The New Covenant [24 mb]

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This is a sermon based on Hebrews 8:1-13 and Matthew 26:28. It was given at a worship service which included the sacrament of communion.

Written Excerpts:

Hebrews 8:1-13

Matthew 26:28 “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Introduction:

There are several different covenants that are described in the Bible. For example:

            Noah; Abraham; Moses; David, etc.

Many of the covenants described in the Bible had specific components that made up the covenant.

First, the Introduction contained a preamble that usually defined the participants of the covenant including their specific identities; and a prologue that describes the setting for the covenant.

For example: Exodus 20:2 – I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt.

This sets up the introduction for the covenant that God was making with the people of Israel through Moses.

Secondly, the body of the covenant sets forth the stipulations and requirements of the covenant. In the example of Exodus 20, the body would be the Ten Words (Commandments) that God gave to Moses.

In a covenant between two people, there would be stipulations offered by both parties. In the covenants with God, He sets forth the stipulations for both parties by stating “these are the requirements you must follow, and these are the blessings that I will provide.”

Finally, the Conclusion of the covenant would include witnesses if there are any, and the sanctions that specify the blessings and curses upon the participants of the covenant for obeying or violating the terms of the covenant.

In commenting on the verse in Matthew 26:28, Adam Clarke says,

The original… [wording for] New Testament… simply means, the new Covenant. Covenant, [in Latin] from con, together, and venio, I come, signifies an agreement, contract, or compact, between two parties, by which both are mutually bound to do certain things, on certain conditions and penalties. It answers to the Hebrew [word for covenant], which often signifies, not only the covenant or agreement, but also the sacrifice which was slain on the occasion, by the blood of which the covenant was ratified; and the contracting parties professed to subject themselves to such a death as that of the victim, in case of violating their engagements.

It is as if Jesus is holding the cup representing his own blood that would soon be shed and illustrating to them, “This is the cost and this is the sacrifice by which I am ratifying this covenant.”

For a few moments today, I want to consider a few distinctions between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and its significance for us today.

I.          The Old Covenant was temporal, but the New is Eternal

Heb. 13:20-21 “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, ²¹make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

This passage is a benediction offered for the readers of this letter, but it emphasizes the fact of the eternal covenant established by Jesus.

See Hebrews 9:11-15

The whole message of Hebrews is to inform the Jewish believers that they are better off now than they were before.

See Heb. 8:6 “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.”

One of the reasons for that is the New Covenant is a permanent and eternal covenant; not a temporal and earthly one. This is one that will never have to be updated, revised or renewed.

II.        The Old was written on stone, but the New is written on “flesh.”

In our series of messages we preached on the Ten Commandments, I started out by explaining the purposes and the weaknesses of the Law compared to grace.

In regards to the covenant, the implications are similar. The Old Covenant was important and necessary, but it wasn’t complete. It had weaknesses that the Gospel and Grace of the New Covenant overcame.

The Old Covenant was external on tables of stone, written by God, but all too commonly, not embraced by the people. But the New Covenant is one that specifically and purposefully affects the heart.

The Lord told the prophet Jeremiah, who is quoted here in Hebrews 8, that the day was coming when He would “put His laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.”

The wonderful news of the gospel dear friends, is that we no longer force ourselves to live up to an external standard of righteousness while we struggle with a heart that is self-centered and turning away from the Lord.

Now, we can enjoy a heart that has been transformed in its most intimate and passionate desires, and purified by the Holy Spirit, so that our desires are His desires. His will is our will. We seek what He wants and seeks.

III.       The Old was ratified yearly, but the New was ratified once-for-all.

Hebrews 9 emphasizes the differences between the OT priests that went once per year into the holy of holies with the blood of the animal to make atonement for the people; to keep the covenant active, because this was God’s requirement.

But, now the Son of God, the perfect High Priest, goes into the Heavenly temple with His own blood and makes atonement once-for-all, obtaining eternal redemption for everyone.

No more sacrifices are necessary. The covenant has been ratified for ever and ever.

Conclusion

Now, here we are today, once again using emblems instituted by our Lord for the purpose of reminding us of the new covenant He has established.

The emblems we partake of today symbolize His sacrifice that He willingly gave, consisting of His own life and His own blood.

They symbolize the everlasting covenant established for every one of us to have eternal redemption and a permanent relationship with God the Father, the Sovereign Creator and Ruler of this universe.