Hebrews 8:7-13

Hebrews 8:1–6 (NLT)

Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.

And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law.

They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”

But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.

We’re at the Heart of Hebrews

The Author has Spent a Great Deal of Time Establishing the Fact that Jesus is Superior

He’s Superior to Everything that We Find Under the Old Law and Covenant

He is God’s Son, Messianic King, and High Priest

He is the Superior Prophet, Priest, and King

Lately We’ve Been Focused On How He is the Superior High Priest Who Mediates a Better Covenant with God

A Covenant that was Established on Better Promises

In Our Text Tonight, the Author is Going to Show Us a Prophecy From Jeremiah…

That Foretold that a New and Better Covenant was Coming

In Chapters 3-4, the Author Largely Based His Arguments Off of Psalm 95

In Chapters 5-7, He Focused Heavily On Psalm 110 and Genesis 14:17-20

Now, for Chapters 9-10, the Author is Going to Be Focused on Jeremiah 31:1-4

Hebrews 8:7–13 (NLT)

If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said:

“The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.

This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.

But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already.

And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”

When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.

Hebrews 8:7 (NASB95)

For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.

When the Author Says the Old Covenant Wasn’t Faultless…

Is He Saying that God Made a Mistake?

Not at All

The Covenant was Exactly What God Intended it to Be

We Read Back in Hebrews 7:18-19

Hebrews 7:18–19 (NASB95)

For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

The Old Law Under the Old Covenant (as it Pertained to the Priesthood)…

Was Weak and Useless

It Could Not Bring About the Desired End for God’s People

God’s Old Covenant with Israel was Incapable of Bringing Many Sons to Glory

Hebrews 8:7 (NASB95)

For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.

Since There was this Weak and Useless Aspect to the Law…

God Promised a Second

Hebrews 8:8 (NASB95)

For finding fault with them, He says, “Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, When I will effect a new covenant With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;

Most Translations Have “Them”, Referring to the Israelite People

But Some Earlier Manuscripts Have “It”, Referring to the Old Covenant

This Matches Up Better with Verse 7…

But the Interpretation is Still the Same

The Old Covenant was Faulty, Not Because God Made a Mistake or Made it Faulty

It was Faulty Because the People Who Were Under it Were Faulty

The Next Part of the Prophecy Tells Us this in Hebrews 8:9

Hebrews 8:9 (NASB95)

Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers On the day when I took them by the hand To lead them out of the land of Egypt; For they did not continue in My covenant, And I did not care for them, says the Lord.

So God Promised Through Jeremiah…

That There was Coming a Day When a New Covenant Would Be Established with Israel/Judah

But this Covenant Wouldn’t Be Like the Old

The People Did Not Faithfully Keep that Covenant

Because They Didn’t Keep Their End of the Covenant…

God “Did Not Care for Them”

He “Neglected” Them

He Allowed Their Sin and Faithlessness to Consume Them and Lead to Their Downfall

Do We See the Faultiness of the Old System Here?

Whenever the People Leave God, God Leaves the People

And the People Always End Up Leaving God

In Order to Have Perfect, Lasting Reconciliation with God…

There Must Be a New and Better Covenant

Verse 6 Told Us:

Hebrews 8:6 (NASB95)

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

In this Prophecy From Jeremiah, We are Going to See the Better Promises

Hebrews 8:10 (NASB95)

“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 I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people.

Promise Number 1:

In the New Covenant, God Will Write His Laws on the Hearts/Minds of His People

The Old Laws Were Meant to Be Written on the Hearts of God’s People

Deuteronomy 30:11, 14 (NASB95)

“For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach…But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.

The Righteous Under the Old Covenant Had the Law Written on Their Hearts

Psalm 37:29–31 (NASB95)

The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, And his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip.

Psalm 40:8 (NASB95)

I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.”

But Most of the Israelite People Did Not Take the Law to Heart

Moses Dealt with this Fact Firsthand

Deuteronomy 5:29 (NASB95)

‘Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!

Hebrews 8:10 (NASB95)

“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 I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people.

This Idea of Isn’t New Either

Under the Old Covenant, God Said the Same Thing

Exodus 6:7 (NASB95)

‘Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

Leviticus 26:12 (NASB95)

‘I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.

Hebrews 8:10 (NASB95)

“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 I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people.

So How Exactly is this New Covenant Going to Be Better Than the Old?

It’s Supposed to Be Better Because God Will Write His Laws On the Hearts of His People

But this was to Be the Case Under the Old Covenant as Well

So How is the New Different From the Old, Much Less Better?

