HEBREWS 82008 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Hebrews 8

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2008.

Here in Hebrews chapter 8, we're looking at, and he tells us there in verse 1, the main point of these things is that we have a high priest. We have an incredible high priest. We have this new covenant. We have better promises. We have the advantages of a new covenant that far supersede what existed before under the old covenant. But just like health insurance, you know, they don't do much good unless you use them.

Until I went to the doctor and made use of my health insurance, made use of his expertise, made use of what he could prescribe me, he didn't do me any good.

And unless we participate in the new covenant, unless we take advantage of what God has given to us under this new covenant, it's the same principle. We can be there sick and coughing and dying for a long, long time, nothing happening in our lives, no real progress, no spiritual growth, nothing happening within us,

And wondering what in the world is going on or eventually it's going to take place. We could reason within ourselves. But the reality is nothing will happen. Nothing will take place. Nothing is going to really come about unless you take advantage of what God has given you

Under this new covenant. And so I want to encourage you this morning as we look at chapter 8 to use these things to draw near to God. In Hebrews chapter 4, you remember back there, we started the subject of Jesus Christ as our high priest. And in Hebrews 4.14, the author says, "...seeing then that we have a great high priest."

And he goes on to say how he's sympathetic and he can sympathize with us and we're able to approach him. So then in verse 16 of Hebrews chapter 4, he says, "...let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace."

Since we have this high priest, let's come boldly to the throne of grace. That's the point of what we're looking at in these things. We're looking at the high priest of Jesus Christ, the new covenant, the promises that he's given to us. Since we have these things, let's draw near to God. Let's come boldly to the throne of grace. Let's come and experience relationship with God. Let's pursue God and experience the fullness of what he has for us.

Because he has given us such great things under this new covenant. And so we start in verse 1 and 2, looking at Hebrews chapter 8. We'll be looking at five points today about the things that God has given to us. A continuation of what we've been studying and also a segue into what we will be studying into chapter 9. These things are all intertwined and the author does such a great job in doing this. Verses 1 and 2 says...

Now this is the main point of the things we're seeing. He's kind of not wrapping it up yet. We've still got a ways to go, but he's summarizing. This is the point. Chapter 7, chapter 6, chapter 5, chapter 4 have all been leading up to this. The whole thing he's been talking about. Jesus in the order of Melchizedek and so on and so forth. The main point is...

That we have such a high priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. The point is, we have this high priest. The point is, this is not hypothetical. This is not just in theory. This is not what if such a high priest exists. We have a high priest in heaven. And that's the first point this morning I want you to consider. We have a high priest in heaven.

We have someone who goes before the Father on our behalf. We have Jesus Christ who sits at the right hand of the majesty in the heavens, whoever lives to make intercession for us. Our high priest is Jesus Christ after the order of Melchizedek. He continues forever. His priesthood is unchangeable and he is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him because he is forever.

and His priesthood does not change, and He ever lives to make intercession for us. Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. We have a high priest in heaven. Now consider, who else can make this claim? Who else can say, I have, I am seated at the right hand of the majesty in the heavens?

Who else can make this claim? Where else can you find this claim fulfilled? Under Judaism, you could not find this claim. They would look back to Abraham. They would look back to Moses. But under Abraham and under Moses, neither of those guys could claim to sit at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. If you look at any other religion, there's no foundation. No one else can make this claim.

No one else can give you access to God like Jesus can because no one else can make the claim legitimately that they are seated at the right hand of the throne of God in heaven. And that's why there is no relationship with God apart from Jesus Christ. And that's why Jesus said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me. It's only through me. And only through a relationship with me can you...

Can you have relationship with God, Jesus says. Jesus is able to bring us into the presence of God, to establish us in a relationship with God, to grant us a relationship with God, because he is the only one who can say rightfully that he is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens.

