Hebrews 8:1-13

Introduction: Why God Repeats Himself

Ruthie is our baby and she is 2

Repeating herself over and over and it getting annoying

Me asking her to repeat herself and her getting annoyed with me for not understanding

We are in a section of Hebrews where it’s going to sound repetitive for a little but but there are moments when repetition is annoying—and moments when repetition is merciful.

A smoke alarm doesn’t keep chirping because it enjoys your frustration. It repeats because something matters.

Hebrews 8 can feel repetitive. The author keeps returning to priesthood. He keeps returning to covenant. He keeps insisting Jesus is better.

But repetition in Scripture is never wasted ink. God repeats what we are most tempted to forget.

Although we don’t know exactly who they are the original recipients of this letter have not abandoned Christ outright—but they were drifting and tempted to. They were tempted to return to what felt stable, visible, and familiar. So the author keeps plucking the same string until it resonates.

And in Hebrews 8, he slows everything down and we know that by the very first phrase

Hebrews 8:1–13 ESV

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 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 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: “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.

pray

I. The Main Point: We Have the Right Priest (Hebrews 8:1)

“Now the main point of what is being said is this: we have such a high priest…”

The author knows Hebrews has been dense. Seven chapters of argument, Scripture, typology, and comparison—and now he clarifies.

This is the point: You don’t need another priest. You don’t need another sacrifice. You don’t need another covenant.

You already have what you need

Notice the tense: we have.

Not we hope for. Not we are waiting on. Not we are striving toward.

The Christian life is lived from possession, not pursuit.

Our pursuits are made possible and are driven from what we posses in Christ

Jesus as our High Priest has achieved for us what we can not

And this priest is not standing—he is seated.

“One who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.”

In the Levitical system, priests never sat down. Primarily as a sign that their work was never finished. But Christ sits because His sacrifice is complete.

Again, reverberating the “It is finished” at the cross

The “right hand” is the place of authority, honor, and power. In the ancient world, it was the seat reserved for the most trusted ruler beside the king.

Jesus is not merely forgiven. He is enthroned.

II. The Place of His Ministry: The True Sanctuary (Hebrews 8:2)

“A minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.”

The contrast sharpens.

Earthly priests ministered in tents and temples constructed by human hands. Even at their best, these structures were temporary and limited.

The tabernacle was real—but it was not ultimate.

Christ ministers in the true tent—the sanctuary established by God Himself.

This is not symbolic language. Hebrews is telling us where salvation actually occurs.

Forgiveness was not finally secured on an altar in Jerusalem. Atonement was not completed in a man-made structure.

Christ brought His sacrifice into the very presence of God.

A place does not change you, a moment does not save you, an experience does not redeem you.

It is only in the presence of God that those possibilities become reality

III. The Necessity of an Offering (Hebrews 8:3)

“For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer.”

Priests don’t come empty-handed.

This verse guards against a sentimental view of Jesus. He is not merely a moral example or spiritual guide. He fulfills the fundamental requirement of priesthood—he offers a sacrifice.

But the question is obvious, and the contrast is severe:

What does Jesus offer?

Not grain. Not incense. Not animals.

He offers Himself.

And this immediately creates tension with the old system.

IV. Why Jesus Could Not Be an Earthly Priest (Hebrews 8:4)

“Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all…”

Jesus does not fit into the Levitical framework.

He was not from the tribe of Levi. He did not descend from Aaron. He did not serve in the temple.

And that is precisely the point.

If Jesus merely operated within the existing system, nothing would change. His priesthood had to be categorically different.

The old covenant already had priests. The new covenant required a new priest.

(Naomi has started to read. Her reading and saying the word wrong and me telling her no and her continuing to say the same wrong thing over and over)

If you want something new you have to have something different

The old covenant went through the same kind of priests

The new covenant required a new priest priest, a different priest.

V. Shadow and Reality (Hebrews 8:5)

“They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things…”

Here the author introduces language that would have resonated deeply with a Greek-influenced audience.

A shadow is not false—but it is incomplete. A copy is not useless—but it is not the original.

The tabernacle was a God-given model—but it was never the destination.

