Better Promise (Part A)

Again, we have to point out your sins a weakness nor wrong. Fight them we hate them and their sins we yield to the beach and we opted not to be careful, don't train yourself to be a fake go in the faith is not necessary and is not better, just basic things that we have to do is Christians will and among them is one not be ashamed of the Lord. I'm not ashamed of him and the base of those who want me to be ashamed of him. Our response was to be true mean you're not a servant of Christ. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Hebrews. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Hebrews chapter 8 as he begins a brand-new message called a better promise. Hebrews chapter 8 will take verses one through six.

While you are turning their pause for a moment, beginning at verse one, Hebrews 8 now this is the main point of the things we are saying we have such a high priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heaven minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord directed not man for every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices.

Therefore it is necessary that this one also have something to offer for if he were on earth would not be a priest, since there are priest to offer the gifts according to the law serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle.

For he said see that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain 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 better promise that is what we are going to emphasize this morning. What should've been a wonderful transition from Judaism to Christ came a contested battle zone. Remember now through the Hebrews.

He's writing writing to Jews and Jewish Jews who are Christians and that number are those that are either flirting with the idea of going back to Judaism, or merging its practices into Christianity or just abandoning Christianity altogether and going back and he is appealing to them to not make this mistake.

This will indeed dam their souls and so again it should have been a wonderful joyful thing, as it was for many of the Jews who had recognize that Jesus indeed is the Messiah and so the writer is is is working as hard as he knows how to keep them from making this fatal error.

Now the second thoughts that many had. They weren't ready to let Judaism of Judaism fade away.

They wanted a religion they could touch. Not so much. One by faith, which incidentally was supposed to be what separated the people of God from all the fake religions in the world, all the fake religions had their little figurines a little idols a little statute touch and hold but the Jews were supposed to have any of those images they were supposed to come to the temple and worship through faith believing in the invisible, yet present, God the Mosaic priesthood had brought them the Messiah, but now they questioning it all. All of it just like their ancestors before them in the in the wilderness they wanted to go back to bondage Paul when he wrote his letter to the Galatians was dealt with much of the same thing he was writing to Jewish Christians, and many of them Jews who again looking to go back to Judaism or mix it into Christianity and he wrote the Galatian letter disables bewitched you like this was was put the spell on you he wrote in that letter, he says, but now after you have known God or rather are known by God.

How is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements to which you desire again to be in bondage. How is that well I'll tell you instigators. There were instigators present. There were those that were stirring up the flock there were those that did not love Jesus Christ did not understand what the cross of Christ meant did not understand where he came from.

They did not like that their brethren were following Christ.

So they began to infiltrate the church or or Caltex them at home or in the marketplace or at the workplace wherever they could just sway them back to that which they were free from Paul again writes about that not only to the Galatians will take one of the Galatians 1 out of Philippians, but EDB deals with it in several places and he says in Galatians 2 and this occurred with the disease issues because of false brethren secretly brought in, who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage.

They were sneaking into the churches then like the liberty that the Christians had.

The Christianity offers and he had the Paul's ministry was plagued by this throughout his life. One of the disappointing things about serving the Lord in this life is you often have to deal with the same problems the same troublemakers the same lies the same resistance over and over again coming from different people or the same real life, it's how it is to the Philippians he said beware of dogs, beware of evil workers. Beware of the mutilation he was attacking those who were attacking the Christians using what you've got to be circumcised of you going to benefit from Christ, crossed Paul's nonsense.

That's the mutilation. The Greek is much stronger than what I'm I'm using at the moment what he wrote of those Christians to watch out for these dogs they going to come into the flock they going to try to destroy your faith and if you let them and you will suffer consequence for this is what again. The Hebrew letter is about the Jewish system was supposed to fade away. That was God's plan, just like the moon, the moonlighted fades away. It yields to the rising Sun. The source of life. The sun is the greater light.

The moon has no light of its own. It reflects the light of the sun will Judaism is that kind of a picture. It should have just faded away and let the sunrise and do what it was supposed to do and so that with that in mind we go back in again almost every session we have. We will again cover what this Hebrew letter is all about. Because in some form.

It is even practice.

To this day by Christians try to drag Christians into Old Testament ritual and law that Jesus did not put on them. You've got to do this and you have to do that will where's Christ, tell me I have to do that though, go back to the Old Testament and drag something out and is a senior supposed to say that's Old Testament that's not new. Tell me where it's at in the new does not belittle the Old Testament organizes the Bible it keeps the word of God's solitude its development.

According to its prophecies. When Jesus said I did not come to destroy it, but to fulfill it to develop it. So now we look at the first verse.

Now this is the main point of the things we are saying we have such a high priest was seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. We sing Christ is superior is been saying that from the very beginning look with me at verse 19 of Hebrews 7.