Verse 2 goes on to say, He's a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected and not man. There in the heavens, Jesus is a minister. He came down to earth in the form of a servant, a minister, and now exalted into heaven, He's still a minister. He's still there and He still serves you and I. But He serves you and I not here in this world,

earth in the earthly realm, but there in heaven he has a ministry. He continues to serve. He serves not in the sanctuary that was built on earth, but of the true tabernacle which the Lord built. What is the true tabernacle that the Lord built?

Well, he'll continue to discuss this here in chapter 8 and then even more so in chapter 9. The true tabernacle which was built by the Lord is not the tabernacle that was set up under Moses in the wilderness. It wasn't the temple that was built by Solomon. The true tabernacle that was built by the Lord is what exists in heaven.

There's a reality of a tabernacle, of a sanctuary which exists in heaven. And there Jesus serves as a minister under this new covenant, as high priest, seated at the right hand of God, ever living to make intercession for us. And so this morning, I would ask you to consider, what does it mean that we have this high priest in heaven?

What does it mean that we have this one who is there in the presence of God? That we can come to God. We don't come to God on our own basis, on our own behalf, for our own sake, because of our own goodness. We cannot come to God on anything other than the basis of what Jesus Christ has done for us. Anything other than faith in Jesus Christ is not valid in coming into the presence of God. We don't have access to God by any other way.

We have access to God by Jesus Christ. We can have a relationship with God because Jesus Christ is there seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. And so number one this morning, we have a high priest in heaven. Number two, earthly priests, there was earthly priests, we have a high priest in heaven, there was earthly priests seated

They served the shadow of heaven. Earthly priests serve the shadow of heaven. Look at it in verse 3. It says, Verse 5.

who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For he said, See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. So the earthly priest, he says, serve the shadow of what exists in heaven. There in verse 3, he says, Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices.

The priestly ministry that Jesus is a part of is the same. The difference is the location. The location of Jesus' ministry is not on earth, but it's in heaven. It's not in the shadow of the things, but it's in the true tabernacle which the Lord built. And every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. And so just as the high priest of the old covenant offered gifts and sacrifices, Jesus does the same.

He offers gifts and sacrifices. What sacrifice did Jesus offer? It's okay, you can say it out loud. He offered himself. He gave of himself. Ephesians chapter 2 deals with that. 5 verse 2 of Ephesians. He gave himself as a sweet-smelling sacrifice. And the author is going to deal more about this in chapters 9 and 10. He offered the sacrifice of himself.

As high priest. It was necessary for him to do so. Because every high priest is appointed for that purpose. Now then, going on in verse 4, he says, For if he were on earth, he would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. So, if he were on earth, if the earth was his ministry, if that was his realm that he was ministering in, he wouldn't be a priest. And why wouldn't he be a priest? Well, because...

there already at that time was priests who offered gifts and sacrifices here on this earth. Under the old covenant, under the Levitical system, under the old law, they already were offering sacrifices. And so there was no need for someone else to come on the scene to offer sacrifices in the same manner that they were.

Now we've been talking about in chapter 7 the need for a new priesthood under the order of Melchizedek. And I won't get into all that again. There was a need for a new priesthood, but not a new priesthood on earth. The Levitical priesthood was the best order of priests that was possible here on earth.

As far as earth was concerned, as far as our realm, the things that we can see and know and understand, the Levitical system was the best that could be accomplished. And so there wasn't need for a new priest. The problem with the system wasn't just that they didn't have the right high priest in power. The problem was the whole system needed to be changed. And he'll discuss that in a few more moments.

So there was not need for a new priesthood here on earth. The Levitical system fulfilled that. The problem with the Levitical priesthood was that it was limited to earth. It was limited to the shadows of heaven. He says in verse 5, Again, the earthly priests served the shadow of heaven.

In the book of Exodus, Moses is instructed by God over and over and over again. Moses, as God is giving him the dimensions for the tabernacle and all the materials that are to be used and the colors and the way it's all to be arranged, over and over again, God says, make sure you build it according to the pattern. Make sure you lay it out just so. Just as I have shown you, just as I have told you, make sure you do it exactly the way that I have instructed you.

