HEBREWS 8:6-13
ALMIGHTY’S ATTESTED ASSURANCES ACCOMPLISH ANOINTED ALLEGIANCE
I. THE ASSEMBLING:
A. Adoration.
B. Accessibility.
C. Accountability.
II. THE ACCEPTANCE:
A. Affirmation.
B. Affinity.
C. Acquirement.
III. THE ATONEMENT:
A. Advocate.
B. Anticipation.
C. Arrangement.
Christ is the proof of “Better Promises!!!” What a sermon in itself. The writer to the Hebrews has dealt with the establishing of Christ being the Better Priest over Melchisedec. He also stated that Christ is a Better Covenant than what was before for the Jewish way of serving God. Now, he tells his readers that this Christ is the proof of Better Promises as foreshadowed by the old Covenant, the old Law. This Christ came as a result of the promise made by God centuries ago when Eve fell in the Garden; this Promise of a Better way of serving God had at last appeared; His coming swept away all the past and ushered in a new and a better Way of serving God. Indeed, He was/is the result of the promises made by God. God had made many promises to His people over the centuries, but Christ is the Better Promise.
When Abraham was called out of Ur to go look for a better city, he went clinging to the promise that God would lead him to one. When Jacob packed up his household belongings and left with his family to move down into Egypt, he did so clinging to the promise that God would lead his family back home some day in the future. When the Children of Israel were multiplying and living in slavery in Egypt, they clung to the promise that someday they would be set free. When Joshua led his people to the Jordan River, they clung to the promise that they would cross over and dwell in the Promised Land. When the Temple was built, they clung to the promise that someday the Redeemer would come and dwell in that which was made by hands. When the Babylonians, the Assyrians, and the Romans held the Children captive, they still held to the promise of freedom. Throughout all of their history-their down sitting and their up rising, they held tenaciously to the promise of the One who would come. The promise never varied-it never ceased to grip their hearts. Now, the writer tells his readers, that of all the promises the nation received in the past, alas, the Better Promise has indeed arrived. That One for whom they looked has arrived: indeed, He is the Better Promise.
This is evident in at least three ways as I develop my sermon. The first way I believe that Christ is the Better Promise has to do with the former way the Jews worshipped God in their manner of ASSEMBLING. The next way I believe that Christ is the Better Promise has to do with the way He can now live within the human heart by man’s ACCEPTANCE of His saving grace. The final manner in which I believe He is the Better Promise has to do with His ATONEMENT of lost man and the results of that meritorious event.
I. THE ASSEMBLING: The manner of the way the Jews worship has been studied in all of its aspects for centuries. What more is there to say? In reality, there is nothing new to add to this topic but a review of the basic facts will help us to comprehend just how much Christ is indeed the Better Promise of one’s way to worship God over the old Jewish system. THE ASSEMBLING together of the Jewish people to worship God can further be divided into three separate yet related facts.
The first part of the manner in which the Jews worshipped God can be seen in the manner of their Adoration of God in their communal worshipping experience.
The God of the old Covenant was an awesome God who was approached via the High Priest. This aspect of God being the awesome God has been greatly diluted in our society today until people have almost made Him out to be a gentle man who lives next door. So often He is referred to as, “The Man Upstairs.” The aspect of this awesome divine Being has been, for the most part, lost in today’s world. Even we who are Christians have been tempted to abide by this newer version of God. We hear so much about the, “God of Love” that we tend to forget that this God of Love is the same God who is a vengeful God. Indeed, we pass over far too often the self description He gives Himself, when He states, “I am a Jealous God.” The Bible further supports this by saying that God declares, “Vengeance is mine, thus sayeth the Lord.”
While the Jewish people congregated together in their worshipping of God, He was viewed as this stern austere God, and their form of Adoration of Him was thus permanently flavored. Indeed, this aspect of their view of God was so set that they left off the aspect that God was/is a God of compassion and tenderness. This sternness was so ingrained in their psyche that they could not reconcile the fact that the gentle Jesus could actually be God in man. Yet, here the writer to the Hebrews reminds his readers that Jesus has come replacing the former way of their view of God in their worship of Him, because Jesus is that Better Promise who was predicted for so long among the Jews, and with His coming, there is the newer concept of viewing God from One who was so stern to a God that had both qualities to Him-sternness and yet Love. This Jesus came to show the Jews and the world that God is One who is to be adored with reverence and yet with Love: He is indeed the Better Promise of one’s view of God in one’s Adoration both in collective worship and in private devotion.
