the eternal life of the Trinity, the three persons receive glory by bestowing glory. And in relation to the creation, the same is true: God glorifies Himself by bestowing glory and beauty, and bestowing it lavishly, upon His people. Worship is no exception; in worship too, in worship above all, God is the God who gives.