THE GOSPEL OF
CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
(Chapters 8-10)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Timothy Sparks and Ben Bailey.
Timothy Sparks:
“Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, Who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Heb. 8:1). I’m Timothy Sparks.
Ben Bailey:
And I’m Ben Bailey. Welcome to our study of the Book of Hebrews.
This lesson is being brought to you by loving, caring members and congregations
of the churches of Christ. We invite you to visit the
Timothy Sparks:
In chapter 8 of the Book of Hebrews, we are confronted with the main theme of the book —the superiority of Christ and Christianity over the Old Law from which Jesus has set us free. The first six verses of this chapter discuss how Christ is a better Mediator of a better Covenant. The key word of the Book of Hebrews is “better” (or “superior”). Jesus has brought to us the reality of the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus is not a Priest Who will one day cease to be a Priest, because His priesthood is both unchanging and enduring. The people for Whom He serves as a Mediator and Intercessor are those who will be with Him throughout eternity. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “We have such a High Priest, Who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Heb. 8:1). Jesus is not an earthly priest, but a ruling heavenly Priest.
Ben Bailey:
Hebrews 8 makes it clear that Christ is a better High Priest, who is the Mediator of a better Covenant that has been established upon better promises. Notice the three “betters” in that statement. Everything about Christianity is superior to the Old Law. Think of Christ as a better High Priest. His priesthood will not pass away (since He has no beginning or end). He does not have to offer sacrifices for Himself, and then for the people, since He is perfect, and because He has made a “once-for-all” sacrifice for everyone’s sins. Whereas in the Old Testament, sacrifices had to be offered repeatedly on a day-by-day basis, in the New Covenant Christ offered Himself once for all. We also have in Christianity a better Covenant. The Old Law was a good system that was designed for a certain purpose, and that was intended to last for a limited time. Now, however, we are participants in a better Covenant. It is better in the sense that it is eternal. It is better in the sense that it is not predicated on promises yet to come. It is the fulfillment of those promises, and as such, it is not looking forward to another day or a “new dawn.” The New Testament is that better Covenant. Notice, too, that it is established on better promises. Under the Old Covenant, people had the promised blessing of being part of God’s people. People had the blessing of the land promise that Abraham received. And so on. There were many fine promises made under the Old Law, but those promises were of a future nature—looking toward the arrival of Christ. Today, under the New Covenant, we can enjoy the fulfillment of those promises. For example, we now can have our sins washed away by the blood of Christ. The promises that were made in the Old Covenant have been fulfilled by Christ in the New Covenant. Consider the promise of Heaven. In the Old Testament, we see “fragments” of Heaven that sometimes are hard to piece together to get a full picture. But under the New Covenant, the mystery that once was hidden has now been revealed. Thus, we have a better High Priest Who is the Mediator of a better Covenant that is established on better promises. To sum it up, we might say that Christianity is the best way to go—and the only way to get to God. In Hebrews 8, we see a clear picture of why Jesus is a better High Priest and Mediator, and why Christianity is better than the Old Covenant.
Timothy Sparks:
In Hebrews 8:7-8, we read, “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no
place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He
says: ‘Behold, the days are coming,
says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of
Ben Bailey:
There is no stronger proof that the Old Law is not the Law under which we live today than Jeremiah 31:31-34. Think about it. If we wanted to show that the Old Covenant is not the Covenant under which we live today, wouldn’t we want to be able to show that this is true—from the Old Covenant itself? Yes—and the Old Law itself stated that it was not intended to last forever. Read what Jeremiah wrote in dealing with this topic.
