The Power of the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:1–13)

Introduction

We're continuing our series in the book of Hebrews. Today, we'll be in Hebrews 8.

Have you ever felt like you've been trying hard and not getting anywhere? You're pushing forward, and something happens to drag you back.

It's like planning to go shopping at Costco with your family. You walk into Costco with a plan: "Family, we're going to walk straight in and buy one thing: Eggs. Then, we're walking right out! Ten minutes tops." Does that happen? No. You walk in, you see something over here, your wife sees something over there, the kids see some other things. The next thing you know, fifteen items are in the cart.

Sometimes life feels like that. We start with good intentions. We're focused. But something drags us off in a different direction. Next thing we know, we've got a shopping cart full of regret in our hearts.

Do we need better instructions and better discipline, or do we need something more? Hebrews 8 will answer that today.

We've finished Hebrews 7, discussing Jesus as our perfect and superior high priest, who is better than any priest who has come before. The writer will build on that in Hebrews 8.

Scripture Reading

Hebrews 8 CSB

1 Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore, it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he wouldn’t be a priest, since there are those offering the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain. 6 But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been established on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one. 8 But finding fault with his people, he says: See, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 9 not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. I showed no concern for them, says the Lord, because they did not continue in my covenant. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 And each person will not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them. 12 For I will forgive their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins. 13 By saying a new covenant, he has declared that the first is obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away.

Pray

Hebrews 8 divides neatly into two sections. The first section is Hebrews 8:1-6, talking about the ministry of Jesus as our superior high priest in heaven, summarizing everything we discussed in the last chapter.

Hebrews 8:6 is a key verse. Since Jesus' ministry is superior, he is the mediator of a better covenant established on better promises. We'll talk more about that later.

The second section is Hebrews 8:7-13, containing a long quote from Jeremiah. The quote from Jeremiah 31:31-34 is the most extended direct quotation of an Old Testament passage in the New Testament.

Hebrews 8:7-13 says the old covenant has served its purpose. The old covenant showed the faultiness of the human condition and our need for a new covenant with God, which God gave to us in Jesus Christ.

These verses have a lot of covenant language, so the first question I want to cover is,

What is a Covenant?

A covenant in Scripture represents a sacred bond between two parties. An oath ratifies this bond. [1]

Covenants were typical in the ancient world. Ancient treaties like the Hittite and Assyrian ones involved oaths, divine witnesses, blessings, and curses. [2]

However, biblical covenants were distinct from ancient covenants because most were based solely on God's promises and not human performance (Gen. 15; 2 Sam. 7).

One covenant in the Bible is different. The Mosaic covenant is the only covenant in Scripture where God's blessings were conditioned directly on human obedience and performance. It was the only covenant that said, "You do this, and I'll do that."

Listen to God's covenant with Israel in Exodus 19:5-6,

Exodus 19:5–6 CSB

5 Now if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession out of all the peoples, although the whole earth is mine, 6 and you will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.”

The people of Israel would only experience God's blessings in the Mosaic covenant if they kept the law.

The history of Israel shows one thing: no matter what, the people of Israel could not keep God's law. They were constantly not listening to God or obeying his commands.

The prophets were people God used in the Bible to step into Israel and call them to obedience. One of those prophets was the prophet Jeremiah.

The Prophet Jeremiah and the New Covenant

The prophet Jeremiah wrote two books in the Old Testament, known as the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations. If the prophet Jeremiah walked into a doctor’s office today, the doctor might prescribe him antidepressants. He is known as the weeping prophet.

Jeremiah lived in a depressing time in Israel. It was some of their darkest days. Jeremiah gave warnings of judgment as Babylon invaded. The people of Israel fell into empty worship (Jer. 7:4-11), idolatry (Jer. 19:5; 44:17), and religious corruption (Jer. 5:30–31; 23:11–14). The nation was full of sin and refused to repent (Jer. 8:5–6).

