Far Better Covenant Pt. 2

Welcome brothers and sisters!

We are thankful to have had everyone come and worship along with us last week, and by the Lord's grace we hope to continue in much more with you!  As our summer wanes, the weather begins to change...we can look at the promises of God and remember that He does not change.  The hope we can have in Christ far surpasses anything in this world, and we can share in all of these together beloved.

As Pastor Scott continues on from last week, he faithfully brings us through the end of Hebrews 8:7-13, looking at the full culmination of the greater covenant established by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  So please join us today in watching, sharing and always checking all things through the perfect lens of the scriptures.  Below is a synopsis of our deep look from Saturday night, and we encourage you to contact us for anything we may be able to help with in your Christian walk.  The most important thing we can do is to surrender our will unto Christ Jesus, for in Him is life, love, forgiveness of sins...and the only way to have a relationship with God.  We love you brothers and sisters and hope to see you next week!

The book of Hebrews is a letter written to Jewish Christians who were facing persecution and temptation to abandon their faith in Jesus. The main theme of the letter is the superiority of Christ over everything else, including the old covenant that God made with Israel through Moses.

One of the key passages that illustrates this theme is Hebrews 8:7-13, where the author quotes from Jeremiah 31:31-34, a prophecy about a new covenant that God would make with His people in the future. The author uses this prophecy to show that the old covenant was flawed and temporary, and that the new covenant in Christ is perfect and eternal.

The old covenant was flawed because it could not provide a lasting solution for the problem of sin. The old covenant required the priests to offer sacrifices and gifts according to the law, but these sacrifices could not take away the guilt and conscience of sin (Hebrews 8:3-4; 10:1-4). The old covenant also depended on the obedience of the people, but they failed to keep God’s laws and broke His covenant (Hebrews 8:9).

The new covenant is perfect because it provides a complete forgiveness of sins through the sacrifice of Christ, who is the high priest and mediator of the new covenant. Christ offered Himself once for all as a perfect sacrifice that cleanses us from all sin and gives us access to God’s presence.  The new covenant also transforms our hearts and minds by the power of the Holy Spirit, who writes God’s laws in our hearts and enables us to know and obey Him.

The new covenant is eternal because it is based on God’s promise and faithfulness, not on our works or merit. God Himself initiated and established the new covenant by His grace and mercy, and He will never forget or forsake his people. The new covenant is also confirmed by the oath of God, who swore by Himself that He would not change His mind or revoke His promise (Hebrews 6:13-20; 7:20-22).

The author of Hebrews concludes this section by saying that the old covenant is obsolete and ready to vanish away. This means that we should not cling to the shadows and types of the old covenant, but embrace the reality and fulfillment of the new covenant in Christ. The new covenant is a better promise, a better hope, and a better inheritance for all who believe in Jesus.

The very importance of this covenant is key to our eternal salvation, which makes the words of our Lord "It is finished" carry the greatest of weight.  We should readily surrender to Christ, for in Him alone is the promise and salvation.

The sources used for the synopsis above are Microsoft Bing, Brave, biblegateway.com, Saturday night's sermon and of course...the Bible!

We love you brothers and sisters and pray that we together will continue sharing the Gospel whenever the Lord brings about an opportunity to do so.  Until we meet again, let's go serve our King!

FRF Team