Sermon: A Better Covenant

Let's pray before we open the word together this morning.

My father we are thankful.

You're a God of life. the God who grants life and pray even this morning that through this Living Word. That we would know life and know it abundantly.

We pray this in the strong name of Christ. amen Hebrews chapter 8 verses 1 through 13. This is a holy inherent sufficient word of God.

Now the point in what we are saying is this we have such a high priest one who is seated at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in heaven. a minister in the holy places and the true tint that the Lord set up. Not man. For every high priest is appointed all for gifts and sacrifices thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on Earth, he would not be a priest at all. Since there are priests who all for

gifts according to the law. They serve a copy. And Shadow of the Heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent. He was instructed by God saying see that you make everything according to the pattern. That was shown you on the mountain. But as it is Christ has obtained a Ministry that is as much more. Excellent. Than the old is the Covenant hemediates is better. Since it is acted on better promises. For if that first Covenant had been faultless there

would have been no occasion to look for a second. Free finds fault with them when he says behold. The days are coming declares the Lord when I will establish a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Not like the Covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my Covenant. So I showed no concern for them declares the

Lord. For this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days declares the Lord. I will put my law into their minds and write them on their hearts. And I will be their God. And they shall be my people. And they shall not teach each one as neighbor and each one is brother saying no the Lord for they shall all know me. from the least of them to the greatest for I will be merciful toward their iniquities.

And I will remember their sins no more. And speaking of a new covenant. He makes the old the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. the grass withers the flower Fades the word of God is forever. Thanks be to God. amen

it's a very direct beginning to this passage. Now the point in what we are saying is this Writer is saying the summary is this everything that I have so far said in the book of Hebrews leading up to this eighth chapter. It can be summarized in this one point. Everything that I'm going to say after this. All that comes after this in the book of Hebrews. It could be summarized by this one main point. And what is that one point?

We have such a high priest one who is seated at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in heaven. we have

belongs to us we have A high priest this is our high. Priest one who is different from all that have come before him. This one that is seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. He's ours. we have

first notice that our high priest is equal with the father. He's equal with the father. It's no small thing to say that he is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high. He is at his right hand. The one who is seated at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty on high the Majesty on high being God the Father. This is no small thing to say to a monotheistic people. Think about Psalm 110 which the writer of Hebrews has

quoted so many times the Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool beneath your feet. Or think about the scene and Revelation 4 that that great moment when John is caught up in a vision and he is Led Before the Throne in heaven the very throne room in heaven and he says Behold a throne stood in heaven with one seated on the throne. And around the throne were 24 elders and those 24 Elders are taking their

crowns and they're throwing them at the feet of the one who is seated upon the throne. And there are there four living creatures with eyes all around them that are around the throne. And there is thunder and there's lightning and there's the sound as if the Roaring ocean is there before the throne and you hear them calling out night and day worthy. Are you? our Lord and our God To receive glory and honor and power for

you created all things and by your will they existed and were created are high priests. Is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high. He is very God of very God.

He's equal with the father.

when you approach the father in prayer is Jesus taught us to pray Our Father Who Art in Heaven? When you approach the father in prayer in the very name of Jesus, who is very God the very God, you can approach the father with absolutely no fear.

Because the way made for you is made for you by very God of very God.

Think about that scene back in Exodus when the Israelites go to Mount Sinai and God is on the mountain and that Glory cloud and it is a picture where there is thunder and lightning and there is roaring and the Jewish people say, oh we can't go up there. Moses be a mediator Forest you go up there. But notice the scene in Revelation with John.

There's no qualm. Same scene thunder and lightning and roaring. But he can draw near why can he draw near because of the Sun? Is high priest who is very God the very God who is not only God, but he's your savior and he's your friend if you're in Christ Jesus.

It's made possible by our second Point. You'll notice our high priest accomplished all. or high priest accomplished all As he's enthroned he is seated.