Because the tabernacle that Moses built was a shadow of the true tabernacle which exists in heaven. Now which is better? The substance, the reality, or the shadow that it casts? I came across this entry the other day online. And it goes back to May of this year, May 2008.

And I've heard about these things many years back, but I was surprised to find one so recently. This person makes a purchase on eBay, and they're recounting their story and what took place. And they said this, I bought an Xbox 360 Elite last week in a Buy It Now auction. The package arrived, and I was quite surprised at how light it was.

The box contained a few other used items and an Xbox 360 Elite box. That's it. Just an empty Xbox 360 box. I went back and read the listing again and sure enough there was a scary fact that indeed it did say Xbox Elite box. But I was too busy looking at the pictures and reading about how the seller was getting out of gaming due to migraine headaches. This poor person paid $475...

for an empty box. So if you know how eBay works, right? On the listing there's a picture of the item and what's the picture of? An Xbox 360 box. And of course the assumption is inside that box is the actual game system. But no, that's not the case and indeed the seller specified that but of course it's a scam and attempt to deceive. And

So this poor person paid $475 for an empty box. Now, I would suggest to you that the box for the Xbox 360 is important. You know, for shipping, for protection, for keeping it all together. It is important. It's an important element. But the reality and the substance is what's within the box, not the box itself. In fact, after you have the contents, the box pretty much becomes worthless.

Most of us would probably throw away the box because we have the contents. That's the reality. That's the substance. That's what's valuable and what's worthwhile. In the same way, the tabernacle is, well, it's the shadow of the things that are in heaven. In a sense, it's the box.

It's not the substance, it's not the reality. It pointed towards, it had pictures of the reality all around it. You could look at the tabernacle and see what was being advertised and what was coming, the substance that was there. But it was just a box. It represented something that had value. It represented something of great importance. But it was just the box.

That's what the earthly priests served in, the shadow of heaven. They served the box, not the substance or the reality that it pointed towards or contained. And so here in verses 3 through 5, we find that the earthly priests served the shadow of heaven. The shadow of heaven. And so he concludes then in verse 6.

that Jesus is more excellent and far better. Verse 6 says, But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as he is also mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. More excellent, far better, is Jesus Christ.

He is a more excellent ministry and it's a better covenant and it's established on better promises. How many ways can you say that what we have in Jesus Christ is far greater than what was obtained, what was had under the old covenant? How many more ways can you say that it was better or more excellent or far superior?

Again, which is better, the box or the Xbox 360 that comes in it? Of course, the substance of it. Jesus Christ is the reality of what was being pointed towards. It's the reality of what God was offering to us. It's the reality of what exists in eternity in heaven. Jesus has a more excellent ministry because he doesn't serve only the shadow. He doesn't serve only God.

the thing that was used to point towards the reality, he serves in the reality. He is high priest of the reality of the sanctuary of the presence of God, of relationship with God for us in heaven. So he really can take us into the presence of God. The high priest could not take you into the presence of God. They couldn't.

draw you closer to God, into the throne room of God. They really couldn't. They were very limited because, well, all they had was the shadow. All they had was the outside appearance of something that was pointing towards the substance that would come. Which is better? Someone who says to you, hey, you want to meet the president? I can get you into the White House. Or somebody says to you,

I can get you in the White House's shadow. That's right. I'll get you in the shadow of the White House. It'll be wonderful. Of course. No, to be able to go in, that's far superior. Much better. In the same way, Jesus doesn't just serve in the shadow. He serves in the reality. Maybe think about it another way. Maybe there's some famous person that you would love to meet. And someone says to you, I can introduce you to that person.

And Mario says to you, I can show you his footprint in Hollywood. Which is better? Oh yeah, to meet the person, to get to know them, to be able to have a relationship. That's far better. In the same way, that's the difference we're talking about with Jesus Christ and the earthly priest. The earthly priest served in the shadow. They could show you the footprint of God.

They could show you the things that pointed towards what God was going to do. They could show you pictures about the reality of God and kind of shadows of what was to come. But it was very limited. But Jesus, on the other hand, He really does know the Father. He really can introduce you. He really can help you in your relationship with Him. He really can take you into the presence of God, take you into the tabernacle of God.

