Reading: Hebrews chapter 8 verses 1-13.
Quote: Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary describes ‘covenant’ as:
"A binding agreement between two or more parties
expressly for the performance of some action."
• Notice that God makes a covenant and not a contract
• Contacts are broken when one of the parties fails to keep their part.
Ill:
• Let’s say you make an appointment to see the doctor;
• But you forgot all about it and did not go.
• Your doctor has no obligation to call at your house and inquire,
• “Where were you? Why didn’t you show up for your appointment?”
• Instead the doctor simply goes on to his next patient ;
• And has the receptionist take note of the patient who failed to keep the appointment.
• The next time you wants to see the doctor.
• You may find it much harder, because they broke an informal contract.
The Bible indicates that a covenant is more like:
• The ties of a parent to her child;
• Than it is a doctor’s appointment.
• If a child fails to show up for the evening meal,
• Unlike the doctor’s, the parent’s obligation isn’t cancelled.
• The parent is obliged to find out where the child is and makes sure they are cared for.
• One member’s failure does not destroy the relationship.
• A covenant puts no conditions on faithfulness.
• It is the unconditional commitment to love and serve.
Quote Walter Riggans:
“A covenant was not a contract between two equal parties with both sides receiving equal benefits. This type of covenant was a relationship between a person (in this case God) with superior power and authority and another party.
The senior party offered protection and a sense of belonging to the weaker party, and in return the lesser party offered loyalty and service to the stronger”.
This chapter actually provides a hinge to the entire book of Hebrews:
• In the first seven chapters, the writer presents Jesus as the great high priest.
• In the last six chapters, he presents the New Covenant.
• And in this passage we see the two themes brought together;
• Jesus is shown to be the priest who mediates the New Covenant.
Ill:
• The most gifted lawyer can do very little if the will he is probating is inadequate.
• In a similar way;
• Our Great High Priest could do very little;
• If he was ministering on the basis of an inferior "last will and testament."
• So in our chapter this morning (Hebrews chapter 8):
• The writer will present three evidences to prove;
• That not only is our high priest superior to any other;
• But so is the new covenant of Jesus over the old covenant (of the Old Testament).
(A). It is ministered by a superior High Priest
(verses 1-2).
“The point of what we are saying is this”:
• In other words everything that has been said in this letter up to this point;
• Has been to bring us to this one main point, one key truth of understanding.
“We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven”,
In these first two verses (1-2):
• The writer summaries the main points of his previous arguments;
• He gives us three key truths regarding Jesus our great high priest and why he is superior.
(1). HIS MORAL ADEQUACY (verse 1a).
• "We have SUCH an High Priest".
• This statement refers us back to Hebrews chapter 7 verses 22-28.
Quote: Chapter 7 verse 26:
“Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens”.
The fact that Jesus Christ is morally perfect;
• And yet identified with us in our needs and temptations,
• Makes Him superior to any other priest, past or present.
• Those of his readers who wanted to go back into the Old 'Testament priesthood;
• Would have to swap the perfect for the imperfect.
(2). HIS FINISHED WORK (verse 1b).
“We do have such a high priest, who SAT DOWN at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven”,
Today our Lord is seated in heaven because His work is completed.
• There were no chairs in the Old Testament tabernacle or temple;
• Because the work of the priests was never finished.
• Each repeated sacrifice was a constant reminder;
• That none of the sacrifices ever provided a finished salvation.
• The blood of animals did not wash away sin or cleanse the guilty conscience;
• It only provided a covering for.
• It took the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ;
• To take away the sin of the world.
Noting:
• The only seat in the tabernacle and temple was God’s seat - the mercy seat.
• This was the lid of the Ark of the Covenant.
• And no priest would have even dreamed of even touching the Ark;
• Let alone actually sitting on it.
• But says the writer of this letter;
• That is what Jesus our priest has done. He is the priest who sat down.
(3). HIS ENTHRONEMENT (verse 1).
“We do have such a high priest,
who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven”.
Jesus Christ is not just "seated."
• It is where He is seated that adds glory to His person and His work.
• He is seated on the throne in heaven, at the right hand of the Father.
• This important truth was introduced at the beginning of this letter (1:3),
• And it will be mentioned again in chapters 10 & 12 (10:12; 12:2).
This enthronement:
• Was the fulfilment of the Father's promise to the Son Psalm 110 verse 1,
• "Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet".
