Today's lesson comes from Hebrews 8: 1-13. The author of Hebrews has shown the superiority of Jesus Christ over the Levitical priesthood, but now he goes further to declare the ministry of Christ has superseded the old dispensation. The lesson states that the old covenant has been outdated, and a new covenant is now in force. I disagree in part with that concept. In Jeremiah 31: 30, 32, the William J. Morford translation states: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will cut a renewed covenant with the House of Israel, and with the House of Judah.... But this will be the covenant that I shall make with the House of Israel, After those days, says the LORD, I will put my Torah (Teaching) in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they will be My people." The issue is, is the covenant "new" or "renewed?" The root Hebrew word means to renew. Every month or so, we have a "new" moon. Is the moon really "new" or is it the same moon coming back around? I believe this to be important because it forces New Testament Christians to be responsible for certain parts of the Torah (the 613 laws of the Old Testament). I contend that a major difference between the Old Covenant and the New or Renewed Covenant is where it is written, not the content. The Old Covenant was written on tablets of stone whereas the New Covenant was written on the hearts of believers. In this way, I believe the New Covenant is far better than the Old, for it is founded on "a more excellent ministry" and "established on better promises." My approach does not permit the believer to disregard the Ten Commandments or other moral requirements of the Law. As we study this lesson, we will see that our High Priest Jesus Christ, has established a more excellent ministry, fulfilled the need created by the Old Covenant, and established a New Covenant that would provide for a change of the heart condition of man.
The first section is "A More Excellent Ministry vv. 1-6." The Jewish faith had a high priest. The Christian faith has an eternal High Priest in Jesus Christ. Old Testament sacrifices only covered unintentional sins. If one committed an intentional sin, they had to bear the result of that sin. It is shouting ground that when comes to our High Priest and seeks salvation, all sins, both intentional and unintentional sins can be forgiven. Our High Priest is "set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." Two things to notice: first, Jesus has sat down which means He has completed His work and second, the right hand is the principal place of honor. Priests on earth served under the shadow of heaven, whereas our High Priest serves in the heavens. Furniture in the Tabernacle in the Old Testament was a shadow of what exists in heaven. Truly, our High Priest Jesus Christ has a more excellent ministry. The greatest problem of the old covenant was its failure to change the hearts of its followers. The Old Testament is full of text where the Israelites backslid and went into idolatry over and over. Praise God that the New Covenant has the power to change the heart condition of man. The New Covenant provides for both salvation and entire sanctification.
The second section is "A New Covenant Needed vv. 7-9." In a general way, think about a covenant as a contract. The Old Covenant involved the law given to Moses when the Hebrews had been delivered from Egyptian bondage. Through Christ, God has made a new or renewed covenant with man. The Old Covenant law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be saved or justified through faith. (Galatians 3:24) The law showed us our sin. It was very much needed. The law showed us our need for a Savior. However, the law did not reform man. Should the law be preached today? Absolutely! The preaching of the law will reveal the sins of a person, show them they are in danger of hell fire, and open the door to salvation by grace through faith. Be very wary of any church or minister that only preaches grace and mercy. Preaching is like a tire. It needs to be balanced containing both law and grace. If you read Jeremiah 31: 31-34 you will readily see that not everything has been fulfilled. The ultimate fulfillment of Jeremiah 31 will occur during the millennium when the House of Israel and the house of Judah will know God's full redemption.
The third section is "A New Covenant Provided vv. 10-13." The new covenant provided for the change of the condition of man. The unsaved heart is dark and full of sin. The unsanctified believers heart is both good and evil. The war exists in the heart of the unsanctified Christian. The mixed heart will try to lead the Christian into sin, but the true believer will resist the temptation. The unsaved has no struggle as the carnal heart has no hindrances and it will the non believer into sin. However, the New Covenant provided for justification and entire sanctification. Justification is the divine act where the sinner is made right with God and his sins forgiven. It deals with past acts of sin, but not the sin principle in the heart. Entire sanctification deals with the sin principle. When one is sanctified wholly subsequent to salvation, the heart is purified. When the enemy seeks to tempt the sanctified believer, he finds no friend within. The heart has been cleansed and it is much easier to defeat temptation. The better covenant with better promises (v. 6) is the New Covenant. It is the new or renewed covenant because it is different in kind. It deals with changing the very nature of man. Thank God, today we can enjoy the blessings of the new covenant.
The Golden Text is: "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant." (Hebrews 7:22) The new covenant is better than the old covenant because:
1. In the old, God promised the Jewish nation blessings based on the condition of keeping the law of Moses. Under the new, God promises pardon for sin and entire sanctification on the condition on faith and walking in His testimonies.
2. The old was lead by fallible human priests, whereas the new is led by Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God.
My summary points:
1. The new covenant is better than the old because it changes the condition of man's heart.
2. Since the old covenant only dealt with dos and don'ts, it had no ability to change man's heart condition.
3. The new covenant provides that God will live inside true Christians.
Next week: "The Perfect Sacrifice" Hebrews 9: 11-28.
Don't forget to read the Sunday school Beacon for inspiration.
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