Series: Jesus is Greater

Scripture: Hebrews 8:1-13

Sermon Title: Two Ways that Christ’s Priesthood Is Greater

Subject:  Priesthood
Central Theme:  Christ’s Priesthood

Objective Statement:  We can live a life of incredible intimacy with God and victory from God by living according to the truth that Christ is our better High Priest.  We see that He is our better High Priest in two ways.

1. He is the Ministerof a Better Tabernacle (v.1-5)

1. 1. Jesus is better because of where He sits.  (v.1-2)
   2. Jesus is better because of what He does. (v.3-5)

2. He is the Mediatorof a Better Testament (v.6-13)

1. 1. The failure of the Old Covenant. (v.7-9)
   2. The nature of the New Covenant.(v.10-13)

• It’s unconditional. (v.10, 12)
• It’s spiritual. (v.10)
• It’s universal. (v.12)
• It’s eternal. (v.13)

We can live a life of incredible intimacy with God and victory from God by living according to the truth that Christ is our better High Priest.  We see that He is our better High Priest in two ways.

1.   He is the Minister of a Better Tabernacle (v.1-5)

Hebrews 8:1-2

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; [2] A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

• Here we are given a summary of the kind of high priest we have in Jesus Christ.
• This is giving us a description through a contrast.

A.    Jesus is better because of where he sits.

• In verses 1 and 2 we see the place where he serves contrasted with the Aaronic priesthood.
• Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the God.
• The expression “Majesty in the heavens” gives us a picture of that place.
• Think of Isaiah 6…

Isaiah 6:1-8

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.  3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

• And in Hebrews 1:3 it says…

Hebrews 1:3

[3] Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

• Notice in verse 1 that is says “who is set”.
• He is not having to be up and around. He is sitting.
• It is a place reserved for Him. It is a heavenly place and not an earthly one.
• Notice the descriptions of this place:
  • It is called “sanctuary”.
    • The Greek word is “hagion” which means holy place, sanctified place, or place set aside from a common use, or a dedicated place.
  • It is “of the true tabernacle”.
    • God commanded Moss in the law to a create a tabernacle.
    • It was a traveling set of tents made by specific tradesmen. These men are described in Exodus 25 and 26, 31:1, and 31:6 as having the skill to make the tabernacle and everything in it.
    • This passage speaks of a “true tabernacle”.
    • It is not that the one from Exodus was false, but that it was not the first.
    • We’ll see from future verses that the one in Exodus is the copy and not the original.
  • It is the tabernacle “which the Lord pitched and not man”
    • This sanctuary and true tabernacle is not man made.
    • It was made by God Himself.
    • This is the place where our true High priest minsters.

Application

• Right now, there is a place where Christ lives and resides. This is where He sits.
• It is a place set apart in heaven, designed and constructed by God, where Christ was placed to serve as an intercessory minister- a High priest- whereby I can go to God at any time
  • …to commune,
  • …to abide,
  • …to find strength,
  • …and to fellowship.

B.    Jesus is better because of what He does.

Hebrews 8:3-5 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. [4] For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: [5] Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

• Earthly priests offered earthly gifts and sacrifices.
• Jesus Christ, our heavenly priest, does offer earthly gifts and sacrifices.
• His gifts are not earthly. His sacrifice was not temporary.
• As a priest, He did have something to offer.
• This was “of necessity”.
• The scripture says that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.There is no atonement.
• The earthly priests offered their sacrifices according to the law. They offered earthly gifts in an earthly place- the tabernacle and later the temple.
• These gifts were a picture of the full and final gift of Jesus’s sacrifice of Himself.
• These sacrifices, tabernacles, and temples are but pictures of the true- the real- the authentic.
• That is what Moses was told by God in Exodus 25:40.

Exodus 25:40

[40] And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

We can live a life of incredible intimacy with God and victory from God by living according to the truth that Christ is our better High Priest.  We see that He is our better High Priest in two ways.

Way #1- He is the Minister of a Better Tabernacle (v.1-5)

2.   He is the Mediator of a Better Testament. (v.6-13)

Hebrews 8:6-9
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

• Jesus is greater because of what he does in the tabernacle.
• We see this thought continued but in reference to this better testament of better covenant.
• These words covenant and testament are interchangeable.
• Jesus is greater. He has a better ministry.  He is mediating a better covenant.  This covenant is making better promises.
• He making this argument to people who have an affection for the scripture, for the past ceremony, for the Aaronic priesthood, for the past ritual, and the past tradition.
• Even at the point of this writing in Hebrews some of that was still current. The temple did not come to ruin until AD 70.
• To say that this new thing was better is to infer that the old covenant was not perfect.
• This is where he is going.
• We see here that Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant. In that we see…

1)    The failure of the Old Covenant.

