HEBREWS-JESUS IS BETTER: Jesus' God Ordained Mission

Knowing Jesus’ God Ordained Mission Hebrews 8:1-6 We need to understand Jesus God ordained mission. Because if we get it wrong as Christians - we get this life wrong, we live it wrong, we worship wrong, we may even undressed the answer to life ultimate question, wrong - and what is that “what must I do to be saved” (Acts 16:30). I’m going to say that again, and slowly because we’re a generation/nation of people (meaning all living people now not menials only as though 20 years makes us good people and bad people) who deserve everything perfectly, and we deserve it now. We want it from the microwave in less than a minute - in fact we even open the microwave door with seconds left, because we need it sooner. We cannot be like that with God’s plan for all of life - it’s not our plan, it’s His. So we need to understand Jesus’ God ordained mission. Think of it like this… have you ever been on a road trip, and as you get closer you start to see the signs for your destination - Harrisburg 200 miles. And you get excited. BUT - you don’t stop at that first sign get out and unpack, do you? NO - you keep going! Remember whom Hebrews is written to? Hebrew Christians who’d been going BACK to the law, who’d been going back to Ceremony and so the writer of the letter to the Hebrews, often called the Pastor has been working to squarely show them Jesus. That’s it, this whole book is about Jesus because He Himself is enough and so we want to right know Him, and His God ordained mission. Jesus is the preeminent one, the most important in all of creation - God’s active agent in creation through whom all things that exist were made, Jesus. This book is for all believers through the end of time, it does not age out - are you someone who’s looking to something in life, other than Jesus and hoping against all hope, betting everything on that. Scripture it’s self says, there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end - is to death. (Proverbs 14:12) Think about that; are you on your own path of understanding, working out life on your own? It leads to death, and maybe you’re a tough guy, maybe you don’t care - I assure you’re much less tough than you think. You’re weak, your fragile and I know that - because next to God the creator of the universe you’re a pile of mush - but for some reason, just like me, the God who created you cares for you and He’s shown you that if you’ll just look, it’s part of Jesus God ordained mission to show off the love of God for His creation. Maybe you’d ask, then why would God let me endure this life, endure all that’s happened to me, maybe you’ve experienced significant (I mean deeply personal significant, loss). Maybe you’ve been molested or even raped. Maybe you’ve been deeply emotionally hurt. Maybe you feel like you cannot trust anyone on this earth, and maybe you’re right - maybe you cannot - Jesus never promised to make this place and this time better. If you get that in your head, you’ll be ahead of the game. Some people want social justice to be the whole and sum of Jesus existence and I submit to you if that’s the case he was an abject failure and has been the laughing stock of the world for the last 2000 years - and so we NEED to understand Jesus’ God ordained mission. And so what are we to do with this broken world we live in? Is our call to fix it? Is our call not to care? The answer to this question provides clarity: what was Jesus’ God ordained mission? Hebrews 8:1–9 (ESV) 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 that the Lord set up, not man. Look back with me the: Hebrews 7:23 (ESV) 23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, The writer is drawing distinctions between Jesus and the Priestly ministry that came before him. There were many Hebrew priests they were the religious leader for the Israelites with their lineage traced from Aaron without physical defects and holy in conduct. The high priest would offer a sin offering both for himself and the entire congregation. His main duty - was the Day of Atonement, the 10th day of the 7th month of each year. The only time he was able to enter the Holy of Holies behind the veil to be before God. Now lets look back at the language in Hebrews 8, notice the writer says “we have such a high priest”. He’s talking about Jesus and says we still have Him as our high priest. Not like those who were many in number but died and didn’t continue in office. Here is our first answer about Jesus’ God ordained mission: It was to be the eternal mediator between God and man, The final priest 1 Timothy 2:5. 1. Want to know God, Know Jesus. 2. Want to be acceptable to God, know Jesus. 3. Want to have your sins forgiven by God, Know Jesus. He’s the final mediator and the writer to the Hebrews spoke to a people that went back to law and back to ceremony, back to the priests, signs of the Jesus that already came. Harrisburg 200 miles - they’d parked at the sign and unpacked. They needed to be reminded - Guys there is no more going back for sacrifice to God, no more going back for atonement for sins, there is Jesus eternally. The tabernacle was a shadow, the priesthood was a sign - they’ve been fulfilled in Jesus it is finished. The high priest would cast lots over which goat the sins would be sacrificed over, one goat would let go with a scarlet cloth on his horn while another would be presented before the people, their sins would be laid upon him, and the priest would sacrifice the goat. From there he’d enter the holy of holies, burn incense (representing the prayers of the priests going up to God, because the mediated the relationship to God for the people and he (the High Priest) was the boss/supervisor of priests) and then enter the holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood of the goat on the mercy seat and toward the veil of the alter of incense and then the Burt