Perfect Priest, Perfect Covenant (Hebrews 8:1-13)
This sermon was preached by Jeremy Lee.
The sermon outline can be found here in the ministry guide.
When I was young, I remember my father bringing home a black brick one day and explaining to me that it was a mobile phone. As opposed to our home phone that was plugged into the wall, his mobile phone could be taken out of the house. It sounded revolutionary. I could contact my father wherever he was as long as he had his mobile phone by his side.
But today, no one would want one of those clunky phones. Not when we can easily get a sleek looking smartphone with multiple features. Because we can video call, surf the internet, take pictures, play games, and even pay with our smartphones, no one thinks about those black brick phones. Our new smartphones have made the first-generation phones obsolete.
Similarly, the author of Hebrews wants us to know the truth about the New and Better covenant God has provided so that we will seek to be part of it rather than look to old systems or any other alternatives. Whilst the old covenant that Israel was once under provided certain blessings, it pales in comparison to the new covenant that Jesus mediates. The New Covenant that Jesus has established offers the greatest blessing and privilege that we can ever hope for. It has made the Old Covenant obsolete.
Hence the aim of our study of Hebrews 8 is to appreciate the New and Better Covenant that Christ has established so that we will want to be part of it and not twist it or look for any alternatives.
Earlier in chapter 7, the author of Hebrews demonstrates that Jesus is superior to the Levitical priesthood. Unlike the Levitical priests who have been prevented by death from continuing in office, Jesus holds his priesthood permanently. Unlike the Levitical priests who had to offer sacrifices daily, Jesus only had to offer himself up once.
Jesus is the greatest and most perfect high priest the world has ever had. It is in this context that we arrive in Hebrews 8.
God has given us the perfect high priest (Heb 8:1-5)
The first point of our sermon text is God has given us the perfect high priest.
Most of us would agree that a newly released Apple product is bound to contain cutting edge technology. Yet as soon as a new iPhone series is launched, Apple fans already begin to anticipate the next release. They have evaluated the shortcomings of the latest model and predict the improvements Apple will roll out the following year. This is because no phone company is able to make the perfect phone that will satisfy people for eternity. Within moments of use, shortcomings are surfaced and people are always craving something better. A lighter phone, a faster processor, a foldable screen.
In contrast, God declares that the priesthood He has established has been perfected. No further upgrades can be accommodated because God has fully addressed any limitations it once had.
Whilst the law had appointed men in their weakness as high priests, God has since appointed His Son who has been made perfect forever (Heb 7:28). God’s Son is holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens (Heb 7:26).
This is a key point which the author of Hebrews wants everyone to be convicted of and so he cites two further proofs in Hebrews 8:1-5. Firstly, we read that Jesus is presently seated (Heb 8:1). Unlike the Levitical high priests who are always standing because their task of mediation is never finished, Jesus is presently seated.
The location of where He is seated clarifies that Jesus isn’t simply taking a rest whilst He is on break. Jesus is in throne room of the Majesty in heaven. And since no one sits in the presence of the King unless invited to do so, it is clear that God has invited Jesus to sit.
God Himself has declared Jesus’ work of atonement as complete. No further sacrifices need to be offered. God has even accorded Jesus the seat of honor, which is at the right hand of the throne.
These truths offer great assurance to all who believe in Jesus. Since Jesus is our forerunner, we know that we will end up where He is at. Jesus has already made it to heaven. He is already in God’s presence. Likewise, we too will make it to heaven. We too shall dwell in God’s presence. Jesus has proven that He is the way the truth and the life who alone grants us access to God. Therefore, our faith in Him will never be unfounded. Remain in Jesus and you will be with Him in heaven.
Further, it is assuring to know that God has not only accepted Jesus’ sacrifice, “like okay you’ve passed”, but is well pleased with it. Jesus has been accorded great honour, and hence we who are in Christ shall also share in that honour.
The surest way to gain honour and glory is not by making a name for yourself, but by believing in Jesus. …Believing in Jesus and living for Him is the surest way to enjoy rest and glory in the age to come.
