Hebrews chapter 8 today. We're, by God's grace, going to go through the whole chapter of Hebrews 8. We usually don't cover a whole chapter, but it's a shorter chapter and the content is pretty condensed. So, I think we'll make it through the whole chapter in one sermon, by God's grace. It's an incredibly important subject. Let's pray. and seek the Lord that he'll bless this time. Dear Father, I pray, God, please work in this time of your word. God, please help us to have ears to hear what you are saying. God, would you please open ears that are here this morning that cannot hear. I pray especially for Dominic. Lord, would you please help him, God, during this time? that he would be able to hear what we're saying and I pray for him, Lord, just bless him special and bless each of us, God, that we would be able to hear your words and obey them for Christ's glory. I pray. Amen. Let's read. We'll read the whole chapter. Hebrews chapter eight. And it reads as follows. Thirteen verses. 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 necessary 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 patterns 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. For if the first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he says, Behold, the day is come, saith the Lord, when I make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their forefathers 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. For this is the covenant that I will make with this 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. And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. and that he sayeth, A new covenant he hath made the first old, now that which decayeth and waxes old is ready to vanish away." And in this eighth chapter, we again see the writer showing these Hebrews the great contrast between what? The old and the new. And we see him doing this over and over again in the book of Hebrews. He's contrasting the old and the new, the old and the new, but possibly The most exciting part of this chapter is in verses 9 through 12, which we're going to get into, which he talks about the descriptions of this new covenant. What are the characteristics of this new covenant, which we're going to get into in a few minutes, the four characteristics of the new covenant in those verses. But I see verses 6 and 7 as the pivotal verses of this chapter. Look in verses 6 and 7, 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. For if the first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. for the second. And in this chapter, and in those verses, but in the whole chapter, you see three betters. We've been through a lot of betters in the book of Hebrews. We see three betters in this chapter. We see a better ministry, a better covenant, and better promises. A better ministry, a better covenant, and a better promises. All three betters in this chapter have to do with the unseen. Listen to me, I want you to get this as the premise, because this is of utmost importance, and many people that we talk to miss this part of it. All three of these betters have to do with the unseen. Jesus Christ, as our High Priest, has this better ministry. It's called an excellent ministry here, because it is a heavenly ministry. There's the heavenly ministry versus the ministry of the priests which was what? It was earthly. So you have the heavenly ministry versus the earthly ministry. The heavenly being greater. Therefore, the earthly ministry of the priests were only types and shadows of the real or the heavenly. That's why Jesus, it says, was not of the earthly priesthood, but he was of the heavenly Secondly, we see the better covenant spoken of in this chapter. It's the covenant of grace. The covenant of the work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating men unto new life. Versus the old covenant, which was a covenant of works, or a covenant of human effort. How much greater to be empowered by God to do His will. than to simply be operating in our own human capacity. Then lastly we have the better promises. Many of the promises under the old covenant were only temporal. Promises of long life, promises of the land of Canaan, and promises such like. But the promises of the new covenant are eternal promises. They are spiritual promises. Promises of eternal life. promises of eternal riches and glory with Christ Jesus. I'm afraid so many professing Christians are still searching for the earthly and the temporal. And the only means of obtaining the earthly and temporal is by the old covenant, by the power of works, by the power of what you do. And really, you can narrow this chapter down to two parts. The Old Covenant, which is the power of what you do to make yourself right with God, versus the New Covenant, which is the power of what God does to make you right with Him. So which one are you operating in today? We're all here operating under one or the other. The Old Covenant or the New Covenant. The old covenant is what you are doing to make yourself right with God. The new covenant, I'm here to tell you the good news, is what God has done for us. It's what God has done for us. It's the new covenant. These better things spoken of in Hebrews as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit are not natural or temporal, but they are spiritual and eternal. So many miss this because they're only stuck in the natural. They cannot see beyond the physical world. Because of one of two reasons. I would say first because their spiritual eyes have possibly never been opened. And they have never peered into the spiritual world. That would be someone who's unregenerate. But I also believe someone could be spiritually awakened or born again. and slip back into seeing the natural world. So I think it is possible for a believer to be seeing things naturally. However, I think God will bring him out of that. But I think the greater problem is many people's spiritual eyes have never been opened. And they're only viewing the natural. And the reason I say that is because how many people do we talk to? And they say, well, Jesus died on the cross for my sins. And then, but they have no, they feel no compulsion to serve God. They feel no love towards God. Yet they somehow think that that's what a Christian is. A Christian is someone who believes in Jesus. Well, yes, believing in Jesus is part of it. But a Christian is what? Is a new creature. It's a new person. It's someone who's been made. a new person. And that's what we're going to see in this new covenant. This is what God does. He makes us a new person. That's what a Christian is. