2007 Book of Hebrews Series – “There is a Fountain”
Hebrews 9:11-22
Sermon preached at Curwensville Presbyterian Church – June 17, 2007

Prayer Introduction: This is the fourth Sunday – of 8 consecutive Sundays – we are celebrating the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper; prompted by God’s Word in Hebrews chapters 8-10, which focuses us on the blood of the New Covenant. This morning we are looking at Hebrews 9:11-22 and will see this passage through the words of the hymn “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood” – which is the last song in the worship song booklets in the pews. Let’s pray as we prepare to hear from God’s holy, inspired and perfect Word…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!

READ Hebrews 9:11-22

I. Lose Guilty Stains

The concept of being cleansed by blood is really a foreign concept for most of us, American Christians. The first verse of the hymn can even sound a little gross:

“There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins,

And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.”

            What a glorious truth is there. Under the old covenant, God’s people brought sacrifices of goats and bulls. Today, in the New Covenant, we don’t physically present a blood sacrifice. Verse 14 says – “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God.”

            The blood of Christ, is offered though the eternal Holy Spirit, and cleanses our consciences - “sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.”

            Likewise, in the Lord’s Supper we recognize the spiritual presence of Christ. The benefits of the Lord’s Supper are received through the eternal Holy Spirit.

            Last week we saw in Hebrews 9:9 that the old covenant “gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.” The external act of worship does not take our guilt away. It is only when we go “behind the curtain,” by faith in Christ, into the Most Holy Place – through the eternal Spirit – that our conscience is cleansed – that our guilt is taken away.

            Psalm 32 puts some feet on this – telling us how (i.e. what steps we must take) to lose our guilt – “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’ – and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

            Satan wants us to feel guilty. It keeps us from living for the Lord. It makes us sinful and miserable instead of being holy and happy. Satan wants us sinful and miserable.

A Chinese evangelist used to illustrate this truth by talking of a woman with a bundle of dirty clothes she had taken to the riverside with the purpose of washing it.  But she was ashamed to open it for fear someone would see how dirty it was; so she just plunged the whole bundle into the water, jogged it up and down several times, and then went home with it.  A lot of people are like that foolish woman.  They have many sins that need to be cleansed, but they are not willing to bring them out and confess them one by one.  They just say, “Lord, I am a sinner, forgive me.”  So, they cover up all their sins, their thefts, and their lies, and their jealousies, and their hatred.  But they have to be brought out and confessed, and only then can they be cleansed

            Acknowledge your sin, do not hide your iniquity. Confess it to the Lord – trusting in the blood sacrificed by Christ – and through the eternal Spirit your conscience will be cleansed – the Lord will forgive the guilt of your sin.

II. Wash Sins Away

In the second verse of the hymn we sing:

“The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day,

And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.”

O how glorious to have all our sins washed away! Verse 12 of our passage says Christ “entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.”

            How glorious to have all our sins washed away. They are not washed away “as though they never happened” – we still must deal with implications. We must still deal with guilt (see point 1). We must still battle their ongoing influence.

However, the Father looks on Christ and pardons us – moreover he credits us with Christ’s righteousness. It is not our righteousness he sees, but Christ’s righteousness credited to us.

The thief on the cross knew this when he said to the other thief – “‘We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise’” (Luke 23:41-43).

And yet each and everyone of us is as vile as the thief on the cross. Jesus tells the parable. “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:10-14).

Matthew Henry, the famous Bible scholar, was robbed by thieves.  He wrote in his diary: “Let me be thankful first because I was never robbed before; second, although they took my wallet, they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.”

“On seeing several criminals being led to the scaffold in the 16th century, English Protestant martyr John Bradford remarked, ‘There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford.’”

There, but by the grace of God, go I. Thank you Jesus for washing away my sins.

III. Sin No More

Having your sins washed away, doesn’t mean that we are free to sin all we want. The end of verse 15 says – “now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” Christ has died to set us free from our sins.

