Hebrews 8

 

March 2, 2008

 

Hebrews 8:1-13 says:

 

1The 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, 2and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.

 3Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5They 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] 6But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.

 7For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8But God found fault with the people and said[b]:
   "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.
 9It 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.
 10This 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.
 11No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
      or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,'
   because they will all know me,
      from the least of them to the greatest.
 12For I will forgive their wickedness
      and will remember their sins no more."[c]

 13By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

NOTES:

·        JESUS’ PAST SACRIFICE ENABLES HIM TO BE OUR HIGH PREIST AND HELP US TODAY.

·         

·        Jesus paid the price to be our high priest.

·         

·        Jesus’ sacrifice surpasses the Old Testament sacrifices which were offered in the earthly sanctuary.

 

·        His sacrifice also surpasses the Old Testament sacrifices because it is based on the better promises founded in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and quoted in 8:7-13

 

·        The preacher’s main point is that we do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.

 

CHAPTER 8 INSIGHTS:

 

1)     JESUS SITS IN THE PLACE OF AUTHORITY AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD BECAUSE HE EARNED IT AS THE FAITHFUL HIGH PREIST – ONE DAY WE WILL SIT WITH HIM BECAUSE OF GOD’S AMAZING MERCY. Vs. 1-2

 

THE TABERNACLE EXPLAINED:

 

·        The outer section of the earthly tabernacle which Moses constructed was the holy place where the priest normally ministered.

 

·        A second or inner section of this tabernacle was the most holy place where in some sense God’s presence dwelt.

 

·        If the preacher believes in a two part heavenly tabernacle then the sanctuary of this verse designates the inner of those two parts, the heavenly most holy place where God actually dwells.

 

·        If so, then the true tabernacle could be the outer of those two parts, the heavenly holy place through which one must pass to enter the most holy place.

 

·        The true tabernacle could be a reference to the entire heavenly tabernacle encompassing both holy place and most holy place.

 

·        The NIV is correct in taking the sanctuary, the true tabernacle as one single reality.

 

·        Heaven does not have two compartments.

 

·        When Christ sat down at the Father’s right hand He entered “heaven itself”. 9:24

 

·        The earthly tabernacle had two compartments in an indication that access to God was not open under the Old Covenant.

 

·        Only the high priest could ever go beyond the first compartment.

 

·        But now, since God has opened the way for all, there is no point in an “outer compartment” in heaven.

 

·        This heavenly sanctuary in 8:2 is the place where God dwells, the reality pictured by the most holy place of the earthly tabernacle.

 

·        The earthly tabernacle was only a copy; therefore the preacher never calls it the true tabernacle.

 

·        The heavenly sanctuary is the place where God really dwells.

 

·        Its reality is demonstrated by the fact that it was set up by the Lord himself without the agency of man.

 

·        It is indeed equivalent to the God-established permanent city (11:9-10) or heavenly homeland (11:13-16; 12:22-24).

 

·        There God’s people find true eternal “rest” in his presence (4:1-11).

 

·        In more contemporary terms, we might say that Christ’s sacrifice belongs to a different dimension, to the dimension of the eternal, not temporal.

 

·        If a person is a high priest at all, he has been appointed by God to offer both gifts and sacrifices.

 

·        The phrase gifts and sacrifices is a comprehensive term that includes the various kinds of Old Testament sacrifices.

 

·        Offering sacrifice describes by definition, what it means to be a high priest.

 

·        The sacrifice that Christ offers is not the same kind of sacrifice that the Aaronic priest offered!

 

·        This truth is implied by the 8:4 “If he were on earth, instead of on heaven, he would not be a priest of the Aaronic order at all, much less a high priest, for there are already those who offer the gifts prescribed by the Mosaic law.

 

·        The difference between the sacrifice becomes clearer when we read V. 5 “they serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow sanctuary”.

 

·        The earthly tabernacle Moses established mirrored the true approach to God in heaven, but only in a shadow way.

 

·        It was only a copy.

 

2. THE KINGDOM OF GOD THAT WE SEE WITH OUR PHYSICAL EYES IS JUST AN INFERIOR COPY OF THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM TO COME. V. 5

 

·        AS WITHIN SO IS WITHOUT – AS IS IN HEAVEN, SO IS BELOW.

 

·         MORE TIMES THAN NOT, THE WORLD IS JUST AN OUTWARD COPY OF WHAT IS INSIDE OF YOU.

 

·        V. 5 – “SEE TO IT THAT YOU MAKE EVERYTHING ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN”.

 

·        God authorized the making of this copy but also indicated its inferiority to the heavenly original by referring to it as a copy. V. 5

 

3. JESUS CAME TO GIVE A BETTER SACRIFICE WITH BETTER PROMISES IN A NEW COVENANT. V. 6-12

 

Jeremiah 31:31-34 says:

31 "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.

 32 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 broke my covenant,
       though I was a husband to [a] them, [b] "
       declares the LORD.

 33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
       after that time," declares the LORD.
       "I will put my law in their minds
       and write it on their hearts.
       I will be their God,
       and they will be my people.

 34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
       or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
       because they will all know me,
       from the least of them to the greatest,"
       declares the LORD.
       "For I will forgive their wickedness
       and will remember their sins no more."

