We're going to Hebrews chapter 8. So this morning we will be continuing our series here in Hebrews message number 23 now entitled True Tabernacle. And we're going to be looking at Hebrews chapter 8 verses 1 to 6. Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum. We have such a high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices, wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law, 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 showed to thee in the mount. 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. One of C.S. Lewis' most famous quotes, I seem to encounter it quite a bit, comes from an essay of his entitled, The Weight of Glory. This is the quote, Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." Of course, Lewis was there talking about the fact that our desires are too weak. Think in fact the opposite we think our desires for sinful things in fact are too strong and too strong to overcome and so we can't possibly escape them, but the reality is our desires are too weak and so we settle for Lesser things like a child who has no concept of what a beach vacation means so he's content to go on playing in the nasty mud there at home and So Lewis's point is that infinitely better joy is offered to us in Christ, which If we better understood, we wouldn't be so easily pleased with lesser pleasures that are offered in this world. Well, Hebrews was written to first century Jewish believers who were tempted to settle for the lesser in the Old Covenant, the Old Covenant law, and the tabernacle, and the priesthood, and the sacrifices. And of course, the consequences for settling for the Old Covenant are severe. Those consequences mean missing the Messiah and salvation. But as the writer of Hebrews sets forth the superiority of Christ, he shows Him to be the greater. And his readers should be prompted to question, how could they possibly want what was lesser? And that is exactly what we are looking at as he continues to build, which is really the heart of his message in Hebrews, right here in chapter 7 to 10. It's the very heart of this message pertaining to the priesthood of Jesus Christ and what is infinitely better in him. And so as he proceeds, to what he had to say about Melchizedek in chapter 7. And we have gone this far, and we've seen how he mentioned Melchizedek and the priesthood of Jesus, and how he had a lot of things to say about that, and he had to take a while to sort of address them and some concerns he had about them. But in chapter 7, he starts to really get into what it is that he has to say about Melchizedek and the priesthood of Jesus. And he emphasized what is so important about this man, what is so important about Melchizedek, who is mentioned more in the book of Hebrews than in anywhere else in the Bible combined. What is so important about this man? Well, what is so important about him is the fact that he is presented to us as a type of Jesus Christ. He made that plain in verses 3 and 15 there, especially in chapter 7. Melchizedek particularly typified the priest kingship of Jesus showing, on the one hand, that there's another order of priesthood, that Jesus' priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek. And he has mentioned this seven times, in fact, in chapters 5 to 7. In chapter 5, verses 6 and 10. Chapter 6, verse 20. Chapter 7, verses 11 and 15. 17 and 21 so seven times in chapters 5 to 7 he has referred to the fact that Jesus priesthood is After the order of Melchizedek not after the order of Aaron not according to the Old Covenant And so he has pointed out the nature of this priesthood order, and it is that it is first of all everlasting. This priesthood is a priesthood that is permanent, that is unchangeable. Secondly, that this priesthood is royal. It is a priesthood that is held by a king, something that's actually forbidden according to the Old Covenant. Thirdly, that this priesthood is God-appointed, and what he has meant by that is that it's not by the choice of man. Of course, the Old Covenant wasn't by the choice of man either, but it was by lineage. And this priesthood is not a priesthood that's according to lineage. It doesn't have to do with family descent. It has to do with God's appointment alone. Fourthly, this priesthood is independent. It's an independent priesthood order. It's independent from Abraham. It's independent from the Old Covenant. It's independent from the tribe of Levi. It's independent from Aaron. So it is not restricted to Israel. And fifthly, this priesthood order is by oath, which again is different from that of the old covenant. And it's by oath and it is of the new covenant. So the writer is giving us what he described as strong meat. We could say advanced truths beyond just basic elementary truths of Scripture. And it might be surprising then that in chapter 7 he drew on what he continued to refer to as what was evident or manifest or what was abundantly clear from the Old Testament. In other words, he kept drawing attention to the fact these things are clear. These things are obvious from the Old Testament. Obviously clear statements and he just drew necessary consequences from them. So statements such as, or truths such as the fact that the Messiah would come from Judah. And this was the blessing from Jacob, also independent of the Old Covenant. That the Messiah would be king and priest. This was also independent of the Old Covenant. It was partially, at least, fulfilled through the Davidic Covenant, or mentioned there. And when you put those things together, that the Messiah would come from Judah, and the Messiah would be king and priest. You're obviously outside of