Behold! He Makes All Things New

I’m not sure if you realize it, but we live in a very bizarre time. Technology has reached the point where we have ready access to a myriad of old ideas. Younger generations are learning about how things were done “way back when”, and some of them are returning to the old ways. My oldest son is fascinated by older video games even preferring the asthetics of the 16-bit world of the Super Nintendo over much of the newer graphics. And in many ways, some of the old ways actually are superior to much of our new world. But, the fact remains the old stuff disappeared for a reason.

When I was in college getting an Art degree, I had to take a printmaking course. As fun as that class was, there is a reason I never went and bought a printing press. I have a computer and printer that lets me click a button to print my photographs, art, or whatever else I need. Nowadays, I don’t even really need that. I have a portable screen to display what I need.

As useful and as fun as the ways are, the fact remains all things change in time. As humans come up with new ways of doing things, whatever works better is what remains. And, yes, just because it’s new doesn’t mean it’s better, but you’ll notice we tend to eventually discard those as bad ideas. So, if there is something new you know is bad, just give it time. People will figure it out.

But, today, we are looking at something old that has stood the test of time, and will stand the test of time into eternity. Even still, it is worth noting it was new 2,000 years ago.

Hebrews has been making the case Jesus is the Greater Prophet and the Greater Priest. For seven chapters we have studied how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament covenants and promises God established so long ago—even demonstrating how Jesus fulfilled God’s promise to Abraham who lived about 2,000 years before Jesus.

And now, Hebrews is about to make the case Jesus is the Greater Sacrifice, but before that chapter, the author sums up his arguments in chapter 8. And his summary is simply this: Today is a new day for all the earth. Jesus has made all things new, and He is making all things new. As I have said before, Christians tend to forget they live in an “already, not yet” tension. We can look back and see how Jesus began a new work in this world, but we also continue to look ahead for the completion of that same work. We learn from what has been and look forward to what will be.

Copies and Shadows | Hebrews 8:1-5

Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”

Hebrews reiterates the main points of the last few chapters. The Old Testament is filled with examples of typologies and prophecies in which Jesus has fulfilled. He is the high priest who sits at the right of the throne of God, who ministers in the holy places in the “true tent”. Chapter 9 will further expand this notion of Jesus entering the holy place of heaven, but for today, we should note Moses did not design the tabernacle on a whim. The Lord said, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”

[Something a little extra for you is the Greek that is translated ‘pattern’ is typos which is where we get the English word ‘typology’.]

These instructions are recorded in Exodus 25-30, and they are fairly specific. There is an order and design God requires of Moses because the tabernacle and its accurtrements are to follow the heavenly temple in which God resides. Now, we don’t know exactly what “follow the heavenly temple” means, because no one has taken a photograph of heaven and brought it back. But, I assume when we get to heaven, we’ll look at it and say, “oh, yeah, that makes sense now.” Regardless, the point here is this:

The design of the tabernacle (and later temple) was to imitate the heavenly realm in order to demonstrate God’s desire to bring the authority of heaven back to earth.

By the way, God gives this design to Moses, and then tells Moses that He has given some of the men the ability to create this masterpiece through the Holy Spirit (Exodus 31). The first spiritual gift recorded in Scripture is the gift of creativity and artisanship. As God’s people, we should celebrate and use the Arts to the glory of God.

Now, back to Hebrews, the author summarizes the design and purpose of the tabernacle stating the priest needs a place to meet with God and needs gifts to bring before the Lord. And Jesus does just this, but He does not perform his priestly duties on earth (anymore) because earthly priests have to give their gifts according to the law. They are part of the “copy and shadow.”

The priests are the copies and shadow of the true priest who is Christ Jesus.

And with this typology established again, Hebrews turns our attention back to Christ.

Truth and Excellence | Hebrews 8:6-13

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.

For he finds fault with them when he says:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
    when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
    and with the house of Judah,

not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
    on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
    and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
    after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
    and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.

And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
    and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest.

For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
    and I will remember their sins no more.”

In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

If you sit and read Hebrews all the way through, especially in one evening, it may sound redundant at times. How many times has Hebrews said something like “Jesus is greater than _____”? It’s a lot. A hermeneutical principle to remember as you study the Bible is, “If it is repeated, it is important.” It is vitally important we remember that Jesus is greater. He is the greater prophet, the greater priest, the greater sacrifice, and the greater covenant. In verse 6, Hebrews says Christ has obtained a better ministry becasue it is built on better promises. These better promises are from the Lord Himself and are based on the work of the Lord Himself, in Christ Jesus, rather than any human promises or human work.

The new covenant in Christ is superior to the old because it is based on the atoning work of Christ, the Son of God, rather than the work of human priests.

In our age of “find your own way to God”, we must remember there is no other way because there is no need of any other way. Jesus is the Way because He is the greater way. All other avenues are deficient.

Only Jesus is the Son of God who descended from heaven to take on flesh.

Only Jesus lived a sinless life being the spotless lamb who can take away sin.

Only Jesus laid that sinless life down on the cross being our substituted—taking on death when we deserved death.

Only Jesus entered the holy place of heaven to offer sacrifice for us.

Only Jesus returned from the grave ushering in the new covenant in which all of humanity is offered salvation.

And,

Only Jesus is the One who is making all things new.

Hebrews turns our attention to Jeremiah 31 in which Jeremiah prophesied the new covenant God would establish that is now fulfilled by Jesus. This new covenant would complete the work the old covenant could not. Let’s review this prophecy Hebrews quotes and see the fruit of the new covenant.