When Moses built the tabernacle, he followed a pattern God revealed to him. That pattern was not invented—it was revealed.

Which means the heavenly sanctuary did not come after the earthly one.

It always existed.

The earthly tabernacle was a shadow cast backward into history by eternal reality.

VI. A Better Ministry and a Better Covenant (Hebrews 8:6)

“But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent…”

This verse is the turning point.

This is like putting hinges on a door, things open up and we can peak inside

Christ’s ministry is superior because it mediates a better covenant.

And the covenant is better because it rests on better promises.

Everything hinges here.

A covenant defines relationship. It establishes access. It determines how God relates to His people.

And the author says plainly: The new covenant is much more excellent.

VII. Why the Old Covenant Was Replaced (Hebrews 8:7)

“For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.”

The old covenant was not sinful—it was insufficient.

One of the most frustrating things is when one of the lightbulbs in the ceiling goes out.

Not really because its a difficult task or anything but because I know that if one went out then over the next few weeks, one by one, those jokers are gonna burn out

And nothing is more useless than a burned out light

Like a light bulb that burns out, the Old Covenant stopped accomplishing what it was meant to do.

It could reveal sin. At best, it could restrain behavior. But it could not transform hearts.

So God promised something new.

VIII. The Promise of a New Covenant (Hebrews 8:8–9)

Hebrews 8:8–9 ESV

8 For he finds fault with them when he says: “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.

The author quotes Jeremiah 31, reminding his readers that this was not a Christian innovation—it was a prophetic expectation.

Israel failed to keep the covenant. They broke it repeatedly. And the covenant could not keep them.

So God promised a covenant that would not depend on human consistency alone.

IX. The Internal Work of the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:10–11)

“I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts…”

This is the age of the Spirit.

The law is no longer an external command—it becomes internal transformation.

This is proof that the law is no obsolete but now will be written on the hearts of God’s people

Knowledge of God is no longer mediated through class, rank, or ritual. It becomes personal, relational, and universal among God’s people.

The Superbowl is tonight and each team has a 53 man roster

There will be 11 that play on offense, 11 that play on defense, and a few extras that play on special teams

If you do the math that means there will be guys that stand on the sideline, don’t contribute one second to the game and yet, when the confetti falls, they will still celebrate with everyone else, they’ll still get a ring, and they will still be called superbowl champs

The New Covenant put everyone on the same playing field and everyone has the chance to win the superbowl.

And if you choose Christ’s team, you don’t even have to step out on the field because Christ has already won.

And when you choose His team, you put on the uniform, you transform from a guy in street clothes and put on the robes of Righteousness that He provides

You get to run around the field and celebrate the victory just like everyone else who has done the same

This is what Christ has afforded you

X. The Heart of the Covenant: Complete Forgiveness (Hebrews 8:12)

“For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

This is the center of the text

God does not merely overlook sin. He does not merely tolerate sinners. He remembers the sin of saints, no more.

This is not divine amnesia—it is divine mercy.

Because Christ bore sin fully, God no longer holds it against His people.

XI. The Old Has Passed Away (Hebrews 8:13)

“What is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”

The old covenant served its purpose.

But it has been surpassed.

When Ruthie was an infant all she ate was formula. Bottles of formula.

You know what her favorite meal is now. Steak and mushrooms.

If we tried to give her formula she would probably spit it out and look at us like we are crazy and I wouldn’t blame her

Why, because you don’t go back to formula when you’ve tasted steak and mushrooms

You don’t return to shadows when the substance has arrived.

We can’t fall victim to returning to Old covenant patterns and practices when the New Covenant is that much more excellent.

Conclusion: Don’t Drift Backward

Hebrews 8 is not about novelty—it’s about finality.

You have a better priest. A better covenant. Better promises.

Don’t go back.

Live in gratitude. Draw near with confidence. Rest in the finished work of Christ.

Praise in Victory

Because we have such a high priest.

What would change this week if I actually believed God remembers my sins no more?

How might freedom, obedience, gratitude, or joy grow if I lived from forgiveness instead of striving for it?

Pray