the Old Covenant. And when you put these things together, especially with chapter 8 as he proceeds, the picture starts to become clear of why there had to be two comings of the Messiah. Now, he doesn't necessarily draw special attention to that fact, but if you're paying attention, it becomes very clear of why there had to be these two comings of the Messiah. He also points out the fact that there is another priesthood. And there's another priesthood, and that's abundantly clear from Genesis 14 and from Psalm 110.4. There is another priesthood outside of, independent from the Old Covenant. It's after the order of Melchizedek, according to Psalm 110.4. And the fact that another priesthood means a doing away with the Old Covenant priesthood. And a doing away with the Old Covenant priesthood means another covenant, a better covenant doing away with the Old Covenant. And of course when this is understood, It's another reason that shows us why that biblical covenants are distinct and explicit covenants in the Bible. They are not all one covenant with many different administrations and some of the other various covenant theologies claims. These were things that he said was evident, was clear from the Old Testament. Things that they should have known and should have put together. But for some reason they had fallen short of putting it together. You took each of those statements individually and you would have questioned them, they would have answered correctly. that they weren't putting it together and drawing those necessary conclusions and seeing that bigger picture. And doing so, as the writer points out, is apparently for those who have matured in understanding and in faith and who are able, as he put it, skillful in using the Word of God rightly. Well, the end of chapter seven draws some comforting applications because Jesus is this sort of priest that he's been talking about like he ever lives. Well, that means that we can have full assurance of forgiveness of sins, complete salvation, access to God, everlasting life in his kingdom, all of which is impossible through the old covenant. Well, chapter eight now advances his teaching on the priesthood of Jesus. And as we noticed before, once you get out of chapter seven, Melchizedek sort of fades to the background because his true importance is the way in which he typified Jesus Christ. So he sort of fades to the background and Jesus and his priesthood and the new covenant come into the foreground is really what he's been building up to. And so Jesus' priesthood, is shown as better, and reasons are given for that. And the old covenant priesthood, again, shown to be inferior. So we want to look at these verses, verses one to six, where the writer focuses on the copy and the original, or the genuine and true. So we'll start here again with verse number one. Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum. We have such a high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens." Now verses 1 and 2 here summarize what he has written about the priesthood of Jesus and summarize that to a main point. And he says that this is the high priest. We have such an high priest. This is the high priest that we have in Jesus. And he tells us that he is set down at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. The high priest is set down at the right hand of God. Now the language here is more than that he simply sat down. That would actually be a different expression. He is set, which can indicate that he is appointed. He is placed. It can even have reference to being put into a certain position or office as it were. He is set down on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. And of course he's referring here again to Psalm 110 and verse number 1 which the writer introduced all the way back in chapter number one. So if we look at the references he's made, Hebrews chapter one, verse three, speaking of Jesus, 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. Verse 13, "'But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool?' In chapter 4, verse 14, he referred to him passing into the heavens, which again is referring to this same. In chapter 6, verses 19 and 20, which hope we have as an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil, whither the forerunner for us is entered, even Jesus made a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, referring to that entering into the veil, referring to entering into the true holy place in the heavens, which he's going to have More to say in what we see. And then after this, he continues to refer to this. Chapter 10 and verse 12. But this man, speaking of Jesus, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." This is obviously an important emphasis in this letter, and it's also an extremely important emphasis in this part, this section of the letter, even this passage that we are looking at. So pay attention to where things are located and to at what time that these things occur, and we'll talk a little bit more about that. This word for majesty is only used of God in the New Testament. It's only used of God himself, referring to greatness, eminence, even really the implication used of God is that of divinity. And the writer emphasizes two points. from Jesus being at the right hand of God. So on the one hand, Jesus being at the right hand of God is a fulfillment of Psalm 110.1. And he's already brought attention to that fact right from chapter 1 in the book of Hebrews. So Jesus being at the right hand of God is a fulfillment of that passage, which is also important because of Psalm 110 and verse 4 and the Melchizedekian priesthood, which he has brought