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Behold, old things have passed away. All things have become new. Go ahead and I'll try it through here. So, that's what it means to be a Christian. It means to be a new creation. And that word literally means a new creation. It's like a different type of person. A different type of being. And that is the promise of the New Covenant. Either way, I want you to see today that these better things are better, not in a way that we view as better. Follow me on this. We view better as one person may sing better than another person, or one person may be a better administrator than another. Or in sports we may say one person is more athletic or a better player than the other. This is normally how we view better. But the better spoken of in Hebrews are better because they are of a different kind, not because they are of a higher quality. Let me say that again, the better spoken of in Hebrews are better because they are of a different kind, not because they're of a higher quality, although they are of a higher quality, but the higher quality comes from the different kind. Maybe we can look at it like this. One man may be faster than another man in a race by a couple of seconds, and that's actually a long time. A couple seconds in a race is a long time, and the man's a great deal faster if he wins by a couple seconds. But what if a man, this is a funny analogy, but I think it works to some degree, but if a man is racing a worm, you know, how much is he going to win by? He's going to win by a great, you know, incredibly huge distance, but it shows because it's a race. It's not even a fair race, but he's incredibly faster. The race would not even be entertaining because it would not even be close. If that is the case, then how much better are the things of God that are eternal than the things of man that are temporal? This better is so much better that it can't really even be measured. It is so much better because it is the better of a different kind. If God spoke the universe into existence by his word, and the universe is nothing to God, and we are so minuscule in comparison to the universe, how much greater is God than us? And then how much greater or better are these blessings than what is natural? How much greater are the blessings that God offers us than the natural? The gospel or the blessings of God go so far beyond the natural. To be saved means to be born again. And to be born again means to have spiritual life. And the spiritual man has his hope in spiritual things, or in eternal things. It doesn't matter how much someone says they understand the Bible, or even the truth about Jesus, without being regenerated, being made a new person, it means nothing. Jesus didn't come to earth so we can learn the information about Him, agree with it, and escape hell. No, He came to make us new people. My old life is completely ruined by sin. Or under the old covenant, I'm completely ruined. Under the system of works, I have no hope. I need a new life. And you're going to see that's what He promises in the new covenant. A new life. And by the work of the Holy Spirit, because of the provision of Jesus Christ, and because of the decrees of the Father, we do have new life. How much better is the ministry of Jesus Christ than the earthly ministers? Let's start at verse 1. And we'll go through the chapter. And I want to start with that question. How much better is the ministry of Jesus Christ than the earthly ministers? Now the things which we have spoken in verse 1, this is the sum. We have such a high priest who is set on the right hand of the majesty in the heavens. We have a high priest who is set at the heavens, in the heavens, at the right hand in the heavens. Let me quote two verses for you. Ephesians 1 19 and 20 says, And what is the exceeding greatness of the power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places? Colossians 3.1, the Apostle tells us, if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. The ministry of Jesus Christ is never outside of the believer. But if Christ is seated in heaven, in His exalted position as He is, then so are we who believe. Colossians 3.2 says, set your affections on things above, not on things of this earth. Not on things of this earth. The exalted position of Christ is This is hard to understand in certain senses, but it is the exalted position of the believer, that we are seated in Christ, in heavenly places. And this is the ministry that Christ has. It's a better ministry. It's a more excellent ministry. That Jesus doesn't just somehow help us, help us along like Jesus is helping me along. No! He's given me a new life and He's seated me with Him in heavenly places. It's the ministry of Christ that is far excellent. For Jesus Christ has earned this exalted position. In Philippians 2, 5-11, it tells us that. Christ has earned this exalted position. He is seated above in heavenly places. And the believer is seated with Him. The Christian is to be heavenly minded, for Jesus Christ has earned this for his people, and he is the minister of the heavenly sanctuary. Look at that in verse 2, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. This better ministry is a heavenly ministry. In the true tabernacle, it says. The tabernacle meaning