This is the fourth installment in our series on Hebrews. I have to say that Hebrews, even before this series has become a favorite of mine.
Hebrews Bible Study with Allen Biller – I’ve had the privilege of doing a personal Bible Study with someone in our congregation that I visit who is unable to get here to worship with us, and he recently started asking me a lot of questions about Hebrews, so we started studying it together.
How to get the full benefit of the Hebrews Series – If you are wanting to really get the full benefit of this teaching series, can I suggest to you to read Hebrews in your own personal devotional time. I would read it several times because there is so much here to digest. I would get myself a cup of coffee and open your Bible and begin reading.
He-brews Coffee joke – It is after all, a biblical thing to do. Even the title tells we should drink coffee when we read this book, because it says, “He Brews”. I’m sorry. Bad Dad Joke.
Today we arrive at chapter 8. In rapid review:
1. We don’t know who wrote it
2. It was written to Jewish Jesus believers – those who believed Jesus was the Promised Messiah
a. THE AUTHOR ASSUMES HIS READER UNDERSTANDS THE OLD TESTAMENT AND DOESN’T SAY HE IS QUOTING FROM IT.
b. IN A SIMILAR FASHION, TODAY I WILL BE MENTIONING A LOT OF DETAILS ABOUT THE OLD TESTA MENT AND LIKE THE AUTHOR OF HEBREWS, I CAN’T EXPLAIN EVERY DETAIL, BUT I’M ASSUMING THAT MOST OF YOU HAVE ENOUGH BIBLE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND.
3. It quotes and alludes to the Old Testament more frequently than any other NT Book
4. The underlying theme of Hebrews is that through Jesus, everything is better. Jesus is better than, the prophets, the angels, Moses, Joshua, the High Priest, the tabernacle, the Law and sacrifices, and so much more… and the new covenant is better than the first one
In week 2 of this series, Pastor Janette helped us understand the role of Jesus as our High Priest and that he was the Suffering Servant we read about in Isaiah 53. Last week, Dr. Phil Fuller encouraged us to remain faithful to God and to not be lazy about our faith, but to persevere and remain in Christ as he remains in us.
Now this week, we get to dig deeper into the idea that Jesus is truly our High Priest and how he is better than any Priest of the Old Testament. In some respects, this is a Part 2 to what Pastor Janette preached on just 2 weeks ago.
Jesus is our high priest, and he is the author and perfector of our faith. He is the arbiter of the new covenant which is better than the old Covenant which was given to Moses.
COVENANTS
We don’t use the word covenant often. Most common today:
1. A NEIGHBORHOOD COVENANT – a list of regulations that the inhabitants of that neighborhood are bound to live by.
2. A MARRIAGE COVENANT – the agreement of a man and women to live committed to each other for life, in a monogamous relationship. Sidebar: it’s the clear teaching of the Bible that the only people who can enter into this covenant is one man and one woman.
EXAMPLES OF BIBLICAL COVENANTS
Ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God has been on a mission, a pursuit to restore what mankind lost when our first parents fell into sin and rebellion against God. And so, he has entered into 7 covenants with mankind to bring about that restoration. There isn’t sufficient time to explore all 7 of them this morning, but I do want to highlight 3 of them:
1. The Adamic Covenant – right after Adam and Eve sinned and God covenants with them that he will provide a redeemer, a savior (this covenant is renewed in the Abrahamic Covenant)
2. The Mosaic Covenant – God gives Moses the Law, the Ten Commandments and many conditions for how they should conduct themselves, including the sacrificial system of lambs for the atonement of sin.
3. The Davidic Covenant – the renewal of the covenant that God would send a redeemer, a savior, and that this promised one, the Messiah would be a descendent of King David and that his throne would be established forever.
COVENANTS – OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS – SHOW BIBLE DIVISIONS
And now that leads us to today’s message…
READ ENTIRE CHAPTER – SLIDES
SLIDE Vs. 1- 2 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
This is the Main Point – I love this: There’s no guessing what the author wants to tell us..
What does “Now the main point … is this” mean. He is referring back to what has just been taught in the previous chapters. We learned that Jesus is a High Priest after the order of Melchizidek, who was a priest in Salem in the time of Abraham. Unfortunately, there isn’t time to delve into that today, but suffice it to say, that this character, though spoken only twice in the OT, looms large in the book of Hebrews and we learn that Jesus is greater than him.
At the time Hebrews was written, there was still an operating priesthood and an operating Temple in Jerusalem.
There were 2 main roles of the Priests:
1. Sacrifice animals for the sins of the people
2. Function as a mediator between God and the people
Because this was written to Jews, they had most likely been to the Temple many times and had seen the High Priest and saw lambs sacrificed there for the atonement of the people’s sins.
