Chapter 8. I'm going to try to
stay as close to the text as I can tonight. See if we can't
have a profitable study here on this subject. Our high priest, what he does. Let's start with verse 1. which we have spoken. This is
the psalm and the substance. We have such a high priest who
has been described in the preceding chapter, who has an unchanging
priesthood, who is able to save to the uttermost them that come
to God by him. who is holy, undefiled, separate
from sinners, higher than the heavens, who needed to offer
but one sacrifice, himself. Who is the Son of God? The very
last statement, the Son who is consecrated forevermore. We have such a high priest. Now
it says, who is set? on the right hand of the throne
of the majesty in the heavens. The throne of the majesty is
the throne of God. God the Father in his majesty,
in his glory, in his authority, in his honor. Isaiah said, in
the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne,
high and lifted up. and his glory filled the temple.
And the seraphims cried, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts,
the throne of his majesty. Now he said he sat on the right
hand of the throne of his majesty, God. The right hand here has
to be, and is throughout the scripture, figurative. We don't
have God sitting on the throne and Christ sitting over here
is one God. One God. But the right hand is
figurative. The Lord our God who reveals
himself as Father, Son, and Spirit is one God. One God. But this right hand, he's seated
at the right hand of God, means oneness. Perfect unity. I and my Father are one." Full
acceptance. That's what the Father said when
he raised him from the dead. He said, Sit thou at my right
hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. And the word is
used here, he sat. We have such a high priest who
has sat on the right hand of the throne, of the majesty of
the heavens. That word S-E-T means two things
primarily. Our high priest sits, having
finished the work God gave him to do. Sit thou at my right hand. Sit. Now I've pointed this out
frequently. In the tabernacle, there were
no places to sit because the priest who ministered in the
holy place and in the holy of holies never sat down. Never. Their work was never done. They
were always offering sacrifices or performing different things.
But Christ, having finished his work, sat down. Finished his
work. It's finished. And sat down. The second thing this means is
this. He is set permanently. established at the right hand
of God. We will turn to Ephesians 4 and
read Paul's reference to this in Ephesians chapter 4 verse
4. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2 verse
4, Ephesians 2 verse 4. But God who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us. even when we were
dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ, in Christ,
by grace you are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made
us sit together." We're there too, seated in Christ. His right
hand is figurative. But the position is permanent. He sat. had quickened us together
with Christ and raised us up together and made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come
he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
toward us through our Lord Jesus Christ. So we have such a high
place. who is set, who sits, and we
are seated in him. And he's permanently established,
accepted, and we are also accepted in him, at the right hand of
the throne of the majesty and glory and honor of God in the
heavens. He has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies. Then it says, our Lord is a minister. Our Lord Jesus Christ, being
our high priest, is a minister of the sanctuary. Now this is
talking about the heavenly sanctuary, because over here in Hebrews
9, verse 24, Christ has never entered into that holy place
made with hands. That's not where he ministers.
That's where the priests of the Levitical law ministered. outer
court, they ministered in the holy place, they ministered in
the holy of holies. They went about their duties,
offering sacrifices. These seven candlesticks represent
Christ, the light of the world. These twelve loaves of bread
over here represent Christ, the twelve trials, but Christ the
bread of life. And the incense the altar of
incense just in front of the Babel, always, those priests,
that burned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This bread was fresh,
this lamp was the only light in the tabernacle. It's Christ
the light, Christ the bread, the incense is Christ's prayers,
always ascending to God. And these men always took, they
were ministers, and they were offering gifts and sacrifices,
that's what they were supposed to do. All right. But here, our
high priest is a minister of the sanctuary. He ministers in
heaven. That's right. How does he minister
as our high priest? Well, he has a threefold office.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is our prophet, priest, and king. And
in glory, as our prophet, right now, in the prophetic office,
he seeks and calls his That's why he's in charge of what I'm
doing. And Bud Chuck prayed for all
the preachers who preached the gospel. Well, all the preachers
who preached the gospel, whoever preached the gospel, are under
the auspices of the chief shepherd. See, we're under shepherds. He's
the chief shepherd. But in his prophetic office,
he's also calling his sheep. They'll hear my voice, he said.