those together in this passage that we've been looking at. And the second emphasis of Jesus being at the right hand of God is Jesus' present place, his present position, and his present work. And we're going to see more about that Again, as we proceed, part of this, Jesus' present position and his present work, part of this, the writer is actually emphasizing a time factor. And we'll talk about these time markers again as we continue. And a part of this is his service. What is Jesus actually doing right now? And a part of that is what he's emphasizing and both of them are very important to the writer's point in this letter. Let's look at verse number two. A minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. Now the word for minister here is not diakonos. Most of the time when we see minister in the New Testament, it comes from diakonos, our word for which we get deacon, which refers to a servant, a table waiter, some sort of a menial servant. But that's not this word. This is an entirely different word, and it could be translated servant or minister, but it's actually a public servant. It's one that describes someone, so secularly it could describe someone that held some sort of a public office and was a public functionary, as it were, performing some sort of duty in that way. But it's also a word that's used to describe priestly service at the tabernacle and the temple. Now that's obviously the indication here. He is a priestly servant. of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle." So Jesus is a holy place and that word for sanctuary essentially means the holy place. He's a servant of the holy place and true tabernacle. True holy place, true tabernacle. And notice he makes a contrast in this verse. He contrasts this holy place and true tabernacle that the Lord pitched and not man. He's contrasting this true holy place with the tabernacle built by Moses and Israel at Sinai, and this holy place, true tabernacle, in the heavens. Now Moses and Israel built that tabernacle at God's command, but what the writer of Hebrews is pointing out, and what is even clearer from understanding that passages in the Old Testament, is that that's not the real tabernacle. That's not the real holy place. The place of God's throne in the heavens is here referred to as the holy place, the true tabernacle. And so by calling it the true, he's saying that it's the reality and it's not the resemblance. So you can think of, for instance, we like, we have, you know, phones in our pockets. We like to take pictures and videos of things. And every now and then you go back and you look and you think, you know, what happened to my hair? What happened to my waistline? And, you know, I look a lot different back then. But that was just a picture of the reality at that time. It's not the real thing. And even if you take a picture of yourself today, that picture is not the reality. It's just the resemblance. And so this is the distinction he's making between the tabernacle that Moses and Israel built in the wilderness of Sinai and the true, the reality of the holy place and tabernacle in heaven. Now he will explain more on this. So he just said that Jesus is presently serving as great high priest in the true holy place in the heavens at God's right hand, which again speaks to both time and place, time and position. Verse number three. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices, wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer." So the writer is here explaining Jesus' priestly service. He's a minister of the sanctuary. He's a servant of the holy place and he's explaining this. Now what he points out here at the beginning of verse 3 is the purpose of priesthood. The purpose of priesthood is to offer gifts and sacrifices. Now that is sort of shorthand. We know contextually that there's more that could be said about that. It's offering gifts and sacrifices on behalf of someone and to someone else, and of course in this case to God. on behalf of mankind and offering to God. The priest functions in the role of an intercessor and in the role of a mediator between God and men. And he had just referred to Jesus interceding back in chapter 7 and verse number 25. Well, the Levitical priesthood on earth shows the necessity of the priest's offering, and therefore, he says, well, Jesus, if he is a priest, as clearly he is, he must also have something to offer. This is a part of this priestly function. Now, the writer has already stated, back in chapter 1, that Jesus by himself purged our sins before he sat down at the right hand of God, as chapter 1 and verse 3. And the writer will go on after this to speak of his once for all offering for sins in his own death in chapter 10 and verse number 12. In other words, this is the offerings and sacrifices that Jesus had to offer. Verse 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. Now he begins to contrast with this Levitical priesthood. His sacrifice was slain on earth. It was himself. He was crucified on the cross, but his priestly service in heaven. His priestly service is in the true holy place. Hebrews chapter 9 verse 24, for Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands. We'll get to chapter 9, but he's talking here about the tabernacle built by Moses and Israel and later the temple. And this is what he says about them, which are figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. The true holy place in the presence of God. So his sacrifice was made on the earth, but his priesthood service is fulfilled in the heavens in the very presence of God. And so what does he say here? He says if he were on earth, as he's writing to