In the mind of the Jews, a Priest was necessary to make sacrifices for sins and to approach God, so these Jewish converts may have been concerned that if they didn’t participate in the sacrificial ceremony that was still happening at the Temple, perhaps their sins were not actually atoned for and perhaps they could not have forgiveness and redemption. IT WAS A LEGITIMATE CONCERN.
We need to understand the backstory on why this was so important to the Jew. Until Jesus came, the only way you could approach and connect with God was through a priest.
Some of you who have Catholic backgrounds will understand more deeply how this affects you. There is a liberation that happened for the Jew and also for a Catholic who comes to the understand that you don’t have to go through a person to get to God, but you can approach God through the person of Jesus Christ, who is seated next to God and functions as our High Priest and is our connection to God.
Last Sunday, Dr. Phil mentioned that the writer of Hebrews may have been writing to people who may have been returning to the Jewish faith because of this concern. In their minds, they were concerned that if they did not have a priest in the Christian Faith, then perhaps they did not have real access to God.
But first verse of Hebrews 8 says, “We do have such a high priest” and he is in a much higher place than the Temple in Jerusalem. He is seated at the right hand of God in Heaven. And from there, he serves as our high priest.
That is a wonderful thing to know. We’ve all heard the phrase, “friends in high places”. This is the ultimate version of that. Jesus is our friend, and he is in the highest place. Philippians 2:9 tells us that God exalted Jesus to the Highest Place and gave him a name that is above every name. Where is this Highest Place? Jesus is seated at the right hand of Majesty, and he is our mediator between us and God and from there, he now, even today, in this very moment, functions as our High Priest.
Not only is he at the right hand of God, but there is also a significance to his posture, and this is one of the most important statements in Hebrews Chapter 8 and it’s very easy to simply overlook it. What does the author of Hebrews say? THAT HE IS SEATED.
This seated posture is very important. In the Old Testament, the first place ever built on earth for sacrifice and for the presence of God to dwell was the Tabernacle which God instructed Moses to build in the desert as the Children of Israel journeyed from Egypt to Canaan. God gave Moses all the specifications how to build the Tabernacle. The size. The materials. The furniture.
But there was one thing that wasn’t present there. It didn’t have any chairs. There were no seats or benches of any kind. Do you know why?
It’s because the work of the priests was never done. There were daily sacrifices and there were sacrifices for special Holy Days and festivals and once a year, and there was a special sacrifice on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), which happened every year, year after year after year.
Until Jesus…there was never a sacrifice that was enough…until
Until Jesus…the perfect lamb was sacrificed. Under the law of Moses, the lamb to be sacrificed had to be without blemish, but even that was not enough to forgive sins. The blood of the lamb was really nothing more than a covering that prevented God from seeing our sin, but there was no real forgiveness to be found in this sacrifice. SLIDE But in Hebrews 5: 8-9 we learn that “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him”.
Jesus, after he was made perfect by the things he suffered, became the perfect sacrifice. How do we know that Jesus was the Perfect Sacrifice?
In Hebrews 10, we learn about the all-time sufficiency of the Christ Sacrifice and in verses 11-12, it says, SLIDE “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest (Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.”
Jesus’ cry “It Is Finished” from the cross indicated that the final sacrifice was being completed and because of that, when Jesus ascended to heaven, I believe God looked at Jesus and said, “Son, sit down. Your work is finished”.
And so, he is seated as a minister in the heavenly sanctuary. Listen again to verse 2
Verse 2 – …who (Jesus) serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
Yes, there was a tabernacle described in the Old Testament, but Jesus comes along and makes a complete and perfect sacrifice and now he ministers to us from heaven in a “true tabernacle” which was not made by human hands but by God himself.
The Tabernacle in the Old Testament is but a pattern of the real Tabernacle that exists in heaven. The author of Hebrews explains this in verse 5. Listen to what he says:
“They (the priests) 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.”
The tabernacle that God commanded Moses to build nearly 1500 years before the time of the writing of Hebrews was simply a replica of a Tabernacle that already existed in heaven.
The Jews who were reading this book knew very well what the author meant because they still had in Jerusalem a Tabernacle on a more permanent scale. But they called it the Temple. Nearly 600 years after God commanded Moses to build the Tabernacle, King Solomon built the Temple and it was for all intents and purposes, the Tabernacle on a much grander scale. It contained all the
elements of the early Tabernacle but also areas for the people to gather while the priest performed their priestly duties.
So, when the Hebrews read that Jesus was now seated in the Heavenly Tabernacle, they would have understood that the Temple in Jerusalem was now obsolete.
Hang on to that thought. The Temple would become obsolete.
And so, in verses 3 and 4, he continues on describing Jesus priestly role that he performs from heaven: SLIDE “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. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.”
I just mentioned that the Jewish Jesus believers may have been concerned that they did not have a priest and in these verses, the writer of Hebrews further addresses the concern.
