You turn with me to Hebrews,
the eighth chapter. Now, tonight, Lord willing, I'm
going to be speaking on who should take the Lord's table. Now, I want to remind you regarding
the Lord's table. The Lord said this do in remembrance
of me. And if you're a believer and
you're physically able to be here, you ought to be here to
observe the Lord's table. He said, this do in remembrance
of me. And that's what we're going to
consider tonight. Now, would you turn with me?
I guess you've already turned there to Hebrews chapter eight. I've entitled this message, the
main point. the main point. In verse 1 of Hebrews chapter
8, we read, Now of the things which we have spoken, this is
the sum. This is the main point. This is what all of this adds
up to. I'm interested in hearing the
main point, aren't you? Now of the things which we have spoken,
this is the sum we have such an high priest who is set on
the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. Now this is the main point. Now my objective this morning
is to preach the gospel. I have no other objective. Wouldn't
it be a blessing from God if this morning we hear the gospel
of God? And I'm going by the grace of
God to preach the gospel as simply and clearly as I know how to
preach it. and I pray that God will give
us hearing ears. If we want to know what the New
Testament is all about, this passage of scripture will teach
us. I'm interested in knowing what
the New Testament is all about. Now, the writer to the Hebrew
says, now of the things which we have spoken, This is the sum,
this is the main point. We have such an High Priest. We have this High Priest. Now remember, wherever there's
a we, there's a they. Wherever there's an us, there
is a them. When he says, we have such a
high priest, is he speaking of every son of Adam? No. He's talking about believers.
He's talking about those who trust the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's talking about those for whom Christ died. We, every believer,
we have such and high priest. What's a priest? A priest is somebody who represents
man's interests before God. If I have a priest, that means
that priest comes into God's presence on my behalf and represents
me. We have, every believer has such
and high Notice he says we have such a
high priest. He's different from the priests
under the Old Testament economy. The sons of Levi, we have a high
priest after the order of Melchizedek. Do you know who Melchizedek is?
That's very important for us to understand who Melchizedek
is that we might understand who the Lord Jesus Christ is. Let's
go back. I'm going to read most of Hebrews
chapter 7. I'm not going to make much comment
on it, but I want to read this passage of scripture so we can
see what he's talking about when he says we have such a high priest. Not a high priest after the Levitical
order. Not a high priest according to
the laws of the Old Testament. We have a high priest after the
order of Melchizedek, a different high priest. For this Melchizedek,
verse 1, now do you remember who Melchizedek is after Abraham
had rescued Lot and his people from the kings and he went and
rescued him and he comes back and he pays tithes at that time
of all the spoils he had to Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God.
Now this was the priest before there were ever any Levitical
priests. Now let's go on reading. For this Melchizedek, king of
Salem, you know he's the only priest who is a king. That tells me I don't have any
doubt in my mind or I at least believe that Melchizedek is the
Lord Jesus Christ himself. This is a pre-incarnate appearing of the Lord Jesus himself
and you'll see that as we read this passage of scripture. For
this Melchizedek, king of Salem, Priest of the Most High God,
who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and
blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all. First
being by interpretation, King of Righteousness. This is what
his name means. Who's the King of Righteousness?
Jesus Christ the Lord. And King of Peace. without father,
without mother, without descent, having no genealogy, having neither
beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the
Son of God, abideth the priest continually. Now consider how
great this man was unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave
the tenth of the spoils. Look down in verse 11. If therefore
perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, the sons of Aaron,
For under it the people received the law. What further need was
there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchizedek,
and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood
being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of
the law. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth
to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which
tribe Moses spake nothing concerning the priesthood. And it's yet
far more evident for that after the similitude of Melchizedek,
there arises another priest. This is the priest he's speaking
of in chapter 8, who's made not after the law of a carnal commandment,
but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou
art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. For there
is verily a disannulling of the commandment." Talking about the
Levitical priesthood and all the laws and ceremonies and so
on. There's a disannulling of the
commandment because of the weakness and the unprofitableness thereof.
