The Blood Of Christ
Preacher: Richard Blight
Theme: Hebrews 9
Outline
THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
Hebrews 9
By the first century the temple was a huge and imposing edifice, but it still served to emphasise that sinful people (like us) cannot hope to approach God, who lived symbolically in the most holy place – cannot approach God without sacrifices. And sacrifices meant blood. The slaughter of animals meant blood would be everywhere in the temple court. And then on the biggest day of the year – Yom Kippur – the high priest would be throwing blood around everywhere – inside the temple but also on the people!
So how would you feel when the first Christians tried to tell you that we no longer need those sacrifices? That because of Jesus’ sacrifice the Old Covenant is over and the central place of the sacrifices in Jewish life is over? Some might be glad, but some would be asking: ‘How can there be forgiveness without the shedding of blood?’
Well that is the very question the writer to the Hebrews is answering in Chapter 9.