Listen, he acknowledges that if Jesus were on earth, in the Temple, he would not be a priest, because according to the Law of Moses, a priest had to be from the tribe of Levi. Jesus wasn’t from the tribe of Levi, so he didn’t have the right genes.
Last name Levy – Levi
Last name Cohen, Kohen, Cohn, Kohn, Kahn – Priest
(Jesus was from the tribe of Judah).
However, Jesus does not serve as a High Priest in the same way that priests do in the Temple. It’s true that Jesus was from the wrong tribe to be a priest, which is also why he is uniquely qualified to serve as a forever priest in the Tabernacle in the heavens. Let’s look at verse 5 and 6:
SLIDE 5 They (priests in the Temple) 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] 6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
Two Main observations: SLIDE
1. The Tabernacle (Temple) on earth wasn’t the real thing. It was a copy
a. Copy is not the real thing – a copy
b. forgery
2. The Priesthood that served in the Temple was inferior to the Priesthood of Jesus. It was a shadow of what was to come.
a. A Shadow is not the real thing
b. – he’s afraid of his own shadow
c. – the idea is that your shadow is not real and it’s nothing to be afraid of
*Priesthood and the Tabernacle – Copy and Shadow. Even the Temple in Jerusalem wasn’t the “real thing”. It was a copy.
Important for Moses to build it right, because it represented the “real Tabernacle” in Heaven, but it was not in fact the real tabernacle but a replica of what existed in Heaven.
Replica in Lancaster of the OT Tabernacle – Just as it is a replica of the Biblical Tabernacle, the Biblical Tabernacle (Temple) was a replica of the Real Tabernacle in heaven.
*Jesus Priesthood vs. the Jewish priesthood
The Priest in the Temple served in a temple that is a copy. So their service is also inferior to Jesus’ ministry, because he serves in the original tabernacle. In today’s language, we would say Jesus’ priestly ministry is OG, meaning it is the real thing. It’s the original and it’s the best.
And so this brings us back to the main point that is mentioned in verse 1. The writer of Hebrews is defending the idea that what we have in Jesus is so much better than what the Jews had in their Temple and in the service of the priest.
Ultimately, Jesus has replaced the priesthood that they were familiar with and this was because God was making a new covenant with mankind and Jesus is the High Priest of the New Covenant.
SLIDE Vs. 7 – 8a – For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said[b]:
This is an incredible statement. We are told that something was wrong with the first covenant. Otherwise there would be no need for a new covenant.
Listen to verses 8 – 12 which is quoted directly from Jeremiah 31:31-34
SLIDES But God found fault with the people and said:
“The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors 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. 10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people 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. 11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘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.”
1. WHAT – New Covenant
2. WHO – Israel and Judah – just a way of saying all of the people (both kingdoms)
3. DIFFERENT – Not like the existing covenant
4. NEED – A new covenant was needed because man couldn’t keep his part of it (because they did not remain faithful to my covenant)
5. The new covenant would be on their minds and their hearts (NOT ON TABLETS OF STONE)
6. Sins are not just forgotten OR covered but they are forgiven as well (example of someone who won’t forgive but says, (“I will never forget what you did to me…)
We learn here what was wrong with the Old Covenant. It’s us. UNFAITHFUL. We can keep it.
God is faithful to keep his covenants, but we aren’t.
SLIDE
COMPARISON OF THE COVENANTS
OLD COVENANT NEW COVENANT
1. Based on law and man’s faithfulness Based on grace and God’s faithfulness
– Our performance – God’s provision
2. Mediated by Moses Mediated by Jesus
3. Involved the regular sacrifice of animals Involved the one-time sacrifice of Jesus
4. Atoned for sin temporarily Atoned for sin eternally
This is why year after year, a sacrifice was made for the sins of the people. It was the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The Priest first made a sacrifice for his own sins so he could enter the Holy of Holies and then and only then, would he dare to enter the presence of God and make a sacrifice for the sins of all the people.
This why Jesus is called, the Lamb of God. When John the Baptist saw Jesus he proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”.
Stan Kellner – Day of Atonement
SLIDE
BENEFITS OF THE NEW COVENANT
1. He will put his laws in our minds and write them on our hearts (8:10)
a. External vs. internal
b. God will transform our hearts so that we want to obey his commands – SLIDES
i. Sidebar #1: “Whenever you hear someone rationalizing sin, you can be sure, God’s law isn’t written on their heart.”
ii. Sidebar #2: “When people say they are disciples of Jesus, but they don’t obey God’s commands, you can be sure God’s law isn’t written on their heart.”
c. This is a preview of what Jesus said to Nicodemus “you must be born again”
i. Being Born Again transforms us from the inside out
ii. There is a new principle that is formed in our heart so that we can learn to obey God, not because of an outside law, but an inner principle
· We understand this principle already. How often have you heard people talk about a person when they have done wrong, even though they were raised right. We said, “he knows better”. How does he know better? Because he has been taught through words and
example in such a way that “he knows”. When we read God’s word and we follow is Jesus’ steps and we submit ourselves to him, his law is written on our hearts.