Now that's what he calls the Old Testament law. He talks about
the weakness and the unprofitableness of it. Didn't God write it? Of course he did. What he's saying
is it won't save anybody. That's why it's weak and unprofitable.
The problem's with us. The problem's not with the law.
The problem's with us. We can't be saved by it. And
so that's how he terms the Levitical priesthood. Verse 19, For the
law, the ten commandments, the ceremonies, the feast days, the
priesthood, the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in
of a better hope did. By the witch, this better hope,
we draw nigh unto God. And inasmuch as not without an
oath, he was made priest. For those priests were made with
an oath, but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The
Lord swear and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. By so much was Jesus made a surety
of a better testament, the New Testament as opposed to the Old.
And they truly were many priests because they were not suffered
to continue by reason of death. They died. So you had to have
another one. But this man, Because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable
priesthood, wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost,
that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them. For such an high priest became us. who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.
Who needeth not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifice
first for his own sins, and then for the people's? For this he
did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh high
priests which have infirmity sin. But the word of the oath,
which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated forevermore. Now the things which we have
spoken, this is the sum we have such a high priest. after the
order of Melchizedek, one who is set on the right hand of the
throne of the majesty of the heavens. Why is he set? Because
his work was finished. You see, these Levitical priests,
they didn't have any chairs because their work was never finished.
Always something left undone. Always something to do. But he
sat down in the place of absolute authority, ruling and reigning. Not that he has a right to rule,
but he does rule. There's a big difference. He
does rule and He does reign. Seated, His work finished, seated
at the right hand of the majesty on high. Verse 2, He's a minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. The place of His ministry is
not earthly, But it's heavenly. It's not just a physical temple
where he's at. He's in the very presence of God. That's the place
of his ministry. Our high priest is not in some
dark, creepy confessional booth. Our high priest is in the very
presence of the living God representing us. Verse 3, for every high priest
is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices where it's a necessity
that this man have somewhat also to offer. Now a priest has to
have something to offer to God that God can accept. Now these
men who call themselves priests, what do they have to offer to
God that God could accept? Absolutely nothing. God's holy. I need one to represent
me who's holy. Not someone who's sinful and
just as corrupt as I am. For that man to say he represents
me, that won't do me any good at all. I need a priest who has
something to offer to God that God can accept. Now, the priest
after the order of Melchizedek, the Lord Jesus Christ, he has
an offering that he brings to God. He has a gift that he brings
to God that'll make God accept me. Look in Hebrews chapter 9. Verse 12, here's what he brings
to his father, this priest. Neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the
blood of goats and bulls and of goats and the ashes of an
heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies to the purifying of
the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God that you
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. He has something to offer. Back
to our text in Hebrews chapter 8 verse 4. For if he, this priest after
the order of Melchizedek, the Lord Jesus Christ, for if he
were on earth He should not be a priest seeing that there are
priests that offer gifts according to the law. If his place of ministry
were here on earth, he'd be disqualified because he wasn't a Levite. He
wouldn't do us any good. And verse 5, who serve the Levites,
the gifts according to the law, the holy days, all the stuff
that the Old Testament tells us about, they serve unto the
example and shadow of heavenly things. As Moses was admonished
of God when he was about to make the tabernacle, for see, saith
he, that thou make all things according to the pattern on the
mount. Now all of the Old Testament
economy, the law, the Levitical priesthood, the sacrifices, the
holy days were given as an example and a shadow of heavenly things. Now how much substance is there
to a shadow? There's absolutely none. There's no substance to
it whatsoever. I'm thankful for shadows, it
shows us the outline of things, but I want the substance. I don't
just want the shadow, I want the substance. Christ Jesus is
the substance of everything this book speaks of. He is the substance,
verse six. But now, hath he, this priest
after the order of Melchizedek, Christ Jesus, now hath he obtained
a more excellent ministry. By how much also he is the mediator
of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. Now the word excellent is different.
