2007 Book of Hebrews Series –
“Behind The Curtain”
Hebrews 9:1-10
Sermon preached at Curwensville Presbyterian Church – June 10, 2007
Prayer Introduction: Hebrews chapter 9. Let’s get right to it, shall we? Let’s pray before we read it…We pray now for the preacher in the pulpit. He is not worthy, but by your grace he is able. And so it is through Jesus Christ that we pray – Amen!
I. The Two Rooms (vv.1-5)
READ VERSES 1-5. The first 5 verses are kind of funny. There is a listing of the pieces of the Old Testament tabernacle – the Lampstand, Table, Bread, the Altar and the Ark. Really interesting stuff, but the last sentence of verse 5 says – “But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.” In other words, this isn’t the point.
As a preacher, I’m supposed to find the point of the passage and preach that. And the author of this letter essentially tells me, don’t preach on this – it isn’t the point, and it doesn’t apply to Christians.
Well then, why bring it up? How am I supposed to apply this, when you tell me it doesn’t apply? Sheesh!
The first 5 verses really just sort of set the stage – they set up of the tabernacle actually – particularly the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies).
The end of verse 5 says to move on, so let’s move on.
II. Religious Acts (vv.6-8)
READ VERSES 6-8. Verses 6-8 describe the activity of the priests in these two rooms – the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Also really interesting stuff; but verse 8 essentially says this isn’t the point either – that none of this applies to Christians.
8 verses and all we’ve been told is that this isn’t the point and it doesn’t apply. What’s a preacher to do? Is this guy trying to put me out of a job?!
I guess we move on to verses 9-10.
III. Behind the Curtain (vv.9-10)
READ VERSES 9-10. Aaah – now we’re on to it. The tabernacle and the activities in the tabernacle are an illustration of the point – which is that the external regulations could not clear the conscience.
In other words, old covenant ceremony could not bring forgiveness for sin, nor could it break the power of sin.
How does this apply to us today – who operate under the new covenant? There are two applications.
A. Trust Christ, Not the Church Service
The first application is obvious: We must place our trust in Christ, not the church service. Worship is not about external regulations, but internal reality. Going through the motions of worship, isn’t worship.
The motions of worship have changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Under the old covenant there was a tabernacle with various pieces in the two rooms of the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.
Each of these pieces were symbolic, but they were not to be the focus of worship. People could make a big deal about the lampstand, and the table. Still today, we can make the error of placing too much emphasis on the candles and the communion table – is everything in the right place?
We can worship the living God without candles. We can celebrate the Lord’s Table no matter where the bread and cup sit. We don’t need flowers, bulletins, or acolytes in order to worship. We just need people who desire to worship the Lord.
A few weeks ago you filled out a worship survey about your understanding of the importance of the elements of worship. The responses were fantastic!
At the top of the list: the reading and preaching of God’s Word, which directs our minds toward God. Prayers, particularly of confession, direct our hearts toward the Lord. The songs we sing are God’s Word and prayers put to music – and direct our voices to worship the Lord.
Yet even these
things can become empty ritual. Jesus, quoting the words of the prophet Isaiah,
said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from
me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men”
(Matthew 15:8-9;
We can sing words, without considering what they mean. We can pray, without putting our hearts into it. We can listen to Scripture Readings and the Sermon, but not really intend to let the Holy Spirit change our lives. Or…we can.
We can sing words on which we have meditated. We can pray with our whole hearts. We can listen not just to the Scripture and Sermon, but to the Holy Spirit who bears witness to God’s Holy Word.
And we can be changed. We can receive redemptive power from the heavens. We can join with the angels in heavenly worship. We can worship!
It was about 12 years ago that Jen and I were sitting in a living room with a couple of teens from the youth group we had led in Michigan – along with one of the other youth leaders. One of the students asked what it meant to be Presbyterian. We talked about the theological and practical distinctives. Then the youth leader pulled out her guitar. I read some Scripture. We prayed. And then we sang. But we didn’t just sing – 6 people sat on a living room floor and let our hearts rise in profound worship. At the end of singing one song with our whole hearts – the presence of God was palpable. I looked at the one student and said, “That’s what it means to be Presbyterian.”
Worship is not about the physical pieces of the tabernacle, and it isn’t about the physical pieces of this sanctuary – as beautiful as they are. In fact, did you notice how beautiful the tabernacle pieces were – all covered in gold?
Old Testament worship wasn’t just about those pieces either. The priests regularly went into the outer room with the lampstand, table and bread; but once a year the high priest went behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place – where the Lord, Himself, dwelt in the Ark of the Covenant. The high priest, on Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement – made a blood offering for his sins and the sins of the people.
Only the high priest could go behind the curtain. This changed on that Good Friday 2,000 years ago. “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice…‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’…And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split” (Matthew 27:46, 50-51).
It was the mother of one of our students in Chambersburg who came to me one day and said, “Dan, I get it now. The temple curtain was torn in two ‘from the top to the bottom.’ It was God who reached down from on high and tore the curtain from top to bottom. Because of Jesus, we can go behind the curtain and enter into God’s presence. He doesn’t live in the Ark of the Covenant any longer, He lives in my heart.”
Yes!
Worship is not about external regulations; it is about worshiping the Lord who lives in our heart.
Has the Lord taken you behind the curtain? Have you trusted in the blood offering of Jesus Christ to be the only sufficient sacrifice for your sins, so that you have invited the Holy Spirit to dwell in your heart – surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over your life?
Has the Lord taken you behind the curtain, so that you realize worship is not about candles or flowers or going through the motions; but about the outpouring of your heart to the Lord who has rescued you from sin and death?
Has the Lord taken you behind the curtain, so that your conscience is cleared – taking all of your guilt away?
If you have never been behind the curtain, Jesus is inviting you there now. Acknowledge that you need to go there because you are a sinner. Admit that you have been God’s enemy and that only by the blood shed by Jesus can you be forgiven – and welcomed to the table of God’s grace. Ask the Holy Spirit to come into your heart, so that you might become a holy temple of the Lord.
Trust Christ not the church service – so that you can worship with your whole heart.
B. Trust Christ in the Church Service
I promised two points of application. The first is obvious, but powerful, you must trust Christ, not the church service. The second is just as important – you must trust Christ in the church service. Notice this passage doesn’t say to skip “church,” but to put your heart into the service.
In the Old Testament there were true believers and those who just went through the motions. Looking from the outside, at the service itself, you might not be able to tell one from the other. Both took their offering to the temple. Both sang and prayed with the assembly of God’s people; the difference was what was happening in their hearts before, during and after the “church service.”
In the new covenant we, who are true believers gather together as God’s people – who are called the Church of Jesus Christ – in order to worship the Lord together. The word “church” (ekklesia) means the “assembly” of God’s people – both the whole assembly (the whole church) and the assembling together for worship.
My favorite Christian Rock band “Third Day” in their concerts used to have a segment in which Mac Powell the lead singer would say in his southern Georgia drawl, “When we get together and sing praises to our Father…We’re gonna have a church service, tonight y’all.” And the crowd cheered wildly.
We have assembled in this place this morning. It is right and good to assemble together as a local church and worship the living God with our whole hearts. We’ve come to have a church service this morning y’all.
We’ve come because we’ve been behind the curtain. We’ve come so that the Lord would take us behind the curtain again.
Enter in and be made holy.
MAY THE TRUTH SET YOU FREE – AMEN!