The Letter to the Hebrews
Your Promised Eternal Inheritance
Hebrews 9:15-28
Let’s turn to Hebrews 11. We are going to end up in Hebrews 9, but we are going to start in Hebrews 11. If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and we will bring one to you. Hebrews 11 is on page 1008 in the Bibles we are passing out.
In Hebrews 11 we read about Moses. Imagine that you were Moses. You were born as an Israelite which meant you faced a life of slavery and suffering and poverty. But Pharaoh had decreed that all Israelite baby boys should be killed, so your mother hid you and you were found by Pharaoh’s daughter and raised in Pharaoh’s household.
So you grew up. And instead of slavery you have freedom. Instead of suffering you have comfort. Instead of poverty you have money. But what did Moses do? Look at v.24 --
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
Stop there. Why would he do that? Why leave Pharaoh’s household and become part of God’s enslaved, suffering, poor people?
Was it because he felt guilty? Was it some sense of duty? Was it because he thought it was the right thing to do? No. So why did he do it? Keep reading --
26 He considered the reproach of Christ [suffering with Christ] greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
There’s the key. He was looking to the reward.
This chapter, Hebrews 11, teaches us how to live by faith. And an essential part of living by faith is looking to God’s reward, as we can see in v.6 –
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
It’s impossible to live by faith without looking to the reward. So what is the reward – and how can we be so sure of the reward? The author tells us in ch.9:15-28. So let’s turn a few pages back to the left.
In the first 14 verses of ch.9 the author showed us that the only way our consciences can be freed from guilt is through Jesus’ death on the Cross. And then look at what he says in ch.9 vs. 15 --
15 Therefore he [Jesus] is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance …
So Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant. We saw in ch.8 that through the New Covenant God writes His word on our hearts so we repent and trust Jesus and are forgiven for all our sin. And why did Jesus bring us this New Covenant? Underline those words “so that.” It’s “so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.”
So what is that? What is the promised eternal inheritance? From this verse we see that it’s promised – God has promised it to us in His Word. We see that it’s eternal – it last forever and ever and ever. And we see that it’s an inheritance – something of great value that will be given to us.
But still -- what is it? The clearest answer in Hebrews is in ch.12 vs. 14. Here the author explains why we should persevere in peace with others and holiness before God -- it’s because of what we will receive when we do. Look at what he says --
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
That’s the inheritance – seeing the Lord. Jesus says blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Paul said that now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see God face to face. The book of Revelation says “they will see his face.”
So the inheritance, the reward, is God Himself. We get to see God.
See, we are all wired to find our greatest joy in beholding greatness. That’s why people travel to Yosemite – to see greatness. El Capitan! Half Dome! Vernal Falls! Our greatest pleasures are in beholding greatness. But the infinitely greatest greatness is God. And so our infinitely greatest joy is seeing God.
Imagine seeing the God whose power spoke into existence a universe billions of light years in size. Imagine seeing the God who has always existed from eternity past with no beginning. Imagine seeing the God who loved you when you were rebelling against Him and deserving only punishment, but who punished His own Son so you could be forgiven.
Half Dome, Vernal Falls, El Capitan – all impressive. But they are nothing compared to seeing God -- perfect love, infinite power, overflowing goodness.
So the inheritance is God -- seeing God, knowing God, worshiping God.
But how can you be sure this will be yours? You know you have sinned against God and deserve – not this inheritance, but His judgment. So can you really be certain – completely confident -- that this inheritance will be yours?
The answer is Yes – because in Hebrews 9:15-28 the author gives us fives reasons why we can be certain that we will receive this inheritance.
So let’s turn back to Hebrews 9. Why can we be certain we will receive this inheritance?
First, because Jesus’ death redeems you from your transgressions. You can see that in v.15 –
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.
The author has been talking about people under the first covenant. And he says that Jesus’ death retroactively forgives the sins of Old Testament believers. And just as Jesus’ death redeems them from their transgressions, so it redeems us from our transgressions. Which is why you can be certain that you will receive the promised eternal inheritance.
Second, because Jesus’ death activated the New Covenant. If someone drafts his last will and testament, that last will and testament will not be activated until the person dies. In the same way, Jesus’ death activated the New Covenant. You can see that in vv.16-17 --
16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.
17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.