That's what it means. It means different. It means
superior. His ministry as a priest after the order of Melchizedek
is different and superior to the priests under the law of
God. He is the mediator of a better covenant or a better testament,
the New Testament. The New Testament. Now, when
I'm talking about the New Testament, when the Bible is talking about
the New Testament, it's really not talking about Matthew through Revelation.
It's talking about the New Covenant, the covenant of grace, the New
Testament. It's a better testament. It's
better than the Old Testament. Why is it better? Well, the Old
Testament is salvation in some way dependent upon something
I do. Now, which is better? Salvation
being ultimately dependent upon what you do or salvation being
ultimately dependent upon what Christ has done. Which is better? That's a no-brainer, isn't it?
If you believe that you can't do anything to earn God's acceptance,
you really believe this is better. He's the mediator of a better
covenant, the New Testament, which was established upon better
promises, the eternal promises of God and Christ Jesus. Verse
7, For if that first covenant The covenant of works, salvation
by law, the Old Testament. For if that first covenant had
been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the
second. And what was the fault of that
first covenant? It couldn't save. It could not save. Hold your finger there and turn
to Romans chapter 8. Verse 3, For what the law, Romans
8, verse 3, the first covenant, For what the law could not do
in that it was weak through the flesh, the problems of the flesh,
God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and
for sin condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. The first covenant, if it had
been faultless, there wouldn't have been a need for another
covenant. If the priests of the Levites
could have done anything for us, Melchizedek would have never
been needed. Verse 8, for finding fault with
them. Who's the them? Me and you. Me and you. You see, the first
covenant, the Old Testament, all it could do is find fault.
That's all it could do. Find fault. Find sin. The law, the Old Testament, the
Old Covenant, it exposes sin. That's all it does. Verse 8. For finding fault within, he
saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I'll make
a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house
of Judah. This is a quotation from Jeremiah
chapter 31 verses 31 through 34 that he's getting ready to
quote. The days come when I'll make a new covenant, a new testament
with them, the house of Israel with the house of Judah, verse
9, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of
the land of Egypt because they continued not in my covenant
And I regarded them not, saith the Lord." Now in the following
verses, he contrasts the Old Covenant or the Old Testament
and the New Covenant or the New Testament. The Covenant of Works
as opposed to the Covenant of Grace. Now he speaks of the Covenant
of Works, the Old Testament, and he describes it like this.
God said, I took them by the hand. Now that's good, isn't
it? You want the Lord to take you
by the hand? I do. He says, I took them by the hand And I led them
out of the land of Egypt. But yet it was faulty. That sounds
awful good. God taking you by the hand and
leading you out. Yet he found fault with it. How
come? Verse 9, he says, I took them by the hand to lead them
out of the land of Egypt, but they continued not in my covenant,
and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. Now here's the problem.
In the old covenant, God indeed did do his part. He took us by
the hand and led us out, but the problem was we didn't do
our part. That's the problem of the old covenant. Now, if
salvation is in any way dependent upon something you do or I do,
we're in big trouble because the fact of the matter is we
won't do it. We won't. You're barking up the
wrong tree if you think there's any hope that you will. You won't.
So that covenant won't do us any good at all. Now let's look
at verse 10. Here's the New Testament. For this is the covenant, or
the testament, that I'll make with the house of Israel after
those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws into their
mind and write them in their hearts. And I will be to them
a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not
teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord. For all shall know me, from the least to the
greatest. For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness and their sins and iniquities, while I remember
no more." Now, he gives us four things that the New Covenant
does, that the New Testament does, that the law could never
do. Now these four characteristics,
as I just read in that passage of scripture, first of all, something
is done on the inside. He said, I'll take my laws and
write them in their mind and in their hearts. Something is
done on the inside that could never be done by the Old Testament. Secondly, there's a new relationship
between God and His people. I'll be to them a God. And they
shall be to me a people. The law couldn't do that. Thirdly,
there's a personal knowledge of God. They'll all know me.