• Not only did the high priest of Israel never sit down,
• But he never sat down on a throne.
• Only a priest "after the order of Melchizedek" could be enthroned,
• For as we saw in chapter 7, Melchizedek was both king and priest.
Note:
• This verse goes on to tell us where Jesus is sitting; “At the right hand of God.”
• Two things to note:
(a).
• To be seated at the right hand was to be seated in the place of honour.
• The right hand was used for fellowship and for eating.
• The left hand was used for more mundane tasks.
• Jesus has been given the place of honour in heaven.
(b).
• In the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of Israel,
• It was the custom for two scribes to sit on either side of the judges of that court.
• The scribe who sat on the right hand side would write the acquittals.
• The scribe who sat on the left hand side would write the condemnations.
• Jesus has been given the seat of pardon.
• His ministry has been one of bringing pardon and forgiveness to men.
(4). HIS SUPREME EXALTATION (verse 2).
“And who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.”
• We noticed last W&W in chapter 4 verse 14;
• That Jesus Christ has "passed through the heavens".
• And because he is seated at the right hand of God.
• He is now exalted as high as anyone could be (Eph. 1:20-23; Phil. 2:5-11).
• The fact that He ministers in a heavenly sanctuary;
• Is important to the argument presented in this chapter.
IN SUMMARY:
• The writer makes the points:
• That Jesus Christ ministers on the basis of a superior covenant.
• Think about it; why would a high priest who is morally perfect,
• Ministering on an arrangement that could not change human hearts?
• Why would a priest who has finished his work;
• Minister from a covenant that could finish nothing?
• It is inconceivable to think of a king-priest reigning in the highest heaven;
• Being limited by an old system that made nothing perfect? (Heb. 7:19)
The obvious conclusion seems to be that:
• The presence of a superior High Priest in heaven;
• Demands a superior covenant if He is to minister effectively to God's people.
(B). It is ministered in a better place
(verses 3-5):
(N.L.T.):
”And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. 4If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law of Moses. 5They serve in a place of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: "Be sure that you make everything according to the design I have shown you here on the mountain."
• In these verses, the writer expanded on the amazing truth;
• That Jesus Christ today ministers in the heavenly sanctuary.
It is not hard to figure out why he focuses in on this truth:
• His readers knew that there was a real temple in Jerusalem,
• And that in the temple there were priests offering gifts and sacrifices.
• Any Jew/Hebrew Christian could go there and see it operating.
• It was visible to the eye it was tangible.
In contrast these Hebrew’s were required to walk by faith and not by sight:
• How did we know that Jesus Christ is ministering in a sanctuary?
• No-one has actually seen Him in His high priestly work?
• So to these good questions;
• The writer of this letter produces some good answers!
(1). THE LOGICAL ANSWER (verse 3).
“Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.”
• It has already been argued and proved in this letter that Jesus Christ is a High Priest.
• But all high priests serve others; the title is not honorary.
• Each Old Testament high priest was appointed "to offer gifts and sacrifices";
• Therefore, Jesus Christ must offer gifts and sacrifices (See 5:1 and 7:27.)
Ill:
• Somebody is referred to as a cook because they cook!
• Somebody is referred to as a farmer because they farm
• Somebody is referred to as a bus driver because they drive a bus!
• The titles are not honorary;
• But explanations of the persons work and function.
In the same way all high priests served others;
• Each Old Testament high priest was appointed to perform a function.
• Therefore, Jesus Christ too must also offer gifts and sacrifices (See 5:1 and 7:27.)
Now according to Old Testament law (Deuteronomy chapter 12 verses 13-14):
• The sacrifices offered by a priest could not be offered just anywhere;
• They must be offered in God's appointed place.
• That appointed place is the sanctuary.
• The holy place, the special place set apart for a special purpose.
• So the writer is saying, think about it and the conclusion is logical:
• If Jesus Christ is a High Priest who offers gifts and sacrifices,
• Then He must have a sanctuary in which He ministers.
• Since He is in heaven, that sanctuary must be in heaven.
Note:
• I don’t want to give the impression that our Lord is offering sacrifices in heaven;
• That correspond to the Old Testament sacrifices.
• The word translated in verse 3 as "somewhat" in the K.J.B.
• And “to have something to offer” in the N.I.V.