The Prophet Ezekiel Gives Us the Answer

And it Has Everything to Do with What We are Studying On Sunday Mornings

Ezekiel 36:26–27 (NASB95)

“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

Under the New Covenant, God Wouldn’t Just Write His Laws On the Hearts of His People

He is Going to Give Them New Hearts

Through His Holy Spirit, God Transforms His People From the Inside Out

Our Heart/Spirit is Our Mind, Will, and Desire

God’s Holy Spirit Transforms Our Heart, Spirit, Mind, Will, and Desires

Under the Old Covenant, People Were Given the Law for it to Be Written On Their Hearts

But Only Those Who Set Their Hearts/Minds on God’s Laws Had Them Written On Their Hearts

Most Did Not Have Their Hearts/Minds Set on God or His Laws

It was Only an External Legal Code They Were Commanded to Live By…

Instead of a Lifestyle that Made it Possible for One to Live in Fellowship with the Loving Creator

Under the New Covenant, God’s People Will All Have His Laws Written on Our Hearts

We Will All Seek to Please Him and Be in Covenant Relationship with Him

This All Makes More Sense in My Mind When I Remember that…

Most Israelites Didn’t Choose to Be Israelites

They Were Born into the Nation of God

Every Citizen of Jesus’ Kingdom is Born into it as Well

But We Each Choose to Be Born into His Kingdom

By Love and Faith We Choose to Be Born Again

Our Hearts/Minds/Spirits are Set on God and His Holy Standards

The Expectation to Be Obedient to God Starts Within Ourselves, Not From Others

There Were Many Jews Who Were Uninterested in God

But There are No Christians Who are Uninterested in God

Because You can Only Become a Christian By Being Interested in God

Therefore, Everyone Under the New Covenant Will Have the Laws of God Written on Our Hearts…

Because Our Spirit Working Alongside the Holy Spirit…

Are Focused Upon God and His Laws

Hebrews 8:11 (NASB95)

“And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ For all will know Me, From the least to the greatest of them.

Promise Number 2:

All of God’s People Will Know Him

As I was Just Trying to Explain…

In the Kingdom, All Citizens Will Know/Have an Intimate Relationship with God

This is One of the Reasons the New Israel (the Church) is Greater Than the Old Israel

Everyone in the New Israel Knows and Loves God

We Don’t Have to Talk to Our Siblings in Christ About How They Should Know and Love Jesus…

Because We All Do

Hebrews 8:12 (NASB95)

“For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more.”

Promise Number 3:

Sins Will Be Forgiven and Forgotten

Instead of Neglecting His People in Their Iniquities…

He Will Show Mercy to Us

Instead of Remembering the Sins of His People and Bringing Judgement Upon Them…

He Will Not Remember Our Sins Anymore…

Meaning, in His Grace He has Chosen to Forgive Our Sinful Debt

We are No Longer Held Accountable for Our Sin

Hebrews 8:13 (NASB95)

When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

After Quoting Jeremiah, the Author Concludes that…

Because God Promised a New Covenant…

The Old is Just That, Old

It is Obsolete and Ready to Vanish Away

The New and Better Covenant is Here to Replace the Old

And it is Here to Stay

It is Better Because of its Better Promises:

All of God’s People Have God’s Law Written on Their Hearts

All of God’s People Intimately Know Him

All of God’s People Have Their Sins Forgiven and Forgotten

Invitation

James 1 has Been All About Staying Faithful During Trials and Temptations

Last Week We Looked at How God Does Not Tempt Us

We are Tempted When We Don’t Have Self-Control Over Our Desires

God is Not to Blame for Temptation

Now James is Going to Tell Us What God is to Blame for

James 1:16–18 (NAS)

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

Every Bad Thing that Comes Our Way is Not From God

But Every Good Thing that Comes Our Way is

Father of Lights Refers to God Being the Creator of the Lights in the Heavens

The Sun, Moon, and Stars are Constantly Moving, Changing, and Shifting…

But God Never Does

He is Good All the Time

His Good and Perfect Gifts Never Stop Flowing From His Throne of Love and Grace

As the Greatest Example of This:

According to His Will We are Born Again By the Word/Message of Truth

What is that Word of Truth?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

He Willfully Gave the Good and Perfect Gift of His Son…

So That We Can Experience Rebirth in the Kingdom of God

We are the First Fruits of the New Creation

We are Heavenly Citizens Living in the Age of Sin and Death

We are the First of What God is Going to Do Through Jesus at His Second Coming