Christ the Selfless Priest Hebrews 9
What Do We Offer? Questions Behind the Text What do Christians sacrifice? If Christ is our priest, where is he? If Christ is our priest, how does he “offer gifts and sacrifices” (Hebrews 5:1)? Answer from the Text: Jesus is the True & Better Priest, Because He Is Selfless.
The Selfless Priest Hebrews 9:11-14 Question: “What does he offer?” The blood of bulls and goats has never been enough (10:1-4). Christ offered a better sacrifice – himself. If a goat’s blood did anything at all, how much more will the Messiah’s blood do?
The Heavenly Priest Hebrews 9:23-24 Question: “Where is he now?” The priest’s purified the altar in the temple. Christ purifies the altar in heaven. He is not here, because he is there.
The Finished Priest Hebrews 9:25-27 Question: “What happens next?” Nothing! Hebrews 10:11-14 The priests did not offer repeated sacrifices because they were so effective, but because they weren’t! “Where is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.” (10:18)
The Returning King Hebrews 9:27-28 Question: “So that’s it?” No. He’s coming back. He comes back not as selfless priest, but as triumphant king. “waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet” (10:12)
We Have an Altar Final Question: “What do you offer?” Hebrews 13:10-13 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.