They won't just know about me. They'll know me. They'll know
my person. They'll know me and I'll know
them. And fourthly, there's an experience of God's mercy and
forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Now let's consider each one of
those. First, in the New Testament, the new covenant, the covenant
of grace, that same covenant that Christ spoke of, When he
instituted the Lord's Supper and said, this is the New Testament
in my blood, this due and remembrance of me, that's what we're going
to consider tonight. Something is done for the sinner
on the inside that the law could never produce. Now notice what
he says in verse 10. For this is the covenant that
I'll make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord.
I'll put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts. And notice the word laws is in
the plural. This is not talking about the
Ten Commandments. Everybody already knows the Ten
Commandments. Even folks that have never heard the Ten Commandments
know the law is written in the heart of every man. Scripture
says, Romans chapter 2, verses 15 and 16, the law is written
on their hearts. Everybody knows the difference
between right and wrong. Everybody knows it's wrong to kill. Everybody
knows it's wrong to steal. Everybody knows it's wrong to
commit adultery. You know, I've had people before complain to
me, you don't preach enough about what's right and what's wrong.
You already know. You already know. I have no doubt about that. The scripture says the law is
written on every man's heart and every man's conscience. You
already know. When people, I've always wondered why people, I've
heard that complaint numerous times over the years. You need
to teach more about how to live and so on. You already know how
to live. You do? When he's talking about these
laws written on the heart, let me show you how this word is
used. Turn to Romans 7. Verse 21. I find then a law. I find then a law that when I
would do good, evil is present with me. Look in Romans chapter
8 verse 2. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death. Now you see this word law? You
can just as easily, right here, the way it's used, use this word.
It's a principle. It's the principle of the spirit
of life in Christ Jesus. It's a law of spirit and life.
It's made me free from the law of sin and death. I'll put these
principles, notice he said this in the plural, laws, I'll put
my laws, I'll put my principles in their mind and heart and they'll
love them. Now in the New Testament I find
six laws that are in every believer's heart, that God has written on
their heart, in their minds, and if you have one, you have
all six. You never have one without having all of them. This is what
God does when He does a work of grace in a sinner's heart,
and He writes His laws in their minds and in their hearts where
they actually love Him. And we've already touched on
the first one. Look in verse 22 of Romans chapter 7. You're
already there. For I delight in the law of God,
after the inward man, talking about God's holy law, the Ten
Commandments. I delight in the Ten Commandments. I do. They're a reflection of
the holy character of God, the law is holy and just and good.
But look what Paul says next, verse 23. But I see another law
in my members. warring against the law of my
mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in
my members. O wretched man that I am! Who
shall deliver me from the body of this death?" The law of sin. Now here's the first law, and
only a believer knows anything about this. The law of sin. When I would do good, evil is
present with me. I find this law, this principle
within me, and I can't get away from it. It's always there in
my experience, the law of sin. And it takes a new nature to
perceive this. If you have a new nature, if
you have a holy nature, if you've been born of God, this one thing
I know for sure about you, you'll know that in your flesh dwelleth
no good thing. Do you know that? That's the law of seeing. Every believer knows what I'm
talking about. You know that you can't in and of yourselves
do anything but sin, and your only hope is the righteousness
and merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know that. You believe
it, because the law of sin is in your members. You're there
in Romans. Turn to Romans chapter 3, verse 27. Where is boasting then? What
can you brag about in your salvation? It is excluded. It is shut out. By what law? Works? Nay, but
by the law of faith. Now here's a principle that's
written on the heart of every believer. It's called the law
of faith. You know what that means? If you're a believer, it's your
nature to believe. You can't not believe. It's impossible. Now your flesh doesn't have any
faith. That's what that man said when he said, I believe, help
thou mine unbelief. He was aware of the unbelief
of his flesh. But the new nature, that which
is born of God, what does it do? It believes. You cannot not
believe. You must trust the Lord Jesus
Christ. You see, the law of sin has told
you that Christ is your only hope, and you won't look anywhere
else. You look only to Christ. That is the law of faith. It's a principle within. You
can't get rid of it. We read in Romans 9.31 of the
law of righteousness. The law of righteousness. Now
that's God's righteous holy law, the law of righteousness, and
I know this. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to those who believe. We truly trust His righteousness
as our righteousness before God's holy law. And we don't make void
the law through faith. God forbid we establish the law. We honor the law by believing
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, it's the law of righteousness,
God's holy righteous law. You see, I'm saved with a perfect
standing before that holy righteous law. The righteousness of Jesus
Christ is mine. He truly is the end of the law
for righteousness. Isn't it wonderful to have him
as your righteousness before God? And then James 1.25 speaks of
the perfect law of liberty. The law, the principle of liberty.