• Is in the singular,
• And the phrase "to offer" is in a Greek tense that implies "offer once and for all."
• On the cross,
• He offered Himself as the one sacrifice for sin forever (9:24-28).
• And now he lives as our "Living sacrifice" in heaven.
• He is not offering Himself over and over again, because that is unnecessary.
(2). THE GENEALOGICAL ANSWER (verse 4):
“If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.”
• Gen-ea-logical simply means;
• Relating to genealogy
Once again this is an argument that the writer has already explained in chapter 5 & 7.
• Because all priests had to come from the tribe of Levi;
• Jesus would be disqualified from functioning as an earthly priest;
• Because he was born from the tribe of Judah;
• That’s where the scriptures predicated the Messiah would come from.
• But as the writer has previously argued and proved;
• Jesus is not a priest after Aaron, but after the order of Melchizedek.
• On earth he would not be accepted in the earthly sanctuary,
• So as a priest he must be serving in the heavenly sanctuary. .
Again, the argument is sound:
• The writer has already proved that history (Genesis chapter 12)
• And prophecy Psalm 110 prove the Genealogical priesthood of Christ.
(3). THE TYPOLOGICAL ANSWER (verse 5).
“They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: See to it that you make everything according to the PATTERN shown you on the mountain”.
A "type" is an Old Testament picture of a New Testament truth.
• We get our English word "type."
• From the Greek word translated as “pattern”.
The priests in the Old Testament:
• Who were serving in the tabernacle or temple;
• Were unaware that they were actually serving in a copy of the heavenly sanctuary.
• The earthly Tabernacle and Temple were nothing but shadows.
• A shadow has no independent substance or existence.
• When a shadow exists,
• It is evidence of a reality which created that shadow.
• Moses saw this pattern on the mount;
• And duplicated its essentials in the earthly tabernacle.
• This does not mean that the heavenly tabernacle is made up of skins and fabrics.
• It is the basic pattern and meaning of the sanctuary that is emphasized here.
• The true sanctuary is in heaven;
• The tabernacle and temple were but imitations or copies of the true.
This is an important part of the argument:
• If these Christians went back into Judaism.
• It may appear they are swapping the invisible for the visible temple and priests.
• But in practice they would be swapping the genuine article for a fake.
• They would be returning to a copy instead of enjoying the real thing.
• The earthly priesthood and sanctuary may have seemed quite real and stable,
• But in every sense they were but copies of the true!
Ill:
• In the stage play of Peter Pan.
• Peter Pan attempts to capture his shadow and to sew it back onto himself.
• We of course know he could never succeed,
• Because that is not what you do with shadows.
The writer of this letter is showing these Hebrew Christians:
• That it is equally silly on their part to attempt;
• To "sew back on" their shadow of the Old Covenant stipulations.
• Why put up with a shadow;
• When you have the real thing.
The writer has now given us two evidences of the superiority of the new covenant:
• It is ministered by a superior Priest, Jesus Christ;
• And it is ministered in a superior place, heaven itself.
• The writer now devotes the remainder of this section to the third evidence.
• It is founded on better promises (8:6.-13)
(c). It is founded on better promises
(verse 6-13):
(1). THE PROMISE OF GOD'S GRACE (vs 7-9).
“For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.
8 But God found fault with the people and said:
The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.”
• The New Covenant does not depend on man's faithfulness to God;
• But on God's faithful promise to mankind.
• The emphasis in the New Covenant is on God's "I will."
• Notice the words of God saying God's "I will".
• It is stated three times in verse 10;
• And six times in verses 8-12.
• The emphasis is not on man's faithfulness to God;
• But on God's faithful promise to mankind.
In the Old Testament when Moses received the law:
• The nation of Israel at Sinai said,
• "All the words which the Lord hath said WILL WE DO" (Exodus chapter 24 verse 3).
• But we know of course that very quickly they did not obey God's words.
• And in a short space of time they had broken their promise to God.
• The failing of the old covenant was not the covenant itself:
• But with those who received it. The people.
• The problem is not with the Law, but with our sinful natures,
• For by ourselves we cannot keep God's Law.
• The Law "made nothing perfect" (Heb. 7:19)
• Because it could not change any human heart. Only God's grace can do that.
Because the New Covenant is wholly of God's grace;
• Grace and faith go together;
• Just as the Law and works go together.