First, notice in verse 8 this covenant would be with Israel and Judah. In the days of Jeremiah, Israel was a divided kingdom. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already fallen into the hands of the Assyrians. Jeremiah warned the Southern Kingdom they would be next falling to the Babylonians. This new covenant would restore the people of God as One People.

In Jesus, we become One People who are God’s people.

Second, in verse 10, this new covenant would put God’s laws “into their minds” and “write them on their hearts.” The Israelites believed an outward show of God’s law was sufficient. Even today, many people believe as long as they look like they follow God on the outside, their inward attitudes don’t really matter. In the new covenant, God will transform His people from the inside out. Ezekiel 36 says it similarly writing,

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Ezekiel 36:26-27

In Jesus, we receive new hearts and minds whose focus and desire is to live as God designed us to live.

Third, in verses 11 and 12, this new covenant helps us truly know the Lord. And it is this idea of “knowing the Lord” in which I want to spend a little more time.

What does it really mean to “know the Lord”?

Deuteronomy 4:29-31 - those who know the Lord have sought the Lord

Psalm 103 - those who know the Lord have experienced His mercy and goodness

Proverbs 9:10 - those who know the Lord, fear the Lord and have wisdom

Daniel 11:32 - those who know the Lord stand firm and take action against those who violate the covenant

Psalm 46:10 - those who know the Lord know He will be exalted

And in the New Testament, Jesus gives us even more about knowing the Lord.

John 17:3 - eternal life is knowng the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent

1 Corinthians 2:11 - the Holy Spirit helps us know the Lord

Philippians 3:10 - those who know the Lord know the power of the resurrection and share in the same sufferings of Jesus

There are far more we could list, but the point of the matter is simply this: “knowing the Lord” is an experiential knowledge. God does not simply want us to know about Him. He desires for us to know Him as we know our friends and family. That is why you will hear Christians talking about having a relationship with God. We speak to Him, and He speaks to us. We hear His voice, and we listen. He calls us to action, and we obey. We ask Him to guide us, to bless us, and to help us, and He responds as the Good Father that He is.

And this experiential knowledge is made abundantly available through Christ. While the Israelites had the opportunity to know the Lord through the Law and through the sacrificial system at the Temple, we have even greater access through Jesus Christ in whom we can receive the Spirit of God.

Also, as we read Jeremiah’s prophecy, we come to verse 11 which has an interesting statement—“And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor…for they shall all know me.” Here, we find the tension between ‘already’ and ‘not yet’. We still teach one another about the things of God, but we all (if we are in Christ) also have the Holy Spirit who guides us. Right now, we have both, but one day our faith will become sight. We will no longer need to ask one another about the things of God because God will be right for us to ask.

But, here’s the interesting part. If you are in Christ, you really do have the Holy Spirit who can teach you. God still uses teachers, pastors, and fellow Christians in general to help guide us, but at the end of the day, what He really desires is for us to simply go to Him in prayer—to take time reading His Word and learn directly from Him.

In Jesus, we have everything we need to learn about God through God’s Holy Spirit.

Every great revival in Church History began because the everyday Christian took time to pray and search the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit desires to teach us, to guide us, and to help us call more people to repentant faith in Christ Jesus. When we stop waiting for someone else to do great things for God and start seeking the Lord for ourselves, what we find is God is ready to do something great with us.

Before we close today, I would like to draw our attention to one last verse. At the end of verse 13, Hebrews says, “what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” He is absolutely referring to the eventual demise of the sacrificial system in the Temple. Keep in mind Hebrews was probably written just prior to the Temple’s destruction in 70 AD. The old covenant was certainly old because Jesus had supplanted it with a greater covenant, but it also was going to vanish when the Romans came through and destroyed the Temple.

There is coming a day when our current world will find its destruction. The earth itself will exist, but it will be a new earth to match a new heaven. The world as we know it will no longer be. The Jews who rejected Jesus would find themselves in a world that no longer held to their system in 70 AD. Everything forever changed for them. I am concerned there are some who believe themselves to be Christian, but aren’t actually in Christ, who are going to be in a very similar situation. They will have no part of the new heaven or new earth because they have not put their trust in the eternal work of Jesus. They are trusting in something else. They may have the outward appearance of a believer, but they have not surrendered to Jesus and received the Holy Spirit God promises to those who believe. Remember, the Jews believed they were doing right in rejecting Christ and choosing what looked like God’s way. Do not reject the true Christ in favor of something that only looks good.

So, how can we know we are truly ready for the coming of the Lord? Let’s go back to the promises God made to Jeremiah in which Hebrews reminds us.

Is Jesus making you new? Do you find yourself becoming more like what God desires or more hard-hearted to the things of God?

Is Jesus making you a part of the One New People? Do you find yourself drawn to other believers and desire true fellowship or still drawn away from the people of God by the things of the world?

Has Jesus given you a new heart and new mind? Do you desire to please the Lord and hate when you sin? I don’t ask if you are perfect, that will come in time, but do you desire to remove sin from your life adding righteousness?

Most importantly, has Jesus given you His Holy Spirit? Does the Spirit confirm your faith even when your heart condemns you (1 John 3:19-24)?

Take time to reflect upon these promises and see if you are truly in Christ. If you find yourself lacking, then go to Jesus straight away, ask for forgiveness of your sin and eternal life. Ask Him to save you based on the new covenant and not based on anything you have done.

If you find yourself in Christ, then simply walk with Him this week. Remove the distractions. Remove the excuses. Seek the Lord this week and learn what the Spirit desires to teach you, so that you can live faithfully. And when you meet someone who needs Jesus, ask the Spirit to help you share the salvation that we have through Jesus, our Greater Priest, Prophet, and King.