November 6 – Hebrews 9:23-24. Jesus Offered.

November 6 – Hebrews 9:23-24. Jesus Offered.

It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.

The tabernacle and the temple were purified by sacrifices made with animal blood … the animal’s life was poured out over the items that God had asked Moses to create as representative of what could be found in heaven.

Isn’t it interesting that God had given humanity dominion over the earth and everything that existed within it at the time of creation and then, when sin had transformed God’s creation, rather than asking the sinners to sacrifice their own lives to atone for sin, He ensured there would be something else that was acceptable.

When God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, testing Abraham’s commitment to the relationship, God provided a ram instead.  He would never take the life of one of His own children as a sacrifice, would he!

No, He never would.

Jesus offered His life in sacrifice for the sins of the entire world.  This was no testing of Jesus’ commitment, this was no command from God.  God didn’t take Jesus’ life, Jesus offered it. A willing sacrifice for the sins of anyone who would ever live.

Because of this, no one else would be asked to sacrifice for sin.  We don’t have to sacrifice any part of God’s creation, we don’t have to sacrifice ourselves.

Jesus did it all.