This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Hebrews-13 Christ's Covenant...New-Never Obsolete – Daily Wisdom
/:“Christ’s Covenant…New, Never Obsolete”
Hebrews 8:1-13
As we continue our extended series through the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, we compared the Levitical and Melchizedekian priesthood last week. We saw that Jesus Christ established a perfect and permanent priesthood as our Great High Priest.
This week we move beyond to the New Covenant that Christ brings to us. The New Testament, or New Covenant, is the Good News, commonly called the Gospel.
on page:1 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.
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. 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. 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] 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.
7 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[b]:
“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.”[c]
13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
ed working with technology in:
That’s the problem with technology. We clamber for the latest gadget or upgrade, enjoy being “cutting edge” for a few months, and then find ourselves carrying around outdated or obsolete technology. I remember when color TV was the hot item. Then it was big-screen TVs. Then LED flat screen. Then plasma. Soon, it will be augmented and virtual reality that we wear like glasses.
Everything seems to become obsolete—everything artificial, human, or earthly. Anything made out of, or dependent on, breakable parts, corruptible materials, or changing conditions will eventually break down, deteriorate, or become irrelevant. No wonder our Savior wisely warned us, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.” (Matt. 6:19). Anything subject to change or corruption is not worthy of our trust.
Old Testament prophecy (Jer.:
8:1–2
Summing up in a sort of bullet-point fashion the major subjects treated thus far, the author of Hebrews begins, “Now the main point of what we are saying is this” (8:1):
We have a great High Priest who is greater than those of the old covenant. (8:1)
Our High Priest sits in the heavens at the right hand of God. (8:1)
He ministers in the true Tabernacle made by God, not man. (8:2)
The phrase “the True Tabernacle” is not meant to contrast something genuine with something counterfeit, as if the old, earthly Tabernacle in which the Levitical priests performed sacrifices was false. Instead, the term refers to the reality behind a copy or representation. Just as a photograph of my family is merely a visual representation of my real, flesh-and-blood family, (G&P Picture), the earthly Tabernacle, and earthly priesthood represent the real, heavenly Tabernacle and heavenly priesthood.
Where did this heavenly Tabernacle come from? The author says the Lord Himself “pitched” that Tabernacle. Like the earthly realm, the heavenly realm is a creation of God. But whereas the earthly Tabernacle—the holy “tent of meeting,” which initially hosted Levitical priests and their sacrificial worship—was put up and taken down by human hands (Exod. 33:7; Josh. 18:1), the heavenly Tabernacle was erected by God himself. As such, while the earthly Tabernacle was self-evidently a temporary dwelling, the heavenly Tabernacle was designed to be permanent.
8:3–6
he saw on the mountain (Exod.:Just as a shadow is cast by something of real substance, the old covenant rituals represent a more significant reality behind them. Suppose Jesus is serving as a High Priest. In that case, He must have something to offer—“gifts and sacrifices” (Heb. 8:3). But these can’t be the same as those shown in the earthly sanctuary established under Moses—the blood of animals offered on a physical altar. Had Jesus’ priestly ministry been established in the earthly copy rather than in the heavenly original, He wouldn’t even have qualified to be a priest (8:4). Jesus wasn’t from the tribe of Levi and, therefore, couldn’t offer gifts in that old covenant system “prescribed by the law” (8:4).
In 8:6, the problem is resolved. Christ is a high priest and offers “both gifts and sacrifices” (8:3), but not in the earthly Tabernacle according to the old covenant Law established by Moses. Instead, Jesus “is superior to the old one” as the eternal High Priest in a heavenly tabernacle. Logically, Christ’s “new covenant is established on better promises” (8:6).
8:7–13
The logic of the author’s argument in Hebrews 8:6 is powerful and compelling:
Christ is superior in His person and work because …
He has a ministry superior to that of the old covenant priesthood because …
He is the Mediator of a covenant superior to the old covenant because …
His new covenant was established on superior promises.
At this point in the argument, /however, /the final assertion/—upon which everything rests/—requires a biblical defense. The Jewish Christians who were the original audience of this letter were likely being wooed by unbelieving Jews who were completely loyal to their rabbis’ teachings and fervently dedicated to preserving the Mosaic covenant—including its sacrifices and priesthood. Any challenge to this system would be the target of criticism and attack. Therefore, if the author of Hebrews asserted that there had been a change in covenants with the coming of the Messiah, and if he stated that this new covenant is superior to the old, he would need to back this up with solid Scripture to prove his point.
THE NATURE OF BIBLICAL COVENANTS
HEBREWS 8:6–13
We don’t have to read far into the opening pages of the Bible before we discover that God deals with His people through covenants. Bible scholars have often designated the God-ordained covenants as either “conditional” or “unconditional,” indicating the degree to which humans were responsible for keeping part of the deal.
