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. —Hebrews 9:15b
The elements in this morning’s service all point to one conclusion, a conclusion both terrible and comforting: Jesus had
to die. We’ll read that the new covenant was “inaugurated with blood” (Hebrews 9:15) just as the old one was (Exodus
24:8; Hebrews 9:18). We’ll confess in song that “the Savior died for me” (To Our Redeemer’s Glorious Name), that
Christ “died for man the creature’s sin” (Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed), and that He bought us with His own blood
(The Church’s One Foundation). We’ll declare that His spilled blood and broken body are the token of His “boundless
love” (Let Thy Blood In Mercy Poured), and we fall down in humble adoration before a God who sent His own Son to
die to take away our sin (How Great Thou Art). Unlike the ancient priests who had to continually sacrifice animals
because their work was never complete, we hear Jesus cry, “It is finished!” (Man Of Sorrows!). We are sent out with a
blessing because the Savior who died was then “brought again from the dead” (Hebrews 13:20), securing for us eternal
life and equipping us with all we need. —Henry C. Haffner