Within the landscape of Israel in ruins, God told Israel through the prophet Jeremiah that a new covenant was coming. The Bible says in Jeremiah 31:31-34,

Jeremiah 31:31–34 CSB

31 “Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—my covenant that they broke even though I am their master”—the Lord’s declaration. 33 “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.

God shows Jeremiah that one day, he will not just command our obedience; the Lord will change our hearts. In the new covenant, God will forgive our iniquities and not remember our sins. Hebrews 8 is all about God's new covenant. God has fulfilled his promise to his people, giving his people a new covenant established in Jesus Christ.

The writer of Hebrews explains the new covenant to us in several ways. The first thing he says about the new covenant is that,

I. The New Covenant Is Mediated by a Better High Priest

Before the writer of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah, he summarizes everything he has said in Hebrews 7 by saying, let me get to the point.

Our superior high priest is better than everything that has come before because,

A. Jesus ministers in the true tabernacle

In Hebrews 8:1-2,

Hebrews 8:1–2 CSB

1 Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man.

What kind of high priest do we have in Jesus? We have a high priest, representing us before God with the perfect offering for our sin, seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Being seated at the right hand of the throne of God means that the Son of God is in a kingdom position of superior authority and honor (1 Kings 2:19).

The Old Testament said the Messiah would sit at the right hand of God in a place of victory and power. It says this in Psalm 110:1,

Psalm 110:1 CSB

1 This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Jesus, our high priest, has kingdom honor, victory, and power; his enemies are defeated, and he has authority over all things.

Furthermore, we have a high priest who has completed his work. Priests in the temple never sat down because they never finished offering sacrifices. Sin always needed more and more offerings because sin continued to be present.

But our high priest sat down at the right hand of the throne of God because his work was complete. He completed his work of sacrifice by offering himself on the cross.

We have a superior high priest in the presence of the Father interceding for us, as it says in Hebrews 7:25,

Hebrews 7:25 CSB

25 Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.

We have a high priest who has kingdom honor and authority. He has completed the perfect sacrifice for sin and lives interceding for you and me. Therefore,

B. Jesus offers a better ministry and better promises

It says in Hebrews 8:6,

Hebrews 8:6 CSB

6 But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been established on better promises.

Why is Jesus’ ministry superior? His ministry is superior to everything in the Old Covenant because every priest, sacrifice, and tabernacle in the Old Covenant pointed Israel to him.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the reality and fulfillment of everything God has been pointing Israel and the world to through Moses and the Prophets. Jesus is the final high priest who brings us into the presence of God forever.

That's why, on the night before his crucifixion, Jesus took the cup and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:20). Jesus wasn't just offering a symbol. He was announcing that the new covenant promised through the prophet Jeremiah had arrived. His blood would seal the covenant forever.

Why is the new covenant in Jesus a better covenant? The new covenant in Jesus is better because,

It’s not temporary; it’s eternal.

It’s not animal sacrifices; it’s the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God.

It’s not based on an earthly temple; it’s a heavenly covenant in a heavenly sanctuary before our holy God.

It’s not laws written on stone pointing out your sin; it’s a new life transformation written by Jesus on your heart.

Why is it established on better promises? The new covenant is established on better promises because it doesn't depend on your obedience to keep laws. It is a covenant God gave and guaranteed in Jesus only based on God's grace and love for you. In Jesus Christ, God promises you,

a new heart (Eze. 36:26),

a relationship with God (Jer. 31:33),

and forgiveness of your sins forever (Heb. 8:12).

The blood of Jesus Christ eternally seals God's promises of the new covenant for you.

The old covenant was like a map. Do you remember keeping a paper map in your car? You would throw a map in your glove compartment and forget about it. Sometimes, the maps got dirty, and they would rip in places. If the map tore in the spot where you were going, it couldn't get you exactly where you needed to be.

I'm thankful for the maps on our phones now. It's incredible; you plug in the address, and the GPS gets you to the exact location.