Remember as we just talked about last week on Good Friday when he hung upon that cross the Lord Jesus and some of his final words on the cross to will cry out and he will say it is finished. And truly indeed it is finished. His attorney sacrifice for Sinners accomplish all it was accepted and thus he sits. Never was a high priest ever able to sit in the holy of holies because his job was never done year after year. He would have to

go back into the holy of holies to offer more sacrifices because more sacrifices were needed but not this high priest. He's entered into the very holy of holies in the heavens themselves, and he's taken a seat.

Because he's done all that was needed.

to accomplished your salvation is accomplished. It's finished.

But that leads to our third point. It's not as if he is doing nothing now. Third are high priest continues ministering above he continues Ministry and above. we've already seen that in the book of Hebrews that he is interceding for us that he is praying for those that are his how awful would be if he wasn't praying for you and I but he is and he does that the writer of Hebrews says in the true tent that is the true Temple that is

above the one that is set up by God not the one that was set up by man here on Earth. And the writer of Hebrews and offers a little argument for these Jewish Christians and verses 3 through 5. He says look if Jesus Christ is a high priest. Oh. I'll deal with the question that you're asking. Well, why isn't he ministering down here? If he's such a high priest, why isn't he ministering here in the author's point would be is is that he

wouldn't be a priest down here. Not according to the levitical law. As we looked at previous weeks. Jesus was not from the tribe of Levi. He was from the tribe of Judah. And so it's as if the writer of Hebrews is saying you silly Jewish Christians don't you know? The tent or the Tabernacle or the temple here it was but a shadow. It was but a copy of the very meeting place with God in heaven. This down here is the inferior. It's a copy the above

the superior because it is the substance. There is no need for him on Earth. There were plenty of priests who could offer sacrifices on Earth, but there is only one priest who could enter the reality in heaven and offer a true lasting sacrifice. And that is Jesus. He's above. And there in that true tent of meeting he ministers on our behalf. He has a ministry as a writer says that his quote is as much more excellent than the old as the

Covenant. He mediates is better. It's so good to be on this side of the Redemption of Christ. Remember when Jesus said he said Abraham long to see my day. It's so good to be on this side of the Redemption of Christ.

His ministry and the Covenant he mediates as much more. Excellent.

chuckled how the ESV tries to communicate that much more. Excellent. You're trying to grab the sense of the Greek text there where the author of Hebrews he's just multiplying adjectives there. It'd be like a child that comes to their mom and says Mommy you're the most beautifulest gorgeous pretty woman who has ever lived.

It's clumsy. it's a little bit silly but But you understand. And that's what the writer of Hebrews is saying. It is much more. Excellent. we have we have high priest whose better than old and the Covenant that he mediates the New Covenant the Fulfillment of the Covenant in the scriptures is for better. It is as the writer says in verse 6 enacted on better promises. And so that's what I want to do. Look at in the last part of the sermon. I

want to look at this new covenant. We're gonna tackle the New Covenant especially when we get to chapter 9 and we'll spend a lot more time on it. But what I want to do this morning is look at what he says about the New Covenant these better promises. That it's enacted upon. So you have this better high priest who is the mediator of this better Covenant and this better Covenant is enacted upon better promises and he gives us three of

them. Notice, he says I will establish a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. There's one God there's one Savior and there is one people of God. He doesn't make a covenant with a new people. He still calls them Israel in the New Covenant members of the New Covenant are grafted into the new Israel. As Paul will make very clear in Romans 11 Gentiles are grafted in most of us in this room are Gentiles you've been

grafted in. To Israel Israel is the Church of the old Covenant and the church is the Israel of the New Covenant if your faith is in Christ this morning, we as members of the church today are His People Israel. He does not make a new people. There is no parentheses in history as some theologians will tell you one people of God As One Theologian said he renews and he expands his people in Christ one people across time one savior across

time one. God across time one people across time. one

now why the did God make a New Covenant? Why does he call it new?