tent, actually, or More, it means a dwelling place. The dwelling place, or the dwelling place of God, which the Lord pitched and not man. It was preordained by the Lord and performed by the Lord, and none can stay His hand. The Lord has established this heavenly ministry, and no man, it says not man, can change it or come to God any other way. to all the offerings and all the sacrifices and all the ceremonies of the priests. They were all what? Types and symbols of what would happen in heaven. That Jesus Christ has this heavenly ministry. He has this heavenly ministry. For every high priest, in verse 3, For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices. Wherefore, it is a necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. What did we read last week? Look in verse 27 of chapter 7. It says who needs not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifices for their own sins and then for the people's. For this He did once when He offered Himself. What is the sacrifice that Christ offers? He offers Himself. The perfect sacrifice, undefiled, holy. We read that last week in Hebrews chapter 7. He offers Himself. Go to Genesis. I want to read you this chapter 22. Genesis chapter 22. Genesis chapter 22. Verse 8. It says this. Look in verse 7. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father. And he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold, the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they went, both of them, together. And actually, we did a study of that in our Hebrew class when I was in Bible college. What that means is that God Himself will be the sacrifice. That God Himself will provide and be the sacrifice. God Himself will provide an eternal sacrifice that is in heaven. This is a far better ministry and that Jesus' ministry toward us is that He provided through Himself that eternal payment for sin. Jesus Christ through Himself provided the eternal payment for sin, and he ever lives to make intercession for the saints. We read that in Hebrews 7.25. When we think of the Lord's intercession ministry, though, we often think of our daily needs, like Jesus is praying for my daily needs, which I know that maybe to some degree He is, but the ministry that Christ has is that He's ever pleading our case. he's ever pleading our case. Listen to this scripture verse in Romans 8.34, it says, Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us. He makes intercession for us. The Lord's intercessive ministry for the saints is that he's pleading our case. His blood, what he has done, his merits on our behalf are this heavenly ministry, are this heavenly ministry that is always pleading my case. That's very humbling to me to think that Christ's blood and his merits are ever speaking for the believer, are ever speaking for the believer. in Hebrews 8, 4 and 5, these things that we will learn in more detail in chapter 9, Lord willing, are only types and shadows of the heavenly. And when that which is real comes, the type passes away. The type passes away. You don't need the shadow anymore when the real thing comes. So the type will pass away when Christ is revealed and he has been here in his coming to the earth. Go back to Hebrews chapter 8. And I want you to see this in 6. 8.6. But now he hath obtained a more excellent ministry by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant. Jesus Christ is the mediator of this better covenant, this covenant of God's grace. The first, in verse 7, is not faultless, it says in verse 7. The ceremonial law was used for God's purpose, and then it was to be put away. It had fault because the law could not save. Remember we talked about that last week. The law could not save. Why? Because of the weakness of the flesh. In Romans 8, verse 3. The law could not save. The old covenant was a covenant of the law. The new is the covenant of grace. The old covenant was based on what man can do. In the new covenant, it is based on what God has done for us. on what God has done for us. That is what it is based on. The New Covenant. Does this mean that people who lived in the Old Covenant were saved by works? This is a big question, theologically. And I would say no. Because it says in Romans 4 very clearly at the beginning of the chapter that Abraham was saved how? He was saved by faith. He was saved by faith. And God gave the law, I would say for two reasons. First, he gave the law, the ceremonial law, was a picture or a type. He gave the law to show them what was coming. That's what this purpose of the ceremonial law was. And why did he give the moral law? He gave the moral law I would say to show the people that they were sinners and to show the people that God loves righteousness and to show them the character of God and at the same time show them their own sinfulness. And then he gave the governmental law to control the people. Without the governmental law there would be no control of sin. But he never gave the law to save. The law was not given to save people. but Jesus Christ came to save. So never were people saved by works, they were always saved by faith. The ceremonial law was never set up to save, but it was set up to point to salvation. In Hebrews 8, so let's close by looking at these four descriptions, by looking at these four descriptions of the New Covenant. Can you have a seat there? Let's end by looking at these four descriptions of the New Covenant described here in this chapter. Four characteristics, we can call them, of the New Covenant. And these verses come from Jeremiah chapter 31, verses 31 through 34. But let's look at this. In Hebrews chapter 8, look in verse Number 10, it says, 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. So what's number one? God will write the laws into their hearts. Number two, God will be to them a God and they shall be his people. Number three, in verse 11, look in verse 11, And they shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, but all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. So it is that all men will know God. They shall know God. Number three and number four, Their iniquities will be remembered no more. Do you see that in verse 12? For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 1. God will write His laws into their minds, and write them into their hearts. Go to 1 John 5. 