these first century Jewish believers, if he were on earth, he would not be a priest. He would not be a priest. One reason why is because he was another tribe of Levi. He could not serve the Old Covenant priesthood. Do you realize that if Jesus had walked into the temple in Jerusalem and had taken some animal and slain that animal and sprinkled the blood at the temple in Jerusalem and burnt that animal upon the altar, He would have been breaking the Old Covenant. He would have been violating it. If He were on the earth, the writer of Hebrews says, He could not serve as a priest at all. Now there's another reason given in the next verse, verse 5. Who, speaking of those priests that serve according to the old covenant, 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 showed to thee in the mount. The old covenant Levitical priests on earth served what he calls a copy and a shadow of the heavenly, of what's in heaven. What's he talking about? Again, what's in heaven? The true holy place. God's throne is in the heavens where he dwells, where his glory resides. The true holy place. The true tabernacle. Now the word that he uses here, this example or copy and shadow of the heavenly, these are words that are a part of these families of words that we talked about that refer to what we call types in the Bible. And we spent some time in a study looking at types. A biblical type, remember, it is an intentional likeness. It's an intentional resemblance to something greater. So the type has an antitype, it has a fulfillment, that whatever that greater thing is, that is to come. Now the writer quotes here from Exodus chapter 25 and verse number 40, and he uses the word for pattern that appears there. And this word that he uses here is actually the word typos in the Greek that we talked about, from which we get our very word type when we refer to types in the Bible. So what does the writer of Hebrews say here? He says that the tabernacle on earth, even though God commanded them to make it, and they did it, and Moses inspected it. We studied through all of that in the book of Exodus, how Moses made sure that everything was done exactly according as God said for it to be done, and it was. But despite that, it was only a type. of the real, true, holy place in the heavens. It's only a figure. It's only a shadow. The fulfillment is Jesus serving as priest in the true holy place in the heavens. Again, Jesus never performed any priestly function in the temple at Jerusalem, never performed any priestly function there. Verse number six, 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. So think about what he just has said. that the Old Covenant priesthood that only serves, it's a priesthood on earth and it only serves the pattern, it only serves the shadow, it only serves the type of the true priesthood and true holy place in the heavens. So he says, he has obtained a more excellent ministry, service. Again, using that word, using it in reference to priestly service. He has obtained a superior service in the true holy place in the heaven, superior to what those Levitical priests were doing. Even though they were commanded to do it, what they were doing was regulated, and it was good that they did what God commanded them to do. Of course, we know that they all failed, But nevertheless, what Jesus has done and is doing is far superior to what all of those priests were doing. And what they were doing was only a type. It was only a shadow. It was only a figure pointing forward to what Jesus would do and, of course, has done and is now doing. Now the same word, a more excellent ministries, obtained a more excellent, that same word is used in reference to his obtaining a more excellent name than the angels back in chapter 1 and verse 4, of course, referring to his exaltation there more than his priestly service. Now, it is extremely important that what is emphatic is at the beginning of this sentence. In fact, the very first word, nuni, in the Greek, now, it's the very first word of this sentence. But now, it's followed by the conjunction, but in our English construction, but now. This is in the emphatic position. What does now refer to? Now refers to the present time. Rather than on earth, he is in the heavens. at the right hand of God in the true holy place. Now refers to this present age what the writer also identifies as the last age. Hebrews chapter 2 and verse number 8. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet for in that he put all in subjection under him he left nothing that is not put under him but now We see not yet all things put under him. Of course, there's a combination here with Psalm 110.1, he sit down at his right hand until I make thy enemies thy footstool. And what does the writer say? That at now, presently, that hasn't happened. That's not what's going on right now. What's going on right now in this age is Jesus serving in the true holy place as a priest, interceding for his people after he made a once-for-all sacrifice for sins. Hebrews 9, verses 24-26, For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true, but into heaven itself, and notice this, to appear in the presence of God for us, nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others. For then must he have often suffered since the foundation of the world, but now wants in the end of the world." He just said foundation of the world, and now he says end of the world. Those are different words. It's cosmos in the first word, and the second world is eon. It is age. In the age, this last age is what he says. Now in this last age hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Contrasted So this