The preview the prior chapter verse 19. The law made nothing perfect. On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God or they just look at that verse you don't know what that better hope is. But if you read that entire chapter you understand this document Jesus Christ emitted very clear to them. Verse 28 of Hebrews 7. For the law appoints high priest men who have weaknesses, but the word of the oath, that is, the prophecies of the Lord concerning Messiah, which came after the law appoints the son who has been perfected forever placing the main point is Jesus Christ is superior to everything and is continuing to develop this in this chapter.

Look at verse six of Hebrews 8 but now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as he is also a mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises the whole thing that God is doing through Messiah, the Messiah, that you long for that you wanted to come will these companies be done at all, which is not have to work it out live through it, practice it, you you Christians you young ones. Especially you hear the word preached and you are going to do it in the face of all the temptations that will come against you, temptations to not do this and to do that temptation to do that or not do this. You're supposed to be wisest of the serpent and harmless as a dove is supposed to know what Jesus expects of you of you and to pursue it or you just playing again you come in. You sit down at the holy mature camellia your take on whatever colors in back of you if you're out with friends who don't love Christ, you lack like them.

If you're around those who love Christ back like them and you think this is okay this is acceptable and is not limited to our teams is not limited to you and is a sin entrapped temptation for everyone. We have to be as Christ wants us to be.

We have to blend with him all the time because when he says I'll never leave you nor forsake you. He means it is always there.

Again we have to point out there are sins of weakness. We know are wrong we fight them we hate them.

Then there are the sins that we yield to we could've beaten and we opted not to be careful. Don't train yourself to be a fake go in the faith is not necessary and is not better there just basic things that we have to do is Christians will and among them is one not be ashamed of the Lord. I'm not ashamed of him in the face of those who want me to be ashamed of him. Our response was to be true mean you're not a servant of Christ. You're the one that needs to be ashamed, not me.

I know where I'm going. I know that my hurt your feelings and them you might want to hurt my body for, but that's how it is where we continue in verse 20 says we have such a high priest was seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. So now we get a look into the throne room of God.

It is unlike any other throne room because it is also a sanctuary is not just the king's court, where he is totally an authority which he is. There's more to it than that is the holiest place of all. Ezekiel got glimpses of it with a wheel within a wheel, and the creatures and all of his glory flying around it. Our Lord Jesus. He approached the highest loftiest throne in the universe. Now, if you serve the monarch if you serve the king and you go into that king or queen's throne room you were to bow until they tell you you can stand up but instead of kneeling before the throne. Jesus, when he enters the throne room is that of kneeling before the throne.

He sits on the throne. He is Lord God Almighty.

There is the father. There is the sun and there is a Holy Spirit. He is at God's right hand as an equal.

This is what the Scriptures teach. It is beautiful. There are many of those who are damning their own souls trying to make it not be so, but it's inescapable. Especially we going you will been beer for verse by verse. How many times do we come across versus that make it. No contest. Christ is not only Lord he is creator. He is God, the Bible says nothing was created that is created, except through him well. He sits upon this throne is the son of God who would care to represent sinners in heaven who would take that on how you would think in the holy place in the holiest of holy places. The response would be there not wholly their filthy. I want to bother with.

Let them get what they deserved.

No one put a gun to their head and made them sin, you would think that would be the natural reaction. Thank God our Lord is not natural. He is spiritual natural in terms of creation, of course, to God's ways are natural to him who would dare die for sinners who would be good enough to make it matter to us and see you can die for someone that you not clean enough to take away their sins through your death.

You need a Savior to so that will work who would love sinners while doing when you can say well you know I don't love them but I care for them there helpless and have compassion on them, and all help. We do that with each other with people but to love actually love them to want them too long for them. This is Christ. How else would God the father revealed this will I don't know but I know how he has revealed it through Christ. I look at him. I see God see the compassion of Jesus with sinners.

I see him with the woman who was caught in adultery woman where your accusers. I see him talking to me that way seems to go sin no more. I see him say to me.

Where did you doubt see him say your faith has made you whole not the name the claimant prosperity movement. Your for your faith is no power. It's your belief in Christ that he accepts and without that without faith it is impossible to please God, but your faith is not of some sort of up to spiritual hand grenade that goes boom when you throw it because you can have the faith of any of the apostles and not be able to stop the liens for meeting you if that's what God has ordained with Daniel. He did not allow it, but which Stephen did not Herod's sword kill him.

Nuts are not Stephen James.

Stephen died through the stones. So my point is I just want to make sure with with clear and this is not your faith in your faith is the one whom you are trusting that has the power is the Almighty one. We are not and so this Jesus the King who loves the high priest who serves on our behalf. Who would want anything less would want anything else. Many do. Somehow, most refuse him because is an instigator at work.

It is Satan. Yes, it is the world's influence that is those who come together without Christ to do whatever they want to do for themselves. And then there is the fallen nature of these three hard at work to keep us away from Christ. Whenever they can. Verse two it says that he is a minister of the sanctuary of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected not man that Greek word therefore minister the second word of verse two is a minister. That's not the standard Greek word for minister. For those of you who don't know the New Testament were written in Greek, the very rich language. They have multiple words for love. For example, we really have one word love.