I end every sermon with the reference to John 8:32 – “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

            We are set free from guilt, punishment and sin’s grip. We are set free to live for Christ.

            Romans 6:1-4 asks the question directly – “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

            Steve Brown is fond of saying, “I’ve never met a Christian who didn’t want to be better.” The desire to forsake sin and follow Christ is a sign of true faith. So in the third verse of the hymn we sing:

“Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood shall never lose its power,

Till all the ransomed Church of God be saved, to sin no more.”

            This is the lifetime work of the Christian; and we must be active in it. Romans 8:13 says “For if you live according the sinful nature, you will die,; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

            The Puritan John Owen, in his book, The Mortification of Sin says – “Be killing sin lest it be killing you.” Let me say that again, “Be killing sin lest it be killing you.”

            Battle hard and struggle well by leaning on the promise of God – that the blood of Christ not only removes your guilt, but also removes the grip sin wants to place on your life. The Lord has died as a ransom – paying the debt of God’s people, who are the church of God. Live in the freedom of that faith.

IV. My Theme Till I Die

In the fourth verse of the hymn we sing:

“E’er since by faith I saw the stream thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.”

            Verses 16-22 of Hebrews 9 show us that redeeming love comes only through the shedding of blood. To American Christians this sounds a bit gross. To the original Hebrews who received this letter it was a vivid truth.

            Again, we understand this truth applied spiritually – just as we recognize Christ is spiritually present in the Lord’s Supper – it is the Holy Spirit who applies the redemption accomplished by Christ.

            Is this truth our theme? I am amazed at the number of people who profess to be Christians whose trust is really in themselves: “I’m basically a good person and hope my good deeds outweigh my bad deeds.”

            The theme of the true Christian is redeeming love: “I am not a good person. There is no forgiveness without the shedding of Christ’s blood. Only through Christ am I redeemed.”

            There used to be a Christian band named, “Say-So” – based on Psalm 107:2 – “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”

            If you are redeemed, then say so. Exalt Christ from whom the ever-flowing stream of forgiveness flows.

When I was in Israel, standing in Caesarea Philippi, I saw the spring that fed the Jordan River. It was from this spring that virtually all of Israel had water. Jesus is the spring that sufficiently supplies all we need for forgiveness.

V. Application of Exodus 23:14-19

The eternal focus of this passage is reflected in the 5^th verse of our hymn:

“When this poor lisping, stammering tongue likes silent in the grave,

Then in a nobler, sweeter song I’ll sing thy power to save.”

            Also as we sing at the end of that wonderful worship song:

                        I will glory in my Redeemer. Who waits for me at gates of gold.

                        And when He calls me, it will be paradise, His face forever to behold.”

            Verse 12 of our passage says the blood of Christ has “obtained eternal redemption.” And verse 15 says that through Christ “those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.”

            Do we have an eternal focus in life? Or are we just trying to make it through today? Are we surviving or thriving? Our perspective on life is often too narrow, too limited. We seek pleasure for today at the cost of eternity.

            I was talking with an overwhelmed parent recently – running their children from this activity to that activity, for what?!

So they can get a cheerleading trophy, but miss out on the victory of Jesus Christ.

So they can perform on the field, but miss out on the work Christ can perform in and through him.

So they can participate in some temporary activity, but miss eternal life in the Lord’s kingdom.

            One child who was very active in church suddenly stopped coming. His father said, “My child is playing baseball. This is his time to shine.” That was 3 years ago, he hasn’t been back.

            When moments of personal pleasure and glory overtake our finding pleasure in Christ and His glory, we have lost our eternal focus.

            Someday our “poor lisping, stammering tongue” will lie silent in the grave; but for those who have lost their guilty stains – who have had all their sins washed away, who have been saved to sin no more, whose theme is redeeming love – will eternally sing the nobler, sweeter song of Christ’s power to save.

            May we keep an eternal focus..

MAY THE TRUTH SET US FREE – AMEN!