Sunday Night Bible Study Hebrews 8:1-13 May 8, 1994 Hebrews 8:1-13 Intro: We are reading a letter written to Jewish believers. People who understand the intricacies of the Old Testament Law and sacrificial system. 1 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; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. 3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore [it is] of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. 4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5 Who 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 shewed to thee in the mount. :1 We have such an high priest Refers back to the previous chapter, which was all about the superiority of Jesus' priesthood over that of the Levitical priesthood set up by Moses. The chapter ended with... Heb 7:28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, [maketh] the Son, who is consecrated for evermore. We have such a superior high priest, one who doesn't have any weakness or sin, one who we can trust, one who is so dependable that He remains at His job forever! :1 set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens I think that the author is still writing with his scroll of Psalm 110 sitting out in front of him. Psalm 110 was the basis of the last chapter, where verse 4 talks about the one who is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. But the beginning of the Psalm starts with... Ps 110:1 <> The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. I also need to inject here that the writer isn't just using Psalm 110 because it just happens to fit his fancy in calling Jesus a high priest. I believe that the writer is starting from Psalm 110, taking it apart to understand it, then expounding on the facts contained in it. Psalm 110 was well recognized at the time to be a Psalm about the Messiah. Jesus even quoted from it to put the Pharisees in their place. Matthew 22 41. While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, [The Son] of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any [man] from that day forth ask him any more [questions]. back to our passage ... The right side Being on the right side of a king is the place of prominence, of authority. Remember how the mother of some of the disciples was asking Jesus ... Matthew 20 20. Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21 "What is it you want?" he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom." 22 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered. 23 Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father." 24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." I can relate. My mom wants great things for me too. But it does get a little embarrassing at times. But greatness and authority in God's order of things comes not by bossing other people around, but by serving them. Even Jesus, who is now at God's right hand, got their by humility and service. Philippians 2 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; 11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Sitting (setting) The fact that Jesus is sitting seems to carry the idea that He is finished with the work of paying for our sins. Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; :2 A minister of the sanctuary The word sanctuary simply means "holy place", or a place set apart for God's use. It refers to the idea of the tabernacle, or worship place. :2 of the true tabernacle Is it real or is it Memorex? As the writer is going to tell us, there are actually two tabernacles, a real one, and a copy. The real one is in heaven, built by God "pitched", as in pitching a tent. The earthly tabernacle was just an elaborate tent. The copy is the one built under Moses' leadership. It is called "an example" or "shadow" of the heavenely one (v.5) A shadow is created when light passes over a real object, and leaves a vague outline behind it. The earthly tabernacle was designed to be a "mockup" of heaven, a kind of glimpse of heaven. :3 wherefore [it is] of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer What did Jesus have to offer? His own body Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; But the writer will deal with this more in the following chapters :5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things Moses was strictly told to be sure to build the tabernacle just like he was shown on the mountain. Ex 25:40 And look that thou make [them] after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount. Ex 26:30 And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount. Ex 27:8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make [it]. Nu 8:4 And this work of the candlestick [was of] beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, [was] beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick. Was Solomon's temple, which replaced the tabernacle, any less inspired? No! It was actually designed by Solomon's father, David, who was inspired by the Holy Spirit to design the temple. The temple design was actually very similar to the tabernacle. 1Ch 28:12 And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things: 1Ch 28:19 All [this, said David], the LORD made me understand in writing by [his] hand upon me, [even] all the works of this pattern. Lesson: Our worship of God can grow by understanding Old Testament worship. If the tabernacle is such a good picture of heaven, and since heaven hasn't really changed all that much, we can learn much about worship by learning the principles behind the tabernacle worship. The items and practices surrounding tabernacle worship can become a type of pattern for us to learn by. We'll get into the actual insides of the tabernacle itself when we get to Hebrews 9. The layout of the tabernacle: The Courtyard (Ex.27:9-21) Kind of like a big fence surrounding the tabernacle itself, forming a courtyard around the tabernacle. Made of fine linen (maybe white, color not specified), hung from "pillars". Picture a large, opaque, cloth fence, 150 feet by 75 feet by 7 1/2 feet. The idea was to separate off an area for the tabernacle, to remove it from the surroundings of the camp. When you entered in the "gate", a large cloth of blue, purple, and scarlet, you found yourself in another world, a world of worship. The individual who desired to worship God would have to come into the gate of the tabernacle and present themselves to the priest. You didn't worship without "coming into" the courtyard of the tabernacle, leaving behind the world outside. I think of how this is like "entering in" to worship. Some object to using the tabernacle as a teaching tool for worship because they say that God is always around us, and there's nothing to enter, we're already there. That may be true, but we aren't always aware that we are in God's presence. We need to get our minds of the things of this world and turn our eyes on Jesus. There is a definite act of the will involved where we turn the focus of our attention onto the Lord, to worship Him, to pray, to seek His face. The Laver (Ex.30:17-21) A big tub of water, made out of