The New Covenant

“The New Covenant”

Hebrews 8:7-13

Warden Assembly of God

Pastor John L. Harper

October 19, 2008

Introduction: After the death of Elvis Presley it became fairly common to read headlines in the Tabloids such as: "I was Elvis’ Love Child" or "Elvis’ Ghost is My Father". Many people claimed to be related to "The King" either for the prestige of wearing his name or possibly to try and get a share of his inheritance. In the heat of all this activity, a Detroit radio station advertised that for just $2 and a self-addressed, stamped envelope, YOU TOO could be Elvis’ child.

For that sum you could receive an authentic birth certificate from the radio station signed by a Radio Disk Jockey named Dick Puritan. The certificate claimed it entitled the bearer to "appear on any talk show in the country." About 2000 people sent in their envelopes and became "children of the King."

APPLY: Everybody knew it was a worthless piece of paper. No one became Elvis’ child because of this certificate. And the people who bought those documents had no legal standing for anything.

BUT WHY? Why couldn’t you become Elvis’ child by purchasing one of those documents? Because the people at the radio station had no authority to issue the document in the 1st place.

I. What the writer of Hebrews is telling us is that there is now a legal document - a “New Covenant” - that literally makes us children of THE King. (Jeff Strite Sermon Central)

I. THE DECLARATION OF THE NEW COVENANT (vs. 7-8)

A. There is a reason for a new covenant

1. The first covenant was faulty

The Law made nothing perfect

They could not make those who approach perfect - He 10:1-3

(Heb 10:1) For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

(Heb 10:2) For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

(Heb 10:3) But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

The blood of animals offered by the priests could not take

away sins - He 10:4, 11 (Mark Copeland)

(Heb 10:4) For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

(Heb 10:11) And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

2. There is not room for two covenants

B. The people lived according to a faulty covenant

1. The Lord declared the coming of a new covenant

2. This would be a covenant with His people

A Covenant is an agreement between two people. Our part is to first commit ourselves to the Lord in His service.

Illustration:

Everything we do needs to be a part of our service to God. A young boy by the name of James had a desire to be the most famous manufacturer and salesman of cheese in the world. He planned on becoming rich and famous by making and selling cheese and began with a little buggy pulled by a pony named Paddy. After making his cheese, he would load his wagon and he and Paddy would drive down the streets of Chicago to sell the cheese. As the months passed, the young boy began to despair because he was not making any money, in spite of his long hours and hard work. One day he pulled his pony to a stop and began to talk to him. He said, “Paddy, there is something wrong. We are not doing it right. I am afraid we have things turned around and our priorities are not where they ought to be. Maybe we ought to serve God and place him first in our lives.” The boy drove home and made a covenant that for the rest of his life he would first serve God and then would work as God directed. Many years after this, the young boy, now a man, stood as Sunday School Superintendent at a church in Chicago and said, “I would rather be a deacon in this church than to head the greatest corporation in America. My first job is serving Jesus.” So, every time you take a bite of Philadelphia Cream cheese, mix a quart of Kool- Aid, slice up a DiGiorno Pizza, cook a pot of Macaroni & Cheese, stir a bowl of Cream of Wheat, slurp down some Jell-O, eat the cream out of the middle of an Oreo cookie, or serve some Stove Top, remember a boy, his pony named Paddy, and the promise that little James Kraft made to serve God and work as He directed.