“Behold, the days are
coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with
their fathers in the day that I
took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which
they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with
the house of
God clearly promised—during the time that the Old Covenant was still in effect—to make a “new” Covenant. This is why the writer of Hebrews uses this particular passage from Jeremiah 31. He wanted to stress that the Old Covenant itself prophesied that a New Covenant was coming. There is no legitimate way to read the words of Jeremiah 31:31-34, and then say that we are still under the Old Law today. There was nothing wrong with the Old Law, as Paul made clear in Romans 7:12. To suggest that there was something wrong with the Old Law is to suggest that God erred in giving it. If God gave the people a faulty Law, what does that say about God? It is not the fault of the Law that it did not work properly; it was the fault of the people. When sin entered the picture, there was no present remedy. The New Covenant is greater because, even though we cannot keep it perfectly today, when we sin we have a “present remedy” (Jesus Christ) for our sins. That is the major difference in the Old and New Covenants. Under the Old Covenant, when people sinned there was no present remedy for their sins. Under the New Covenant, when we sin we have a present remedy for our sins if we will repent and ask God for forgiveness. Thus, we can see why the New Testament if far superior to the Old. Those who try to live under the Old Testament today have no sacrifice, through Jesus, for their sins. The only thing they have, according to Galatians 3:10ff. is a curse! Peter pointed out in Acts 15:7-10, “neither we nor our fathers” were able to keep the Law perfectly. When they could not keep the Law perfectly, the only thing left for them was a curse. As Deuteronomy 27:26 says, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” Fortunately, since we live under the New Covenant, we have a present remedy for our sin.
Timothy Sparks:
Jeremiah wrote on God’s behalf, “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jer. 31:33). This is the kind of relationship that God wanted with His people, even under the Old Law. Yet He knew there would come a day when He would send His Son to be a better sacrifice, and to serve as a better Mediator under a better Covenant based upon better promises. God wants to have the same kind of relationship with us today. He wants us to be His people, and He wants to be our God. He wants us to be faithful to Him. And He wants to take away our sins. We read in Hebrews 8:12, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Jeremiah prophesied such a thing—and it has now become a reality. If we fail to obey the Gospel of Christ, then we spurn the only means of salvation that is available to us. Sadly, there are even some who, at one time, obeyed the Gospel, but then returned to the beggarly elements of the world from which they had been delivered. The Book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were considering going back to Judaism. They were thinking about returning to a Law that not only was inferior, but that actually had been abolished! This is why the writer of Hebrews asked, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Heb. 2:3). Can you imagine the impact that hearing this message might have had on those Christians of the first century who were thinking about leaving Christ and returning to the defunct system of Judaism? Surely, they would have asked themselves why they would want to abandon the superior system of Christianity (and the salvation that comes through it as a result of the blood of Christ) in order to return to the inferior system of the Old Law. The message of the Book of Hebrews should impress upon us today the need to be better servants, and to keep “pressing onward” to Heaven.
Ben Bailey:
In Hebrews 9, the writer continues this same line of thinking in regard to how Christianity is superior to the Old Law. In verses 1-10, he discusses the tabernacle. One of the key words is “earthly”—it was an “earthly” tabernacle. It, and the things surrounding it, faded away. The writer of Hebrews is contrasting the Old Covenant system with the New Covenant system. In verse 12, he writes, “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Under the Old Covenant, the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies once a year, sprinkle blood on the altar, and make a sacrifice for himself and for all the people. He had to do that every year—once a year. But the writer of Hebrews says that Jesus’ sacrifice was “once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” This is an extremely important passage. Jesus became our High Priest, and entered into the Holy of Holies in order to make a once-for-all sacrifice to purchase the eternal redemption of our souls. How thankful we should be today that we do not live under the Old Law, where we had to set up and take down the tabernacle, and where we had to have an earthly high priest who entered the Holy of Holies on our behalf to offer a sacrifice on a yearly basis. How grateful we should be that Jesus made all of that unnecessary by His sacrifice on our behalf.
Timothy Sparks:
When Jesus did this, He released us from the Old Law. Hebrews 8 and 9 makes it clear that Jesus made the Old Law obsolete. We cannot live under the Ten Commandment Law today. Those commandments, according to Exodus 20, were given to the Israelites. They were given to the people whom God led out of Egyptian bondage. They were not for us today. Jesus lived under the Old Law. But as long as He was alive, His “last will and testament” could not go into effect. We read in Hebrews 9:16-17, “For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.” How can anyone read the Book of Hebrews, and still try to defend the concept of living under the Old Testament?