1 John chapter 5. God will write his law in our mind and in our heart. 1 John 5.2 says, By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments, it says in verse 3, and His commandments are not grievous to us. His commandments are not grievous to us. In Deuteronomy 6, verses 4-6, it says, 6 Here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart. In Ezekiel 36.26, it says, 7 A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." God writes His law upon the hearts of His people in the New Covenant, and He writes it through His love. Through knowing God's love, we love His commandments. We love what God wants for us, what God commands us to do. Why? Because we know He loves us. We know He loves us. It's like a small child may not understand certain things, but the child knows his parent's love and will obey, should obey, because of that love. God writes His love upon the hearts of His children. He gives He gives us a new heart and a new mind, it says in Ezekiel like we just read. A new heart that only desires to please and love Him. And a new mind to understand the commands of God. The commands of God are not naturally understood. I believe the commands that Jesus is talking about, that John is talking about in 1 John, are all directly connected to the commands that Jesus makes. That Jesus makes. I could say I'm keeping the Sabbath, I'm doing this, I'm doing that. But if I'm not keeping the commands of Jesus, I don't see how I could be keeping the commands at all. Jesus commands us to do what? Jesus commands us to preach the gospel. Jesus commands us to take up our cross daily. He commands us to deny self. Jesus commands us to love the brethren as he has loved us. He commands us to put our treasure in heaven. Jesus commands us not to improperly judge in Matthew 7. Jesus commands us to do what? To seek first the kingdom of God. Jesus commands us to love our enemies. Jesus commands us to be holy and completely committed to Him. And those who have been given new life understand these commands and love to obey them. They are not grievous, but it is a pleasure to serve our precious Savior. This is the promise of the new covenant, that God will write His commands, His laws in our hearts. and we will love to obey them. That happens. How else can that happen but by the work of the Spirit? By the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Secondly, God will be to you a God and they shall be his people. This I believe speaking of adoption or being made the brothers and sisters of Christ to being made new creatures. Ephesians 1.5 says, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. Through Jesus Christ as the mediator of this new covenant, we are brought into the family of God. We are his people. We are His people. It reminds me of 1 John 3.1 where it says, What manner of love is this that we would be called the children of God, or the people of God? So this is the promise of the New Covenant, that we will be God's people. Verse 11, Everyone under this New Covenant knows God. This does not dismiss the need for teachers, or order in the church, but it simply says that everyone under the new covenant, or in this new state, will know God. Will know God. And not know God, how many people say it today. You know, people say it today, well, I got my personal thing with God, you know. I don't really need to go to church because me and God, you know, I got this personal relationship, people say. I got a personal relationship. Well, if it's not a Bible relationship, if it's not knowing God through the scriptures and through the Holy Spirit, it's simply not knowing God. But the New Covenant promises us that we will know God. That we do know God. That we do know God. I would say that this is saying the opposite of the personal thing. But I do believe it's personal. But it has to be biblical. In 1 John 2.27, we know God, and it is the God of the Bible. And we know Him theologically, and we know Him practically. And in God we see the perfect balance between holiness and mercy. In God's character, I would say that that's what those who know God Those who know God see the perfect balance in God's character. The perfect balance between His holiness and His mercy. How was Jesus described in John 1.14? He was full of grace and full of truth. Full of grace and full of truth. And those who know God know this God of holiness and this God of mercy. And that becomes a part of our lives. It's worked out practically. So to know God is to know God, yes, theologically, but to know God is to know Him, where He becomes our life and a part of our life and worked out practically. This is the promise of the New Covenant. And lastly, it says there are iniquities I will remember no more. Reminds me of Micah 7.19 where it says, He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us, He will subdue our iniquities, and that will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Can we really believe that God will not remember our sin? It's so easy for us to remember, but God chooses in his sovereign will not to remember the sins of his children. This is amazing to me that God doesn't remember my sins. How can a sovereign all-knowing God not remember? I would say he chooses in his sovereignty not to remember. But why does he choose not to remember? Because he sees Christ. Because Christ is ever pleading our case. He's seeing what Christ has done. Therefore, he cannot remember because... Dominic, I need you to be quiet. He's ever pleading our case that Jesus Christ stands before the Father. He's the mediator. He's