Not only was this Jesus the Better Promise of a more complete way of worshipping God, but He also was the Better Promise of the Jews-indeed everyone’s right to approach God. Before, in the Old Law, the question of Accessibility to God was very limited indeed. Once a year, the High Priest entered into the Holy of Holies, bearing the blood of the sacrificed lamb to atone for the nation’s sins. All of the sacrifices of the Old Law were intended to remind the Jewish people that God’s Accessibility was indeed limited. Yet, here the writer to the Hebrews tells his readers that with the coming of Jesus, God was now approachable on a personal level. He was indeed the Promise of a better way to come into the presence of God. His coming and dying was the proof that Jesus was the Better Promise of meeting God on a one-to-one basis. God was accessible. While the former manner of the Jews ASSEMBLING to worship God was one of strict reverence and limited approach, this Jesus was/is the Better way to come into God’s presence because He asked all to come unto Him and He would give help.
The last aspect of the manner of the Jewish worshipping God had to do with the Accountability issue of man and man’s sins. Yes, the Old Law took into recognition of personal misdeeds, but it also was heavily laden with a corporate aspect of Accountability to God. With the coming of this Better Promise of Jesus, this corporate aspect of serving God was now annulled. The personal aspect of making one’s peace with God came into a clearer and more definite focus with the coming of this Better Promise of Jesus.
The manner of the Jewish institution of worshipping God was now annulled. Gone were the days when God was to be viewed strictly as One who was to be adored as a remote, vengeful, austere God. Gone were the days when the approach to God was limited to just one man once a year. Gone were the days when the nation would either rise or fall due to its manner of worshipping God. The coming of this Better Person was the result of that coming of a Better Promise to worship God through the shed blood of the slain Lamb of God-Jesus.
II. THE ACCEPTANCE: Jesus is by far the Better Promise of worshipping, especially when He is compared to all other ways of worshipping and definitely the Better way of worshipping God over the Old Law and the Old Covenant. His coming to the world signaled that He was going to replace all the former ways of man’s formula for worshipping God by ushering in a new and a better way to draw close to the God of all deities. Jesus is the Better Promise of fellowship with God by accepting Him into our hearts. This acceptance of Him is indeed the fulfillment of the Better Promise given so long ago that God would live in and among man. The question then arises, “How can one appropriate this Better Promise to oneself, when one accepts Jesus as being far superior to all else?”
THE ACCEPTANCE of this Better Promise into one’s heart begins with the Affirmation of the indwelling Saviour into one’s personal world. Ever since this “Better Promise” became a reality in this world, the doing away with all the former makes more sense as every day passes. There was something sterile about the former way of serving this austere God of the Old Covenant. The constant sacrifices made to blot out the sins of the sinner seemed to be repetitious and not efficacious under the Old Covenant. The petitioner left the assembly with his outward sins forgiven, but the inner man was still the same. The prophets under the Old Law began to sense a coming day when this God whom they worshiped from a distance would be made much clearer to the nation of Israel. Somehow, this God would be able to become closer than what He ever was in the past. The formula for this new and more closer contact with God lay not outside the human context, but was to be done on the inside of each person. The Affirmation of this new and radical approach to serving God meant that there had to be an acceptance of His guidance and each individual had to follow this new leadership from a personal aspect rather than a collective endeavor.
The bottom line to the new way of serving God was to be found not in a new system, but in a Better Promise of a new and vital revelation of God to man. This was done through Jesus, His life and His death. This meant that one had to appropriate the newness in one’s heart by acceptance of Him as one’s Redeemer. This also meant that one had to affirm that Jesus was the direct Son of God and that He came to be the fulfillment of the former and latter prophets. THE ACCEPTANCE of Jesus in one’s life and heart meant that one had to affirm that Jesus was indeed the Better Promise which was made by God to man beginning in the Garden and continuing on down through the centuries that followed that momentous time. Before one could accept Jesus as the Better Promise, one had to make the solid Affirmation of just who He was-the Son of God. This begins the ending of the Old Law and the replacement of the former Covenant.
Once the Affirmation was settled in the heart of one, the next logical part of being a follower of this Better Promise meant that one not only would accept Him for whom He really was, but one would then have an Affinity a personal relationship with Jesus that was utterly impossible under the former treatise between God and man. This acceptance process meant that one would not only identify oneself with Jesus but one would begin to become like Him in every way one could possibly become.
The writer to the Hebrews wanted to tell his readers that accepting Jesus as the fulfillment of all the past meant that one was starting on a journey that would last a life time. Earlier he warned his readers not to openly deny Jesus once one embraced Him. Now he is telling his readers that by the acceptance of Him into their lives, meant that they first affirmed Him to be the Better Promise of all the promises made by God to man, then they had to bear an open Affinity with Jesus-to become like Him. Being of Jewish blood meant nothing in the new order; being bought by the Blood of Jesus and living as He wished one to live, was everything. This aspect of one accepting Jesus as one’s Saviour meant that there was to be a real radical change within one’s heart. Paul talked about the circumcision of the heart when one became a follower of Christ. James talked about bridling the tongue when one accepted Christ as one’s Redeemer. Jude talked about living a clean life for Jesus. Peter talked about not being of a double mind when one became a Christian. Here, the writer to the Hebrews tells his readers that when one became a follower of this Better Promise of all promises of God to man, one must be ready to be a complete follower of Christ in all ways known to one as Jesus would reveal Himself to each believer. In so doing, this new convert would begin to take upon him/herself the marks of Christ in one’s body-sometimes literally but in all cases spiritually.