And this is why the old covenant, the old system, the Old Testament, it was on the basis of works. It was on the basis of you keeping the law, doing good, following what God had laid out. And the law was good. We'll deal with that in a second. But it was very limited. And it was intended to be so. It was intended to be limited and temporary because it wasn't the reality.

And in the same way for you and I, we need to understand that nothing has changed. The reality is still found only in Jesus Christ. The reality is not found in being religious. And that's the challenge that has continued to be extended towards us here in the book of Hebrews. What do you have? What is your connection with God like? Is it religious or relational?

Is it a system of works? Is it a system of things that you do? Or is it a real, as real as real can be, relationship with God? What is it that connects you to God? Is it religion? Is it being religious? Is it coming to church? Reading your Bible? Praying? Sharing with others? Giving your tithe? Giving to those in need? You say, all those sound like great things. Yeah, they are great things. But you know, those are things that come...

when they're done right, they come as the result of a real relationship with God. They're not done in order to have a relationship with God. It's not, oh, I do these things so that I can be right with God, or now I have a right relationship with God because I do all these things, and we reason among ourselves, well, I must have a right relationship with God because, look, I go to church every Sunday, and most of the time I come Wednesdays, and then I also do this, and I also do that, and I do this, and I've been reading through the Bible, and

Well, I must have relationship with God. Is your connection with God religious or relational? Is it, I know Him. He speaks to me. Yeah, I do those things as well. I go to church and I spend time in the Word and I spend time in prayer and I go through all those things not to connect me to God but because I am connected to God.

I know it sounds confusing and it can be maybe a little bit seemingly subtle, but it's not subtle at all when you experience the reality, when you know the difference. Very often, we have experienced the connection with God. We get on fire. We start running for God, pursuing God. The things of God are consuming our lives. They're all that we care about. And then somewhere down the line, then we revert back from God

relational to religious. And then we start practicing our religion and we do our good deeds and we do our duties and we do the religious things that we're supposed to do. We have a tendency to get sucked back into that religion and just going through the rituals. And we may not think of them very much as rituals, not like maybe we could think of some other religions and oh yeah, they have rituals, but we don't really have rituals. But no, we do. If it's

Coming here that we're using to establish our connection with God. No, come here because you have a connection with God. Come in fellowship because you do have a relationship with God.

And having a relationship with God, it means, well, you're coming together with others who have a relationship with God, that we can encourage one another and fire one another up and get each other excited about what God's doing and share with one another, but also minister to one another and lift up one another. But we have something to give and we're able to give and we're able to minister because we have a relationship with God, because we're connected with Him through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

See, Jesus has a more excellent ministry because he's not connecting us with the shadows, with the earthly elements and representations. He's not connecting us with just the pictures. He's connecting us with the person, with the Father.

It's a better covenant because it's a covenant that we're entering into on the basis of what Christ has done. It's a better covenant because under this covenant, we have direct access to God through Jesus Christ. That we're really able to have a relationship with God. You see, Jesus is more excellent and far better. And that's a huge understatement. It doesn't even compare. This person who bought the Xbox 360 said,

For $475, of course, disputed it and tried to get their money back and had all kinds of problems. And they did get a little bit back, but not the full amount. And it was kind of like they said at the end that they paid almost $400 for a box. And all they could do was just play with the box. That's all that we can do if our connection to God is religious, ritual, and not relational.

And it just keeps challenging my heart and I hope it's challenging yours. Do you have a relationship with God? Are you walking with Him? Do you know Him? As real as a relationship is real means and relationship means. As I often say, think of the best marriage and the reality of their relationship.

That's the relationship that God desires with us. The ministry that Jesus has is more excellent because He serves in the reality and He's able to connect us in that relationship. It's a better covenant because we're able to walk in relationship with God. And the author of Hebrews now is going to go on to talk about this new covenant and how it's better here in chapter 8 and then even going on in chapter 9, which we won't get into today.