This is something that God writes on the heart of every one of
His people. It's the law, the principle of liberty. What's
liberty? It's freedom. If I'm liberated,
if I'm truly free, I don't owe anybody anything and I get to
do what I want to do. And that's what every believer
has in Christ Jesus. I owe nothing. My debt is completely
paid. I owe nothing. And I am at liberty
to do what I want to. You see, serving the Lord is
my want to. It truly is the perfect law of
liberty. This is written on the heart
of every believer. And then in James chapter 2,
verse 8, we read of the royal law of love. You see, when God
gives you a new nature, when He writes His grace on your heart
and in your mind, it becomes your nature to love God. And
you love Him as He is. You love the Sovereign God. You
love the Holy God. You love God as He is revealed
in the Scriptures. And you love His people. It's
your nature to love His people. You love all men. You preach
the Gospel to them. It becomes your nature. It's
what God does when He saves somebody. They have the royal law of love.
And then I want you to read this with me. Turn to Galatians chapter
6. Verse 1, Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, excommunicate him, expose him,
bring him up before the church. No, listen to what he says. Brethren,
if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore
such a one. In the spirit of meekness, Considering
thyself, lest thou also be tempted, bear ye one another's burdens,
and so fulfill the law of Christ." Now here's the law of Christ. Bearing one another's burdens.
Fulfilling the law of Christ. Putting up with one another is
what it means. loving one another anyway for
Christ's sake. And that is fulfilling the law
of Christ. Now the old covenant knew nothing
of doing something on the inside. Not like this. Only the gospel
of God's grace, only the New Testament can do something like
this on the inside, the inner man. Now let's go back to Hebrews
chapter 8. Here's the second thing that
the new covenant does. Hebrews chapter 8. Verse 10, For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith
the LORD. I will put my laws into their mind, and write them
in their hearts. And I will be to them a God, and they shall
be to me a people. A new relationship between God
and His people. God says, I'll be to them a God.
Now, if God be for you, Who can be against you? In this
new covenant, God is your God. That means He's for you. And
if He's for you, who can possibly be against you? If God be for
us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, hastily not with Him also, freely
give us all things. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who is he that
can condemn? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather that's risen
again who's even at the right hand of God who also makes intercession
for us. God's for you. Now, the Old Testament
is only God against you. The New Testament is God for
you. I'll be to them a God and they shall be to me a people. You're gonna love God. You're
gonna be for God. You're on His side. You're on his side. You're sympathetic toward him
and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The law couldn't do that.
All the law does is drive us away. But in the New Testament,
the covenant of grace, he's my God. He's for me. And I'm for
him too. Let's go on reading. Verse 11. And they shall not teach every
man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the
Lord, For all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest. In the New Covenant there is
a personal knowledge of God where I actually know Him. Not simply know things about
Him, but I know Him. And He knows me. He knows my
name. This is not just name-dropping.