I have other sheep which are not of this folk, they'll hear
my voice. So as our prophet, he ministers in heaven, directing. As my father sent me, I send
you. You know what he said? All right? As our priest, he
intercedes. I told some of them this morning,
our Lord Jesus Christ is our advocate. He's our lawyer. And the first thing a lawyer
will tell you if you get in trouble. And he goes to court to represent
you. First thing he'll tell you, you keep quiet. Let me do the
talking. And that's exactly what you do
as far as Christ is concerned. You keep quiet. You don't want
any dealings with Elohim. You let Christ handle that. Don't
even put me on the stand, Dan Culber said. Just keep me off
the stand because I'm bound to pop off, you know. So our Lord
is our priest who intercedes for us. If any man's sinned,
we have an advocate with a fault. And thirdly, he's a minister,
right now, of the sanctuary of heaven. And thirdly, he's our
king, and he's running things. He governs. Governs, protects,
defends, and provides. We have a high priest who's permanently
sick, who's finished his redemptive work. is in oneness with the
Father, and he's a minister of the sanctuary, and watch this,
and of the true tabernacle. The true tabernacle which the
Lord pitched to not man. All the types are gone. Now you
needn't try to reinvent and reestablish the Sabbath, it's gone. The Ark
of the Covenant, it's gone. The old tabernacle, it's gone.
Circumcision is gone, all of these things, the tithe is gone.
Christ Jesus is the minister of the sanctuary, of the true
tabernacle. His body, all others are types. Now let me show you something
about this word true. He's a minister of the sanctuary
and the true tabernacle which God pitched and not a man. Moses built that one down there
in the wilderness. He built it according to God's
specification, but he built it. But our Lord said to the father,
a body you prepared me. He was born not of man, but conceived
of the Holy Spirit of God, and God prepared him a body. And
this true tabernacle, all others are tight, and they all serve
their purpose, and they're gone. Let me tell you, John said he's
the true light, which lighteth every man that comes into the
John said he's the true bind. My father's a husbandman, but
I'm the bind, and you're the righteous. He creates a new man
in Christ Jesus, created in righteousness and true holiness. All holiness
that men profess and claim is pretentious, as pretended holiness. He's got true holiness. He creates
a new man in true holiness. Genuine holiness. His holiness. In 1 Peter 5, this message of
the gospel is the true grace of God. This is the true grace
of God. This is not half grace and half
works, pretended grace. This is the true grace of God.
True tabernacle, true light, true vine, true holiness, true
grace. You'll have to look at this one,
1 John 5. You'll have to turn over here.
See, everything else that represented him and is symbolic of him has
been fulfilled by him. And in 1 John 5.20, and we know
that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding
that we may know him that's true. There's a lot of false religion,
pretended religion. He's true. And we're in Him that's
true. We're in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God. This is
eternal life. This is where I want to be. I want my high priest to minister
as prophet, priest, and king. Not down here in a thing made
with hands, in heaven itself. as my true tabernacle, true light,
true holiness, true grace in the presence of the true God,
and reveal to me that true God. All right, verse 3. For every
high priest, all of these other priests, they were anointed,
but temporarily, They were given a work to do temporarily. They
were down here representing Christ till he comes. And every high
priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices. That's what a
high priest is for. Look at Hebrews 5.1. I read this
this morning, but let's look at it again. This is what a priest
is for, to offer peace offerings unto God, burn offerings unto
God, sin and trespass offerings to God, atonements to God. That's what a priest is for.
You can't do it. They told Israel, even the king, even the prophet,
only the priest, which represents Christ. Every high priest, Hebrews
5, verse 1, taken from among men is ordained for me in thanks
pertaining to God. that he and only he may offer
gifts and sacrifices for sin to God only. All right, back
to Hebrews 8 verse 3. That's what a priest is for,
ordained to represent us to God, offer gifts and sacrifices. Wherefore,
it's of necessity that this man, if he's our priest and the fulfillment
of all the priesthood He must have somewhat also to offer. That's right. Now, if he's only
a man, as some say, he has nothing to offer any more than these
Jewish priests, their sacrifices. What did Paul say about them
over in Hebrews 10, 3, 4? He said, in verse 4, it's not
possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin.