It's a better covenant and it has better promises. What we have under the new covenant, what the new covenant offers for us is far superior to what can be attained under the old covenant, under the Old Testament, under a system of religious rules, under any other religion. What we have in Jesus Christ is far better, far superior. So Jesus is more excellent and far better. Now going on, verses 7 through 9.

we find that the first covenant is found faulty. The first covenant is found faulty. Verse 7, For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Verse 8,

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 Israel and 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 did not continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. He says there in verse 7, If that first covenant had been faultless...

Jesus is the minister, he's the high priest of the true tabernacle in heaven. He's got a more excellent ministry, a better covenant with better promises. But what was wrong with the old covenant? What's the need for a new covenant? He says if the first one had been faultless, if there was no problem with the first covenant, then there would be no need for a second covenant. So what's the problem with the first covenant?

Because there must have been a problem with the first covenant because Jesus is the high priest. He's the minister of a new covenant. Now, see, God's not like a car dealership. He doesn't come out with new models every year just for the fun of it, just to sell you something new. You know, the 2009 salvations are in. Make sure you get yours. If there's a new covenant, it was necessary. It was required. If there's a new covenant, the first one was bad.

The first one needed to be replaced. It's not just a newer, shinier, better, but you can still get from A to B under the old covenant. No, the new covenant is necessary. And so if the old covenant had been perfect, there wouldn't be a need for a new covenant. So what was the problem? What was the fault of the old covenant? Verse 8 says, Because finding fault... Where? With them. What was the fault of the old covenant? It was...

You. It was me. It was our nature. It was people. The problem with the old covenant was the people couldn't keep it. In Exodus chapter 19 verse 5, God says, Now therefore, if indeed you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people, for all the earth is mine. Now therefore, he says, if the old covenant was based on the condition that

The condition was, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant. The old covenant was based upon the condition that you and I are obedient and keep the covenant. It was up to us. Just like if you were to enter into a covenant or contract today, each side of the contract has their part to play, their role to fulfill. And so...

the contract is based upon each party fulfilling their part. And if one party of the contract doesn't keep their part, well, it's called a breach of contract. That contract is, well, it's really worthless. And so then you try to fight, you try to take them to court, you try to make up the damages because they didn't keep their part in the contract. In the same way, this covenant was based upon if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, God says.

This is the problem with the old covenant. Finding fault with them because they couldn't keep the covenant. In verse 8, he says, he says, and then he goes on now to quote Jeremiah chapter 31 verses 31 through 34. And essentially, I'm just going to kind of summarize it here. Verse 8, he says, God says, I will make a new covenant. The days are coming. The time is near. I will make a new covenant.

The old one, there's a fault in it. The fault isn't in the covenant itself. The law is perfect. There's nothing wrong with the Levitical system in and of itself. The problem with it is us. We can't keep it. And so God says, that won't do. Because I want relationship with mankind. And I want to spend eternity with you. So God says, prophesies back in Jeremiah, I'm going to make a new covenant.

Why am I going to make a new covenant? Then in verse 9, he explains, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers when I brought them out of Egypt. I'm not going to make it according to the same way. Why? Verse 9, towards the end it says, because they did not continue in my covenant. So that's really the bottom line. I will make a new covenant. Why? Because they did not continue in my covenant. The reason why we have a new covenant is

It's because the people didn't continue in the old covenant. They couldn't. They couldn't keep the standard. The old covenant was faulty because it was based on the people fulfilling their part. You do your part and then God does his part. Now again, I ask you, is that the kind of relationship that you have with God right now? That's not a relationship that is valid, but is that how you connect with God? God, I've been doing my part.

So now will you do your part? You need to bless me, Lord, because I've been reading and I've been going to church and I've been doing this and I've been sharing and I've been a good witness. I've been doing my part, God, now you do your part. Again, very often we get pulled back into this old covenant relationship with God. It's our natural tendency. And that's why books like Hebrews are important for us.

