You’re Forgiven

Jesus said the day is coming when true worshippers will not have to go to Jerusalem or Samaria, but they'll worship in spirit and in truth. Welcome to Living in the Light with Anne Graham Lotz teaching from the New Testament book of Hebrews in her message titled, You're Forgiven. In the closing of her message last time, Anne reminded us our sins are cleansed, they're forgiven and atoned for. We're made right with God through the blood of Jesus and in Jesus we can go right into God's presence. In the Old Testament it was just symbols, just shadows, but for us it's very real.

Here's Anne continuing her study today in Hebrews chapter 8. Chapter 8 verse 5. These priests serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and a shadow of what is in heaven. That's why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle, see to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. And let me describe something of the sanctuary and Hebrews 9 verses 1 to 5 does this, but I'm going to describe it in my own words and hopefully make it clear for you, as clear as I can. But if we'd seen the tabernacle out there in the wilderness, the first thing we might have noticed were just that linen wall that that Moabite saw. The linen wall that was hung on bronze pillars and actually it was surrounded the courtyard, it surrounded the tabernacle itself. It was just a tall, thick, long linen wall that totally enclosed the tabernacle area and it was a wall of partition. It was there to keep people out. It was there to keep people away from the presence of God.

Do you remember what Ephesians chapter 2 says? That Jesus came and he has torn down that wall of partition. Giving people opportunity to come right into God's presence who had never had that opportunity before. And then there was one door in that linen wall and it was seven and a half feet high, thirty feet wide. Great, big, one door because one day through Jesus, whosoever will may come. One door but it was a wide door just inviting one day many people to come into his presence through Christ. When you went through that one door in the linen wall there was an outer courtyard and in the outer courtyard there were two primary objects. And one was the bronze altar, just a great big square altar.

It had horns on each of the corners. And when an animal was led to the sacrifice it was led up on that altar and he was tied to the horns of the altar. And then the animal was slain and his blood was taken and sprinkled on the altar to make atonement for sin. And when Jesus was led to the place of execution, do you remember?

They bound his hands. And then they stretched him out on that altar of wood and they nailed him to the cross and the sacrifice was bound to the altar before it was slain. And then there was a bronze basin of water. The priest after all of that sacrificing, remember the blood spurting everywhere and how filthy they would get. And so they had to wash themselves in this bronze basin of water not just to make themselves clean but ceremonially pure. And they had to go through all sorts of rituals and God was just emphasizing to them that you couldn't come into his presence.

You couldn't come into the tabernacle itself unless you've been cleansed. And Jesus the night he was betrayed, do you remember him washing the disciples feet? And he came to Peter and Peter said, whoa you're not going to wash my feet. And Jesus said, Peter if I don't wash your feet you can have no part in me. So Peter said, well then Lord just wash me from head to toe. I want to be washed all over. And Jesus said, Peter you don't need to be washed all over. I just want to wash your feet. And what Jesus is saying, when you've been to the cross and you've confessed your sin and you've been cleansed, you're forgiven.

You've been washed all over. But 1 John 1 says we need to come back every day don't we to confess our sin. To have our feet washed. Not for forgiveness because we receive that once and for all at the cross. But we come back every day to have our feet washed that we might come into God's presence.

That we might have fellowship with him. And that was symbolized by that basin of water that was outside the tabernacle. Where you had to be washed before you could come into God's presence. Then the tabernacle itself had one door. And Jesus said in John chapter 10, I'm the door. I'm the way you come into God's presence.

There's not another way. One door into God's presence. And as you went into the tabernacle itself, the walls were made out of four layers of animal skins. Right there pointing to Jesus because the animal had to be slain before they could take his skin.

And blood had to be shed. And then within the tabernacle there were two rooms. The first room was called the holy place. When you walked in on the left was a lamp stand.

And I know you've seen pictures of it. The great big seven branch candlestick. And filled with oil that would feed the lamps. And the lamps were burning. It was the only source of light in the entire tabernacle. And Jesus said, I'm the light of the world.