bronze. Everything in the outside courtyard was made of bronze. Everything inside the tabernacle was made of gold. If nothing more, we see the vast difference in value between the things of earth and the things of heaven. The inside of the tabernacle represented heaven, and the things there are made of far more valuable stuff than the stuff here on the earth, out in the yard. The tub of water was for the priests to wash their hands and feet with. The reason for washing: Ex 30:20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD: Somehow, a priest walking around doing his normal stuff in the everyday world was not clean enough to do his work of going into the holy place or of offering sacrifice on the altar. Lesson: Can you see the parallel? We too pick up a lot of filth in our lives, and are usually unfit to present ourselves to God without a little washing up first. How do we wash? 1) Confession 1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I often find it necessary in our worship to include songs about confession, and cleansing from sin. We just can't come into God's presence without it. Isaiah's Example: Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 2) God's Word We see another distinct cleansing agent in the Scripture, the Scriptures themselves. Joh 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, The more we spend time reading, studying, and meditating on God's Word, we find it beginning to cleanse us. We aren't just "brainwashed", but also "mindwashed" and "heartwashed". The Bronze Altar (Ex.27:1-8) A box made out of wood, 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 4 1/2 feet, covered with bronze, with "horns" sticking out of the corners. It had a bronze grate on top, like a big barbeque. It's purpose was for making sacrifice to God. There were lots of various different sacrifices, but basically it boiled down to three main types of sacrifices. It's important to understand these because sacrifice was the main portion of the Old Testament worship. As a believer coming to the tabernacle to worship, I'd probably be going to offer a sacrifice. Types of sacrifices: 1) Sin Offerings It's not hard to understand the purpose of these. If you had sinned, you would offer up a sacrifice, an innocent animal to die in your place, to shed it's blood for you. This is one sacrifice that Jesus took care of once and for all. When He died on the cross, He was offering himself up as a sin offering, to pay for the sins of the world for all eternity. All we need to do is accept His payment for us. You'll find in a lot of our worship songs references to the cross, to the Lamb of God, etc. Many people are trying to punish themselves for the sins they've committed. This is the origin of neuroses. But there's no need for it. Jesus paid it all for us. 2) Burnt Offerings The concept was the placing of an animal on the altar and it being totally consumed in the flames, in your place. The animal was completely given up to God. In other sacrifices, the priests and sometimes the worshipper would get a portion of the meat to eat. But in the burnt offering, it all went to God. It's the concept of completely giving yourself to God, holding nothing back. Burnt offerings weren't just done occasionally. They were done alot. Every day, morning and evening offerings. Continually giving yourself to God. 3) Peace Offerings Kind of like having a barbeque with God. You'd bring an animal, and the priest would butcher it, cook it, and you'd all sit down to Sunday Dinner, with God as the honored guest. Kind of like communion, a time of sharing, a time of intimacy with God. 6. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7 For if that first [covenant] had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. :7 first covenant ... the second The fact that there is a "second covenant" (which was foretold in the following verse) shows that there must have been something wrong with the first covenant. The first covenant was with Moses, the Law. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: :8 finding fault with them Not referring to the laws of the Mosaic covenant, but to the Jews. There is nothing wrong with the law, just those who are trying to keep it. :8 Behold, the days come ... We're now going to get a quote from Jeremiah ... Jeremiah 31 31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33 But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 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. :9 because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not Again, the problem was not with God's laws, but with the people trying to keep them. The Jews were unable to hold up to their part of the bargain, and so when they walked out on God, God "walked out" on them. But not permanently! 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: :10 I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts Under the old covenant, God had to write the law on tablets of stone. The New Covenant is much better, we carry around the "law" in our mind and heart. Ro 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. When we learn to walk in the Spirit, the Spirit works in our lives from the inside out, making such changes in our lives that we start naturally doing the things that God wants us to do. Not because some outside pressure is telling us to do something. But because there is an inward desire to be pleasing to God and to do the things God wants us to do. 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. :11 all shall know me We look at this in two ways: 1) Futuristically: When God's kingdom is finally set up, there won't be a person alive who doesn't know God. 2) Practically: All those under the New Covenant, those who have come to trust in Jesus, don't have to be told about God, because they already know Him. Here's one of the fundamental truths of Christianity. It's not about living according to a list of rules. It's not about learning certain facts about God. It's all about coming to KNOW GOD! Personally! 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. :12 their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more What a blessing! Can God actually be that forgetful? I think that in this area, we seem to have a better memory than God. God promises to forget our sins. We need to learn to do that to. 13 In that he saith, A new [covenant], he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old [is] ready to vanish away. :13 he hath made the first old In that God even used the word "new", He was making the Mosaic covenant old, outdated. :13 A new [covenant] A covenant is like an agreement, a contract, also called a "testament" Matthew 26 26. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed [it], and brake [it], and gave [it] to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave [it] to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. 30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. Jesus Himself said that His blood would be part of the new testament, for the remission of sins. Let's take communion!