Ben Bailey:
In Hebrews 9:22, we learn that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. Jesus had to die. He had to make the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf so that we could have forgiveness of sins. Jesus shed His precious blood so that we could have the hope of eternal salvation. Hebrews 9:27 points out, “It is appointed unto man once to die, and then the Judgment.” Although I am going to die and stand before God on the Day of Judgment, Jesus will be standing there with me. The sacrifice He made cleanses me of my sin, so that I do not have to stand in utter condemnation. Hebrews 9 is all about the sacrifice of Jesus, and about how, after His death, His New Covenant went into effect. Because of what Christ did for us, we do not have to give an account before God of the things we failed to do, or for our mistakes. Jesus’ blood has cleansed us of those things. Hebrews 10:3-4 states, “But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” All of the Old Testament sacrifices were basically “IOUs” to God—predicated upon the sacrifice of Christ on the cross because those sacrifices could not take away sin. Why would anyone want to go back to an inferior law like the Old Covenant—when the superior New Covenant is in place?
Timothy Sparks:
Hebrews 9:27 reminds us, “It is appointed unto man once to die, and then the Judgment.” The point of this remark, in this context, is to get across the point that there are two choices. The Jewish Christians could (wrongly) attempt to return to the inferior system of Judaism that was in effect under the Old Law. Or, they could take advantage of the forgiveness that comes from Christ’s blood under the New Covenant—which is far superior because it has a better Mediator and better promises. Another point presented here is that faithful Christians must die only once; they do not have to fear the “second death”—eternal separation from God. Jesus has done everything He possibly can to ensure that we have the opportunity to stand before God, blameless and righteous. God sent His Son to die in our stead. And through His Holy Spirit, He has given us His inspired Word. If we are lost because we refuse to obey the Gospel, then we cannot blame God. He has done everything possible to ensure our salvation. We cannot blame Christ, because He gave His life for us. Anyone who is willing to do so can obey the Gospel. Satan, of course, will do everything he can to prevent you from obeying the Gospel. He is the “father of lies” (Jn. 8:44) who will try to deceive you. You and you alone are the one who must decide whether you will be obedient to the Gospel. As we live, so shall we die. Live wrong—die wrong. Live right—die right. God wants the very best for us. He wants us to be forgiven and redeemed.
This lesson is brought to you by individual
members and congregations of the
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST is brought to you by loving, caring members of the church of Christ. The McLish Avenue church of Christ in Ardmore, Oklahoma, oversees this evangelistic effort. For a free CD or DVD of today’s broadcast, please write to:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
You may call 580-223-3289. Please visit us on the web at www.thegospelofchrist.com. We encourage you to attend the church of Christ, where “the Bible is loved and the Gospel is preached.”
1. Hebrews 8:1 refers to “the Majesty in the heavens.” To Whom is that a reference?
2. What is the main theme of the Book of Hebrews (a theme that resurfaces full force in chapter 8)?
3. Why is Christ’s priesthood superior to the priesthood of the Old Testament?
4. Why is the New Testament said to contain “better promises” than the Old Testament?
5. To what is the writer of Hebrews referring when he speaks of God “finding fault with them” (Heb. 8:7)?
6. Hebrews 8:8-10 explains that the Old Testament could not deal with a specific issue. What is that issue?
7. What passage is considered to be among the strongest texts in the Old Testament in regard to the need for a coming New Covenant?
8. According to Romans 7:12, was there anything “wrong” with the Old Law?
9. In this lesson, there is a discussion about the fact that when sin entered the picture (in the Old Testament), something was missing. What was that “something”?
10. According to Galatians 3:10ff., what was the Old Covenant able to provide?
11. Explain the connection between Deuteronomy 27:26 and Galatians 3:10ff.
12. Jeremiah prophesied something that eventually became a reality. According to Hebrews 8:12, what was that “something”?
13. Why were some Jewish Christians of the first century toying with the idea of returning to Judaism?
14. Explain why the writer of Hebrews said, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation” (Heb. 2:3).
15. What was the point of the Hebrews writer discussing the tabernacle of the Old Testament (Heb. 9:1-10)?
16. According to Hebrews 9:12, how many times is it necessary for Christ to offer a sacrifice for our sins?
17. In Hebrews 9:16-17, we learn that something had to happen for the New Covenant to go into effect. What was that “something”?
18. Explain the point of Hebrews 9:22, and how it applies to Christ.
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST,