New Covenant: Saved to Serve

We have been looking at a message of what a minster to a specific house church in the first century had to say. He obviously had been a part of its birth and had an authoritative pull with them. Also, we know that in this time period persecution was wild. What was going on around this church was wearing them out. They had once endured much persecution, but was now shrinking back. They once were dedicated to meeting with each other and growing in the word and in faith, but now it was too bothersome. They once were public with there faith as they ministered to those christians in prison and bore the tragedy of having there homes ripped apart for the sake fo the Gospel, but were now pulling back to a slothful, lulled faith…

Father may it never be so that we grow comfortable… May we Lord endure persecution for he faith. May we take Jesus to the hard places. Lord give us all a burden to utilize our freedoms to tell EVERYONE about the souls they have, and the creator they must answer to. Help us value the human life. Help us to value each scripture. Move us to a place where the Gospel is not an option to live out, but a necessity to live out. For your Glory Lord we plead this morning.. Amen.

Covenants

Covenants

I don’t know if you know this, but the God of Israel, meaning the God of the Bible, that God is worshipped here today. is a God of covenants. A covenant is an agreement in that a party of two people, or even nation, are legally bound to each other until the agreement is completed. For example: 6 years ago yesterday my wife and I made a covenant to each other that in sickness and health, we promised to choose each other and cherish each other only, and this would continue until death do us part.

Thats a covenant! God is serious about covenants too. You could say that the first covenant was with Adam and even in the Garden as we first covenantal language, God’s promise that the snakes head would be crushed once and for all!

The actual first covenant or Hebrew word “berit” is used with Noah in .

“Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. 11 I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.”

No stipulation.God was going to do this REGARDLESS.

Then we see a covenant with Abraham in , , , in which the promise was that God will bring a huge family to Abraham and they will inherit a piece of land in canan and they would be blessed. The stipulation this time was, abraham had to leave his home land.

The we see a covenant with Moses, or the people of Israel in exodus 19-24. God would bring his people from slavery, set them apart from everyone else, dwell in their midst, and bring them to the promised land where they would bring goodness into the world. The stipulation? Follow my law (the ten commandment) , and I will bring blessing. Don’t follow my law and I will bring curses().

Then the Davidic covenant, in which God promises David that he would bring about a royal kingdom from Davids offspring in which the other covenants would be fulfilled and God’s throne would last forever. Stipulations… Walk in my ways!

THESE ARE THE OLD COVENANTS! And God is to be worshipped, or valued, because of His promise to fulfill it. So with that, lets dive into the text for today.

I) “Now even the old covenant “(v 1)

A) Contrast the Old with the New (v 1 Looking back at 8:5

We have been talking about the new covenant, and the author here changes directions after he give the statement in 8:13 that the old one in now obsolete (old one meaning all of the old ones)

There was nothing they could do

B) v1 implies that the new covenant has regulations too (v 1)

NOW EVEN. .... The regulations for service....

A) Λατρεία – Service to God – An outward expression through works (Rom. 12:1)

1) The term is not the same as “praise” – This was their acts of obedience to God

2) Church - get this word right...We call what we do here on sunday mornings a “worship service” because we are being obedient to God’s command to come together and remember Him. We should be here initially because we Love god… not because of the fear of missing church or keeping your social tab, and not to feel good about ourselves. However, none of these acts we are doing this morning (singing songs, greeting each other, praying, studying the word, and later the lords supper..).are initial worship of God, they are expressions. There is worship that is initiated by the value we have in God. Really worship means TO VALUE. The logic is like this: You Value God because he is the only one who can take away your sin and he has said he will be your judge so, you do what he says… just like, you value your Boss because he or she brings you money, so you do what they say . We will get into that in v 9 and 10…

So the old covenant had a way to worship God through service in bring sacrifices of blood.

However, this practice was not enough to make bring reconciliation between our Holy God and his people .... Thats why he says in and Ezekiel 36 what this new covenant is.. . Look at 8:9

Th

So why the regulations for worship and what were they? Glad you asked :)

The whole point here is that:

II) Regulations for Worship and the Place of Holiness under the Old Covenant were restrictive (v 2-10)

1) The term is not the same as “praise” – This was their acts of obedience to God

A) The Ordinances for Old Covenant worship

(i) Meaning – this was an act of obedience.

2) We call church a “worship service” because we are being obedient to God’s command to come together and remember Him. But, biblically, this “service” is not a fulfillment of the new covenant, it is an expression. We will get into that in v 9 and 10…so

A) The Ordinances for Old Covenant worship

So, why does

1) The Tent – A restriction of place of worship (v 2-5)

(i) A Vessel where God dwelt - it was holy!

a) Picture of Tabernacle

(ii) This was not the focus, rather an illustration! … v5

2) The Priests – a restriction of people to worship (v 6-9a)

Priests regularly offered sacrifice to God, and regularly went into the first section. However the emphasis in this passage is on the day of atonement, where only once a year the HIGH PREIST would go into the presence of God.

i) – The high priest on the Day of Atonement (v 7)

a) You could not get to the presence of God without purity… thats why blood was needed. Blood purified the priest and cleansed sin.

ii) Shift in location (v 8-9)

a) This age we are living in is a temporary temple, we know from 1 corinthians 6:19 that God now dwells inside his people. That day is coming where christians will be united with their God and we will be forever with him!

B) These services to God are weak and will never position one as holy. (v 9b-10)

1) These ordinances were not able to clean the inward man

the word conscience is used in many other places in the NT but in (16;21) turn with me there. (3:13-17, then 21).. Cleansing our conscience means that we can say 100% that we have done right in the eyes of God. But we are sinners? So our conscience can never be truly cleared right? Wrong..

2) A clean conscience, knowing that you have done the right thing

you see, those practices did not bring a clear conscience. A clear Knowing inside that you have done the right thing, the law of God. We are created in a legal standing in which we all are sinful, the legal repercussions of our sinful state is death, and if we die in in that standing, death by eternal fire is the payment to our righteous God as defined by Jesus. But God offers reconciliation, a legal atonement, where we may be pardoned. That is JESUS! HE took our debt through a death of his own. He bore the hammer of justice as he, perfect in nature, became the blood offering once and for all.....

oh church this is so good… V 11

III) Jesus opened up the most Holy place for all in Christ to worship God (v 11-14)

A) He is the better High Priest of good things (v 11)

One high priest once a year was not enough. God didn’t want to be restricted to a tent.... think back to the Garden! He wanted the unmeasurable value of his goodness to be available to EVERYONE EVERYWHERE. Jesus fortold us of this. Jesus told the woman at the well, woman, there is coming a day where the father will not be worshiped in a temple or even jerusalem, but in spirt in truth. SO, Because of Jesus’ work on the cross, we can worship him in our spirits… how is that?

B) He went through the better tent

B) He did this because Gods plan was not for his spirit to dwell in a building! (v 12a)

1) , read from screen… (turn)

C) He is the needed payment of the new covenant! (v 12b-14a)

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 47B: Hebrews 9–13 Comment

Christ’s sacrifice on the cross requires no repetition or renewal; his exaltation and entrance into the real sanctuary consecrates the eternal validity of his redemptive ministry

Christ as the great high preist went into the most Holy Place, that is with God the father and offered to him his blood. Blood is needed to pay for sin. , jesus says, this is my blood of the new covenant. One commentator put it this way - Christ’s sacrifice on the cross requires no repetition or renewal; his exaltation and entrance into the real sanctuary consecrates the eternal validity of his redemptive ministry.

Because of Christ’s Love of the father, he was obedient. His obedience to take upon the sin of the world and die on the cross gave every believer the power to be unrestrictedly obedient. What was the overarching act we were asked to do by Jesus himself ? Make disciples.... You want to worship me? Go into all of the world, every dark and terrifying nation and tell them who you serve....

IV) Biblical New Covenant worship is not initiated by ordinances (songs, sacraments, offerings), but is initiated through obedient service ( , , , ).

( , , , ).

Singing, dancing, eating, drinking, praying, fellowship, reading and treasuring Gods word are all expressions of worship in light of the Gospel, not true initial worship. Initial worship is obedience.... then you can sing, then you can dance, for you truly value the gospel!

You cannot value God without valuing the Gospel. In the 19th and 20th century the word Gospel became known as the moment in which Jesus saved you from sin so that you could go to heaven, yes that is true. He did die for your sin, however “gospel” means (good news), whats the good news? That jesus died for my sin so i could go to heaven!? Yes, but there is more.

The good news is that God wants to be with you now and forever! But he cant because we are born separated from him, and death in that sinful state ultimates in an eternal separation. So because God is just, something had to be done! He sent Jesus, his perfect holy spirit born son,. Jesus worked on the cross to provide a way once and for all for you to know God and love him, that is value him. That life starts now and lasts forever! “ok, so I have life now, which means I can be healthier or have a peaceable life?...”

Forgiveness of sin is not something to sit back and be quietly thankful for, nor is it something that gives you the benefit of having a good and blessed life on earth, do you understand the gift forgiveness of sin is?? the first century jews understood… it meant this sacrificial system was dead. Forgiveness of sin allows us to bring about Christ’s kingdom here on earth guilt free, shame free, free of fear, NOW, and then experience his kingdom forever with him.

Look back at verse 14, our consciences are purified for one reason, so that our service may not be dead. What do dead things do? NOTHING! obedience and service to anything else outside of God is DEAD. Rather, we serve the LIVING GOD. He is living, he is working through his holy spirit today to save people from sin and bring them into life abundant. Any body in here wish they had a purpose in life? GO MAKE A DISCIPLE! Any body know someone who wished they had purpose in life? Tell about the Lord! Any body in here grumbling over something that hasn’t gone the way you thought it would? Become a disciple… do not obey the Lord of selfishness.... the Lord of self-righteousness… the Lord of alcohol.... the Lord of lust and evnvy, want and desire, Pornography and foolishness....

(READ) Like says. That we might no longer live for ourselves.... but for Jesus! This good news has to be shared, because we have supernatural access and freedom to the creator , sustainer, and judge of all! Oh this good news has to be shared…

(READ) says to present your whole body to christ as a living sacrifice!

(READ) says that if you are in christ, YOU HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED! is is no long i who live but (finish it) christ who live in me… So what are you waiting for? GO. MAKE. A DISCIPLE.

In final, turn to revelation 21: 5-8 (read).... we will get more into this next week but the beauty in the good news is that Jesus then says “behold I am coming”… “Fear not, sin no longer holds you down! Value me by running, trust me, run! tell everyone with the grace i have given you that the only God is good and mighty and just and loving, these are his plans, receive mercy as you turn from your foreign Gods and live under the Lord of the Kingdom of God.

Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? Are you currently making disciples? When was the last time you made a disciple?

1) Meaning, he is your lord, in which you seek to serve him and nothing and no one else?

2) Are you currently working with someone regularly, walking with them through life, and teaching them to obey all that Jesus has commanded you?

3) IF it has been a while, its time to be fearless and share the good news. That because jesus paid the price of atonement you have the opportunity to serve a Lord that cares about your soul, and who has the authority to judge your soul.