offering. Then he’d lay the personal sins and guilt of the people on the scapegoat 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. The high priest offered his presence appropriately dressed, incense, blood, and sacrifice as well as the scapegoat for the people - Jesus offered up himself. All the pomp of the priesthood, all the ceremony, all the sacrifice, all the activities make up for a lack of connection and knowing Him truly and lay the signs out for what the final priest would be like. Our lasting high priest is at the table with God. He’s not a lackey scrambling to make sure God is pleased with Him, making sure the room is set and his clothes are right - God is simply pleased with Him. God’s love for Jesus the Christ is infinite - so He’s not like these people in my company trying to fix it all up for the CEO, He knows him, and they’re familiar and comfortable already. The priest was covered with signs, a breast plate with the tribes he represented from Exodus 28, these were signs of what was to come a priesthood concerned for God’s nation(s) a mission that would not be completed until every tribe tongue and nation knew Him (Revelation 7:9) The white turban on the head with a gold plate on it that would say “Holy to the Lord” - showing when they came into the holy of holies he was to remember that he was to strive for holiness as a representative of the Israelites to God. The 12 tribes, sons of Jacob were on the ephod vest tying both sides on stones 6 tribes each stone together making you represent these people to God. The breast piece would be folded in half and make a pocket inside were the urim and thummim, stones used to determine the will of God (a king could visit the high priest who would appeal to God and pull out a stone which would represent the answer I.E. yes no based on the stone color) they were living with signs and shadows where as we have the Holy Spirit and unmediated prayer, the vest has stones with the names of the tribes each on their own stone (we don’t know what those are now with the destruction of the temple), there is a blue robe from shoulders to the bottom of the robe with bells and pomegranate, this was the High Priests clothing reminding him reminding everyone of the priests service did you know that ….Revelation 1:6 and 1 Peter show now that after Jesus ministry was fulfilled we become a kingdom of Priests. So Jesus’ ministry was to offer sacrifice for His people, atonement for their sins to God, and to make them a priestly kingdom. All this, the clothing, the priesthood, the observance of ceremony was to make us see all the prophecy of Jesus, all the ministry of His life on earth, become reality and lived out in real time, to see His blood for sins, to see the true high priest being actually “Holy to the Lord” not just striving reminded by saying on His head, being actually concerned with the 12 tribes (not just because of a reminder on His chest) knowing actually the will of God through immediate prayer not through urim and thummim stones. Jesus is the destination, the priesthood and the tabernacle are signs that say your getting close, and so when He’s come, why would we go back to the shadow and signs. This is why the preacher the writer of the Hebrews brings them directly to Jesus - so they’d see that it is finished. They’re the priesthood. 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.” Why? Because they’d need to understand holiness set asideness, the need for sin to be paid with blood so that when Jesus would come and live a Holy life, do the will of God, perform miracles, satisfy ALL the prophecy about the final messiah, so they’d know they’d arrived. They could unpack the car. 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. Why is Jesus enough - because the priesthood isn’t the mediator to God, rather - each of us becomes a part of Jesus kingdom of priests? Connected individually to God, no need for annual, daily, weekly sacrifice - Jesus’ work satisfied God and when we’re found in Him, we’re children of God. Your shoulders can rest, and as a priesthood of believers we go into each day - taking on Jesus holiness, desiring to live out our lives to His glory praying for those who don’t yet know Him, and living lives that are drawing. There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is death. What way, out side of Jesus, seems right to you? Is it that there is no God so live it up. Is it that being a good person bring you to God. Is it that a human priest will tell you how to be right with God The end of those brings death! Jesus in John 10 said he came to bring life, and life MORE abundant, That’s the type of life Jesus was preparing them for in Matthew 5:13. Matthew 5:13 (ESV) Salt and Light 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. What then was Jesus God ordained mission? To be the completion to all the signs God left to know HIs plan, so that we’d follow after Jesus and trust Him. That we’d not trust ourselves but trust the loved Son of God who IS the final high priest, who makes way for us to be connect to God, and that by faith we’d believe that He is the way the truth and the life, and we’d know that NO ONE comes to the father except through his Son Jesus. That’s Jesus mission, satisfy the plan, build a self repeating Kingdom of priests with concern for the Kingdom of God. And so what are we to do with this broken world we live in? Is our call to fix it? Is our call not to care? Jesus’ God ordained mission was to satisfy the law, and the signs to Him through the tabernacle and priesthood - to make a kingdom of priests who’d be salt and light in a dark world (John 3:17-19) who live differently as light in dark and care for the people as priests should. Church, go and be a priesthood trusting Jesus way not your own, in faith, and you’ll be doing the will of God for your life - walk by faith Jesus said, it is finished! Walk By Faith