1. Summer 2013

2.  The Heavenly Ministry (8:1-6)  Christ is the real priest located in the only real place where sin can be dealt with—in the presence of God  Jesus died on earth, but His offering was made in heaven. (On earth, He was not a priest.)  Christ is seated, the Levites stand  Levites serve in an earthly sanctuary, Christ ministers in heaven (the true tent)

3.  Christ’s ministry is more excellent  Better than the angels (1:4)  Better covenant and ministry than the old (8:6)  Better blood than that of bulls and goats (9:13-14)  Blood that speaks better than the blood of Abel (12:24)  A better ministry demands a better covenant  Christ is both minister (high priest) and mediator (God’s representative)  diatheke (covenant)– God alone sets its condition (Christ guarantees it—7:22)

4.  The New Covenant (8:7-13)  A better covenant with better promises implies the inadequacy of the previous one  Old was “weak and useless”, could not bring one near to God (7:18-19)  Prophesied 600 years earlier (Jeremiah 31:31-34)  The first covenant failed because Israel failed

5.  The New Covenant  A covenant of assurance  “I will” is said 6 times  I will establish a new covenant  This is the covenant I will make  I will put my laws  I will be their Lord  I will be merciful  I will remember their sins no more  The new covenant doesn’t primarily depend upon us, but on God  God has promised to fulfill it and it will never be broken or displaced

6.  The New Covenant  A covenant of assurance  A covenant of obedience  Poetic parallelism  Old covenant required obedience, offered a close relationship with God  Consisted of external commands, written on stone  The new covenant is written within, on the heart

7.  Written on our hearts  We must obey God  Deuteronomy 30:11-14  Ezekiel 11:19-20  Psalm 40:6-8  There is a direct connection between obedience and what is in the heart  Those in the new covenant relationship with God have His law written on their hearts, thus they do not need to be taught  “know” means to know and do  Those who have no knowledge of God are those who violate God’s law (Jer. 5:4-5; Matt. 7:21-23; John 7:17; 8:23; 17:3)

8.  The New Covenant  A covenant of assurance  A covenant of obedience  A covenant of grace  Forgiveness of sins is the basis of all the blessings in the new covenant (not of the old)  Under the new covenant sins are fully forgiven and forgotten (instead of “a reminder of sin every year” [10:3])  This grace is only through Christ (9:11-14, 28; 10:12-14; 13:12)

9.  The New Covenant  The old is “obsolete”  Something that is past  God made it obsolete because it no longer served His purpose  “Becoming obsolete” – something that is still present  Levitical sacrifices were still being offered at the temple  But this system was “ready to vanish away”  A.D. 70  Perfectly fulfills the terms of an ideal covenant  Israel failed to keep covenant with God  God has provided a new and better covenant  He is theirs, they are His; engraved within them is the delight to do His will; they know Him and walk in His ways; and they have forever the forgiveness of their sins  Christ is in heaven, as high priest, ministering

10.  Hebrews 9:1-10:18  This passage concludes the middle section: “Christ, the high priest”  Hebrews 8:1-10:18 depicts the heavenly ministry of Christ  And His heavenly offering of Himself  Offer: (8:3, 4; 9:7, 9, 14, 25, 28; 10:1, 2, 8, 11, 12)  Offering: (10:5, 8, 10, 14, 18)  Sacrifice: (8:3; 9:9, 23, 26; 10:1, 5, 8, 11, 12)  Covenant: (8:6, 8, 9, 10; 9:4, 15, 16, 17, 20; 10:16)  Blood: (9:7, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25; 10:4)  Sin: (8:12; 9:26, 28; 10:2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 17, 18)

11.  Worship under the Old Covenant (9:1-10)  Tabernacle – two compartments (tents)  Holy Place  Lampstand, table, bread of Presence  Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies)  Golden altar of incense, ark of the covenant Holy PlaceHoly of Holies Outer tentInner (second) tent PriestsHigh priest only Go continuallyOnce a year Ritual dutiesBlood

12.  Hebrews 9:11-14 – “The Heart of Hebrews”  Day of Christ’s coming, as high priest  Through a greater and more perfect tent  Not made with hands – not of this creation  Not through the blood of goats and calves  Through His own blood  He entered once for all into the Holy Place, securing eternal redemption  Cleansing was “so that we might serve”

13. Summer 2013