Being in a new covenant: a sermon on Hebrews 8:1-10:18
Being in a new covenant
a sermon on Hebrews 8:1-10:18
The writer of Hebrews has arrived and come to the point where he wants to talk about the “New Covenant”. He is exegeting Jeremiah 31:31-34 where Jeremiah says:
‘‘The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Hebrews 8:8; Jeremiah 31:31
This is not just theoretical change – not just moving people to the holy column in the ledger
I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,and they will be my people.
A Covenant is not the contract. It is the relationship. This expressed in its basic form as
I will be your God And you will be my people
Such a summary of this relationship is early in the Bible and at the end
Exodus 6:7 Lev 26:12 Revelation 21:3 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
But when Jeremiah spoke, that is not how things were. God was continuing to be faithful to his side of the relationship and human beings were not. Hebrews is about God providing
a) A mediator – High priest
b) Access to God’s presence and allowing the mediator to bring others into God’s presence because of his perfect sacrifice.
THUS the relationship is brought back to what God promised and always intended.
ie he fulfils his side of the relationship and enables humans to fulfil theirs by representing them
The Need of the New
The writer of Hebrews says that:
1) The old covenant is obsolete. (Heb 8:13)
So that the institutions associated with it
1) the tabernacle Heb 8:5
2) the law setting out sacrifices Heb 10:1
were shadows that gave us the shape of what was needed
The Shadow and the Reality
1) Tabernacle and sacrifice
OLD
The tabernacle in Moses’ time was a copy of the tabernacle in heaven (Heb 8:5)
· Priests went into the holy place regularly
· High priest went into Holy of Holies once a year
And only after making sacrifices for himself and the people with ritual washing.
NEW
“Jesus went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands” (Heb 9:11).
Jesus entered the heavenly Holy of Holies not by sacrificing an animal and shedding its blood but by virtue of his shedding his own blood. Heb. 9:15
Jesus’ death (sacrifice in the heavenly tabernacle) achieved the removal of sins of many people once for all. No repeat is necessary. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews 9:25
2) The old is shown to be imperfect
The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. Heb 9:8
3) The new achieved what the old could not achieve
a. cleaned consciences
OLD gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshipper. Hebrews 9:9
NEW How much more, then, will the blood of Christ,… cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,[ so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:14
b) Shedding of Blood
[9:12] He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption
[9;15] now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
[9:22] In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
c) A once for all Day of Atonement
THE DAY OF ATONEMENT – WHEN THE HIGH PRIEST ENTERS THE HOLY OF HOLIES
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
[10:14] For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
Hebrews and Holy Communion
Chapter 10 is talking about the Day of Atonement when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies. The sacrifices were to bring about atonement for the sins of the Jews and the world
It is interesting that our service of Holy Communion uses so much of the imagery and language of Hebrews. The Last Supper was at Passover and the home meal involved the eating of a lamb or goat that has been sacrificed. The Passover meal did not involve a priest, a temple or a sacrifice (except one that had been made). Why is Hebrews used so much?
The writers of our prayer books want to take up two themes of Hebrews
1) We remember a sacrifice made once and forever to make possible and establish a new covenant.
2) Coming into God’s presence is not an individual thing. “you that do earnestly repent of your sins and live in love and charity with your neighbours draw near with faith”
[Heb 10:22] let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings,
The Writer of Hebrews is not just exhorting us to stay under the new covenant and not retreat to the old. He is wanting us to be the people of God, not the individuals of God
You will be my people and I will be your God