And verse 1, the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not
the very image of the things, can never, with those sacrifices
which they offer year by year, make the comers therein too perfect,
never satisfy, never put away sin. So if he's just a man, he's
got nothing to offer. And more than that, look at verse
4. If Jesus of Nazareth is just a man, if he were on the earth,
he wouldn't even be a priest. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Jesus
of Nazareth, born of Mary, could never be a priest, because he
comes from the wrong tribe. That's right. seeing their priests
that offer gifts according to the law. And he was in the wrong
tribe. Let's look back at Hebrews 7,
verse 13. For he of whom these things are
spoken, all this we've been talking about, he pertains to another
tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. It's evident that
our Lord sprang out of Judah, the tribe of Judah, of which
tribe Moses spake nothing concerning the priesthood. If he were on
the earth, he wouldn't even be a priest. That's what Paul says,
if he were on the earth, he wouldn't be a priest, if he was just a
man. Why did the Lord ordain him to
come from Judah instead of the tribe of Levi? Judah is the kingly
tribe. He is the king priest. His gift has authority. His sacrifice
has power. He is the king priest. The scepter shall not depart
from Judah till Shiloh comes. So verse 5 says that these priests
that offer gifts according to the law, they serve under the
example and shadow of heaven and things. As Moses was admonished
of God when he was about to make the tabernacle, the Lord said,
that you make all things according to the pattern shown thee on
the mount." So Jesus of Nazareth is only a man. He has nothing
to offer, and he's not even a person, because that's not according
to the pattern, according to the pattern. And if he's God,
he has nothing to offer. God can't bleed. God can't shed
blood. But being the God-man, He has
somewhat to offer. Turn to Hebrews 9. Hebrews 9,
verse 11. But Christ being come, a high
priest of good things to come, he is a priest. By a greater
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, but a body,
God prepared him out of this building. Neither by the blood
of bulls and goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered
once into the holy place. obtaining eternal redemption
for us. So our praise does indeed have
somewhat to offer. The blood of God, which he purchased
the church with his own blood. Now look at Hebrews 8 verse 6. Hebrews 8 verse 6. But now hath
he obtained a more excellent ministry. This whole, he ministers
in the sanctuary. And he has a more excellent ministry. And this is the theme of the
book of Hebrews. That Christ Jesus is better.
Better. That word is used over and over
again. Better. It says, look at this, verse
6. A more excellent ministry, by which he's a mediator of a
better covenant. established upon better promises. And the scripture says in Hebrews
9.23, a better sacrifice. And that's what the theme of
Hebrews is. When you talk about Moses, he's
better, more excellent than Moses. Talk about the angels, he's more
excellent than the angels. Talk about the priest, he has
a better sacrifice. He's a mediator of a better covenant
with better promises. Let's look at this old covenant
a minute. Verse 7 says that if the first covenant had been faultless,
the one he made with Israel, now what was that covenant? Well,
number one, the people of the covenant were natural people,
a nation of men. They had a few leaders that knew
God, Moses, and Abel, and Joshua, and Caleb, and these men, but
most of them died in unbelief. In fact, the Lord said that out
of those that came out of Egypt, over 20 years of age, they all
died. But Joshua and Caleb, they entered
the promised land. Isn't that correct? Those two,
the rest of them died. So this covenant back here in
the Old Testament was made with men, a nation of natural men. Secondly, the blessings of the
covenant were material and physical. Now that's true of Israel in
the Old Testament. As long as they behaved, God
blessed them. As long as they minded the Lord,
he gave them victory over their enemies. He gave them crops.
He gave them health. He gave them prosperity. He kept
them out of captivity, for when they, and they constantly sinned
against God, murmured against God, they were always in captivity
and set free, and then back in famines and pestilences and all
these. So the covenant was made with a natural people. The blessings
of the covenant were material and physical, and the laws were
written on stone. There were two tablets. those ten commandments on two
tablets with the finger of God. Moses broke the first ones. You
remember when he came down the mountain and they were dancing
around that camp and worshiping idols and Moses threw the law
down breaking. Well God called him back up and
he wrote again two tablets, two tables of commandments and put
them in the ark along with the manna in the pot and with Avon's
rod. That was in the in the ark under
the mercy seat, those ten commandments. Well, they were written on stone.
And their mediators, let me show you, their priests were men,
only men. Their sacrifices, animal blood. Their prophets were only men. He says so many times, are like
sleeping dogs. They won't warn the people. They
feed themselves enough to feed the people. And that was the
covenant, the first covenant made in that fashion. Now, if
it had been faultless, if it wasn't faultless, then there
should be no place for insult for another. But God says, finding
fault with them, look at verse 8, finding fault with them. What
was wrong? Let me tell you this. No system
of works works. No system of works works. No righteousness of men will
make them accepted by God. No sacrifices they can offer
will give life and justify them before God. No system. No matter
how the system of laws and rules and regulations and sabbath days
and circumcision and human priests and sacrifices and prophets,
it won't work. Like the disciples said, well,
Lord, who can be saved? He said, with men, it's impossible.