So the surest way to gain honour and glory is not by making a name for yourself, but by believing in Jesus. It’s ok if you don’t get that promotion or recognition at work or graduate with first class honours. But you will miss out big time if you do not remain in Christ. Believing in Jesus and living for Him is the surest way to enjoy rest and glory in the age to come.
Secondly, Jesus ministers in the true tent that the Lord set up. (Heb 8:2-5). The second proof that God has given us a perfect high priest is Jesus’ ministry in the true tent that the Lord set up.
Have you ever seen good copies of famous artworks? These can be sold at a fraction of the original price because they are not originals. Yet, as nice as they looked, they are simply not the real deal and will not command the same awe that the originals do.
Similarly, the author of Hebrews wants us to recognize the difference between the tabernacles that Jesus and the Levitical priests ministered in. If you recall our study of Exodus 35-38, Israel had built a very special tent made from costly material. It was filled with beautiful furnishings that required Spirit-empowered craftsmen. But as grand as the tabernacle was, it was only a copy and shadow of the tabernacle in heaven. Israel had not built a masterpiece but a replica. Everything that Israel made was according to the pattern that God had shown Moses. And this replica was served by Levitical priests who are beset with weaknesses.
Highlighting the correlation between the type of tabernacle and the quality of the priests that minister in it, the author of Hebrews concludes that the priest who ministers in the superior heavenly tent must be greater than the priests who minister in the inferior replica.
If we are wondering why the author of Hebrews has been hammering home the point that Jesus’s priesthood is far superior to the Levitical priesthood, it is because of the correlation between the quality of a priesthood and the quality of the covenant it mediates. Although we often think of priests as primarily offering sacrifices and prayers, priests played an important role in mediating God’s covenant. The high priest functioned as a go-between God and His people. His task was to communicate God’s will and help the people remain in fellowship with God. Hence the quality of the priesthood had a direct impact on the covenant it could mediate. A high priest who was beset in weakness would not be able to represent God properly and he wouldn’t be able to make up sufficiently for the shortcomings of the people.
Because we have a better high priest, we can have a better covenant. Because Jesus is the perfect high priest, He can mediate the perfect covenant.
Therefore, establishing Jesus’ priesthood as superior to Levitical priesthood paves the way for the establishment of a new and better covenant. And this is the big idea of our text: Because we have a better high priest, we can have a better covenant. Because Jesus is the perfect high priest, He can mediate the perfect covenant.
For the rest of our time, we will focus on the perfect covenant that Jesus mediates which is found in Hebrews 8:6-13.
Our perfect high priest mediates a perfect covenant (Heb 8:6-13)
My wife and I wanted to get my aging parents-in-law a robot vacuum. They were hesitant initially as they had a bad experience. They claimed that their first robot vacuum needed to be supervised. It could clean, but not thoroughly. It could run on its own, yet needed to be watched. In the end, they returned the vacuum. I had to assure them that there have been great improvements since and got them one with good reviews. Their new robot vacuum was indeed better, and they are now pleased with it. Their past experience certainly helped them to appreciate and enjoy this new and better robot vacuum.
Likewise, God wisely prepares us to appreciate the New and Better Covenant that Jesus inaugurates by first giving Israel the Mosaic covenant. The Mosaic covenant was not bad. It just wasn’t perfect. In His wisdom and sovereignty, God allowed Israel to live under a covenant that had certain limitations. The author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 8:7 that it is precisely because the first covenant was imperfect, that there is occasion to look for a second.
Hence the Old Covenant is not accidental or a mistake, but serves an anticipatory purpose. It helps us see the impossibility of keeping God’s law on our own strength and our need for divine aid. It accentuates the greatest need of a sinful race, and makes people look to God for salvation. It prepares us to appreciate and receive the New Covenant that Jesus inaugurates.
This is why the New Covenant is presented in contrast to the Old Covenant. It is described as better in comparison to the shortcomings of the Old Covenant. Therefore, seeing the covenant Jesus brings as New and Better requires us to look at four contrasts with the Old Covenant that are highlighted in Hebrews 8:6-13.
Firstly, Hebrews 8:6 states that the New Covenant is enacted on better promises. The Old Covenant had a conditional clause, as we read in Exodus 19:5. If and only if Israel obeyed God’s voice and kept His covenant, then they would be blessed.
