December 2, 2013
NEW AND IMPROVED -- AS IN, PERFECT AND PERMANENT
Hebrews 8
Bill Keffer
Central Truth
The Old Testament covenant with the nation of Israel was dependent on man's imperfect ability to obey God's law perfectly and was consequently doomed to fail. The New Testament covenant is the invitation to salvation and eternal life extended to all people through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Key Verse | Hebrews 8:7
For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. (Hebrews 8:7)
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
We live in a hectic (more like, chaotic), fast-paced, and hyperactive world. It's no wonder that every other child is seemingly diagnosed with ADD or ADHD while it seems like our society as a whole suffers from those same conditions. Technological advancements and improvements seem to occur daily, and computers and smart phones are debuted and retired within the same year. Once a product has been improved upon, the consumer herd stampedes to the brand new version, abruptly leaving the older model in the dust and obsolete. We think "new" is better and have no hesitation in dumping the "old." The only problem with "new" is that it will also become old one day.
Fortunately, for a world of imperfect, attention-deficit, unreliable people, the New Covenant referenced in today's passage is permanent and perfect because it hangs on the perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ, who came into this crazy world to become the perfect sacrifice for imperfect man. The Old Testament covenant was dependent on imperfect human priests endlessly offering sacrifices to God for the continuing sins of His people, made obvious by their utter inability to obey His laws perfectly. The conclusion is that we can't reach holiness, and we need a Savior. Only a perfect sacrifice in the form of a perfect man, Jesus Christ, can permanently cover the sins of an imperfect world.
Jesus has "taken His seat" at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, because Jesus' work that paid for our sins was finished at the cross, once and for all (Hebrews 8:1; John 19:30). Fads, fashion trends, societies, nations, and people come and go, but God, whose name in the Old Testament means "I AM", never changes. The New Covenant that has been made available to us through Jesus remains new. "He has made the first [covenant] obsolete" (Hebrews 8:13). Our modern world might be full of ever-improving "smart" technology, but they'll never be permanent or perfect. Only Jesus Christ is.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you always buy the latest smart phone when it hits the market? When you do, what do you do with your old smart phones?
2. Are you always buying the next new gadget? Why?
3. Do you believe that Christ's death on the cross was a perfect, permanent sacrifice for you?
4. Do you know that this New Covenant is Christ's invitation to recognize our need for a perfect Savior?