Well, we can use other words, to cherish and adore with but there's just a little bit more rich.

I think in their expression. So when they talk about a servant is one that is a slave, whether willful or forced there is one that is sent one in Erin so slave and do loss or diagonals will beget our deacon and that is one that is sent on in Erin when Phoebe was sent to Rome with the letter of Paul in her hand.

She was acting as a Deaconess as a servant on think in your head's deacons are just the ones that seat you in this abuse on a Sunday morning also servants their ushers, but anybody who serves as acting as a diagonals in the Greek us a Deaconess servant in that sense.

But here, look toward us is the Greek word that is more of a public servant.

But we look at to get the idea of what is being said, we look at how the word is used by the writers and Scriptures say Paul for example he uses this word as a public servant in his temple duties. Romans 1516. I'll read it to you that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ is that word the target us, that I might be a minister of public servant of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. Denise is ministering a different Greek word that is the temple attendant the gospel of God that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

So Paul teaches us about this word he says I want to be someone who is used by God to reach the lost with the message of salvation. I am a servant of Jesus Christ. In this way, I am a temple servant in this way, and so when the writer here in Hebrews 8 uses the word he says Christ is our public servant ministering in the greatest temple of all that's wise. As a minister of the sanctuary, so he's not ministering just to minister as a goal in mind is people in mind it's us. It sinners people are not worthy. We have someone in heaven looking out for us who are not worthy. We who are not worthy, but he is so he reigns as King yet he serves as high priest again when you think of high priest, you can't think of the Inca high priest of Roman Catholic high priest of the Episcopalian, or any other people on earth. The closest you can get on the Jewish high priest, and he exceeds even that that's what he's trying to tell these people want to go back to Judaism when you got a high priest better than anything a fine downtown Jerusalem.

You have King of Kings and the holiest place ever. He mentions the sanctuary. That is the holiest of all place of divine majesty place of divine ministry. Those two go together ministry and majesty of the king serving you is not some unit just common person so we sing about Jesus Christ. We move into a whole another level of expression and thought and experience been singing about anything else on earth is the name of Jesus Christ. At that name every knee will bow and every tongue will confess sanctuary woven into the minds of the Jews even that this was God's safe zone. Jeremiah 1712, a glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary God's throne room is God's church in heaven where he presides because he is the king priest's throne room is also the place of worship. It is a reality. That's what he's trying to say. Here's my main point. This is the real story.

Eternity is more real than the present because it goes on forever and it goes on forever in the presence of God.

So sanctuary is the place of refuge, spiritual refuge holiness. Why when the Saints burned at the stake, singing hymns to God because they were in the spiritual sanctuary, whether physical bodies were being destroyed the place of holiness is no place like it on earth is the way place we go away from the ideas of sin and its curse and unholiness, spiritual power and safety and peace because of the presence of this high king who ministers to us. The Holy Spirit makes his presence known. Have you going to mature in Christ.

You've gotta have personal experiences with him.

He's gotta speak to you.

You gotta feel him then you also have to have time for.

You can find him. That is when you are living the life of the matured saint by faith Noah won't always stay that way, but he will let you get to those places to prove your faith to yourself not to him.

He knows everything we need to go through. We need to say Lord I hate what is going on but I'm still here I'm still loving you. I don't like it. Paul said we are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed perplexed, not in despair persecuted not for say construct down not destroyed, always carrying about the sufferings of Christ, we go through all this junk were not going away from Christ and it rocks the house of hell when Christians perform that way we can do it on our own. We don't want to do it on her Christ filling in the rest giving us the strength so we become a royal priesthood under this high priest to serve sinners by serving them God's plan of salvation. That's how we become the target us ministers, public ministers, we serve them. The plan of salvation is not all of the story, but that is a lot of it says the true tabernacle nice talking about the one in heaven is not a real building like the one on earth. Those who worship God was worship him in spirit and in truth, but it's emblems, it's meanings. They are the reality behind anything physical, see if I can open that up a little bit more for us all.

The true tabernacle the place built by God where God meets man there crisis to intercede above creation because he is the creator of creation. Not one of the angels is doing this and maybe I'm speaking in there someone who doesn't have that can hear me a relationship with Christ. You never opened up your heart and said I am a sinner I broken your law that makes me an outlaw to heaven and I am worthy of your judgment which is eternal death for the sinner unless that sinner repents and nested sinner comes to goddesses. I broke your law. I asked you to forgive me.

There is no one else to can forgive me and make me right with you, except you and I'm asking for that. If you do not yield to God in that way. Then there is also throne for you, but it is not a sanctuary is a great it is light and glory shine move you've been listening to cross reference radio the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick asked Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. As we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast. Today's teaching is available free of charge at our website.

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