Covenant is making a pledge with attendant blessings and cursings attached to it. We could say it's a binding argument or binding agreement. And the author says in verse 7 that the old Covenant had Folds. Not that there was something wrong with it, but rather it was something the nation of Israel could not keep verse 9 they did not continue in my Covenant and he's speaking specifically about that old Covenant the Mosaic Covenant

as he talks about leading them out of the land of Egypt here. The people of Israel time and again when chasing after other gods and they broke the Covenant time and time again. the most poignant illustrations God gives of this is Hosea and Gomer in the Old Testament at least in my mind. where God commands Hosea that Prophet to go out and to get himself a wife and He tells him that his wife is to be Gomer a woman who is truly unworthy to be

a wife of a prophet a prostitute a woman. Unclean. A woman who is given herself to others. The woman who had nothing to recommend her as a wife. And so it was true of Israel. the people of God they were unclean they'd worshiped other gods. They had nothing to recommend them as the chosen ones of God and yet yet God still took them and he still made them his own.

You often hear people say that? The old Covenant is all law and no Grace. No, it's all Grace it began in Grace in a continued in Grace.

Hosea took Gomer in and he made her his wife he provided for her. He nurtured her he loved her and yet time and again, she would lead the safety. She would leave the provision of his love and she would run off with other men doing that which should not be done.

And so God says through this living illustration. Israel has done this to me time and time again.

the broken the Covenant All that he called her from and all that he provided for and yet time and time again. She would go whoring after other lovers. Writer says in verse 9 for they did not continue in my Covenant and so I showed no concern for them declares the Lord they broke the Covenant by their sin violating at time and again, and so the nation was defeated time and again and will eventually be carried off indexile.

The old Covenant was less. Excellent. It was faulty. The writer says in verse 7. Not that it had error. But rather the people of Israel were unable to fulfill it. The Covenant itself was good. The law itself was good, but it was made up of external laws and external rituals. And the people of Israel as Jeremiah will say in Jeremiah 17. They had deceitful hearts. All men are born in this world would deceitful Hearts. The heart is deceitful Above All Else

and desperately sick and so they could not keep that law.

The New Covenant is better. Why? Because it has as he says in verse 6 better promises three better promises. Of the New Covenant that our mediator our high priest mediates first. The promise of the New Covenant is that it is internal. It's internal. He says in verse 10. I will put my law into their minds and write them on their hearts. The old Covenant gave the law to the people but not the ability to obey it. They couldn't do it. They have the

truth. They possessed it externally, but as Jeremiah points out and that chapter 17 right before chapter 31, the heart is deceitful above all else but in the New Covenant God places his law within a man or within a woman. He writes it on her hearts. He writes it upon our minds. That is he regenerates Us by the power of the spirit that is that he has poured out upon the New Testament Church. And he takes that Heart of Stone.

And he turns it into a heart of Flesh.

born again

hearts are made new. Second Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. The old has passed away behold. The new has come. It's internal. Steven Myers said God will literally rewrite the hearts of his people.

This is a far better promise.

Remember the first time it occurred to me about this I was in college went to college as an atheist. Had sat under the preached word for a number of months and I was on my dorm floor and I was down at the room of a fellow student on my floor and was in his room and I had brand new Red Wing boots. I loved them. And this other guy in that room as a room filled with probably 15. Guys in this room. Just Hamming it up. And one of those guys stepped on my new pair of

Red Wing boots. And jokingly I pushed him. Well, he didn't find it funny. And he came back and he launched into me. And I went flying across the room.

And I stood up and I pulled back. my arm with a clinched fist and I would have punched him in middle school or High School. But a thought went across my mind.

Jesus wouldn't have me punch him. And all those boys were standing around and they were jeering me punch him punch him. Remember putting my hand down walking out of the room to them cat calling me and making fun of me and walking down the whole to my dorm room, and I had a smile on my face. As I was walking down the hole because I kept thinking. I think I might be a Christian.

