Wednesday Lent Sermon 5

Hebrews 9:11-15 (ESV)
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) [12] he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. [13] For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, [14] how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
[15] Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Hebrews, a letter shrouded in mystery. No one really knows who wrote it. And yet it is one of my favorite books in the New Testament. Jesus tells us that the entire Old Testament is about him. John 5:39, all the prophecies, all the laws, all the rituals and ceremonies, the blood baths of history all about him. Hebrews gives us the key as to how this is true.
It talks about the sacrifices of goats and bulls, so often given short shrift in the church today. That couldn’t do anything for them. Hebrews says it sanctified the people, the blood and ashes. It was being sprinkled with that blood and those ashes that God sanctified this people, made them holy, set them apart for him. How could such vile things do that? By the word and promise of God, that is how. And yet all of it gained it’s sanctifying power from an event more magnificent, the death and resurrection of Christ, too which all those sacrifices pointed towards, just as every baptism points backwards and incorporates us into that very same death and resurrection. Baptism, where we are washed and made white in the blood of the lamb, where you and I are sanctified, where our consciences are purified from dead works.
How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Dead works.
I always get a kick out of it, when people object to justification by faith alone, the doctrine that it is faith in Christ and that alone that saves us, that justifies us before God, that sanctifies us. They like to quote James, but faith without works is dead! What are you saying?! But, but , but!!!!!! But I like my works they make me feel good, doesn’t God like my works? Not if you think they justifying you. Those things count as dead works, they add nothing to faith, they contribute not to salvation, in fact one could easily find himself being judged for those works, being condemned on behalf of those works.
Purify us from dead works. Works that aren’t done out of love for Christ or love of neighbor but love of self. Now I don’t always know, I suspect I have some pretty awful motives for some of the nice things I do. Selfishness. They kill a work, make it deader than a door nail. You see the flip side of faith without works is dead, is works without faith are dead too! So if you faith is dead, your works are dead, and no matter how many nice things you do in this life, dead works, no matter how good they look can do a thing for your dead faith.
So what is necessary for living works, is living faith. And there is only one way you can get that. The Holy Spirit gives it to you, Jesus Christ gives it to you. And this he does. Where? You guessed it, baptism where he purifies your conscience with the blood he shed for you on the cross, but he doesn’t leave it there. Faith being such a living thing in us, he sustains that faith. He gives us so many things to sustain the life born of water and the spirit, he gives us his word, he gives us his body to eat, his blood to drink all for the forgiveness of sins. And if you ask how can that be that these things are what give us life and faith in Christ? It is because he says so, and he is God, he does not lie. It is in these things that he creates, he kindles he feeds and sustains a living faith that trusts in no one and nothing but Christ alone for salvation. Realizing that when Christ dies for you on the cross, when God dies to forgive your sins, there was nothing you could do about them in the first place. Think about that, our sin required the death of God for payment, what could you have done? But now it is done and there is nothing left for you to do. Well nothing left for you to do in regards for your own salvation.
But you have been purified from dead works that you might live in the good works he prepared for you to do. And these are not done out of a fear of losing salvation, or not gaining salvation. These are not done out of selfishness at all, because faith is love, and love is not selfish or rude. Yes, faith gives life to works breathing in the love of Christ who first loved us, sanctifying our works as sinful as they might be on their own, as sinful as the motives may be, here Jesus is forgiving, sanctifying, and purifying your good works, breathing into them the Holy Spirit, that your neighbor will benefit from them not only physically, but when loved by you in good works of care, they are then also loved by Christ, loved by the Holy Spirit through you, that they might know Jesus Christ who died for them that they might live with you in him.
Now the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.