Intro: God made a wonderful covenant with Israel. He promised them that if they would obey Him they would be blessed by God. That God’s favor would rest on their lives. But because of hardness they didn’t enter into the rest of God. So God made a new covenant through Jesus Christ. An Hebrews gives us the superiority of what we possess in Christ.
The Better Covenant
Hebrews 8:6
1. Jesus gives us the promises instead of the prophets—Hebrews 1:1-4
Instead of giving the promises to us through the prophets of God, God sent His Son to deliver this message. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The gospel, the good news is given to us through Christ.
2. Jesus becomes high priest of God after the order of Melchisedec. What is the significance of this, Jesus is the Mediator before God on our behalf. Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us. Hebrews 4:14-16 gives us the fact that Jesus can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. This is a wonderful message, because He knows what you are going through, He is a merciful High priest.
3. Jesus is the surety, that God will keep His promise of salvation to man. 7:22 Jesus is the proof of God’s love for us in that He offers His Son to take away our sins. We are saved to the uttermost, we have a blessed assurance that God loves us. Years ago someone who couldn’t make the full payment would give some earnest money to prove they were serious about the purchase. Jesus is the proof of how much God really loves you and me.
4. Spiritual over Ritual—8:10-13—the new promises were not going to just be taught, they were going to be caught. It wouldn’t just be a ritual religion but a heartfelt, spiritual walk in the Spirit of God. In the New Testament, God would reveal truth into our spirit, and everyone would know the Lord.
5. Covenant means to cut between two—the sacrificial system of animals was to offer up blood for sins to God. But God rejected this blood, so the New Testament was sealed in the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 9:12-14. Jesus offered once and for all His blood for the sins of the world—there remains no more sacrifice for sin—10:10
6. Not milk and honey, not the promised land, Hebrews 12:22-24 but the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first born. We look for a city that hath foundation, whose builder and maker is God. We are just pilgrims and strangers passing through this life into life eternal.
7. The New Sacrificial system is in place—Hebrews 13:14-15 we offer praise and worship to God, we praise His holy name. We don’t bring animals to the sacrifice service, we bring ourselves in worship to God. Every knee will bow, every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Close: the better covenant, built on better promises, with a better sacrifice and a better country. We have something to praise about tonight.