The lamp stand itself symbolized Jesus. On the right was a table with showbread. And there was a loaf of bread for each tribe of Israel. And it was put out fresh every week.

And that every week it was removed. And the high priest had to eat the bread. And Jesus said, I'm the bread of life.

I'm the one that satisfies. Wonderful picture if you're in Christian service that you and I are to be satisfied with Jesus in our service. But the lamp stand was on the left.

The table of showbread on the right. Straight ahead was the altar of incense. And the priest would go to the altar of incense and he would constantly all day long be offering incense. It was prayer. Lifting up to God. Filling the place with the prayers for the people. And we know that Jesus is our high priest.

He ever lives to make intercession for us. And in the holy place the furniture itself was laid out in the shape of a cross. Where you had the lamp stand on the left. And the table of showbread on the right. And the altar of incense straight ahead. And beyond that was the most holy place. Everything symbolizing Jesus.

Interesting thing I didn't know until I did this study. That the floor was just desert sand. Because you remember Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4. When she said, people say you're supposed to worship God here. And Mount Gerizim. And some people say you're supposed to go to Jerusalem.

And I don't know. You know everybody has his own religion. And Jesus said the day is coming. When true worshipers will not have to go to Jerusalem or Samaria. But they'll worship in spirit and in truth. That tabernacle was just meant to be temporary.

Because there would come a time when each one of us wherever we are. Could just enter into God's presence. Once you pass through the holy place. There was a large veil or curtain that separated the holy place from the most holy place. And it was as thick as a man's hand.

So four to six inches thick. Took four priests to move when the time came. And it was a barrier between the holy place and the most holy place. Hebrews says the veil represented the body of Jesus. The flesh of Jesus. That when it was broken on the cross tore open the way so that anybody can enter into that most holy place.

Do you remember when Jesus died on the cross according to Matthew? That veil in the temple in Jerusalem was rent from top to bottom. And if you were going to tear a veil like that you'd start at least from the bottom. Even if you could tear it but four to six inches thick I'm not sure you could even tear it.

It would take a long time but just like that. It was rent from top to bottom. God just splitting open the way through the death of his son. For anybody to enter into his presence through Jesus Christ. And on the other side of the veil was the Ark of the Covenant. And it was the most holy place which was the place where God was said to dwell on earth.

Amongst his people. And at most holy place there was the Ark of the Covenant. Which was just a box that was overlaid with wood. Inside this box was a jar of manna. Symbolizing God's provision for his people in the wilderness.

There were the tablets. The law that he had given Moses which were God's principles to live by. And there was Moses's rod that had been such a demonstration of power to Pharaoh. To let God's people go and that rod was in that ark. And then on the ark were two angels that were carved with their wings outstretched. And they were guarding the lid of the ark because the lid of the ark was the mercy seat. And it's at that point in all of planet earth where God was said to meet man. And that's where the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled to take away sin.

To bring us into a right relationship with himself. That was the mercy seat. And every single aspect of this was pointing to Jesus. The whole thing was set up and it was just a shadow as Hebrews says of what was in heaven. Just a shadow and a symbol of Jesus and what he would do for us. It was through the symbols of the service and the symbols in the sanctuary that people would be made right with God. And yet they were just symbols weren't they?

Just shadows. They couldn't honestly be made right with God. All of those sacrifices they were never really made right with God. It was just a symbol of what was to come.

Just a shadow of what was to come. And we see the shadows also in the Old Testament sacrifices. And chapter 9 verse 6. When everything had been arranged like this the priest entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room and that only once a year. And never without blood which he offered for himself and for the sins of people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the most holy place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. This is an illustration for the present time. Everything I've just described here is just an illustration. Indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.

Let me explain to you. When somebody sinned in the Old Testament. That person, the sinner would bring a little lamb to the temple. And the sinner would grasp the lamb with both hands and confess his sin. It was as though the guilt of his sin was transferred to the little lamb. And then the priest gave the sinner the knife. And so the sinner took the knife and the sinner killed the lamb so the lamb died as a result of the sinner's action.