between me and God. And the Father will not remember my sins because of Christ, because of what Christ has done on our behalf. This could be the most incredible thing. Because we live with ourselves and we know our sin, at least we should. If we don't, I think there's a problem. But God doesn't remember our sin. And that is a great blessing for the believer. I never want that to get old to me. But instead I want it to continue to soften my heart. That's what it does. Knowing that Christ won't remember my sins. It softens my heart and causes me to do what? To love God. And to love God and to serve Him. And to know that He has all good things for me. This new covenant is based on the grace of God. The work of God in our hearts. And it has better promises. It has better promises. Which I'll end with talking about the better promises. Often the old promises were temporal and conditional. They were temporal and conditional. These promises, under the new covenant, are eternal and unconditional. They are fixed. They cannot be changed. Jesus said, no one can pluck you out of my Father's hand. Salvation through the new covenant is eternal and the blessings are spiritual. The blessings of being one with God or at peace with God. The blessings of experiencing God's love. The blessings of being an eternal object. of the love and grace of God. Think of that one. I think that's the greatest blessing. Go to Ephesians chapter 2. These are some of my favorite verses. I'll often write these when I write to people. I'll put these two verses if they're believers. Because these two verses... I mean, think about it. Think of being the eternal object of God's blessings. That's what the believer is. Look, it says in Ephesians 2.6 and has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. There it is. Christ is sitting in heaven. We are seated with Him. For what reason that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus? Better promises. The New Covenant gives you the promise that God forever will pour out His grace and His love upon His people. That we are the object of God's eternal love and eternal grace. I don't know if we can get a better promise than that. It is a great promise and a great hope that the believer puts his stock in. God will pour out His eternal blessings upon His children. In conclusion, to bring it all together, I would just like to say this. This is not naturally understood. It is not a natural occurrence. But the new covenant is that God will put a new heart in you. He will give you a new spirit. It reminds me of when Peter stood up again in Acts chapter 2 and he started to preach. And they accuse him of being drunk. But what's the first thing he says? When he preaches the first sermon in the church age, he says what? This is the fulfillment of the prophet Joel. That the Spirit of God will be poured out upon all flesh. This is the promise of the new covenant, he's saying. That the Spirit of God will come and His law will be written on his hearts. We will love to serve Him. We will no longer have to serve Him out of duty, but we will serve Him because we love Him, and we joyfully serve Him because of His Spirit that has been put in our hearts, and because our sins are cast into the deepest sea, because of what Christ has done for us in His heavenly ministry. This is the promise of the New Covenant. This is the promise of the coming of the Spirit of God. It is the promise of Christ and what He would provide for us in salvation. This is incredible if you can get a hold of the promises of the New Covenant. Everything else is just nothing. Everything else is so small. And my daily life that burdens me will just become a joy because my hope is in the better promises. 2 Corinthians 5.17 We quote it often, but I think we need to quote it often. If any man, being Christ, he's a new creature. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. This is a promise of the new covenant, that God will make us a new person. You don't need to change your life and make things better. You need to be a new person. And that happens through the power of the Spirit of God when He comes in and regenerates you and gives you new life and a new hope and a new mind. He'll write His laws on your mind. You'll understand the laws of God. You'll no longer be stuck in only the moral law, but you'll see the commands of Christ. And you'll love to obey the commands of Christ. And He'll write them in your heart because you'll love God. And you'll see that your sins are as far as the East is from the West. That their sins are forgiven. So, praise the Lord for this new covenant that He's given us, that is in Christ, and that is revealed to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. And if you've never experienced it, I pray that you would please come to Christ today. Come to Him. That's what it is. It's about coming to Christ. And when you come to Him, He will make you a new person. He will make you a new person. Come to Him as a sinner. As a poor sinner that has nothing to offer God. None of us have anything to offer God. But He offers us everything through Christ. And if you come to Him today, He'll send His Spirit and born you again. He'll give you life and give you great hope in Him that is an eternal hope in these eternal promises. So let's pray. Dear Father, I pray, God, would you please work in our hearts today. I pray for those here, God, that don't know you. Would you please, Lord, work in their hearts that they would call on you, Lord Jesus, and see the great hope that is in you. Please work today, God, Work in the hearts of the believers here today, God, that our expectation would not be natural, but our expectation would be spiritual, God. Fill us with this great hope and this great love for Christ and this great eagerness to obey His commands. I just pray, Lord, work it in us that we might bring glory to Your name, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.