Change my heart. changes the heart

with this law written upon your heart you begin to do what you never wanted to. And you stop doing what you found, so pleasurable though sinful before.

Are you still laugh at the boy in high school? That would carry his Bible to every class with him. And now in college I was carrying it to every class with me so I could just steal way a few minutes to read before class started. I should think it was crazy. A Christians would spend Sunday mornings at church. And now I couldn't get enough of going to church and worshiping give me morning. Give me evening. Give me afternoon.

I hated the fact that Christians felt the need to continually tell people about Christ. That's good for you stick to it, but you don't have to keep talking to me about now. I couldn't help but tell friends and family about it.

He writes it on her Minds. Begin to think after him. He writes it in our hearts. We begin to desire after him he works within us. That makes the New Covenant Superior.

May think but I don't desire as I should.

I don't hate sin as I should. Well, welcome to the club of all Christians. That's true of all of us. But here's the promise of God you began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus. Notice how Paul begins that he who began. You don't arrive at Christ's perfected the laws written upon your mind. It's written upon your heart, but it's not as if you are perfected in a moment. He who began a good work in you

and it's in you. He will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus. That is as John says you will become like him because you shall see him as he is. There will be one day that that which is written upon your mind and written upon your heart that which you have embraced but not fully and holy in every way in this life. You will in the next. And you will sin no more.

a New Covenant to Superior second we see a greater promise and the new and that he will forgive our sins and forget our sins forever more verse 12 for I will be merciful toward their iniquities and I will remember their sins know more what an incredible promise.

If a God who forgives our sin. Forgets our sins if we can say it that way.

Here's forgiveness that carries with it. No charge. It is complete. full unsullied forgiveness

as word that's used for merciful here. The root word of that word is the same word that is used to speak about the mercy seat and the holy of holies. Where that high priest would go into the holy of holies, and he would sprinkle The Blood On The Mercy Seat. With Jesus has gone into the holy of holies. This blood has been shed. And so God is everlastingly merciful towards you if you are in Christ.

Such forgiveness that our sin has never brought back up. It never bubbles to the surface again to be held against us.

You've experienced this maybe. With a sibling maybe with a friend maybe with a child maybe with a spouse. Where you have sinned against them? Maybe even committed a pattern of sin and they forgave you. And yet it comes out in conversation often in a heated conversation. It's wielded as a weapon not with God

or maybe subconsciously you find that those close to you are a little more reserved with you because of something that you did or something that you left undone. now with God

There are also sins committed in the past that you are unaware of. time that you injured someone

and they bring it up years later. You didn't even know about it.

Had this happened just a few months ago to me. I had a Ruling Elder a call me or he texted me first or shot me an email and said Jason can we have a phone call? I said, yes be happy to and set up a phone call and he told me on the phone call. This was a man. I served with 18 years ago.

He told me for 18 years. He's been carrying around pain. Because of something I said to him. I don't remember saying it. I'm sure I did.

pray 18 years

and it comes out of nowhere. I'm glad he cold. I'm glad he told me so I could ask for forgiveness. But with God, there will be no surprises brought up from the past.

not with God

I will be merciful. Toward them iniquities and I will remember their sins no more. Psalm 103 as far as the East is from the West so far. Does he remove or transgressions from us?

The old Covenant was not bad. But the New Covenant is so much better. The old has become as the writer says obsolete because Christ is fulfilled everything it pointed to And that leads to our third and final better promise of the new and it is this he will be our God and love us forever. He will be our God and love us forever. in Christ in Christ, we're told verse 10. God will be our God and we shall be his people Forever This Covenant can't be

broken. In Jeremiah 31 the passage that all of these verses are quoted from God says in verse 3 of Jeremiah 31. I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore I've continued my faithfulness to you. It's an everlasting love. He says in verse 36. God says in the New Covenant if this fixed order departs meaning the sun and the moon and the stars if this fixed order departs from before me declares the Lord then shall The Offspring of Israel cease.