In contrast, the New Covenant, first foretold in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and now reiterated in Hebrews 8:8-12, has no ifs. Instead, we note the number of times that God states things that He will be doing. God says in Hebrews 8:8, “I will establish a new covenant…” and in Hebrews 8:10, “I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God”. Again in Hebrews 8:12, “I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
The reason for the difference is because the New Covenant is enacted on better promises. In contrast to the Old Covenant that was premised on the obedience of the Israelites, the New Covenant is not premised on people’s ability to be good or deserving. Rather, the New Covenant is based on God’s promise.
This is like the time when He made a covenant with Abraham. God had asked Abraham to cut up a number of animals and place them in two rows in preparation for a covenant-making ceremony. Those making a covenant would walk between the cut-up animals and vow to fulfill their end of the deal on pain of being chopped up for any failure. However, when the time came for the covenant-making ceremony, Abraham falls into a deep sleep and the Lord alone moves between the animal pieces and unilaterally promises to bless Abraham and His descendants. What a striking picture of God’s child sleeping whilst God declares what He will do for His children.
God graciously deals with us in the same way. Whilst we were incapable of seeking God, the Lord calls us His own. He sends His beloved Son Jesus to initiate the New Covenant in His blood. And we are reminded of this truth every time we partake of the Lord’s Supper and hear Jesus say, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (1 Cor 11:25).
If you have negotiated a contract for a renovation or for work, you might recall how tiring it can be to enforce the terms of the contract. Sometimes, we ourselves are the issue, where we fail to meet our end of the deal.
That’s kind of how it was under the Old Covenant. The Israelites kept failing to keep faith with God. They kept breaking His laws. The Bible even describes them as an adulterous nation who had forsaken God to go after false idols. Hence Hebrews 8:9 says that God turned away from them in judgment.
God will unilaterally see His promise through. God will do all the heavy lifting. He will carry us through it all.
But under the New Covenant, everything is dependent on God’s promise. And because we know that the word of the Lord remains forever, we can breathe a huge sigh of relief. We don’t need to chase God to do His part. We don’t need to fear our own failures to do our part. God will unilaterally see His promise through. God will do all the heavy lifting. He will carry us through it all.
We see this in the gospel of Jesus, where God takes the initiative to rescue us from our hell bound race. God is grieved by the curse of sin, and the brokenness we face because of our rebellion against His truth. Because of His great love He sends forth His only Son to come into our world. While we were still in sin, Jesus willingly pays our penalty by dying in our place.
But that’s not all. Even though God has given us a Saviour to die for our sins, we need more help. We not only need God to hand deliver the good news to us, but need help receiving it. God is our Father who helps us enjoy what we cannot on our own. He tenderly illumines our heart and mind to understand our need for Jesus and gives us faith to believe.
Consider God’s work in your own conversion. Were you the one who actively searched for God or did He come to you? Were you the one who reached an understanding of God’s truths or did He grant you understanding? Were you the one who made a wise decision to follow Jesus or did God give you faith and a desire to believe?
Since our salvation is based not on our own works or moral code, but upon God and what He has done for us, we can have a genuine assurance of salvation.
One of the signs that we are part of the New Covenant is our experience of God giving us faith to receive His gift of salvation through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Since our salvation is based not on our own works or moral code, but upon God and what He has done for us, we can have a genuine assurance of salvation.
So if you are prone to doubting whether you are saved, or perhaps are still wondering if you have made sufficient atonement for your sins, or are doubting if you are good enough to be accepted by God, I encourage you to turn to the New Covenant that Jesus offers. The New Covenant is enacted on better promises than whatever religious systems or philosophies you are currently following. God has given us His Son and Jesus has paid our debt in full. Will you let God give you the faith you need to let go of what you are holding on to and embrace Jesus fully as your Lord and Saviour? Will you trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross? Because Jesus died and rose again, you can be assured of the forgiveness of sins and new life.
God’s law is also put in our minds and written on our hearts (Heb 8:10a). It doesn’t pay to be ignorant about the blessings that the New Covenant offers. If we have put our faith in Jesus, we are promised many wonderful blessings, like receiving a new heart and the Holy Spirit. Tremendous blessings that were not offered under the Old Covenant.