Even though we may not struggle with the same issue in the same way that the people that this is written to did, we still struggle with the same principle. Going back to that old style of connecting with God. That I come to God on the basis of I fulfilled my part. Or, what's worse, I stay away from God because I didn't keep my part. You ever do that? You know, you blew it, you messed up. I'm kind of like on a time out.

You know, I'm in the corner and I'll come to God in a couple weeks, but I just need to kind of let this kind of blow over first. It's not the way that we connect with God. It's not about, that's the fault of the old covenant. The problem with the old covenant and the problem with us relating to God on the basis of our performance today is we can't do our part. And we're going to fail every single time. So the first covenant has been found faulty. But there's a new covenant God says.

I'm going to make a new covenant. Now, it was yet future when he spoke it through Jeremiah, but for us, it's here. It's present tense. God has made a new covenant. And as we go on, he begins to talk about this new covenant. Now, I'm going to skip over verses 10 through 12 for a moment and hit up verse 13. Verse 13 says, In that, he says, a new covenant, he has made the first obsolete covenant,

Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Verse 13, he says, because he's saying a new covenant, because he brings up the subject of a new covenant, he's making the first one obsolete. Again, God doesn't do it just for the fun of it. It's not just a newer, shinier model of salvation. It's necessary. It's a new covenant which makes the first one obsolete. You cannot come to God on the basis of relationship through works alone.

On the basis of connecting with God. God, I did my part. Now you do yours. When he says a new covenant, the word for new is a new kind, unprecedented, unheard of before. This is a whole brand new work that God has done under this new covenant.

It's not new, you know, and in addition to, so you can pick your choice, you can relate to God on the basis of works, or you can come to Him on the basis of His work on the cross, you know, whichever one you prefer. No, the old one is obsolete, it's done, it's gone. You cannot connect with God, you cannot come to God, you cannot find salvation under a system of rules, of regulations, of trying to approach God on the basis of your performance. The old one is faulty, it's obsolete.

So all that's left is this new covenant. And what is this new covenant? Well, I summarize it this way. The new covenant is first-hand experiential knowledge of God. First-hand experiential knowledge of God. Look at verse 10. He says, "...for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

Here as we look at verses 10 through 12, he's still quoting from Jeremiah chapter 31. And as he's quoting from Jeremiah chapter 31, he describes this new covenant that is coming.

The covenant that he is going to establish. The covenant that will replace the old covenant. And I boiled it down to three points here of this new covenant. First of all, in verse 10, this new covenant is fulfilled by God. He says there in verse 10, I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they shall be my people. The new covenant is fulfilled by God.

The old covenant, again, Exodus chapter 19, if they will obey me, keep my covenant. Under the new covenant, God says, I will. He did it. It's fulfilled. It's his work from beginning to end. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. This new covenant is a work of God. It's fulfilled by God. And under this new covenant, he says, I will put my laws in their mind and write it upon their hearts.

This new covenant is fulfilled by God from the inside out. The old covenant was, here's the rules. Post them up everywhere. Write them on your doorposts. Write them on your walls. Write them on your gates. Write them on this rock and that rock, the blessings and the cursings. Write it everywhere so you remind yourself. I've posted them up all over the place. This is how you're to obey. This is what you're to do. It was external. It was rules on the outside trying to help us

have right standing before God. The new covenant is exactly the opposite of that. God says, I will write it on their hearts. I will put my laws in their minds. I'm going to do it from the inside out. He's going to inscribe His laws in our mind and in our hearts. This is the new covenant. I encourage you, it was something that kind of a side note here, if you want to spend some time and wrestle with some things today,

I encourage you to do this. Consider what it was like before Jesus Christ and giving of the Holy Spirit. You know, in Joel chapter 2, it says, In the last days, my spirit will be poured upon all flesh. Quoted in Acts chapter 2, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And we often look at that and we look at the gifts of the Spirit and we connect those things. But consider just in generally speaking, the outpouring of the Spirit. Jesus said,

When I go away, I'm going to send the Spirit. The Spirit is going to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come. The Holy Spirit does the work on the inside, convicting of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Which was new. It was different than the way that it was before. So if you want to wrestle with something, continue that train of thought and wrestle with that for a little bit. But here's the point. God works from within. You know, we have relationship with God. We're walking with God and God puts stuff upon our hearts.