Impossible. The entire covenant because of
one thing was a failure. Evil hearts. That's the reason. Let me show you something in
Romans chapter 8. The problem was not with the
law, it was with the people to whom it was given. In Romans
chapter 8 verse 3, what the law could not
do, what the law could not do, it cannot save. It cannot save. Why? It's weak through the flesh. The Lord's not weak, it's the
flesh. Do this and live, that's all
right. But man can't do it. And that's
what's wrong with this old covenant. It won't work because the people
hated and broke the laws. Because the prophets were covetous
men and prophesied falsely. Because the priest were corrupt
and made merchandise of holy things, because the sacrifices
to the people became a snare and a stumbling block and a failure. Verse 8, I'll read it again.
Finding fault with them, with the people, he said, Behold,
the days come when I will make a new covenant with the house
of Israel. and with the house of Judah,
not according to the covenant 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. That's the
problem. And I regarded them not. They
could not enter in because of unbelief. So I'll make a new
covenant. Well, let me ask this question.
Why is it called a new covenant when it's older than the first
one? Why is it called a new covenant
when really this is the everlasting covenant? God brought again from
the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant. It's a covenant made
with Christ, our surety before the foundation of the world.
It's called new for four reasons. Number one, it's always new. The scripture says in Lamentations,
His mercies are new every morning. Nothing, the word old, can't
be used in reference to his mercies. They're new every morning. Secondly,
it's called a new covenant because it makes all things new. The
old is passed away. Behold, I make all things new.
It's called new because it's newly revealed in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ, newly It's called new because it is
of the new heavens and the new earth and new creatures who will
occupy that blessed place. It's not according to the old,
because the old has passed away. All right, what is this covenant?
Verse 10. This is the covenant. This is
the covenant. that I will make with the house
of Israel." That's true Israel. That's spiritual Israel. After
those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law, not on tables of
stone, but I'm going to put my law. What is his law? Well, it's
not the mosaic law. It's not the ceremonial law.
It's not the law of rituals and ceremonies and traditions and
circumcision. It's his moral commandments.
His law is his moral commandments. It has to do with spirit and
attitude toward God and toward others. His law also is his royal
law. Have you read about the royal
law? Turn to James 2, verse 8. This is the royal law, the king's
law, the royal law. In James chapter 2 verse 8, if you fulfill the royal law,
according to the scriptures, you love your neighbors yourself,
that's what he's going to write on them. He's going to write
his moral commandments and his law of love. Christ said all
the laws fulfilled in these two, love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, thy neighbor as thyself. That's what I write on their
minds. And then thirdly, his word is
his law. In the Bible it talks about according
to the law and the prophets, that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by the law and the prophets. That's his word. So
not on tables of stone, I'm going to write my law, commandments,
love, my word, on their minds. On their minds. So they'll think
on them, and value them, and learn the spirituality of them,
and the perfection of them, and rejoice in the glory of God on
their minds. What is a man's mind? It's his
soul. That's what the mind is, it's the soul. I'm going to write
my word, my love, my commandments on their minds, on their souls,
alright, and on their hearts. on their hearts that they might
embrace them and love them and be subject to them willingly. That's the new covenant. When he made a covenant with
Israel, he wrote them on tables of stone. When he makes that
covenant with his people, he writes them on their hearts and
on their minds. Then he said, and I'll be to
them a God. Well, isn't God the God of everybody? Not in this sense. Not in this sense. I want to
show you two scriptures. Turn first to John 20. I'll be
their God. I'll be their God. I'll be to
them a God. John 20. Our Lord says in John
20, verse 17, listen to this. John 20, 17. Jesus talking here
to Mary. He's appeared to her in verse
15. Jesus said, Woman, he risen from
the dead, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? And she, supposing
him to be the gardener, said unto him, Sir, if you have borne
him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I'll take
him away. She's talking about the body of her Lord. So Jesus
said unto her, Mary, and she turned herself and saith unto
him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master? And evidently she was
going to embrace his feet. And he said, Don't try to hold
to me. He didn't mean she couldn't touch
him, because when he appeared to the disciples, he told them
to touch him. He said, Touch my hand. But what he's saying
to her, Don't try to hold me. I'm not going anywhere right
now. Don't try to hold on to me. I'm
not yet ascended to my father. But you go to my brethren and
say to them that I ascend to my father and your father, my
God and your God." Now, he's not that to the world in general. They said, God is our father.
He said, no, he's not. If God were your father, you'd
love me. The devil's your father. and he's not your God either.
