All Things Are New

Introduction

The entire book of Hebrews is an appeal to the Jewish believers, that they should fully embrace the Lord Jesus and stop living according to the old system.

A Brand New Game

Have you ever been introduced to a new game, and it’s so complex that you find yourself just sitting there while other people are playing it?

And the crowd is cheering or the players are using words and actions as if you’re supposed to know what it is, but since you have never seen it before it just keeps confusing you?

That’s pretty much our condition when we are reading the book of Hebrews.

The Jews know everything that he is talking about and we don’t!

a. Let’s Talk About the Old System

Under the old covenant:

Priests would offer animal sacrifices of sheep, oxen, and doves, with blood running down the altar as a sign for atonement.

Atonement literally means “to smear as a covering.”

The blood that flowed down the altar would signify, that through the life given by the sacrificed animal, that the sins of the people had been covered.

One interesting thing about this concept, is that the word “atonement” is the same word as the word “pitch.” If you remember the imagery of “pitch” in the Old Testament, you’ll remember that Noah covered the entire ark with pitch.

That word is used to signify that something is totally covered and free from the judgement of God.

This sacrifice had to be carried out in the Temple in Jerusalem.

You couldn’t just worship God anywhere. You had to worship Him the designated place of worship.

Deuteronomy 12:5–14 NKJV

“But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the Lord your God has blessed you. “You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes— for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you. Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see; but in the place which the Lord chooses, in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.

This is the subject of conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

John 4:19–24 NKJV

The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The Old System demanded that people worship only in the Temple, but under the new system, we worship in spirit because God is spirit. That’s why we have victory when we walk in the Spirit, because we are walking with and in the presence of God.

Only Priests could offer sacrifice, and to be forgiven, the people had to go through a priest.

Under the new system, Jesus is our High Priest and the Bible says that He ever lives to make intercession for us.

The act of intercession is to be a “go-between” for two parties. The priests of the Old Testament would go between God and the people to intercede for them, but now, Jesus sits at the Throne of God and intercedes for us.

Hebrews 7:23–28 NKJV

Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

We no longer need an earthly priest, we have the Lord Jesus and we have access to Him by the Holy Spirit.

The ritual itself followed a consistent pattern which can be read in Leviticus 1-5, but I will summarize it.

An offeror brought an unblemished male animal to the entrance of the tabernacle.

The person pressed his hand on the animal’s head and, in a symbolic way, transferred the weight of his sins onto the creature.

For burnt offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings, the slaughtering occurred on the north side of the altar, with the animal bound by cord to a ring fixed for that purpose, and the fatal stroke delivered as the prayer ended.

The priest or assistant held a bowl beneath the animal’s neck to catch blood as the throat was cut.

The offeror then skinned the animal and cut it into pieces while priests arranged wood and fire on the altar.

Priests cast blood across the altar’s sides, though the specific application varied depending on the offering’s goal— but, for sin offerings, blood was placed on the altar’s horns and poured at its base, with additional blood sprinkled before the veil for offerings on behalf of the congregation or high priest.

The burnt offering remained on the hearth throughout the night, with the altar fire kept perpetually burning. (Leviticus 6:8-7:38)

On the annual Day of Atonement, a bull was sacrificed for the priesthood, a goat for all Israel, and a third goat—the scapegoat—received the high priest’s confession of the nation’s sins before being driven into the wilderness, carrying Israel’s sins away

Then there is the altar.

In the narrative of Abraham, we see altars made out of pretty much anything.

For Moses, the altars were to be constructed from earth, and, if it was built from stone, the material had to remain rough and unaltered, because using tools was considered defilement.

Altars were also required to have no steps on them.

So, this what we have here is not a true altar in a biblical sense, but it is just a place where we have designated for a time of response, and I’m not legalistic enough to never call it an altar.

The reason that it was only to be made from earth was to reflect it’s purpose, which is to serve as a monument to human sin and the meeting place between God and sinful creatures.

One interesting connection to make to the Old Testament is in the story of Cain and Abel.

Cain murdered his brother Abel, and then God says,

Genesis 4:10 NKJV

“What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.”

Then in the book of Hebrews, that author mentions the blood of Abel.

Hebrews 12:22–24 NKJV

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

The blood of Abel cried out to God from the ground and God made what was meant for evil, for good. Abel was a martyr of the faith, and his blood was not spilled in vain.

So, the blood of Jesus Christ speaks better things, because while Abel’s blood testified to God’s justice against evil, the blood of the Lord Jesus testifies to God’s victory over evil.

So, we don’t just die as righteous people, but we will also live as righteous people, being resurrected with the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, at one time the altars were made of earth, but the Temple altar was made of acacia wood.

A ledge ran around the altar midway up its height to provide a standing place for priests during sacrifices.

The fire that was kindled on the altar was miraculously initiated and perpetually maintained.

Leviticus 6:12–13 NKJV

And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.

All of this seems tedious, but it’s necessary to know if we are going to understand what he is writing here, and we will explain some more things as we walk through these truths.

Read Hebrews 13:10-16

There are four important truths that the author reminds his readers of.

I. Our City is the New Jerusalem

Hebrews 13:14 “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.”

A. The Jews Understood Jerusalem as a Holy City

We also consider Jerusalem to be a holy city of great importance because that is where our Lord Jesus went to worship. We also know that God established that city for His glory.

The difference is that the Jews believed that the current city of Jerusalem was going to be their permanent dwelling. They placed all of their hope in a city on the earth that was set to be destroyed and remade.

B. God Tells us There will be a New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:1–4 NKJV

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

The Jews, just like in everything else, were mistaking the earthly city of Jerusalem for God’s New Jerusalem that he was going to establish.

The author is trying to convey to them that their destination was not Jerusalem as they know it, but it is a New Jerusalem, a holy and a heavenly city.