2. He will be our God, and we will be His people (8:10)
a. Everyone can know the Lord (personal relationship) – verse 11
3. He will forgive our wickedness and remember our sins no more – (8:12)
a. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
b. In the Old Covenant, sins were covered, but in the New Covenant sins are forgiven
c. Psalm 103:11-12 – “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
d. I’m sure, if you’re like me, there are some things you’ve done that you may come to God in a moment of feeling unworthy and you say, “God, do you remember when I did that …” and he answers, “No, I don’t remember”.
i. It’s not as if His memory is failing, like mine often does.
ii. God choses not to remember because as a child of God, it is forgiven and covered by the blood of Jesus.
Finally, verse 13 – “By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”
When did the Old Covenant become obsolete?
Temple destroyed in 70 AD
Last Supper – SLIDE
Luke 22:17-20 – “After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
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.”
The Old Covenant became obsolete after Jesus became the Passover Lamb and was sacrificed on an Old Rugged Cross, and his Father then raised him up on the third day and then he ascended to heaven and was given a name that was above every name and then he sat down at the right hand of the Father.
In closing, I want to use an old Hymn to paint for you a picture of what Hebrews, Chapter 8 looks like from an eternal perspective. Remember, that under the Old Covenant, the only way atonement for sin could be attained was through a sacrifice made by a priest. Now, under the New
Covenant, we have a High Priest in the heavens, seated at the right hand of God the Father who has already made atonement for us and even now, makes intercessions for us.
Here’s the greatest thought I can share with you today. JESUS PRAYS FOR YOU.
Some denominations believe that an earthly priest is needed to approach God, but I’m here to tell you that not only can you pray God, but Jesus, the holy son of God is the one who presents your prayers and petitions to God.
I Timothy 2:5-6a sums it up like this: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all”
Arise, My Soul Arise – Charles Wesley
1 Arise, my soul, arise, shake off thy guilty fears. The bleeding Sacrifice, in my behalf appears. Before the throne my surety stands, my name is written on His hands.
2 He ever lives above, for me to intercede; His all-redeeming love, His precious blood to plead, His blood atoned for all our race, and sprinkles now the throne of grace.
3 Five bleeding wounds He bears, received on Calvary; They pour effectual prayers, they strongly plead for me. “Forgive him, O, forgive,” they cry, “Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”
4 The Father hears Him pray, His dear Anointed One; He cannot turn away, the presence of His Son. His Spirit answers to the blood and tells me I am born of God.
5 My God is reconciled, His pard’ning voice I hear; He owns me for a child, I can no longer fear. With confidence I now draw nigh and “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.
Why do we pray, “In Jesus Name” – because Jesus prays to the Father for us.
HALEY COME
I realize that you may be thinking this is a nice thought, but how does it impact my life. That’s a really great question and fortunately, there is an answer.
Why would you want to hang on to an Old Covenant?
– Maybe you don’t want God’s law to be on your mind and your heart.
– Maybe you don’t want to be transformed.
– Maybe you don’t want the closeness of a relationship with God, and you just want a “distant” connection with Him.
– Maybe you want to remain in your sin
If you are part of the New Covenant, these three things are guaranteed to you:
– You will have a transformed mind and heart
– You will know the Lord (relationship, not religion)
– You will know the forgiveness and cleansing of my sins
Ask yourself, “Do I have these three things?”
If you don’t have them, you’ve never entered this covenant relationship with God.
Or, perhaps you have believed in Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and for cleansing from sin, but you’ve stopped there. You haven’t really been transformed in your mind, and your heart. You don’t really have a relationship with God. Perhaps you show up here on Sunday to fulfill a religious duty, but you haven’t really developed a relationship with God.
Whatever the case, today you can start moving toward God from exactly where you are right now. Whatever distance you have from God has been eliminated when He sent Jesus to be the sacrifice for sin. (NT Wright – How close God is to us)
Paint this picture in your mind – Even though Jesus sat down when he accomplished redemption for us on the cross, his work of mediation is still not done because he ever lives to intercede to the Father on our behalf. Here is there and today he is ready to present you to the Father.
Listen to Hebrews 7:25 – “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
Several years ago, I felt God tell me he wanted me to pray differently. Because Jesus is our intercessor, and presents our prayers to God, you will usually hear me start like this:
Our Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus…
Listen to the song
You can pray in your seat or the altar is always open in the COTN
Benediction – Hebrews 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.