The old map torn in where you needed to go wasn't bad, but it was incomplete. It pointed the way, but it couldn't get you there. In the same way, the old covenant pointed you in the direction of God, but it couldn't get you there.

Only Jesus gets you right to the presence of God. That's why he is a superior high priest. He is the perfect mediator of the new covenant given to us in him.

Sometimes, we live like we're depending on the old map. We think God measures our worth by how many rules we can keep or believe he is pleased only when we perform perfectly. We want a rules-based religion because we think God values us only by what we do for him.

But the new covenant says there is freedom in Jesus, and that it's not about religion but a relationship. God established a new covenant with us in Jesus so you can draw near to him.

But if the new covenant is better, why did the old covenant exist? Why was it not enough, and what was its purpose?

We'll cover that in the second point, which is,

II. The Old Covenant Could Regulate Behavior, But It Couldn’t Change the Heart

The writer of Hebrews explains in Hebrews 8 why the old covenant wasn’t enough and why we needed a new covenant.

First, he’ll remind us that,

A. The old covenant was broken by God’s people

God has always been faithful, but humans have repeatedly shown that they are not. God gave the law to Israel, and humans could not keep it.

The Old Testament has 39 books written by about 30 authors over 1,000 years. It came from people in different stages of life and various circumstances, including kings, shepherds, priests, government officials, and others. Yet each page of the Bible testifies to this fact: Humans, left on their own accord, will always drift toward rebellion against God.

In the 2,000 years since Jesus, history still shows this fact: Everyone, from the most hardened criminal in the toughest jail to the saintliest nun or pope, we are all sinners in need of the grace of God.

Hebrews 8:7-8 speaks about fault. Something was wrong under the old covenant. Where was the fault? Was it in the law, or was it in humans?

B. The fault wasn’t in the law; it was in human hearts

The old covenant law served its purpose: To reveal to human beings the sin in their hearts and their desperate need for salvation in Jesus Christ. The fault was never in the law. The law served as a mirror to your heart. It didn’t solve the problem. It just exposed it.

Paul talks about this in Romans 7:7-10, where he says,

Romans 7:7–10 CSB

7 What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet. 8 And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life again 10 and I died. The commandment that was meant for life resulted in death for me.

What is Paul saying here about the law? The law itself wasn't bad. God's law is perfect and good. But when your sinful heart hears God's commands, it doesn't want to obey them. Your heart wants to sin more.

For example, God's law in Exodus 20:14, "Do not commit adultery," has existed for thousands of years. Yet humans don't see that law and say, "Okay, we will never lust again." The human heart hears the law and wants to sin more. Our society shows that human hearts will find new adulterous and lustful ways every single day.

Yet, we all see the law, "Do not commit adultery," and we say, "That's right. You shouldn't commit adultery." The fault is not in the law. The fault is in the human heart.

It's amazing how many human solutions we continue to try to throw at the human heart today because we know that something is wrong.

We try to fix the human heart with education, but you can’t teach your way out of rebellion against God.

We try to fix the human heart with politics, but no government policy will cure the human soul.

We try to fix the human heart with technology, but there is no app to correct the affections of your heart.

We try to fix the human heart with therapy, but no amount of therapeutic talk will remove your guilt before God.

We don’t need new laws or human solutions to fix the problem of the human heart. We need God to give us new hearts. That’s what he has done for us in the new covenant. It’s the third point,

III. The New Covenant Transforms the Heart and Secures Our Relationship with God

The new covenant is about what God has done for us and what he does within us. God’s work in your life through faith in Jesus is inside-out transformation work.

Hebrews 8 tells us that,

A. God writes His law on our hearts

It says in Hebrews 8:10,

Hebrews 8:10 CSB

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Jeremiah prophesies a new covenant that will be transformational for the house of Israel. But as a Christian, is this applicable to us?

