Jesus’ Last Will and Testament (Hebrews 9:15-22)
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Jesus gave us several things as He left this earth (John 14:22-29). He gave us the Holy Spirit. He left us His peace. He left us with a promise that He would return!
But one of the things Jesus leaves us is so important that the Bible calls it His will. As in a last will and testament. I asked on the response card last week if you had a will, and if so why. One person responded that they did so that their kids could get what was coming to them, all $2.50.
An inheritance is only as great as the wealth of the person who died. And Jesus owns everything, so His inheritance is great! But the fact that it is called a will draws attention to the fact that it could only be ours by His death.
Read Hebrews 9:15-22
As this passage begins with the word “therefore,” it’s helpful to first ask what the therefore is there for. If we back up to verse 14, we read that Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins to purify us from dead works so that we might serve the living God. Keep in mind that without Christ, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Anything not done in faith is sin. And without faith, it is impossible to please God. Our greatest acts of righteousness are filthy rags before God.
But God, being rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ Jesus! If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come. We’ve been set free from sin so that we might live righteous lives. This is the emphasis of verse 14: the lives we’re to live in Christ. Many are content to be Christians for this aspect of Christianity. It focuses on the now. It means we’re changed people! We’re happier. We’re growing. We have purpose in life today.
But Christ came not just to set us free from sin in this life, but ultimately in eternity (v. 15). We need to hold both of these in balance. Because we sometimes focus more on one than the other. Christ came both to give us hope in this life and the life to come. This promise of an eternal inheritance was made possible by a death. Our only hope of salvation was accomplished by a bloody sacrifice. His death was completely necessary for us (v. 16-17). This should humble us. Our sin deserves this. Yet Christ was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, and by His stripes we are healed.
It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from our sins (v. 22). We take sin too lightly today. We waste time. Or we live to make ourselves happy, ignoring the people right down the road who need our encouragement and help. Or we say things like, “No offense, but…” and then go on to say something totally offensive. “No offense, but that dress makes you look like a beached whale.” No offense, but most the time when you want to say “no offense, but…” you should probably keep you offense to yourself. If you really feel it’s necessary to to say something which might be taken offensively, say this: “Because I love you, I feel I need to talk with you about something.” But so often we sin like that and don’t even blink an eye.
But God takes every sin as an offense against Him, because it is. Some might ask why couldn’t God simply forgive us without a sacrifice. You know, God can do whatever He wants, but the simple truth is that He would not forgive us without a sacrifice. God is holy, and to forgive without a sacrifice would have compromised His holy character. God hates sin. So God poured out His wrath on sin on Jesus, the perfect, sinless Lamb of God.
Even the old covenant recognized the necessity of a bloody sacrifice (v. 18-21). All this blood reminded them of their sin. All this blood, which was sprinkled not only on the people but in the items used in worship, pointed out that their worship needed God’s grace upon it as well, since those things did not ultimately purify them of their sins. All this blood pointed forward to Christ, who would spill His blood and be the perfect, final sacrifice for sin.
It was Christ’s last will and testament to give an eternal inheritance to those who trust in Him. But in a turn of events, Christ’s last will and testament was not His final act. Jesus conquered death! He rose from the grave and ascended to Heaven! He will reign forever! The question for you then, is will you be there with Him? Will you receive the inheritance He has prepared for those who trust in Him?
Pastor Chris Huff has been with us since July 2009. He and his wife, Abby, have four children. Chris is originally from St. Louis, MO and even though he was raised as a city boy, he has a small town heart. Chris is all over the internet, so you can find him on Facebook, Twitter,… (read more)