Himself to its promises (Gen.: ;: tes extensively from Jeremiah:Using the author’s quote from Jeremiah 31, Hebrews 8:10–12 gives at least four ways the new covenant is superior to the old, thus rendering the old covenant obsolete with its laws, priesthood, Tabernacle, and sacrifices. (Bulletin Insert)
First, the new covenant offers internal motivation and power instead of external lists (Heb. 8:10). The old covenant, with hundreds of commandments, statutes, and ordinances, was addressed to a people with hard, unregenerate hearts. They were obligated to keep the stipulations of this covenant whether they felt like it or not. The motivations to obey were external consequences in the form of rewards for obedience and punishments for disobedience (Deut. 28). In stark contrast, however, the new covenant involves an internal transformation by which the laws are written on people’s hearts. Submission to God and His will comes as a result of faith and love, not fear of judgment.
speaks to a friend” (Exod.: cision of the heart” (Deut.:Fourth, the new covenant emphasizes forgiveness and mercy instead of failure and wrongdoing (Heb. 8:12). The iniquities and sins that—without the sacrificial system—separated an unholy, guilty people from a holy, perfect God was no basis for an eternal relationship. When you read the history of Israel under the old covenant, it seems that if it wasn’t one step forward and two steps back, it was two steps forward followed by a stumble and fall! In contrast, the new covenant erases the sin and guilt of God’s people once and for all time. Through the work of Christ, they are the recipients of His mercy and grace … and their sins will never be brought to mind.
All of these striking marks of the superiority of the new covenant over the old send a clear and compelling message: The new covenant renders the old covenant “obsolete” (8:13). Though the priesthood and sacrificial system were still in operation at the time the letter to the Hebrews was written, the inauguration of the new covenant through the coming of the Messiah meant that the old covenant was “growing old” and was “ready to disappear.” It would disappear in a most dramatic, violent manner when the Roman army destroyed the temple and ended its sacrifices during the Jewish revolt in AD 70. (Picture in the bulletin, the contrast between the Old Covenant and the New Testament)
APPLICATION: HEBREWS 8:1–13
The Good News of the New Covenant - Bulletin
The good news of the superior new covenant starkly contrasts with the bad news of our sinfulness revealed by the old covenant Law. The bad news is that every one of us has made a mess of our lives and has fallen short of the glory of God, For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Rom. 3:23). The Law functions as a mirror to reveal our sins (Large Mirror), but it can only condemn. It can’t cleanse. Only Jesus, the Mediator of a better covenant, can take away the stains of sin revealed by the Law. That’s the powerful, superior grace and mercy of the new covenant that the tablets of the Law could never accomplish. Let’s take another look at the four ways in which the new covenant is superior to the old, asking how these wonderful truths apply to each of us personally.
First, because the new covenant provides motivation and power, we can have confidence that God’s Spirit within us can overcome our weaknesses and inadequacies. We remember that trusting and obeying Him isn’t done in our own fleshly strength. God works in us to shape our desires and accomplish what He wills (Phil. 2:12–13). We’re not asked to conjure up halfhearted obedience performed with a begrudging grin, but God himself produces spiritual fruit through His abiding Spirit—“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.” (Gal. 5:22–23). We love and obey Him from a transformed heart, giving Him glory, honor, and thanks.
Second, because the new covenant is based on a close relationship with Him, we can embrace God as our heavenly Father and fellowship with Him as our ever-present friend. If you’ve ever felt afraid of God and kept your distance from Him, remember that He’s your Father, and you are His child. Even when we stumble and fall, He wants to take us under His wing, restore, nurture, and protect us. As a Father, he may correct us and discipline us, but He doesn’t smite us. As a friend, He encourages and comforts us and never destroys or abandons us.
Third, because the new covenant provides confidence and assurance, we can cast aside our doubts and uncertainties regarding assurance of salvation and our place in His family. If you’ve doubted, with trembling knees, whether you’re worthy enough to be His, stop! None of us is worthy, but He has invited us into His family forever—not based on our worthiness, but on the worthiness of His Son. We are not mere visitors in God’s house but permanent members of God’s family. We’re not tourists in His kingdom, but joint-heirs with the King (Rom. 8:16–17).
Fourth, because the new covenant emphasizes forgiveness and mercy, we can always turn to Him for both. If you’re in a prison of guilt, God’s promise of forgiveness provides the key to freedom. If you’re stuck in the ups and downs of a cycle of sin and repentance, know that God’s mercy is always there to pick you up, set you on solid ground, and motivate you to continue the struggle against temptation and sin. Mercy means God withholds the punishment we deserve. Forgiveness means He sets us free from the guilt and consequences of sin. Grace means He gives us what we don’t deserve: spiritual blessings now and the promise of eternal life with Him in the remade, new global Eden.
This is the Good News of the New Covenant.
Next week, we will continue our adventure through Hebrews as we focus on the Reformation of Conscience in a message titled “May I Speak to your Conscience, Please” So please read Hebrews 9:1-14 in preparation for next week.