He says in verse 37 of chapter 37 of Jeremiah if the heavens can be measured in the foundations of the earth below can be explored. Then I will cast off all The Offspring of Israel. It's God's way of saying to you and I in the New Covenant it's impossible. It can't happen. This Covenant can't be broken. You can never be thrown off. You can never be abandoned.

Do you know that Christian?

Do you know that?

That pursues us to the end and he keeps us to the end.

See in the New Covenant like Gomer we can go astray and God just keeps chasing after us.

It's better. He does not and he will not abandon.

Listen, there are times Grant you this there are times. And there are entire seasons. And it feels as if he's abandoned us.

his rays of goodness and Grace don't seem to fall on us in the same way as they did yesterday.

some of you no doubt are there this morning?

It just feels distant.

Isn't feel quite as near.

It's goodness is a long ago felt reality, but not a present reality. Sometimes not all the times. Sometimes that's because of our sin.

Like clouds that fill the sky lessen the experience of the Sun's light and heat so our sin can Cloud over our lives. And we experience less of God's goodness and Grace. And some of you are there this morning.

But understand his rays of goodness and grace are still aimed at you.

son never stops Shining He never stops generating heat and I mean that light and heat at the Earth it illumines. And so God never stops being full of goodness and Grace and he never stops aiming it at his people just sometimes our sin clouds over the atmosphere.

There are other times though. Through no fault of our own we've experienced it. hard day a hard season a hard Providence

We can't understand it. We don't. Understand why this is occurred or that hasn't occurred. We search ourselves and we say like David there's no one repentant sin that I'm aware of.

And so it just appears that God in this Providence has brought a dark day.

Maybe a dark week or a dark month. Maybe dark years.

And it can feel as though he has left us. And he is abandoned us that he's forsaken us Covenant with his people.

But it's not true. It can't be true. Because he's bound himself by Covenant oath. It's impossible as the writer of Hebrews said for him to lie. What goes through my mind in Seasons like that is with the the reformers used to often say as a battle cry during the Reformation post-ten a breast locks. light after Darkness just a matter of time.

light comes because it's always aimed at his people.

the New Covenant guarantees this

God is good. And he does not abandons people you can take that to the bank.

Not sure if you saw this week. that our sister Church Covenant Presbyterian Nashville Tennessee at the school attached to it and were those young lives were murdered and as adults were murdered. the Covenant School gathered together for the very first time on Monday for Chapel. They gathered their Covenant Presbyterian Church for Chapel. And draw all of these dark days over these last couple of weeks.

Right in front of the chapel door the sanctuary door these beautiful doors that go in. The Covenant Presbyterian Church there they're all getting ready to walk in and in the sky right in front of that door. Need to look it up if you haven't seen it. There is the most glorious bright full rainbow you've ever seen.

is God a promise

he doesn't forget his Covenant people.

If you are his you're his forever. I will be their God and they shall be my people will shall. Do Christian in the New Covenant? He has loved you with an everlasting love.

It's your hardest boss. So wonderfully said I think better than oh anywhere I've ever read it. He said this the best proof. That he will never cease to love us lies in that. He never began.

What we are for him and what he is for us belongs to the realm of Eternal values without this we are nothing in it. We have all

he never began to love you.

He's always loved you. If you were in Christ. So he'll never stop.

It's a promise of the New Covenant. It's a better Covenant. with a better mediator a better high priest let's pray.

Our Father we are thankful.

Oh, but not as thankful as we should be. We are thankful.

for the blessings of the New Covenant for a high priest that has secured it for us. We've now mediates it on our behalf. And that we are on this side. of his coming as the great high priest who offered himself for sinners

Thank you for being such a merciful loving. gracious God to Center such as us May we rejoice? The glory of you are God in the glory of our Salvation today. And if there are any that do not know it today. Pray that you would pour out your spirit upon them that that Heart of Stone might become a heart to flesh and that you might write your law upon their minds and their hearts forevermore. in Christ's name amen