And then the priest would take the blood and sprinkle it on the altar to make atonement for sin. But that sinner would leave feeling just as guilty as he had when he came. He would never have his guilt removed. Never have his conscience set free. Never know the real forgiveness of his sin.

And he did it because the law required it and he had sort of a temporary covering but he knew that just wasn't it. And so once a year the high priest would make a sacrifice for all the people. The sins they didn't even know about. You know you brought a little lamb when you knew you had done something. But think of how many sins you and I commit each day that we're not even aware of. So once a year the high priest would make this tremendous sacrifice for all the sins of the people that they had committed in ignorance all year long.

It's called Yom Kippur. And on that particular day of atonement the high priest would early in the day put on these gorgeous high priestly robes. And I won't describe all of his robe but he had on his shoulders two big onyx stones. One on each shoulder and they were carved with the names of the children of Israel. The tribes of Israel signifying that he was strong enough to carry God's children into God's presence.

Even though he wasn't able to do that. It just signified that the high priest should be able to carry God's people into God's presence. And he wore a vest and on his vest were twelve semi-precious stones.

Each one carved with the names of one of the tribes of Israel signifying that when he went into God's presence he carried the names of God's children on his heart. And he dressed in these glorious robes and he would begin sacrificing early in the morning. By afternoon he would have gone through at least twenty-two sacrifices. And then at the appropriate time about three in the afternoon the high priest would take off these gorgeous glorious high priestly robes. And he would put on a simple white linen garment. And he would first of all go into the tabernacle and do the incense. Just offering the prayers for the people.

Just filling the place with clouds of incense. Then he would come out and he would purchase a bull with his own money. And he would take the bull and he would sacrifice it on the altar for his own sin. Then he would fill the censer with blood and he would take it into that most holy place to sprinkle it on the mercy seat. To make atonement first for his sin. And on the hem of his garment he had little bells sewn.

This was a huge thing. And all the people would gather around the tabernacle and they would be listening for the little bells. Because they knew if he entered into the presence of God with sin or in an unworthy manner God would strike him dead. So they were listening for the little bells. As long as they could hear the little bells they knew he was surviving this and he was okay. So they would hear the little bells and then the priest would come out and the people would breathe a big sigh of relief. And then there would be two little goats waiting for the priest. And he would take one goat and he would sacrifice it on the altar. And he would take the blood and he would take it in to make atonement for the sin of the people and sprinkle it on the mercy seat. And he would come back out and take the second little goat and grasp the little goat and he would confess the sins of the nation. And then he would take that second little goat and set it free.

That was the scapegoat. And the first goat symbolized the death, the shedding of blood which is necessary for the remission of sin. That through the shedding of blood we're forgiven. The second little goat signified that through the shedding of blood we're free from God's judgment and we're set free.

And the little goat was sent out into the wilderness and escaped the judgment that had been shed on the other little goat. And that was the day of atonement. And then the priest would go back, take off his simple linen garment and put back on his glory robes.

All those gorgeous high priestly garments and continue his responsibility. A beautiful symbolism is that Jesus, let me read it. Philippians chapter 2. Jesus, who being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped because he is God. The exact revelation of God, the exact representation of God.

He is the Son of God and the Savior of the world and Lord of all. Dressed in his glory robes and he stripped himself of his glory robes. When he came to earth he made himself nothing taking the very nature of his servant being made in human likeness. And we know not only did he put on the simple linen garment of human flesh but he actually put on a simple linen garment, didn't he?

The one that they gambled for at the foot of the cross and that was the robe of the priest making the sacrifice for atonement for sin. And being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on the cross. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And Jesus dressed in his glory robes as high priest, stripped himself, put on that simple linen garment of human flesh, came and dwelt amongst us and then gave his own life and sacrifice for sin. Then he went back to heaven, put back on his glory robes. John chapter 17, this is his prayer the night he was betrayed.

