Renewal of the Old and New Testaments

  Hebrews 8:1-13; 5/22/2022; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

  Introduction

The content of the Old and New Testaments in the Bible is very rich, and it has traveled through history for about 1,600 years, and it has been about 3,500 years.  Judging from the time of Christ’s incarnation, it can be said that it was Jesus Christ who brought us into the renewal of revelation of the two covenants.  Let’s look at the first point:

 Christ has completed the sacrifice

If the history of Israel’s elect is the history of sacrifice, although it is not comprehensive, it is not without reason.  How to sort out the core of revelation from the complicated sacrificial culture of the Old Testament should be the focus of today. First, the origin of the priest.  Since we are talking about sacrifice, we cannot do without talking about priests.  We know that the priests of the Israelites were chosen from among the Levites by casting the lots and other methods.  In fact, at the beginning, God said to Moses:  ‘You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites. (Exodus 19:6) Originally, all the people in the kingdom of Israel were priests since then,   but the Israelites did not live up to their expectations.  Moses was still on the mountain, and the Israelites worshiped the golden calf at the foot of the mountain.  This was the historical opportunity when the tribe of Levi was chosen to be the priesthood. From then on, there were two kinds of people in the kingdom of Israel,  one was God’s people, and the other was God’s priests.

Second, the revelation of the tabernacle.  The word tabernacle in the Bible refers to the esoteric things related to God and His testimony,  while the tent of meeting is primarily related to God’s interests and actions on earth.  I won’t go into the details here, but I just want to emphasize that the tabernacle brought the hope of Emmanuel.  Why do I say that?  Let’s look at the end of Genesis and Exodus.  One is a coffin and the other is the tabernacle of God.  The last verse of Genesis says: “So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt. (Gen. 50:26)”  The pause is four hundred years, and God has given His elect four hundred years to think about the meaning of death.  The last verse of Exodus is quite different: “So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels. (Exodus 40:38)”   This typifies that Christ will lead us out of death into life!

Finally, the consummation of the sacrifice.  The five offerings in Leviticus can be divided into incense offerings and sin offerings according to their content.  Then, among the five offerings, the first three offerings, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the peace offering,  are all incense offerings; the last two offerings, the sin offering and the guilt offering, are sin offerings.  The sacrifices offered by the five offerings are usually cattle, sheep, and birds.  Moses commanded,  “See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”  Usually, the sacrificer lays his hands on the head of the sacrifice, indicating that the sacrifice represents my death.  Paul specifically states:  “But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)”  Jesus Christ gave himself completely, and all who follow him should offer their bodies as a living sacrifice!  Let’s look at the second point:

 Christ made a new covenant with me

This is the point of today’s message.  Why did Christ make a new covenant with me? First, the blemishes of the Old Testament.  Be very careful in saying this, I am not saying that the Word of God in the Old Testament is incomplete and flawed!  Paul said:  “For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. (Hebrews 8:7)”  This is the gradual revelation of the covenant from the perspective of God’s progressive revelation, especially after Christ became flesh and became a man, and revealed God’s plan of salvation, so much so that we suddenly realize it!  From this perspective, of course, Christ’s new covenant with us is incomparable, final, and unchangeable!  If it comes to flaws, it is not without words.  For example, the Five Offerings of Levi can only resolve the authority to pray and communicate with God once.  The burnt offering burns up all the cattle and sheep,  but it is only a one-time effect.  Relative to Jesus Christ who offer Himself as an eternal sacrifice, and be our hope of eternal life.  1 John 1:9 says:  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) ”

Second, the meaning of the covenant.  It is not that we love, but that God first loved us.  Making a covenant is God’s initiative.  He wants to make a covenant with us, with those he loves, and with those he chooses.  He said: “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. (Jeremiah 31:31)” The prophet Jeremiah said this at a time when the southern kingdom of Judah was about to be destroyed. The northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrian Empire in 586 BC, and now Babylon will also destroy the southern kingdom of Judah.  What to do?  The hope that God brought to the prophet Jeremiah was to prophesy Christ, and that Christ would bring us the new covenant.  The meaning of the covenant is hope and relationship, the relationship between God and man.

Finally, a replacement for the old and the new.  Some people may ask, what if the old covenant is established, and the Israelites still sin, what is the use?  In the opening chapter of this chapter, Paul clearly states that:  “Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,  (Hebrews 8:1)”   Our Lord is the one who gave his life on the cross and rose from the dead, the Lord who created the heavens and the earth, the Lord who is full of power!  The maker of the covenant is God, and the keeper of the covenant is held together by God and man.  The old covenant is the preparation of the new covenant, and the new covenant is the purpose of the old covenant.  Let’s look at the third point:

 Christ forgives my sins

The purpose of God’s covenant with man is not only hope and relationship, but more importantly, in His covenant with man, God will teach us hand in hand how to be His children,  receive God’s forgiveness, and seek God’s will.  First, write it down into the heart. This is Paul, through the prophet Jeremiah, encouraging us to seek God through reading the Bible, and it is also a promise from God.  Looking at the popularity of the Bible today,   the translations and the popularity of the Internet have laid a good foundation for God’s children to write God’s words into their hearts.  Weekly sermons, Sunday school, discipleship, plus we write devotional notes every day, read spiritual books, etc.  God’s grace is really rich in supplying us to write His Word into our hearts.

Second, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  With the word of God, it is also inseparable from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  Paul said:  “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.  (Hebrews 8:11)”  This is the essence of man knowing God!  When we preach the gospel and preach the word of the Lord, it is nothing but the grace of God willing to co-work with us.  The reason why people can know God is because of the power of the Holy Spirit!  Peter confessed that Jesus is the Lord and the Christ.  Jesus said at the time: This is what the Holy Spirit revealed to you.  The same is true for us,  we cannot confess that Jesus Christ is Lord unless it is inspired by the Holy Spirit!

Finally, no more mentioning. Paul goes on to quote the prophet Jeremiah, saying: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:12)”  This is the objective confirmation of seeking God’s will, and every child of God should have this assurance in their hearts.  When a sinner is saved, the first thing he realizes is the experience of being forgiven by God.  This feeling, this experience, is sometimes only comprehensible and indescribable.  This is the spiritual experience that only children of God have!  Not to mention it again means that our inner sense of accusation is gone.

 Conclusion

Well, thank the Lord!  Paul said: “By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. (Hebrews 8:12)”  The reasoning is simple, because Christ has completed the sacrifice and carried out the Father’s plan of salvation.  At the Last Supper, the Lord made a new covenant with us in bread and cup, His body and Holy blood.  Now it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. It all starts with His forgiveness!

Let us pray……

 

Hebrews 8:1-13
1 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 

2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.

3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 

4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 

5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 

8 But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.

9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.

10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.  I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people.

11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.

12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.