Also, that our citizenship is not of the earth, but it is of Heaven.

C. As Christians, we are passing through, not permanent residents.

We can make the mistake of creating a life for ourselves here without ever understanding that we are just passing through.

This world is not our home, but we devote far too much energy to the things of the earth, and not enough time to the things of Heaven.

Let me give some Scripture verses here that help us to live in light of our new citizenship.

Matthew 6:19–21 NKJV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

This is not an allowance for unwise living, but it is a sober reminder that things don’t matter, and the lives changed for the Lord matter.

The things that we get so attached to are going to burn, and yet we will get divided over stuff when there is a glorious kingdom waiting for us.

1 Corinthians 7:29–31 NKJV

But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.

We can’t neglect our wives…but the Bible makes it clear that we are in the end of days, and we should be giving our life in service unto God.

II. Our Altar is the Lord Jesus

We talked in some detail about the altar in the opening of this message, but what the writer is expressing in v. 10 is that the physical altar of the Old Testament pictured the new altar where the blood of Jesus was spilled for forgiveness.

Hebrews 13:10 “We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.”

Our altar is the Lord. There is no physical altar that we can point to where we place the blood of an animal. Instead, we know that we are covered forever by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

III. Our Identity is in His Rejection

Hebrews 13:12–14 “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.”

To give some context to this, we can read v. 11 again.

Hebrews 13:11 “For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp.”

If you will remember, under the Old Testament, there was a slaughter outside of the camp, where the blood of an animal was caught in a bowl and carried up to the altar for atonement. - v. 11 “whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin.”

Then, the animal would be burned outside of the camp - v. 11 “the bodies of those animals are burned outside the camp.”

Thus, we get the connection to the Lord Jesus in v. 12-14.

A. Jesus suffered and was crucified outside of the city of Jerusalem to fulfill the law’s demands.

Luke 23:33 NKJV

And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.

The reason that the crucifixions happened outside of Jerusalem was because it was to signify that the criminal had been rejected, was now an outcast, and is condemned by the world.

So, for a Jew to identify with the Lord Jesus means that he also identified with the Lord’s outcast status.

Sometimes it can actually be beneficial in our world to announce that we are a Christian, and so many people do it…but not in that day, and not to the Jews. Openly declaring the Lord Jesus was a sign of being an outcast to all of society, even friends and families.

We have brothers that have converted from the Muslim religion that face a similar rejection. When they follow Christ, they are cut-off from their family and communities and are condemned to death.

B. We Are Also Called to Bear His Shame

Thank God its not so hard here to identify as a Christian, but it can still be difficult to live as one.

We have to always remember that when we live for the Lord that we are going to be unfairly attacked, and we are going to be demonized in every possible way.

The media in our nation stand diametrically opposed to the message of the cross.

In fact, if you want to have someone get mad at you, just start declaring to them that the only way for them to be saved is to trust in the Lord for salvation. Tell them about their sin and their need for the Lord and watch their faces turn with disgust.

Not only that, they are going to make fun of you and are going to unfairly criticize you.

There is an entire world out there watching waiting for the next Christian to fall just so they can say, “I told you so.”

C. When we embrace Christ, we are saying that we reject the world.

This is how it is supposed to be anyways.

The unfortunate reality is that too many Christians are living like Lot.

Instead of standing for God as someone who is passing through like Abraham so often did, they find themselves neck deep in the places of sin, making a home for themselves on earth.

John 12:25–26 NKJV

He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

We are to be, in some sense, living like John the Baptist, someone who was clearly an outcast but someone who walked with such power and integrity that even the most influential leaders in Jerusalem, the Sadducees and Pharisees, couldn’t keep people from listening to the truth.

I don’t mean to be weird, I don’t mean to dress funny, I simply mean that we are called to walk worthy and to stand for truth and to live by the truth.

Something that this world doesn’t respect is truth.

IV. Our Body is a Spiritual Sacrifice

Hebrews 13:15–16 “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

A. First, we sacrifice to God by Praise

“the sacrifice of praise.”

Praise means to honor and to worship.

And we cannot praise or worship anything else other than God if we wish to fulfill our role as Christians.

Here is the indicator of worship, what we spend our time doing, thinking, and talking about is what we worship.

Mostly, I believe that we struggle with the worship of self. We don’t have idols that are carved out of gold or wood. What we do is we place self on the throne and we live based on what makes us feel good.

Well, the Bible constantly calls us to deny ourselves and to make Jesus Christ preeminent in our life. That simply means that His commands come first, and we are to be given over to Him in praise.

We also are to gather together in service to praise Him.

This is what v. 15 calls, “the fruit of our lips.”

We praise God when we gather with a local body.

That is why we sing, to offer the sacrifice of praise through singing unto God.

Church is not just an organization that has to be managed and run, it is the avenue in which we praise God together becoming sacrifices unto Him.

B. We Also Sacrifice by Good Works

“Do not forget to do good.”

Romans 12:1 NKJV

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

The sacrifice that we bring to God is our service.

When we are not serving, we are not fulfilling our role as a believer, and we are missing out on the blessings of God.

When we go to Heaven, I believe that we are going to be ministering to God and ministering to one another in perfect fellowship.

Because to be in the presence of God is to accomplish His will through service.

Conclusion

1. When we accepted Christ, our old life was gone.

We can never forget that we have been called to walk according to the commands of God and that is our purpose.

When we gave our heart to the Lord, he placed our citizenship in Heaven, and we are to walk as children on light, not as citizens of a dark and dying world.

2. When we accepted Christ, our eternity began.

We don’t want to wait till heaven to minister and to worship God.

We want to begin right now by identifying with Him, praising Him, and serving Him with good works.