• The Law says, ‘behave ‘(“keep the law to live”).
• Grace says ‘believe’ (“by faith are you saved through grace”)
(2). THE PROMISE OF INTERNAL CHANGE
(verse 10).
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people”.
• Under the Old Covenant the Law of Moses declared God's holy standard,
• But it could never provide the power needed for the individual to obey it.
• The Law was external; God's demands were written on tablets of stone.
• Sinful people need a new heart and a new nature within;
• And this is just what the New Covenant provides
• The New Covenant, God' s Word are written on human minds and hearts.
The participant in the New Covenant has something that the believer of past ages never had.
• He has the Holy Spirit living within him.
• He has the Keeper of the Covenant indwelling him.
• And that makes a big difference.
• It means that God has gifted His people in a special way, working from the inside out.
(3). THE PROMISE OF FORGIVENESS FOR ALL
(verse 11-12).
“No longer will a man teach his neighbour, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Under the Old Covenant:
• There was no forgiveness of sins under the Law;
• Because the Law was not given for that purpose.
• The Law could not even promise forgiveness to the nation of Israel,
• Let alone to all mankind.
• The Old Testament sacrifices brought a remembrance of sins,
• But not a remission of sins.
• It is only through the New Covenant;
• The sacrifice of Jesus Christ that forgiveness is possible to all who will call on Him.
Note: the Old Covenant was primarily Jewish in scope:
• It was focused upon the land of Israel & upon the sacrifices that took place in Jerusalem.
• If you wanted to enter the Old Covenant and were not Jewish,
• You had to proselyte to Judaism.
• This called for circumcision and an adherence to the Law.
• Under the new covenant all can come to know the Lord;
• Both Jew and Gentile.
• This parallels the repeated promise of the Old Testament (Isaiah chapter 11 verse 9);
• “The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God.
Note:
• There is a great truth mentioned in verse 12:
• “God will remember their sins no more”.
• The statement does not mean;
• That our all-knowing God can actually forget what we have done?
• If God forgot anything,
• He would cease to be God!
The phrase "remember no more" actually means "hold against us no more."
• God recalls what we have done,
• But He does not hold it against us.
• He deals with us on the basis of grace and mercy,
• Not law and merit.
• Once sin has been forgiven, it is never brought before us again.
• The matter has been settled eternally.
(4). THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL BLESSING
(verse 13).
“By calling this covenant new, he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and ageing will soon disappear”.
The Old Covenant was still governing the nation of Israel at the time this letter was written.
• The temple was still standing;
• And the priests were offering their appointed sacrifices.
• Devout Jews probably thought that their Christian friends were foolish;
• To abandon such a "solid religion" for a. faith that was seemingly intangible.
• What the unbelieving Jews did not realize was;
• That their "solid religion" had grown old and was about to vanish away.
Ill:
• In A.D. 70, Jesus' tragic prophecy (Luke 21 verse 5) was fulfilled;
• When the Roman emperor Vespasian (Ves-pas-I-an):
• Sent his son Titus to crush a Jewish rebellion and destroy Jerusalem.
• He besieged the city for five months,
• Beginning in April when Jerusalem was filled with Passover pilgrims.
• The starving inhabitants were reduced to cannibalism to survive.
• Eventually, the Roman army breached the walls, slaughtered men, women, and children,
• Demolished the city, and destroyed the temple.
• Ever since the year A.D. 70
• The Jews have not had a temple or a priesthood to serve them since.
In contrast the New Covenant brings everlasting blessing:
• Jesus Christ is the Author of "eternal salvation" (5:9) and "eternal redemption" (9:12).
• This New Covenant can never get old and disappear.
Note:
• The Greek word translated "new" in verse 13;
• Means "new in quality," not "new in time."
• In other words;
• This New Covenant is of such quality that it will never need to be replaced!
And finally: We here this morning because of this greater covenant,
• When did this new covenant come into being;
• The New Testament makes it quite clear.
Quote: Luke chapter 22 verse 20:
“In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
Quote: 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 23-26:
23”For this is what the Lord himself said, and I pass it on to you just as I received it. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took a loaf of bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is given[4] for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
25In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and you, sealed by the shedding of my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it." 26For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again2.
The New Covenant was established by the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross;
• We are here this morning to remember that act of sacrifice;
• And to worship our Great High Priest and King Jesus Christ!