He says, Father, the time has come. Glorify your son that your son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those who have given him. Now this is eternal life.

Listen to me. This is eternal life, he says, that they may know you. Eternal life is not just going to heaven when you die. Eternal life is not just having your sins forgiven.

Praise God, it's both of those things. But eternal life is knowing God exactly and knowing God personally. And he says this is eternal life that they may know you. The only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I've brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. In other words, God when I was with you, I had the glory as the son of God. And now I've come to earth and I've kept your word and I've obeyed your will and I'm going to give my life on the cross. Now I have the glory as the son of man. And when I come back to heaven, I want both the glory as the son of God and glory as the, I want everything you have for me. I want my glory robes back.

And he got them. And all of that was signified by the priest in the Old Testament. One day a year making sacrifice for all the sin of the people. When he started out in his gorgeous robes and then he laid them aside, the simple linen garment, made sacrifice for the people sin, completed the sacrifice and then he came back out and put on his glory robes. The whole thing symbolizing one day what Jesus would do. Laying aside his glory as the son of God. Taking on human flesh.

Simple linen garment. Making the sacrifice. Going back to heaven. Putting back on the glory of God as the son of God and the son of man. We see the symbols. In the sanctuary we see the symbols and the sacrifices. But you know something?

They're just symbols and shadows. Just a promise. And I'll tell you after doing this study of Hebrews, I'm so grateful that I live on this side of the cross. Aren't you? It was so complicated back then, wasn't it? And you would go through all of that. And yet never have your sins forgiven. Never have the blessed assurance that you're in a right relationship with God.

But you and I have this relationship. We possess it at the cross. And the cross is perfect.

Nothing needs to be added to the cross to make it more perfect. Do you know that the week of Passover approximately 300,000 lambs were slain? Rivers of blood.

Oceans of blood were shed during that 1500 year period. And not one drop of it could take away sin. Not one drop of it could bring people into a right personal relationship with God. Chapter 10 verse 1, the law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming, not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year make perfect those who draw near to worship.

If it could, wouldn't they have stopped being offered? For the worshippers would have been cleansed once for all and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins, implying after they sacrificed they still felt guilty. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.

Because it's impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Those sacrifices were just like IOU notes. And every time somebody sacrificed for sin it was like God saying, I owe you forgiveness. And you sacrifice for sin, I owe you forgiveness. That's a lot of IOU notes piled up over 1500 years.

And Jesus of Nazareth who was walking beside the Jordan River, do you remember what John the Baptist said? Behold the Lamb of God who's going to pay up all the IOU notes. Take away the sin of the whole world. And the cross is absolutely perfect.

Nothing can be added to the cross to make it more perfect. Chapter 9 verse 15. For this reason Christ is the mediator of the new covenant that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. Now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. When he died on the cross his death applied to past sin and present sin and future sin. He was God's perfect Lamb sacrificed for the sin of all people, every generation, all time. And the cross is perfect. Nothing needs to be added to it.

So let me ask you. What are you trying to add to the cross to make it more perfect? What do you think you have to do to be more welcome into God's presence? You think you have to do more good works than bad works? You think you have to go to church every time the door opens? You think you have to count beads or light candles?

If you want to count beads or light candles and that enriches your prayer life, go ahead. But not as a means to enter into the presence of God. Jesus has done that for us. The cross is perfect. It can't be made more perfect because you do however many good works or you go through all these rituals or you do all these ceremonies. The cross is perfect in itself. The cross is not only perfect, the cross is pleasing. In chapter 10, verse 6, it says, With burnt offerings and sin offerings you are not pleased.

Now listen to that. All of those sacrifices in the Old Testament. Everybody trying so hard to do what the law said and God was never pleased. And you know one reason.

Why? Because you can imagine every time you sinned consciously. You took a little lamb to the priest and you sacrificed the lamb. And then you sinned again. If you're like me, you sinned plenty of times in the same area.