The New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant in that:

1) God’s laws will become inner principles that enable his people to delight in doing His will. V. 10a

Ezekiel 36:26-27 says:

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Romans 8:2-4 says:

 

2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature,[a] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.[b] And so he condemned sin in sinful man,[c] 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

2) God and his people will have intimate fellowship. V. 10b

3) Sinful ignorance of God will be removed forever.  V. 11

4) Forgiveness of sins will be an everlasting reality. V. 12

·        They are better because they promise that God will cleanse and change people’s hearts.

 

“I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.”

 

·        As a result, God’s people will have true access to and fellowship with Him. “I will be their God, and they will be my people”.

 

·        This last statement describes the goal of the Old Covenant which God has now achieved in the new.

 

Exodus 19:5-6 says:

 

5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you [a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."

 

·        That God made better promises implies that something was wrong with the Old Covenant.

 

·        God himself sought an occasion to establish another covenant.

 

·        The promises God gave in this passage from Jeremiah show His intention and plan to establish another covenant.

 

·        It was God Himself who found fault with the first covenant by promising the new.

 

·        God finds fault with the first covenant by finding fault with the behavior of the people under that covenant…THEY DID NOT REMAIN FAITHFUL TO MY COVENANT.

 

·        This problem points to the great strength of the New Covenant.

 

4. UNDER THE NEW COVENANT, GOD’S GRACE ENABLES HIS PEOPLE TO BE FAITHFUL TO HIM.

 

·        WHEREAS GUILT AND CONDEMNATION THROW A PERSON BACK INTO THE SHAME - SIN CYCLE, GOD’S GRACE EMPOWERS THE CHRISTIAN TO REPENT AND LIVE AN OBEDIENT LIFE.

 

Romans 2:1-4 says:

 

 1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

 

5. THE NEW COVENANT IS BETTER THAN THE OLD BECAUSE IT PROMISES LASTING FORGIVENESS OF SIN. V12

 

1 John 1:8-9 says:

8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

6. THE OLD COVENANT OF WORKS IS OBSOLETE FOR SALVATION AND SANCTIFICATION BECAUSE IT RELIES ON PEOPLE WHEREAS THE NEW COVENANT RELIES UPON JESUS WHO IS PERFECTLY GOD. Vs. 1-13

 

·        It is obsolete because God has a New Covenant that is updated and improved like WINDOWS 2008.

 

·        Now that Christ has come, the soon of the future has become the “now” of the present.

 

·        THE NEW COVENANT IS BETTER BECAUSE GOD WILL LIVE INSIDE OF THE BELIEVER THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE MIND OF CHRIST.

 

John 16:12-15 says:

12"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

 

1 Corinthians 2:16 says:

 

 16"For who has known the mind of the Lord
      that he may instruct him?"[a] But we have the mind of Christ.

 Luke 17 says:

20Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within[b] you."

 

·        Whereas the Old Covenant consisted of following external rules, the New Covenant consists of following the inward guidance and conviction of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of the believer.

 

·        Whereas the Old Covenant required a priest to communicate to God on my behalf…The New Covenant guarantees that I can communicate to God directly through listening to the Holy Spirit and through praying in the power of the Spirit.

 

·        Whereas the Old Testament was less than perfect because it relied on the obedience of imperfect men, the New Covenant is perfect because it relies solely on the obedience of Jesus the High Priest.

 

7. THE NEW SACRIFICE JESUS GAVE ENSURES THAT THERE IS  NO SEPARATION BETWEEN THE CHRISTIAN AND GOD – GOD NOW LIVES INSIDE OF THE BELIEVER BY FAITH THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Vs. 1-13

 

QUESTION: IF THE CHRISTIAN HAS THE MIND OF CHRIST AND THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVING WITHIN AND THEY ARE NO LONGER SEPARATED FROM GOD, THEN WHY DO SO MANY CHRISTIANS STRUGGLE TO HEAR FROM GOD?

 

1) TO HEAR GOD’S VOICE – YOU MUST HURT/DESIRE ENOUGH THAT YOU WANT TO….IN OTHER WORDS, MY HEART MUST BE SOFT AND OPEN BEFORE GOD WILL SPEAK.

 

Ephesians 1:15-22 says:

 

7I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,

 

2) TO HEAR GOD’S VOICE, YOU MUST BE STILL AND SILENT ENOUGH TO LISTEN ACCURATELY.

 

Psalm 46:10 says:

 

 10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
       I will be exalted among the nations,
       I will be exalted in the earth."

3) TO HEAR GOD’S VOICE, YOU MUST READ GOD’S WORD ON A DAILY BASIS.

 

Hebrews 4:12-14 says:

 

12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

 

4) TO HEAR GOD’S VOICE, YOU MUST MAKE THE TIME AND ASK GOD TO SPEAK TO YOU.

 

James 1:5 says:

5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

5) TO HEAR GOD’S VOICE, YOU MUST PAY ATTENTION IN THE PRESENT AND DISCIPLINE YOUR MIND NOT TO WANDER BACK TO THE PAST IN SHAME OR NOT TO WANDER TO THE FUTURE IN ANXIETY.

 

Philippians 4:4-8 says:

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.