In the Old Testament, Israel was expected to study and memorize God’s law. Parents and religious teachers played a key role in teaching the next generation about God. They even added tassels to their garments to help them remember God’s commandments (Num 15:38-39).
But in the New Covenant, knowing God’s law does not rest on man’s ability. God says in Hebrews 8:10a, I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts. Whereas the Old Covenant was written on a stone tablet, God will impress His will upon His children’s hearts. He will directly give His people knowledge about His ways. He will illumine the minds of believers to understand His laws and give them a willing disposition to live it out. A person won’t need to look up a lawbook to discern what choices would be pleasing or displeasing to God. Instead, the person is already empowered to know what is right and wrong. What honours God and what will incur His wrath. In fact, a person will have a predisposition to want to please God. Whereas someone under the Old Covenant is striving to keep the law, a person under the New Covenant is simply focused on pleasing God. It’s no longer about “I can’t do this” and “I can’t do that”, but about “how will doing this or not doing this please God more?”
So why is there such a difference between those under the New and Old Covenants? In Ezekiel 36:26-27, we read of how the Lord reveals His power to transform people. The key difference between the Old and New Covenant is not God’s law. God’s laws are perfect and make wise the simple (Ps 19:7-9). Jesus Himself does not abolish the law but fulfills it (Matt 5:17-18).
Rather the key difference is the empowerment God gives. In the New Covenant, God gives His people a new heart and a His spirit. The old heart of stone that is not receptive to God’s truths is removed and replaced by a new heart that loves God. Further, the Lord put His Spirit within each of His children. The giving of the Spirit is important because the Spirit of God enables sinners to do what we cannot do on our own. The Spirit causes a person to walk in God’s statutes and gives the person a desire to carefully obey God’s rules.
Friends, how reliant are you on the new heart that God has given you? Are you using the academic techniques you have learnt to study God’s Word or are you using the new heart God has given to receive His truths? Are you more interested in reconciling the Bible with your worldviews or humbly trusting God and allowing His truth to shape you?
How dependent is your faith on the work of the Holy Spirit? Do you allow the Spirit to warn you against giving in to temptation? Do you depend on the Spirit to bear good fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Do you ask the Spirit to help you make every thought captive and bring God’s promises to mind when you are discouraged or drowning in sorrow?
Let us live a Spirit-saturated life, depending on the Spirit for counsel, for strength to endure, for wisdom to speak, for grace to face each day.
As benefactors of the New Covenant, we have received the Spirit of God. He is a divine helper whom Christ has sent to help us press on in the faith. So let us be careful not to quench the Spirit. Instead, let us live a Spirit-saturated life, depending on the Spirit for counsel, for strength to endure, for wisdom to speak, for grace to face each day.
Thirdly, in contrast to the old covenant, the New Covenant promises a personal relationship with God (Heb 8:10b-11). Sometimes we view ourselves as so insignificant that we never expect our boss or a VIP to know who we are. We expect to go unnoticed in a room filled with more notable folks. But God assures us that no matter what we think of ourselves, and no matter who else is in the room, He will always view us as His people. We don’t need to wear a badge or carry a special identity card in order to prove our relationship. The Lord declares to everyone “you are His beloved child”.
This won’t be a one-way experience. We too shall recognize God as our Heavenly Father, just like how a newborn knows who mum and dad are. Perhaps our experience with babies can help us grasp the significance of “knowing the Lord” without being taught.
Under the Old Covenant, parents and religious teachers had to make explicit to the next generation that they were God’s people. Males were circumcised on the eighth day, and they were taught to memorize the Torah. The children would grow up watching their parents worship God and participate in many religious ceremonies like the Passover so that they will know the Lord.
But under the New Covenant, those who profess faith in Jesus already know the Lord. Upon profession of faith, they don’t need someone to teach them that they are God’s child. They enter the covenant with a personal relationship with God. They already know that they belong body and soul to God. They are able to cry out to God as Abba Father. They don’t need an earthly priest or even a mature Christian to convey their prayers to God. Every believer can pray directly to God from day one of conversion. A Christian can boldly approach the throne of grace and not be afraid of being turned away by God. They have assurance that they are God’s child. Because the New Covenant is premised on Jesus’ finished work, Christians have been clothed in robes of righteousness and be in God’s presence.