Yes, this promise is absolutely for you. The new covenant was promised first to Israel and Judah, but through Jesus Christ, God has brought Gentiles, people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, into the blessings of the new covenant. That's what it says in Galatians 3:29,

Galatians 3:29 CSB

29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.

The new covenant isn't just God's promise to Israel. It is also your hope and present reality. Jeremiah's prophecy is for Israel, and it is for the church.

In the new covenant, God is not demanding your obedience based on his law. He is actively transforming your thoughts and writing his love letters on your heart. Because of the cross, he is your God, and you are his people, whose hearts carry within them God's love.

The prophet Ezekiel described the new covenant work of God through the Messiah when God spoke through him in Ezekiel 36:26, saying,

Ezekiel 36:26 CSB

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

God doesn’t just patch up your old heart. Through Jesus Christ, he gives you a new one. The old heart is gone, and a new, resurrected transformed life and heart is within you.

This new heart has a purpose: to draw near to God, to know him, and love him.

B. Everyone in Christ personally knows God

In Hebrews 8:11,

Hebrews 8:11 CSB

11 And each person will not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them.

There is no spiritual hierarchy in access to God. Since our perfect high priest intercedes for us in the heavens, we have direct access to God. God proves this access to him by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in your life.

You're not here today because I have some special access to God that you can't have. That's not Christianity.

Christianity is not going through a human priest, a pastor, or a system to reach God. In Christ, every follower of Jesus knows God personally. In Christ, you can speak to God directly. You can experience God through the power of the Holy Spirit. You can walk with God every day. Jesus made a way for every believer to have direct access to God.

Our access to God is built on this foundation,

C. Complete forgiveness through the cross is now our foundation

In Hebrews 8:12,

Hebrews 8:12 CSB

12 For I will forgive their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins.

The foundation of your life isn’t your performance. The foundation of your faith and the source of your hope is the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for your sins and mine.

God’s forgiveness for your sins means you don’t have to be chained to your past.

God’s forgiveness for your sins means you don’t have to live in guilt and shame.

God’s forgiveness for your sins means you don’t have to try to earn his love.

God’s forgiveness for your sins means you can walk in freedom, stand confidently, and live in the joy of the Lord because you are fully and completely forgiven in Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

The new covenant doesn't mean you'll never struggle, but it does mean that nothing in the world will separate you from God's love. God is not asking you to try harder. Instead, he wants you to trust him deeper.

Through the blood of Jesus, you have,

a new heart,

direct access to God,

and complete forgiveness for your sin.

Sometimes, we think we must do more to be right with God, but the new covenant God gave us in Jesus says differently. The cross says the work is finished. As a follower of Jesus, God has given you a new heart and forgiven your sins completely. Rest in the grace of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

If you’ve never trusted in Jesus, God offers you his new covenant.

Only Jesus can give you a new heart.

Only Jesus can forgive your sins.

Only Jesus can bring you into the presence of God.

Come to Jesus. Trust him, and watch him change your life.

Prayer

Last Song

Doxology

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’

Jude 24–25 CSB

24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.

You are dismissed. Have a great week in the Lord!

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[1] Faithlife, LLC. “Covenants.” Logos Bible Study, Computer software. Logos Bible Study Factbook. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, LLC, April 24, 2025. https://ref.ly/logos4/Factbook?id=ref%3abk.%25covenant.

[2] Examples of Hittite Suzerainty Treaties by Julian Spriggs: https://www.julianspriggs.co.uk/Pages/HittiteTreaty; The Suzerain/Vassal Covenants by Brian Keith Hudsom (https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/culture/suzerain-vassal-covenants.htm)

Sermon Reflection Questions

What does Hebrews 8 indicate about the role of Jesus as our high priest?

How does Hebrews 8 describe the new covenant in relation to the old covenant?

What is the significance of God writing His laws on our hearts, as mentioned in Hebrews 8?

How does the old covenant fail to change human hearts?

What does Hebrews 8 say about how we can now know God compared to the old covenant?