If the New Covenant had never been activated, you would not be saved. You would not have had God write His word on your heart so you repented and believed and were forgiven -- and so you would not receive the promised eternal inheritance.
But Jesus’ death activated the New Covenant. God wrote His word on your heart so you trust Jesus as your Savior, Lord, and Treasure and were forgiven for all your sins – and will certainly receive the promised eternal inheritance.
Third, because Jesus fulfills the Old Covenant picture of how sin must be purified through shed blood. Read vv.18-23 --
18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.
19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you."
21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
So the Old Covenant showed us that the only way human beings could be purified from sin was by being sprinkled with shed blood. And then read v.23 --
23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things [that’s the Old Testament tent of meeting and altar] to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves [to be purified] with better sacrifices than these.
Now why do the heavenly things need to be purified? I think it’s because when Christ stands before God the Father He’s bringing with Him sinners like you and me. Our sin could bring impurity into heaven, which is why purification has to take place.
Think of it like this. You can only stand before God and have the joy of seeing, worshiping, and loving God if you are wearing perfectly white garments. But because of your sin, your garments are dirty and filthy. And as long as you are wearing dirty, filthy garments you can’t enter God’s presence.
But Jesus shed His blood so you can be purified. And the moment you trust Christ as Savior, Lord, and Treasure – your garments are sprinkled with His cleansing blood and become spotlessly white. And so, because of Jesus’ shed blood, you can receive the promised eternal inheritance.
Fourth, because Jesus fulfills the Old Covenant picture of how we can only come to God through a perfect priest. Remember that God put Israel in the center of the nations with the priests and sacrifices to teach the whole world what needs to happen for us to come to God.
And when an Israelite sinned he would go to the priest with a spotless lamb, he would put his hand on the lamb as a picture of his guilt being transferred to the lamb, and then he would kill the lamb as a picture of the lamb being punished for his sin. Then the priest would take the body and blood of the lamb and present it to God as a sacrifice for his sin.
The point of that was to show the world that because of our sins we can’t just come to God as we are. No. We have sinned and face God’s judgment. To come to God we need to be forgiven, and the only way we can be forgiven is if we have a perfect priest with a perfect sacrifice. And Jesus is this perfect priest with a perfect sacrifice.
That’s what we see in vv.24-26 --
24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. [So he’s our perfect priest by whom we can come to God.]
25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own,
26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
That last line is a feast of truth to strengthen and encourage us. Christ appeared “once for all” – His death on the Cross paid for all of our sin past, present, and future. Christ appeared once for all “at the end of the ages” – that means His death ends the old age marked by sin and judgment – and brings all who believe into the new age marked by forgiveness and the presence of God. And Christ “put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” – sin, all sin, was put away from us by the sacrifice of Himself. Which is why we can be sure we will receive the promised eternal inheritance.
And fifth, because Christ frees us from judgment so we can eagerly await His return. That’s in vv.27-28 --
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
If there’s judgment, how can we eagerly wait for Him? It’s because He has put away all our sin by the sacrifice of Himself – and we are trusting Him as our Savior, Lord, and Treasure. That means we are completely forgiven, and when we die or Jesus returns, whichever comes first, we can be certain that we will receive the promised eternal inheritance. You will have the heart-filling, ever-increasing joy of seeing God, knowing God, worshiping God forever.
What does this mean for us? You can be certain that you will receive the promised eternal inheritance – that forever you will have the joy of beholding God. If you will stop and think about this – it will change everything.
So try this.
When you face problems at work this week, stop and remind yourself – “I am going to receive the promised eternal inheritance. Forever I am going to have the joy of beholding God.” As you do that – you will be strengthened, patient, encouraged.
When you are tempted to gossip, stop and remind yourself – “I am going to receive the promised eternal inheritance. Forever I am going to have the joy of beholding God.” As you do that – you won’t want to gossip. You’ll want to strengthen other’s faith in Christ.
When you are afraid to invite your neighbor to our Easter Sunday service, stop and remind yourself -- I am going to receive the promised eternal inheritance. Forever I am going to have the joy of beholding God.” As you do that – you will be strengthened, emboldened, and encouraged.
And when you face severe trials, stop and remind yourself -- I am going to receive the promised eternal inheritance. Forever I am going to have the joy of beholding God.” As you do that – you will be comforted, encouraged, helped.