A lot of folks, when they say, I know God, it might just be
name-dropping. You'd ask the Lord if He knew
them, and He might say, I never knew you. I never recognized
you to be one of mine. But in the New Covenant, in this,
what He's talking about, God knows me. I'm His friend. I'm His child. And I know Him. John chapter
17 verse 3 says, this is life eternal that they might know
thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ. That's the knowledge
of God. You know, it's impossible to
come to know God personally by simply knowing accurate data
about him. You can't be educated into the kingdom of heaven. The
only way you can know God is if he makes himself known to
you. And in the gospel, he makes himself known to where you actually
know the Lord. I'm looking at some people who
know the Lord. And he knows you. Now here's why all this is true. This is why. He makes Himself known to us. This is why He puts His laws
into our mind and heart. This is why we know Him. Here's
the reason, verse 12. Here's the foundational truth
behind all this. Here's why it is. He says in
verse 12, For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and
their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. I will
be merciful to their unrighteousness. Now that word merciful, is the
word propitious. That's the way it's generally
translated, propitious. I will be propitious to their
unrighteousness. Now what in the world does propitious
mean? What is a propitiation? What the word means is that God
has taken away his reason for anger. The blood of Christ has
removed the reason for God's anger. God doesn't have a reason
to be mad at me. He's appeased toward me. He's
satisfied with me because of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The blood of Christ has washed away my sins, so I stand before
God without sin. I stand before God holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in His sight. He doesn't have a reason to be
mad at me. Do you believe that? Do you believe the blood of Christ
makes you so clean? So pure that God doesn't even
have a reason to be mad at you. That's what perpetuous means.
Perpetuation. He says, I will be perpetuous
toward their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities
will I remember no more. Now this is not a case of amnesia
on God's part. Not at all. Well, how can God
forget something? I mean, God's God. How could
He forget like you and I would forget? I forget stuff all the
time. But that's not the way God is. Yet He says there's sins
and iniquities I'll remember no more. Now where there's perpetuation
is, there's no sin there to remember. When the Lord looks at me, when
the Lord looks at every believer, the reason He doesn't remember
any sin that you've committed is because there's nothing there
for Him to remember. You are pure, free, holy, without
blame, in God's sight. That's what the New Testament
does. It makes you perfect in God's sight. Now the Old Covenant
could not do this. All it does is expose sin. It
can't put it away. But the New Testament doesn't
work on the inside. It causes this right relationship
with God. It causes us to know God. And
it's all founded upon the perpetuatory sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's why we have these blessings. God doesn't give me these blessings
because of anything in me. He does it because Christ died
for me and put away my sin. That is the New Testament. Verse 13. In that he saith a new covenant, You know, let me make this comment.
Do you know the New Testament's a whole lot older than the old?
It's a whole lot older than the old. As a matter of fact, it's
as old as God is. It's always new. It's always fresh. Isn't
the New Testament fresh to you? Do you ever get tired of hearing
about how the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin? Does
that ever become an old, stale message to you? Not if you're
a sinner, it doesn't. It's new and it's fresh, it's
powerful. And look what he says in verse
13, in that he say of the New Covenant, the New Testament,
he hath made the first old, worn out, obsolete. Now that which decayeth and waxeth
old is ready to vanish away. And it's only when we see the
glory of the New Testament that we see the Old Testament in this
light. Now I want to close by reading a passage of scripture
out of 2 Corinthians chapter 3. Would you turn with me there,
2 Corinthians chapter 3. Beginning in verse 6. Paul says who? God has made us
able ministers of the New Testament. Not of the letter, but of the
Spirit. For the letter killeth, but the
Spirit giveth life. But if the ministration, the
ministry of death, written and engraved in stone was glorious,
he's talking about the law. so that the children of Israel
could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses. For the glory
of this countenance, which glory, and indeed it was glorious, but
it was to be done away with, how shall not the ministration
of the Spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation
be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness
exceed in glory. For even that which was made
glorious, talking about the old covenant, It had no glory in
this respect by reason of the glory that exceleth. For that which is done away was
glorious, it's obsolete and ready to be put away. Much more, that
which remaineth, the New Testament, is glorious. Seeing that we have
such hope in Christ Jesus the Lord, we use great plainness
of speech. And not as Moses, which put a
veil over his faith, that the children of Israel could not
steadfastly look to the end of that which was abolished. But
their minds were blinded, for until this day remaineth the
same veil, untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament,
which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when
Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when
it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now
the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord
is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face, beholding
as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. The New Testament is superior to the old. Let's pray.