Since my dad retired more 12 years ago, he has had penchant for building things. And, by building things, I mean Lego villages. He has built a ton of impressive buildings. A few years back, he built this: a replica of a small town with a train running through it.

There's so much detail in this. I’m sure as he was constructing the town, it was nostalgic for him, taking him back to another time and space, but realistically, it’s just a replica of reality.  I can’t drive any of those cars, go inside any of those buildings, or talk to any of those people, and the train just circles the town over and over. It’s not real, it's just a replica.

This is a photo of my family on my birthday in March.

It was awesome because we are seldom in the same room at the same time. We laughed a lot that night, and ate a ton of food. But the taking of this photo was actually an ordeal. MJ (bottom left) is two and didn’t want to be held, and Aubri and Brookie were fighting over some toy just before, and Brookie was screaming, so externally, all smiles, but internally, JUST SNAP THE PICTURE. A PICTURE can be deceiving, because it can almost create an alternate, incomplete reality – looks good on on the surface, but there's more to the story. 

This is what the writer of Hebrews has been saying throughout this book, the Jewish law and sacrificial systems were both a picture of what was coming, and a replica of what God was going to ultimately accomplish through Jesus. And, just like the reconstructed town and the family picture, the old covenant pales in comparison, in contrast to the reality of the covenant completed in Jesus. At every turn, JESUS IS BETTER. (Hebrews 11:11-28)

V11 – “but…” We need to back up a couple of verses to get the flow of passage, Verses 9-10 basically says the “picture” being painted through the sacrificial system was incomplete, we are not able to clear the conscience, but merely wash and clean the outside/surface.

Here is the first contrast: “BUT JESUS,” this is the beginning of any real transformation story. Religion cleans the outside, BUT JESUS brings something different. It was the contrast Jesus talked about throughout Gospels. “You have heard it said…But I tell you” (adultery, murder, Love/hate), Jesus was constantly showing there was something new, in verse 10, we see a “new order of things.” He even went after the Pharisees. (Matthew 23:25-28) Jesus was saying that just cleaning the outside wasn’t sufficient, that it was an inner change needed, a change of heart.

Jesus here is the better “high priest” because he brought a better promise. We will see in a moment that his promises are ETERNAL not TEMPORARY. (2 Corinthians 1:20), affirmative and final. And, he passed through the REAL tabernacle as opposed to the REPLICA or picture made by human hands. Again, God created a system in the OLD Testament as a reminder that man couldn’t solve the problem of sin, that’s why there was a constant need for forgiveness and cleansing.

V12 – In the second contrast, Jesus was changing the narrative of blood sacrifice. It was no longer the blood of goats and bulls, but entered the HOLY of HOLIES by HIS OWN BLOOD. Remember, the annual Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), High Priest would go behind the veil with blood of bull and sacrifice for himself, then kill goat and sacrifice for sin of people. When Jesus died, (Matthew 27:51) says temple veil was torn from top to bottom, through HIS PERFECT BLOOD, he satisfied the problem of sin FOR ALL TIME, “eternal redemption.” 

V13-14 -  Sums up verses 11 and 12.  The blood of bulls and goats ceremonially clean the outside, but the blood of Jesus “cleanses our conscience.” Let’s dig into this a bit. What does a clear or clean conscience represent? PEACE of MIND, NO MORE SECRETS. (1 Corinthians 4:4-5 ) No more hiding (1 Timothy 1:5), the goal is a GOOD CONSCIENCE and sincere faith (1 Tim 3:9), holding to the mystery of faith and a CLEAR CONSCIENCE.

The enemy rules in secrets and tempting thoughts. Last week, Brian put it well: Jesus came to bring LIFE and FREEDOM, the enemy, DEATH and BONDAGE, every thought, your conscience, is leading you toward LIFE or DEATH. (2 Corinthians 10:5) Take thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ.  Religious activity may make you look good on surface, but the inner life can remain unchanged. Many here today may have had a tough weekend. In fact, you made serious compromises, and today is your way of “cleansing yourself” externally. You look good because you are in church, but your mind is still processing through lens of shame and guilt because of your actions and activities. Jesus came to heal and forgive ONCE and FOR ALL, from the INSIDE OUT. Look back to the original contrast: EXTERNAL CLEANSING vs. INNER CLEANSING.

Look at tip of hat to the Trinity – “blood of CHRIST (son)” through the “eternal SPIRIT”, living GOD (Father).

Last part of 14: DEAD WORKS vs. A LIVING GOD. He is talking here about religious ceremonies that can’t bring ETERNAL LIFE. Kick the can down the road, but you have to keep coming back to make good again. The REPLICA doesn’t bring ETERNAL LIFE, merely a snapshot of the REALITY.

V15  Jesus is mediating a NEW COVENANT that all who receive it get the PROMISED ETERNAL INHERITANCE. Here is a contrast in culture today: in our culture, ALL ROADS LEAD TO GOD, all world religions have a moral code, so just do good and you’ll be fine, “god as you understand him.” Here, however, clearly says, ALL ROADS LEAD TO JESUS. (John 14:6) Being good, Greg 2.0, may get earthly inheritance, but ETERNAL INHERITANCE is not about me, but CHRIST IN ME. (Galatians 2:20, Romans 3:23-26) All sin, but are justified FREELY through Jesus. God used the blood of Jesus to SATISFY the requirement for SIN . Jesus MEDIATED a NEW COVENANT through his BLOOD.

V16-18 – Uses the example of a WILL. A WILL is only executable WHEN YOU ARE DEAD. A WILL is a legal promise of how things will be distributed post-death. The WILL of God is that you be SET FREE, and the DEATH of JESUS set the execution of God’s WILL into motion.

V19-22  In Exodus 20-24, God gave Moses the beginnings of the law on Mt. Sinai, and Moses came down and explained it to the people. Exodus 24:3-8, a picture, symbol, shadow, REPLICA of things to come. The law sealed by BLOOD – “without shedding of blood, no forgiveness for sin.”  Again, law was given as reminder that man COULDN’T KEEP THE LAW. They couldn’t keep the starter kit, much less the more complex Levitical law. The system of the law and blood sacrifice was merely a TEMPORARY placeholder for the PERMANENCY of JESUS.

V23-24  “COPIES.” The writer says here that the law and sacrificial system was a COPY of the need heavenly purification, but the REAL and PERFECT sacrifice was needed for ACTUAL HEAVENLY PURIFICATION.

Bypassed earthly sanctuary, torn veil, and entered heavenly sanctuary, the place where God dwells, again FOR US. The MEDIATOR of HEAVENLY THINGS. Through the old system you get a PICTURE of HEAVEN, forgiveness and righteousness, but it is not sustainable. Through JESUS, you GET HEAVEN, not when you DIE, but IN YOU, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.

Illus – CAMPFIRE theology – External cleansing vs INTERNAL cleansing

V25-26 – Another contrast: OVER and OVER vs. ONCE and FOR ALL. Jesus didn’t have to die over and over again, why? His sacrifice was not the blood of another, but HIS OWN PERFECT BLOOD, ALL SUFFICIENT SACRIFICE.  “Did away with sin by the sacrifice of HIMSELF.” Fully God, Fully Man, Perfection and relatability. Again, CEREMONIAL CLEANSING was a REPLICA of the CROSS the Israelites were taught about the need for cleansing over hundreds of years as a picture or replica of JESUS’ CULMINATING WORK on the CROSS.

V27-28 – Here very simply, A LIFE FOR A LIFE.  You are destined for DEATH and JUDGMENT. The LIFE of JESUS was taken for your LIFE. His DEATH for YOUR SALVATION. His first coming to BEAR SIN, his 2^nd COMING to establish ETERNAL PEACE and SALVATION.

So, at first glance, Law and sacrificial system was a REPLICA of heavenly things, FORGIVENESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS, SALVATION from SIN – But look at the Contrast: 

Clearly, the COPY pales in comparison to the REAL thing – and here is the TRUTH:

Many of you today are living a REPLICA of what you think a CHRISTIAN is supposed to look like, but it’s actually OLD COVENANT thinking: DOING things to be made acceptable vs. RECEIVING what JESUS has already accomplished. HERE’S HOW YOU KNOW:  your PICTURE may look good on the surface, but if you are living without PEACE, living in SECRETS, living without an INNER CLEANSING, you are just PRETTY on the SURFACE, but BROKEN on the INSIDE – And, you are actually in a cycle of SHAME, which manifest by coming back to God OVER and OVER -  If you are in BONDAGE to the OLD, JESUS wants to bring you into a NEW LIFE. ( 2 Corinthians 5:17)  The OLD is GONE, the NEW has COME.