THE ACCEPTANCE process began in one’s own mind with the Affirmation that Jesus was the Better Promise of all promises made by God to man. Next, THE ACCEPTANCE process involved one’s close Affinity with Jesus-even to the point of being made a likeness of and to Him daily before all. The latter part of becoming a Christian meant that one made a personal Acquirement when one became a believe. But what was the possession that one would secure when accepting Jesus as the Best Promise of God to man? The answer lies in the present as well as the future-peace here on this Earth and an eternal home in Heaven after one died. This aspect of serving God was driven home to the followers of the Old Law. In fact, the saints of the Old Covenant fell asleep waiting for the final revelation of God to man. Their souls did make it to the Bosom of Abraham, but there they waited until Christ came to lead them out and up into Heaven. However, with the coming of Jesus and by one’s accepting of Him as one’s Saviour, it meant that one would Acquire something that was not made available before His coming and death-an entrance into Heaven. Upon one’s death one would not have to wait in the Bosom of the Patriarch. This Better Promise opened the gateway for His followers to have access to God’s Throne now and directly upon death. Stephen experienced it when he lay dying. He said he saw Jesus standing with open arms waiting for him to come home. THE ACCEPTANCE of the Better Promise of God to man meant the passing away of the types and shadows of the old.
III. THE ATONMENT: There is no Better Promise of Christ-outside of His coming to this Earth, than the fact that He provided an Atonement for lost man. That one act of His, has changed the world for ever. The Old Covenant could provide for an Atonement for certain days and acts, but it could never atone for man’s bent to sinning and for the sin he carried with him. THE ATONMENT by this Better Promise meant that man could be set free from his sin. Yet what was to take place after the Atonement of man? Was he to be left by himself? Was there anything that could help man live for Jesus in this new and better faith He brought? The answer is a resounding, “Yes. There is something more to the Atonement than just being born again.”
The first part of the miracle of what follows man’s salvation via his Atonement by Christ is the fact that this Better Promise serves as an Advocate for him to God. Man would be in a dire straight if after salvation, he was cast lose to sink or survive until he made it to Heaven. Ah, but that is the beauty of this rich Atonement brought by the fulfilling of all the promises of God to man, by the coming of the last and the best promise-Christ Himself. He still carries out His atonement for man by being the One who goes to the Father on our behalf to plead for our salvation. The Better Promise came, died, fulfilled all of the promises of God to man and still carries on His intercession for us to God. This was more than the Old Covenant could do. The priests, even the High Priest could only bring the sin sacrifice to the altar, offer it up to God and then left it there to walk back to the petitioner with the blood of the animal or bird on his hand. He could go no farther. Yet, the Better Promise not only brought His blood to the altar for our forgiveness, but He sat down at the right hand side of the Father pleading for His people and covering the sins of man with His blood.
The second part of THE ATONEMENT of Jesus has to do with His and our Anticipation of the future. Our hope lies beyond this vale of tears. The forgiveness of our sins, the eradication of our past as a sinner, can only be accomplished by Jesus. We are free indeed as we come to Him for His forgiveness. THE ATONEMENT not only gives us a new heart, but it gives us a new Anticipation of a better future with Jesus. Our hopes and our dreams lie not with this world, but with that which is to come. Not only are we saved by the Person of the Better promise, we are also assured of a better home with Him in the future.
Lastly, the third aspect of this better home via the coming of the Better Promise bringing His Atonement to us, is the assurance that He has made the final and ultimate Arraignment for His people in the final aspect of our living for Him-Heaven itself. The Better Priest, the Better fulfilling of the Old Law, the Better Promise that God made to man, has made sure that He has gone on before us to make a Better home for us. Did not He tell His worried followers the night He was arrested, that He was going to prepare a place for them-and by extension-for us? If this Creator of the Universe as John portrays Him said that He was going to prepare for His followers a home for us, one can be assured that that Home to which He referred is Better than the one in which we now live.
So many Christians and non-Christians act like this world is the place to be-may I remind my listeners, we are pilgrims passing through Satan’s land. This is not our home. Our Home will be so much better because it is being prepared by the Better Promise. And since Christ is the best of all, what He is doing now for us in Heaven far out does anything of this mortal life. He who is better in all ways cannot but help make what He makes better than what we now see. THE ATONEMENT has brought to this world a Better Person. His life, His dying, His living again, is and always will be the Better of all things. Friends, we serve the Best. This was what the writer to the Hebrews wanted his readers to comprehend-we who are Christians-have the best of all things, because we serve the Best.
From the former ways of worshipping God to the coming of this Better Promise and our acceptance of Him to the final act of His Atonement, everything about Him and our service to Him is by far better than anything man ever had or ever will experience in this world.