We don’t need to fear God turning away from us as He turned away from unfaithful Israel. … If we are in Christ, we have a personal relationship with God.
Friends, we don’t need to fear God turning away from us as He turned away from unfaithful Israel. We have a genuine relationship with God that can never be severed. We do not need to fear that our prayers fall on deaf ears or that God has forgotten who we are. If we are in Christ, we have a personal relationship with God. We can speak to Him as we speak to our parents. We can talk to Him at all times of the day and in all circumstances. God delights to share in our joys and He is ever present to comfort us when we are in trouble.
Are you living like you have a personal relationship with God or still standing on ceremony and keeping God at bay?
Fourthly, in contrast to the Old Covenant that only offered temporal pardon, God promises complete forgiveness (Heb 8:12).
Have you ever apologized to a person only to hear them say, “I can accept your apology but will not forget the hurt you have caused.”? Or perhaps you had a recent fight with your spouse or friend only to hear them bring up some of the wrong things you had done in the past that they had supposedly forgiven you for.
It is understandably hard for us to offer complete forgiveness where we truly forget the wrong and treat the person as if they had not hurt us. Sometimes we even find it hard to forgive ourself and may still be burdened by an offence we committed.
Thus it is an amazing blessing to have a God who says in Hebrews 8:12, “For I will be merciful toward your iniquities, and I will remember your sins no more.”
When God says “I forgive you,” he really wipes the slate clean. He doesn’t stash-away a record of all our past wrongdoings only to bring them up again the next time we sin. How God relates to us is vastly different from the way we relate to one another. And thank God that He is so much more merciful!
The Psalmist joyfully declares in Psalm 103:10-12, “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”
Friends, how have you understood and applied God’s mercy to your life? Are you still living in fear that you are not fully forgiven? Are you still concerned that God might drag up your past? If you have accepted Jesus’ payment for your sins, then be set free from your load of guilt and shame. God has promised to be merciful to all who have become His children through Jesus. He will be merciful towards your iniquities. He will remember your sins no more. When the devil says that you are guilty and should hide from God, proclaim Hebrews 8:12. God is merciful. He is faithful and just to forgive your sins and remember them no more.
This good news should be relieving to us. It should release our burden of guilt and shame. It should free us to be joyful and merciful to others. Let us not be like the wicked servant who was forgiven a debt of a billion dollars only to refuse to forgive someone who owed him a few dollars. Rather, let us forgive as God has forgiven us, remembering not the sins of those we’ve forgiven.
If you are struggling with forgiving someone, I encourage you to chat with your CG leader or pastor. We would be happy to journey with you.
Hebrews 8 declares that God has given us a perfect high priest. Jesus is seated at the right hand of God and ministers in the true tent. Hence, we are assured that our faith in Him is not unfounded, but guarantees eternal life in God’s presence.
Today, we enjoy many blessings through our great high priest. Because Jesus’ priesthood is superior to the priesthood of old, we can enjoy a new and better covenant. Unlike the Old Covenant, the New Covenant that Jesus has made us a part of is enacted on better promises. God does all the heavy lifting. He saves us from sin, gives us faith to believe and enables us to live for His glory. He will put his law on our hearts and mind by giving us a new heart and His Spirit. He calls us His children and we have a personal relationship with Him. He assures us of complete forgiveness, promising to remember not our sins. It is no wonder then that the author of Hebrews concludes chapter 8 by saying in Hebrews 8:13, “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”
In the same way that the first generation of mobile phones have been made obsolete by the smartphones we have today, so the old covenant has been made obsolete by the New Covenant that Jesus mediates.
Let us rejoice over God’s gift of a perfect High Priest and embrace the perfect covenant that Jesus mediates.
Let us forget what lies behind and use the new heart that God has given us to know Him and love Him.
Let us not quench the Spirit but allow Him to cause us to obey God’s Word and bear good fruit.
Let us reflect the forgiveness and mercy we have received from God to those around us.
Let us invite others to experience the New Covenant that Jesus freely offers to all who put their faith in Him.