He writes it upon our hearts. Maybe it was something you've experienced. You know, you tried to deal with this before many times in your life and then all of a sudden as you're walking with God, God speaks to you, He does a work and then you find yourself breaking away from that thing you've tried to quit for so long. Because God did the work within. Now it doesn't happen overnight. It's not like all the laws are written, I walk perfectly now, God did the work from the inside out. No, God's doing the work.

He's in the process of writing these things. It's a process that takes place as we walk with Him in this new covenant. And as we do, He speaks to our heart. And as He speaks to our heart, we respond. We allow Him to work. We allow Him to change us, to make us and to shape us. It's not external pressure trying to conform us. It's internally He's revolutionizing us. I don't know if that's a word, but it sounds cool. He's doing a new work and

transforming us into the image of the Son of God. Philippians 2, verse 13, For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. It's God who works in you to will and to do for His good pleasure. He gives you the will. He gives you the to do. It's God who works in you. He works from the inside out.

In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, as Paul is praying for the Thessalonians as he's wrapping up the book, he says, Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says, He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. It's God who fulfills this new covenant. It's God who does the work.

As we walk with Him in this new covenant, He fulfills it. He does the work. He writes the laws. He gives us the power. He gives us the capability as He speaks to our hearts. So this new covenant is far better because it's fulfilled by God. It's not the basis of I can connect with God because I've been keeping the law. It's, you know, I've been connecting with God. And it's amazing the work that He's been doing in my life.

Radical difference. I hope you have that. The new covenant is fulfilled by God. Secondly, on the new covenant, the new covenant is first hand. Look at verse 11 again. The new covenant is first hand. And this is something that makes it a little bit difficult to communicate these things. Because as hard as I try...

Or even if you take me out of the picture and put the best speaker up here, filled with the Spirit, able to share and communicate quite clearly. You cannot really explain to a person what this new covenant means and what it's all about and how it works and how incredible it is. It's something you have to experience for yourself. It's like if I were to try to describe for you a fruit that you'd never had before. I could...

Compare it to fruits that you have had. Maybe kind of give you a way to go, a little bit of understanding. But you're never going to experience, you're never going to really know it until you bite into it yourself. In the same way, he says, look, none of them shall teach his neighbor and none his brother, saying, know the Lord. It's not outside in. It's not someone else telling you, this is relationship with God. Now you have connected with God.

Know the Lord. There's a saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink. Same principle here. The person next to you, they can't connect you with the Lord. No pastor, no teacher, no prophet, no one can. That's the job of Jesus Christ. No one can impart to another right relationship with God. Teaching is important. Otherwise, I wouldn't be up here. It is biblical. It's a gift of the Spirit. But your salvation is not based upon my teaching.

Which is good, because sometimes I'm sick and other people have to fill in. It's not based upon someone else teaching you. Your salvation is not based upon that. You don't enter into a new covenant by being someone else's student. The new covenant is first-hand, personal experience with God. It's not someone else telling you, hey, know the Lord. It's you saying, I know the Lord. This word to know that is used here is to know by experience.

To know by experience. Again, it's like that fruit. I know what it's like because I've bitten into it. I've tasted it. I've eaten it. No one can give you an experience with God. No one can impart to you by instruction and teaching and good points and illustrations and funny jokes. No one can transfer a relationship with God to you by those things. You can only know it by experiencing it for yourself. And so again, I ask you, do you connect with God personally?

religiously or relationally? Do you really know Him? Have you experienced for your own self what it means to know God, to walk with Him, to have relationship with Him? He says no one will be able to teach the neighbor saying, know the Lord for all shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them. Who's going to know Him under the new covenant? Everyone who comes into this new covenant.

