Hebrews 8:7-13

Order of Service

• Scripture Reading — Hebrews 8:7-13
• Sermon
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: The Better Covenant and the Ministry of Christ

Scripture: Hebrews 8:7-13

I. Introduction: Covenant Basics

A. The book of Hebrews summarized: Jesus is better; all Old Testament streams flow to Christ

B. Hebrews 8 transitions from the qualifications of Christ as priest (chapters 4–7) to the ministry of Christ as priest

1. The first half of chapter 8 locates Christ's priestly ministry in the heavenly tabernacle, made by the Lord, not by man
2. Hebrews 8:6 serves as a hinge: Christ has obtained a better ministry, mediating a better covenant enacted on better promises

C. Why does the author turn to covenants?

1. The world of the Old Testament is a world of covenant; nothing in Christ's priestly work can be understood apart from it
2. Covenant is the sole means by which God chooses to relate to man
3. First introduced at Hebrews 7:22: Jesus is the guarantor of a better covenant

D. What is a covenant?

1. An agreement between two parties that establishes a relationship — distinct from a mere contract
2. Biblical covenants always include promises of blessing and cursing
3. The prime human example is marriage: a covenant between a man and a woman, made with promises of faithfulness

II. Two Types of Covenants God Makes with Man

A. The Covenant of Works

1. God made this covenant with Adam in the garden: obey and live; disobey and die (Genesis 2)
2. Promises blessing (life) and curse (death): "In the day you eat of it you shall surely die"
3. Confirmed as a covenant in Hosea 6:7: "Like Adam, they transgressed the covenant"
4. Adam failed, but the covenant of works was not destroyed — all mankind remains under its judgment

B. The Covenant of Grace

1. God's gracious response to the fall, first glimpsed in Genesis 3:15
2. The covenant promise repeated throughout Scripture: "I will be your God, and you will be my people"
3. Unfolds through successive administrations: Adam, Abraham, Moses, and finally Christ
4. In Genesis 15, God alone passes through the covenant pieces, taking all terms upon himself — pointing forward to Christ
5. The Mosaic covenant is an administration of the covenant of grace, not a separate covenant of works - God's grace is explicit from the outset: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt" (Exodus 20:2)

III. Contrasting the Old and New Covenants: Sphere

A. The old (Mosaic) covenant deals with man primarily externally

1. The law written on stone tablets
2. An earthly tabernacle, earthly sacrifices, outward sprinkling of blood
3. External circumcision as the covenant sign
4. It aims at the heart but cannot reach or transform it

B. The new covenant deals with man internally — Hebrews 8:10

1. "I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts"
2. Begins with the mind: knowledge of Christ and his law (cf. the call in Hebrews to move from milk to solid food)
3. Moves from mind to heart: the Spirit works on the conscience, producing conviction of sin and desire to obey
4. Paul parallels this with circumcision of the heart, not merely outward circumcision
5. As Rick Phillips writes: "The new covenant works internally; it transforms those who come to God through it"

C. The old covenant's external forms remain useful even today

1. The sacrificial system helps us understand why Christ had to die
2. Centuries of blood on the altar drive us forward to see Christ as the only sufficient sacrifice

IV. Contrasting the Old and New Covenants: Efficacy

A. The old covenant could not produce forgiveness or perfection

1. Hebrews 7:19: "The law made nothing perfect; it was weak and useless"
2. It diagnosed sin and provided shadows pointing forward, but could not address the guilt of sin
3. Hebrews 8:9: the fathers did not continue in the covenant because they lacked the inward power to do so

B. The new covenant brings forgiveness — Hebrews 8:12

1. "I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more"
2. This forgiveness rests on the atoning work of Christ, the mediator of the new covenant
3. Christ's once-for-all death and shed blood is the basis for the Lord's declaration "I will remember their sins no more"
4. This will be developed further in Hebrews 9–10

V. Christ as the Fulfillment of Both Covenants

A. All humanity outside of Christ remains under the covenant of works and is condemned by it

B. Christ, as the second Adam, perfectly fulfilled the covenant of works in our place

1. He was sinless, spotless, and kept the law completely
2. In his person, the covenant of works and the covenant of grace come together

C. By faith in Christ's death and resurrection, believers become beneficiaries of the covenant of grace

1. The guilt problem (covenant of works) is resolved through Christ's perfect obedience and atoning death
2. The sin nature problem is addressed through the Spirit's transforming work, writing the law on the heart
3. The believer begins to desire and pursue obedience — not to earn salvation but as a fruit of the new covenant
4. At glorification, believers will obey perfectly and eternally — on the basis of Christ's work, not their own

D. The covenant of grace also shapes and enriches other human covenants (marriage, civil) by the Spirit's enabling work