now is what the writer of Hebrews refers to as this last age and he contrasts it with the previous age or ages and calls it in fact the last days. In Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 to 2, God who at sundry times and in divers manner spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the worlds. So there is a distinction between this last age that he says is now, is presently, when Jesus is at the right hand of God in heaven, and the past ages when God was speaking to the people through prophets with dreams and visions and various things. And he's also distinguishes this from the age to come. Remember in chapter two and verse eight, he says he has not, we don't, but now presently in this last age, we don't see all things subjected under his feet. We don't see his enemies as his footstool. We don't see that yet. But he also distinguishes from the age to come, chapter six, verse five, when he wrote about and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world. And again, that's eon, that's age to come. which refers to those kingdom miracles or signs that Jesus worked and some of the apostles or the apostles worked there in the first century. The age to come is what? It's the millennial kingdom age that is to come. This age presently that the writer identifies as the last age. This is the last stage before that kingdom age that is to come. This present age is followed by that kingdom age. And during this present age, Jesus serves as High Priest in the true holy place in the heavens. And He will return. And when He returns to earth, He inaugurates the age to come and His kingdom, which the writer will have more to say about that as the letter proceeds as well. Understanding the time markers in Hebrews also helps us to understand there is no seven church ages, or however many people have wanted to count and have found here and there. We are in this last age, and now, presently, Jesus is in the heavens at the right hand of God. Until when? until the next age, until the time for the kingdom age, the time appointed when he will return. Now, by this priestly service, he says at the end of verse 6, that Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant, which is better than the old covenant. Jesus spoke of his blood actually as establishing the new covenant Matthew chapter 26 and verse 28 This is my blood of the new covenant that is that is shed for the remission of sins He talks about there the new covenant has better promises which the writer will get to so we're not going to to go into those right now The mediator, though, is a go-between, is an arbitrator, a reconciler. So God fulfills his new covenant through Christ and actually accomplishes salvation. So the writer has emphasized that the old covenant tabernacle was only a copy, it was only a shadow, it was only a pattern of the true holy place in the heavens. Now, in our study of the types, I drew attention to the fact that it's not always the case with a biblical type that the fulfillment means the abolishing of the type or the passing away. Here's a place where it is that case. The antitype means the abolishing of the type. Once the fulfillment comes, Jesus' priesthood at the right hand of God in the true holy place, There is no more tabernacle. There is no more tabernacle and offering for sins on the earth. The writer explains why Jesus went away after his resurrection to serve as priest at the right hand of God in the heavens until the time appointed to return and judge the nations and reign over the earth. So putting this together from the Old Testament, shows us again why there had to be two comings of the Messiah. This was something we know that tripped up so many of the Jews, so many of the Pharisees and so many of those that had lived their entire life and their entire culture was sort of based on this expectation and hope of a Messiah and yet they had missed it. He could not fulfill his priestly service on earth. And the writer has shown how that this is according to the scriptures of the Old Testament. They should have expected it. They should have been able to put this together. One application of this would be to show why they shouldn't be disappointed that Jesus didn't establish his kingdom on earth after the resurrection. I mean, the writer of Hebrews has here clearly shown us why that could not be the case. It cannot be the case. Remember the question of the disciples, Acts 1, verses 6-7, When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? He had been crucified, He had been buried, He had been resurrected, He had been with them 40 days. They said, is now the time? And He said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in His own power. So you understand why that could not be the case, why Jesus did not establish His kingdom on this earth with His first coming. Jesus never, again, never served as priest in the temple at Jerusalem. He has a superior priesthood, the priesthood in the true holy place in the heavens. And just as we saw the new covenant was inaugurated by his death, and by his death and ascension and the oath from God, his priesthood was inaugurated in heaven at God's right hand. Now the understanding of time, and again these time markers in Hebrews, is certainly critical. This began at the very opening of the letter, and it runs all throughout the letter. This goes from beginning to end in this letter. So it's important that you understand the past, present, and future ages and what is revealed about them and what belongs to them. And doing so helps us understand the picture being put together from the Old Testament in the Hebrews and is fulfilled in Jesus.