Everyone who steps into the new covenant will know the Lord. From the least of them to the greatest of them. Now, it doesn't matter how we define who's least and who's greatest. The point is, there's no one excluded. Every single person who comes to faith in Jesus Christ, who is born again, is able to experience God, to know God firsthand, personally, one-on-one relationship with Him.

There's no substitute for that. There's nothing that compares to that. There's nothing that can take the place of that. I want to encourage you and challenge you with that. Nothing can take the place of you spending time with God personally, getting to know Him, studying His words, seeking Him in prayer, worshiping Him. Now again, let me make it clear. You don't do those things in order to connect with God. You do those things because you have a connection with God. Because by faith in Jesus Christ...

You're able to enter into the presence of God. You're able to know Him. Those things are the result of, I know Him. I walk with Him. I love Him. The third point on the new covenant found in verse 12 is forgiveness. He says, I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and lawless deeds. I will remember no more. The only reason we can have this relationship with God, this one-on-one, first-hand, personal experience is

It's because under the new covenant, God relates to us as if we have never sinned. He refuses to remember our wickedness, our unrighteousness, our lawless deeds. It's covered, taken care of, fulfilled at the cross. Justified is just as if I had never sinned. And that's how God relates to us under the new covenant. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ,

He relates to us just as if, now imagine that for just a second, just as if you'd never sinned. What would you be like if you had never sinned? That's how God relates to you under the new covenant. See, the new covenant is far superior, far greater. And we need to be reminded of that sometimes because we do drift. We do revert back to the system, to the rituals. We try to connect with God and get close to God by doing all of these things.

When the reality is, those things need to be the result of our relationship with God. Here in Hebrews chapter 8, we have powerful encouragement. Again, seeing that we have such a great high priest, Hebrews 4.16 says, We have a high priest in heaven. The earthly priests, they just serve the shadow of the things in heaven. It doesn't compare. Jesus is more excellent and far better.

He offers to us this new covenant because the first one, the old one, it was found faulty. There was problems with it because we couldn't complete it. We couldn't fulfill it. And so he offers to us this new covenant. First-hand experiential knowledge of God by faith in Jesus Christ. Is that what you have? Are you walking with him? I challenge you. I encourage you. Make it so. Make sure. Make sure that you know him.

that you have right relationship with God on the basis of what Jesus Christ has done for you. Don't try to get to God. Don't try to connect with God by being religious. No, let your life be an outpouring of a very real, personal, and powerful relationship with God. Amen? Amen. Why don't you stand and let's pray together. Heavenly Father, as we stand before you this morning in closing,

Having looked at these truths found in Hebrews chapter 8, God, I pray that you would challenge our hearts. Lord, forgive us if we've gone back to the old system, trying to connect with you and come to you on the basis of our goodness, our works, our keeping of this or that. Lord, forgive us. Forgive us for the things that we make it, where we make it about so many other things instead of what it's really about.

And that is a personal and loving relationship with you. And so God, we stand before you right now and we ask that you would wash all those things away. Wash away the filth. Wash away the deception. Wash away the confusion. Make it crystal clear in our hearts right now. We pray because God, we believe in you. We believe in what Jesus has done for us upon the cross. And Lord, we receive the new covenant, the promises that you've given to us. Lord, the promise that you will fulfill them

that you'll do the work. God, we ask, would you do the work in us? In those areas where we've been struggling, would you do the work? And there are areas where we really need to grow, Lord, would you do the work? We present ourselves to you and we invite you to write on our hearts, to speak to us, your word, your laws, what you want to do and accomplish. Help us, Lord. Knowing that you give us the will and the to-do, help us to be obedient.

to follow through, to respond to the work that you're doing in us and the things that you're speaking to us. God, I pray that we would never substitute real relationship with you with religious works. Take us into your presence, Lord. Help us to walk with you, to know you. Speak to us, we pray. Lord, we invite you. We're not perfect, but Lord, we thank you that you've forgiven us because of what Jesus has done for us. Fill us with your spirit, we pray, that we might walk with you.

in your power, in your strength, and for your glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.