Summer 2013

 Melchizedek is superior (better) than Abraham (1-10)  Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek  Melchizedek blessed Abraham  Melchizedek is immortal  Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek

 The inadequacy of the Old Priesthood (11-19)  “perfect”, “perfection”  Christ (2:10, 5:9)  The Law could not “perfect” God’s people  No real sacrifice for sins (9:9; 10:4)  If the priesthood had to change, the Law had to change (12)  The law concerning priesthood  Jesus was from the tribe of Judah

 The former commandment is set aside  Weak  Useless  “set aside”  Cancel, disannul, out-of-date, over, finished, wiped away  The eternal priesthood of Christ  A better hope  By which we can draw near to God

 The supremacy of the New Priesthood (20-28)  Christ has become high priest with an oath  Jesus is a “guarantor of a better covenant”  First time “covenant” is mentioned  Jesus personally guarantees the terms of the covenant  Levitical priests were “many in number”  83 high priests from Aaron to A.D. 70, according to Josephus  Christ holds the priesthood permanently  Christ saves for all times (to the uttermost)  Those who draw near to God  He always lives to make intercession for them

 Jesus lived a sinless life, now He lives a glorious life “separated from sinners”  He is the perfect priest AND the perfect sacrifice  He offered the one perfect sacrifice “once for all”  Contrast:  The law and the word of the oath  Men and a Son  The Aaronic high priests in their “weakness” and the Son as an eternally perfected high priest

 Melchizedek  The oldest recorded priesthood  Suited for kings, not based on flesh and blood  The Levitical priests  Many, sacrifices had to be offered over and over  Their sacrifices kept the people at a distance  Jesus  Can guarantee the new covenant because of his indestructible life  He is not weak, but holy, blameless, unstained

 Chapters 5-7: the person of Christ as high priest  Chapters 8-10: the ministry of Christ as high priest

 The Heavenly Ministry (8:1-6)  Christ is the real priest located in the only real place where sin can be dealt with—in the presence of God  Jesus died on earth, but His offering was made in heaven. (On earth, He was not a priest.)  Christ is seated, the Levites stand  Levites serve in an earthly sanctuary, Christ ministers in heaven (the true tent)

 Christ’s ministry is more excellent  Better than the angels (1:4)  Better covenant and ministry than the old (8:6)  Better blood than that of bulls and goats (9:13-14)  Blood that speaks better than the blood of Abel (12:24)  A better ministry demands a better covenant  Christ is both minister (high priest) and mediator (God’s representative)  diatheke (covenant)– God alone sets its condition (Christ guarantees it—7:22)

 The New Covenant (8:7-13)  A better covenant with better promises implies the inadequacy of the previous one  Old was “weak and useless”, could not bring one near to God (7:18-19)  Prophesied 600 years earlier (Jeremiah 31:31-34)  The first covenant failed because Israel failed

 The New Covenant  A covenant of assurance  “I will” is said 6 times  I will establish a new covenant  This is the covenant I will make  I will put my laws  I will be their Lord  I will be merciful  I will remember their sins no more  The new covenant doesn’t primarily depend upon us, but on God  God has promised to fulfill it and it will never be broken or displaced

 The New Covenant  A covenant of assurance  A covenant of obedience  Poetice parallelism  Old covenant required obedience, offered a close relationship with God  Consisted of external commands, written on stone  The new covenant is written within, on the heart

 Written on our hearts  We must obey God  Deuteronomy 30:11-14  Ezekiel 11:19-20  Psalm 40:6-8  There is a direct connection between obedience and what is in the heart  Those in the new covenant relationship with God have His law written on their hearts, thus they do not need to be taught  “know” means to know and do  Those who have no knowledge of God are those who violate God’s law (Jer. 5:4-5; Matt. 7:21-23; John 7:17; 8:23; 17:3)

 The New Covenant  A covenant of assurance  A covenant of obedience  A covenant of grace  Forgiveness of sins is the basis of all the blessings in the new covenant (not of the old)  Under the new covenant sins are fully forgiven and forgotten (instead of “a reminder of sin every year” [10:3])  This grace is only through Christ (9:11-14, 28; 10:12-14; 13:12)

 The New Covenant  “obsolete”  Something that is past  God made it obsolete because it no longer served His purpose  “Becoming obsolete” – something that is still present  Levitical sacrifices were still being offered at the temple  But this system was “ready to vanish away”  A.D. 70  Perfectly fulfills the terms of an ideal covenant  Israel failed to keep covenant with God  God has provided a new and better covenant  He is theirs, they are His; engraved within them is the delight to do His will; they know Him and walk in His ways; and they have forever the forgiveness of their sins  Christ is in heaven, as high priest, ministering

Summer 2013