August 1, 2014
IS HEAVEN THE COOLEST THING YOU CAN THINK OF?
Hebrews 8
Jay Kreusch
Central Truth
If we aren't chasing hard after Christ, then we don't understand well enough the awesomeness of heavenly things.
Key Verse | Hebrews 8:4–5
Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. (Hebrews 8:4-5a)
Hebrews 8
Jesus, High Priest of a Better Covenant
1 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent 1 8:2 Or tabernacle; also verse 5 that the Lord set up, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But as it is, Christ 2 8:6 Greek he has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
8 For he finds fault with them when he says: 3 8:8 Some manuscripts For finding fault with it he says to them
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
9
not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
10
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
11
And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.”
13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Dive Deeper | Hebrews 8
I have the privilege to serve on the Great Questions leadership team at Watermark. Great Questions is a discussion forum that meets every Monday night from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. It is a safe place for those who don't have a relationship with Christ to ask questions about the Christian faith. Every now and then in my responses, I will say to people that difficulty with faith often comes from one of two sources. Either (1) we do not have a big enough view of our own sin, or (2) we don't have a big enough view of God.
Verse 5a describes this world as a "copy and shadow of the heavenly things." Think about that. A shadow has the general shape of the object it represents, but it has no detail, color, or expression. Nobody (except maybe Peter Pan) gets excited about shadows. That's how we as believers should view the trappings of this world -- as a shadow.
If somebody gave you luxury box tickets at your favorite sporting event, front row seats at an award show, a free two-month, five-star vacation, and a seat on the first manned mission to Mars, you would probably tell EVERYONE about it. I'm not just saying you would get one of those, but ALL of those. Facebook would be updated for sure, and your colleagues and friends would get tired of hearing about it. You probably would talk about it in mundane daily conversations like checking out at the grocery store. In short, you would find a way to work it into every conversation you had.
The real "heavenly place" that believers will one day be a part of is greater than all of those cool things times about a billion. But we don't tell other people, do we? We get awkward and shy and nervous and don't work it into conversations. We hold back.
Now here's the awesome thing -- God tells us that by telling others about that amazing heavenly place, you have the opportunity to bring them with you! What are you waiting for???
Discussion Questions
1. What is the coolest thing you have ever done? Who did you tell about it?
2. Have you told those same people about what Christ has done for them on the cross?
3. Do you really view "heavenly things" as cooler than the coolest thing you have ever done?