[7] For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

• To say that the law was not perfect, and that there was a need for a better priest, and a better covenant, on its face could offend the jews.
• Think about it. They killed Jesus in part because of a defense of their own authority based on the mediation of these things.
• The author of Hebrews did what had to be done when you make such cases. He toolk them to scripture.  He had to challenge their thinking with scripture.
• He did this by quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34. This quote starts in verse Hebrews 8:8 and goes to verse 12.
• Let’s read the quote:

[8] For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: [9] Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. [10] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: [11] And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. [12] For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

• The first part of this quote in verse 8 declares that there will be a new covenant with Israel.
• As a gentile I must be careful in my reading of these passages because I could be tempted or confused into reading myself and the church into this in the wrong way.
• We are saved by the New Covenant- the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins.
• Consider the following verses that are interpreted as “New Testament”:

Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mar 14:24  And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

Luk 22:20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

1Co 11:25  After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the newtestament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

Heb 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

• And these that refer to the “New Covenant”:

Jeremiah 31:31

[31] Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Hebrews 12:24

[24] And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

• There is a link in the scripture between the word for covenant and testament and blood and/or sacrifice.
• The writer of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah saying that God was going to make a new covenant or a new testament with the children of Israel at some point in the future.
• Why?
• Because the old one which was begun when they left Egypt and went to the wilderness has failed to do what needed to be done.
• The old covenant could not perfect.
• The old covenant could not save.
• He says tha this new covenant won’t be like the old.
• What was the events surrounding the establishment of that old covenant?
• You had a Passover meal.
• The children of Israel were told to take a spotless lamb and sacrifice it.
• They were told to put the blood of that animal on the posts of their doors with hyssop.
• They were told to eat a meal by faith with their sandals on ready for God to bring them out of Egypt into the promised land.
• What did that lead to?
• They made it through the Red Sea, into the wilderness, and to Mount Sinai where God gave them the law through Moses.  Moses received from God instruction about the law, the Levitical priest, the sacrificial system.
• In verse 9 we are given the reason why this covenant with the children of Israel failed.
• The wilderness generation showed that the Old Covenant would never be enough because of their disobedience to it. They were breaking God’s law as it was being given to them.
• The covenant was weak in that it could not be kept, not on man’s side.

[9] Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

• Do you see the contrast between “I took them by the hand” and “I regarded them not, saith the Lord”.
• There is also one important point to be made in verses 8 and 9.
• The word for “will make” in verse 8 is the word “sunteko” which means “to bring to an end all together, to fulfill”.

[8] For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant

• The word “made”- [9] Not according to the covenant that I made- is the word Poieo which is to make or do.  He uses the strong word for the new covenant than he does for the old.
• This indicates that the New Covenant will not need a subsequent new covenant later. It will fullfill the deficiencies of the Old.
• What was deficient in the Old Covenant? They had to obey, and they did not.
• More sin meant more sacrifice. The sin never stopped and the sacrifice must therefore never stop.  It wasn’t enough.
• What’s the nature of the new convenant?

2)    The Nature of the New Covenant.

Hebrews 8:10-12

[10] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: [11] And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. [12] For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

i)      It’s unconditional (v.10, 12)

• God gives this ne wcovnant by making the covenant without condition. He says “I will” in some form 5 times.
  • I will make…
  • I will put…
  • I will be…
  • I will be…
  • I will remember no more…
• When someone puts their faith in Christ Jesus because of the new testament sacrifice of His blood for their sins they are saved! The work has been done!

ii)     It’s spiritual. (v.10)

• Where does he put His law? “into their mind” (v.10) and “into their hearts” (v.10).
• Those who are a part of this new covenant know Christ because His Spirit is put inside of them.

[11] And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

iii)   It’s universal. (v.12)

• The New Covenant was made, like the old, to the jews.
• Salvation is of the Jews.
• They could not break the old covenant, but they could disobey it and not take part of its blessings.
• The Abrahamic and Davidic covenants were unconditional, but the Mosaic covenant was conditional. There was a law to be kept to enjoy the blessings.
• We can reap the blessings of the new covenant by trusting in the same blood of Jesus Christ, the Savior who gave His blood as a new testament- a new promise- that is shed for many.

He became a propitiation for our sins, and not for our sins only, but the sins of the whole world.

“For God so loved the World, that He gave His only begotton Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

iv)   It’s eternal (v.13)

Hebrews 8:13
[13] In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

• There wouldn’t have to be a new covenant if the old covenant were sufficient.
• God did not fail at the old covenant and so then we have to come up with the new.
• The New Covenant was always in God’s plan.
• The Old Covenant was only sufficient and effective in that it pointed to what would happen in the new.
• Justification by faith in the work of redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ, the lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world, has always been God’s plan.
• Now that the word is finished, the symbol (shadow, picture) of that work has become history.
• The old sacrificial system has succumb to the once and for all sacrifice for sins made by Jesus Christ.
• The old Aaronic order is ended because Jesus Christ saves to the uttermost and ever lives to make intercession for us.

Conclusion:

• So what shall we say to such things?
• How shall we then live?

4 Words:

• Salvation- You can repent, believe and be saved by the blood of Jesus!
• Sanctification- You can grow into who God wants you to become by His help!
• Declaration- People need to know about what God has done for them through Jesus!
• Glorification- One day it will all be over. Everything will be made right.  We should be animated by what will happen in the future!  The covenant promises, all of them, will be fully and finally fulfilled.