I go to my Father and your Father, my God and your God. Now that's
how I'm going to be in this new covenant to those people, their
God and their Father. I'm sharing that scripture, Ephesians
chapter 1. Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1 verse Listen to the way this is read.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's
the God and Father of Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he chose
us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ. That's the reason
Christ said, He's my Father, and your Father, my God, and
your God. We're sons, too, in Christ. That's what that's saying. So here in our text, in Hebrews
8, I'm going to write, by law, on their souls, and the biosphere
they think on them. on their hearts so they're willing
to love them, enter into them, I'm going to be to them a God,
God and Father as I am to the Lord Jesus Christ, and they'll
be to me a people. Everybody's not the people of
God, they're the subjects of God, they live in the universe
of God, and they're going to be dealt with by God, but they're
not his people. Let me read you two scriptures
in 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2, verse 7. Now, here's his people. I'll
be to them a God and Father, and they'll be to me a people.
Now, watch this. Now, to these folks, verse 7,
1 Peter 2, 7. Under you, therefore, that believe,
he's precious. Under them which be disobedient,
He is a stone which the builders disallowed. The same is made
the head of the corner, but to them he is a stone of stumbling,
he is a rock of offense. Even to them that stumble at
the word being disobedient, whereunto they also were appointed. But
you, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
peculiar, a purchased people, that you should show forth the
praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous
light. Now, which in times past were
not a people. By nature you are as pagan as
anybody else, as contrary to God as anybody else. You were
not a people, but you are now the people of God. There was
a time when you hadn't obtained mercy, but now you have obtained
This is the covenant. Back to my text, Hebrews 8. Well,
one other scripture I told you I was going to give you, John
17. You know this by memory. In John 17, all people are not
the people of God. Christ in John 17, 9 says, in John 17, 8, he said, Father,
I have given them the words which you gave me, and they have received
them. And they know surely that I came
from thee, and they have believed that thou sent me, and I pray
for them. I pray not for the world. I pray
for them which thou hast given me. They are thine. You are their
God, you are their Father. They are yours, and all mine
are yours, and all yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. I'll be their God and Father,
they'll be my people. In verse 11, let me give you
this, they'll be my people. In verse 11, And they shall not
teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord. All shall know me from the least
to the greatest. Does this set aside what I'm
doing tonight? Public preaching? Public teaching? The ministry of the word of God?
No, sir, because our Lord told us to go and make disciples and
baptize them and teach them. And God has pleased God with
the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. So
we still have preaching and teaching, but we do not depend upon the
man who's doing the preaching to reveal it. We don't depend
upon the man doing the preaching to show it to us. That's the
Holy Spirit's work. That's what he's saying there.
They're not going to teach every man his neighbor, and every man
his brother, saying, know the Lord. The Holy Spirit's going
to reveal the Lord to them. They're all going to know me.
They're all going to know me in their hearts. It's not a mere
profession. It's a knowledge. Not just the
preacher and the elders, but the people know him too. They
shall all know me. All know me. In John 16, let's
read this, John 16, this revealing Christ in the heart to eternalize
no God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. And every believer
knows him. He's heard the preacher, but
here's the one who makes the truth to be effectual, John 16,
13. How good when he, the spirit
of truth, is come. He will guide you into all truth.
He'll not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that
shall he speak. He'll show you things to come.
He'll glorify me. He'll receive of mine and show
it to you. All things that the Father hath of mine, therefore
said I unto you, he'll take the things of mine and show it to
you." How is he going to do that? Through the teaching and preaching
of the Word. He does it. We don't depend upon
men to do that. That's the spirit of God's ministry. From the least to the greatest,
they'll know me. In verse 12, my covenant, I'll
be merciful to their unrighteousness. What is unrighteousness? Well,
all unrighteousness is sin. I'll be merciful to their sins.
And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. So in
that he said, a new covenant, he's made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth
old is ready to vanish away. Behold, I make all things new. David rejoiced in this covenant.
I'm going to read it to you one more time in 2 Samuel chapter
23 verse 1. 2 Samuel 23 verse 1. Now, these be the last words
of David. David, the son of Jesse, said,
the man who was raised up on high, the inaugurated of the
God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The Spirit of
the Lord spake by me. His word was in my tongue. The
God of Israel said, The rock of Israel spake to me. He that
ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And
he shall be as the light of the morning when the sun rises. even
a morning without clouds, as the tender grass springing out
of the earth by clear shining after rain. Although my house
be not so with God, yet God hath made with me an
everlasting covenant, one we've been talking about just a few
moments ago, and it's ordered in all things. It's ordered in
all things. It's in the hands of my Lord
Jesus Christ, and it's sure and certain and cannot fail and will
never pass away. And this covenant in the hands
of Christ is all my salvation and all my desire, although he
make it not to grow. I hope that was a blessing to
you.