And that's not counting all the other areas. So think of how many times you would bring a little lamb to the priest. And after about the fifth time or the tenth time or the hundredth time, it would just become a ritual, wouldn't it? I mean you'd just be going through the motions because that's what the law required.

But you wouldn't be doing it from your heart. And so God wasn't pleased because the sacrifices weren't being made in earnestness and sincerity and from the heart. And so he wasn't pleased with all those sacrifices in the Old Testament. So in verse 7, Then I said, Jesus speaking, here I am, it's written about me in the scroll, I've come to do your will, O God. First he said sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them. Although the law required them.

And so you had to do them to meet the requirement of the law and it gave you a temporary covering. But then he said, here I am, I've come to do your will. God is pleased with the sacrifice of Jesus. He couldn't be more pleased with the sacrifice of Jesus. And what would make you think you could do something or go through something that would make God more pleased? You and I when we come to the cross through Jesus Christ are saved from that punishment. Because God is perfectly pleased with the cross.

You don't have to add anything to it. You can just live in your forgiveness. God is pleased. And I'll tell you something, thinking of those Old Testament sacrifices and symbols and sanctuary, if there had been another way, God would have found it, don't you think? I think the people in the Old Testament would have found it.

They were bound to be so tired of putting up with all that, they would have found another way. But there's no other way. And all of that in the Old Testament was just an audio-visual aid teaching us of who Jesus is and what he would do for us when he came. And you and I possess a personal, right relationship with God at the cross. And the cross is perfect, the cross is pleasing, the cross is purifying. Verse 10 says, And by that will we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. And you can spell holy, w-h-o-l-l-y.

You've been made whole. The cross has not only a cleansing impact, but a purifying impact, a purging impact. Verse 13, Since that time he waits for his enemies to meet his footstool because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Oh listen, did you think you could lose your salvation?

You can't. You know why? Because the cross is a perfect, pleasing, purifying, permanent sacrifice. And when Jesus died on the cross, he died once and for all, for all of your sin. All of your sin. The sin you committed yesterday and the sin you're going to commit today and the sin you'll commit tomorrow, all of your life is under the blood of Jesus. It's a permanent sacrifice. So listen to me, there's not anything you can do to lose your salvation.

If you could have done it, you've already done it and it's under the blood. You're forgiven. You're forgiven.

You're forgiven. Now here's Ann with this final word. Some years ago I found myself groping for a way to explain this forgiveness to a woman who'd been on death row from multiple murders. She would be executed within hours of my visit. Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked at me, pleadingly, needing assurance of the salvation she'd claimed by faith six years earlier.

That very night she would be stepping into eternity and she was desperate for reassurance of her forgiveness by God. I asked her if she'd ever been to the ocean. I asked her if she'd walked along the beach, she'd seen small holes in the sand where ghost crabs had darted in and out. She nodded. I then asked if she'd seen any larger holes, like those made by children digging a deep moat around a sand castle. She began to look puzzled but I persisted as I probed gently to see if she'd ever seen huge holes created by machines dredging a channel or burying pipelines on the beach. Her brow began to furrow as she again acknowledged a quiet yes. I then leaned toward her and pressed my point. When the tide comes in, what happens to all those holes? The little ones made by the crabs, medium-sized ones made by children, great big ones made by the machines. A soft light began to gleam in her eyes as I answered my own question.

All the holes are covered equally by the water, aren't they? And the blood of Jesus is like the tide that washes over the holes of your sins and covers all of your sins equally. She stepped into eternity reassured of her forgiveness by God and a welcome into her heavenly home based on nothing but the blood of Jesus. Praise God for the blood of Jesus that's sufficient to cover all of our sins, all of them. You've been listening to Living in the Light, and when you go to anngramlots.org, there are free resources to help you in your study of God's Word. Anne's desire is that you embrace a God-filled life, step by step, choice by choice, Living in the Light.