THE NEW COVENANT
Hebrews 8:1 – 9:28

Introduction:     Verse one of chapter eight opens with the words, "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum…" The author is telling us that it is time for a review. He wants us to pause and remember why he is writing this letter. What is its purpose, its theme? If you will recall, we stated in the beginning of this study that the writer has but one goal throughout this letter: to emphasize the superior person, position, and performance of Christ. He does this to show that the salvation experience we have in Christ surpasses that which was offered under the Law. In the Old Testament, God gave to the Jews a religion with sacrifices and laws. But these were just a shadow – pictures of the relationship God would establish with men through the sacrifice of Christ. Because the Old Testament ordinances were given as types, or pictures, they stressed what was outward (or visible) and were based upon earthly observances. Because we posses the real thing, our covenant stresses that which is inward and is based upon things heavenly. We are not ministered to by a priest serving in a tent upon the earth, but by Jesus Christ – the Son of God – serving from the Father’s right hand, a minister of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. In these two chapters, the author compares the old covenant God made with Israel (the Law) and the new covenant He has made with the Christian. He tells us that the New Covenant is superior because it is established on a better promise, executed in a better sanctuary, and endures because of a better sacrifice.

I.          ESTABLISHED ON A BETTER - PROMISE (8:6-13)

A.        The Demand For A New Covenant (vv.6-9)

·        The old covenant was not faultless  (v.7)

The old covenant refers to more than just the Ten Commandments. It included all the ordinances that were delivered to Moses on Mt. Sinai . (See Exodus 20-31) The word "faultless" means without defect. The old covenant was defective in two ways: (1) It was only an example and shadow of the salvation God had promised (8:5). (2) It exposed the unrighteousness of men, but it could not make them righteous. At this point, it is tempting to ask, "Then why did God make this covenant if it couldn’t meet man’s need?" The answer to that question is found in Galatians 3:19 –24. If there had been a religious system that could have provided righteousness and solved the problem of sin, this was it. But it couldn’t, and that was never its purpose. It was given to keep before men their need of a Savior until Christ came.

·        The people of the old covenant were not faithful (vv.8-9)

Under the old covenant, God’s blessings were conditional upon obedience. At Sinai, the people understood this and promised Moses, "All the words which the Lord hath said will we do" (Ex. 24:3) When the people failed to keep their part of the covenant, God withheld his blessings and regarded not the people. God’s response to the people’s disobedience was not to cast them off, but to promise to establish a new covenant with them based upon better promises.

B.         The Design Of The New Covenant (vv.10-13)

(Note: vv.10-12 are quoted from Jer.31:31-34)

·        An inward experience of regeneration - God would write His law upon their hearts, imparting a new nature.

·        An individual, personal relationship with the Lord – Each person would know the Lord.

·        A promise of eternal reconciliation (v. 12)

Under the Old Covenant, each new sacrifice reminded the people that their sin still separated them from God and barred them from His presence. Under the New Covenant, sin is put away forever and the door to heaven thrown wide open.

II.         EXECUTED IN A BETTER SANCTUARY (9:1-12)

The Earthly Tabernacle (vv.1-10)

A.     Its Sections (vv.1-5)

·        The Sanctuary – the place of the candlestick, the table, and the showbread.

·        The Holiest of All – housing the Ark of the Covenant.

·        Separating these two was the veil – a thick curtain reminding God’s people that the way to God was not yet clear.

B.     Its Service (vv.6-7)

·        Each day the priests would enter the sanctuary to perform the services God had prescribed for them – trimming the lamps, offering incense, and, on the Sabbath, replacing the bread.

·        Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest alone would enter the Holiest of All to sprinkle blood upon the mercy seat. He first sprinkled the blood of a bull for his own sins. (Leviticus 16:11) He then sprinkled the blood of a goat for the sins of the people. (Leviticus 16:15)

C.     Its Significance (vv.8-10)

·        It was typical, a picture of the broken relationship between God and man, that the way into the Holiest of All had not yet been revealed (vv.8-9).

·        It was temporal, occupied with external rituals and ceremonies, but never dealing with man’s real problem of indwelling sin (v.10a).

·        It was temporary, given until the time of reformation – the time when God would make all things new and solve the problem of sin forever.

The Heavenly Tabernacle – verses 11-12

A.        Its Servant

Christ, in the role of High priest, our security of good things to come.

B.         Its Substance

In the statement not of this building, the word building is elsewhere translated creation. Whereas Moses built the tabernacle of the things of this earth, the heavenly tabernacle is constructed of the materials that belong to heaven.

C.        Its Sacrifice

Christ didn’t rely upon the blood of a substitute, but offered His own blood. Under the Old Covenant, the High Priest entered the Holy Place once a year. Christ entered once, signifying that His offering would never have to be repeated. By His sacrifice, Christ obtained eternal redemption, not a yearly remembrance of sin.

III.       ENDURES BECAUSE OF A BETTER SACRIFICE ( 9:13 -28)

A.        The Problem It Solved (vv.13-15)

·        It did away with external rituals.

The most a man could expect from the blood of animals was the purifying of the flesh. In other words, it had value for the outer man, but did nothing for the inner man. Think of a man who buys a new suit every time he needs a bath. His solution never deals with the real problem (a dirty body) but merely covers it The blood of Christ purges the conscience. It got to the heart of man’s problem, indwelling sin. Instead of being burdened down with the performance of legal duties (dead works), we are free to serve the Living God with a clear conscience.

·        It established an eternal relationship (v.15)

Under the first testament, men remained spiritually bankrupt and separated from God. Under the new covenant, we have received the promise of an eternal inheritance. We are sons of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ to all the wealth of our heavenly Father.

B.         The Principle Involved (vv.16-23)

·        The necessity of death declared (vv.6-17)

A testament, or will, requires the death of the one who makes it before it takes effect. In the same way, it was necessary for Jesus to die before the terms of the New Covenant could be enacted.

·        The necessity of death demonstrated (vv.18-22)

In the Old Testament, blood was a symbol of death, especially violent death. Every blood sacrifice was a reminder that a death is required to meet the penalty of sin. This principle is so important that God required it to be regularly demonstrated in the covenants He made with His people. It was God’s way of showing that death is the unavoidable penalty for sin. Without shedding of blood is no remission. The Bible’s emphasis on blood shocks and offends many people, but only because they fail to understand the terrible reality of sin. The continual shedding of blood was a constant reminder that death was the only means to bring sinful men and a holy God together again on peaceful terms.

C.        The Purposes It Achieved (vv.24-28)

·        The present ministry of Christ - He stands before God for us. (v.24)

Christ is not only the testator of the New Covenant, but the executor as well! He now appears before God in the power of an endless life to insure that all the terms of his testament are applied to our life every day from now to eternity.

·        The past ministry of Christ – He went to Calvary to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself – ONCE. (vv.25-28a)

·        The promised ministry of Christ – He will return to bring deliverance to His people. (28b) Here in the proverbial nutshell we see God’s "So Great Salvation" in its fullness.

Conclusion:       This is what we gain from God’s new covenant.

The present ministry of Christ is God’s provision for delivering us from the power of sin.

The past ministry of Christ is God’s provision for delivering us from the penalty of sin.

The promised ministry of Christ is God’s provision for delivering us from presence of sin.