1. Near to the Heart of God A Study of the Book of Hebrews Lesson 19 Hebrews 8:6 – 13 What’s New About the New Covenant?

2. I. Introduction A.Surprise! There’s a new will. B.What is a covenant? C.The “New Covenant” isn’t all that new – It is not a bolt out of the blue. 1. O. T. texts 2. N.T. texts D.The New Covenant was made with Israel and Judah (Hebrews 8:8). How then do Gentiles come to participate in its blessings? 1. Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3 (esp. vss. 6, 14) 2. Key text: Romans 11:11-32

3. E.We must understand the relationship between the Abrahamic, Mosaic, and New Covenants. 1. Luke 1:72-73 & Acts 3:25-26 view salvation as the fulfillment of Abrahamic Covenant. 2. Mosaic Covenant was expected to fail and salvation was to come another way, based upon God’s faithfulness. a.Deuteronomy 4:25-31 b.Deut. 28:1-14 (blessings), 15-68 (curses) c.Deuteronomy 29:2-4; 30:1-6 (esp. v. 6) d.Joshua 24:14-28 (esp. vss. 19-22) 3. Key text: Galatians 3:15-26

4. II. Tracing the argument of Hebrews 8: The supremacy of Christ’s priesthood A.Our Great High Priest has a superior place of ministry – the “true tabernacle in the heavens” (8:1-5). B.He is the mediator of a better covenant, based upon the superior promises of the New Covenant (8:6-12; citing Jeremiah 31:31-34). C.The superior New Covenant has replaced the inferior Old Covenant, which is now obsolete (8:7, 13). III. The background of Jeremiah 31:31-34

5. IV. The better promises of the New Covenant A.God provides the remedy for sin (8:12). B.Under the Old Covenant, God established barriers to separate; the New Covenant removes barriers to reconcile (Ephesians 2). C.Men can have an intimate relationship with God (8:10b). D.Men are transformed from within rather than conformed from without (8:10a). E.God gives a superior knowledge of Himself to all, thereby removing any hierarchy (8:11). F.God achieves the promises of the New Covenant by means of the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; 13:12).

6. V. Conclusion and application A.The New Covenant assumes our sin, and the inability of the Old Covenant to save. B.The New Covenant reveals the heart of God. C.The New Covenant is the gospel. D.It is folly to return to the Old Covenant because it is inadequate and inferior to the New Covenant that is able to perfect men. E.The New Covenant has greater glory and the power to transform lives. Thus, it is the key to evangelism (2 Corinthians 3-4). F.The celebration of the Lord’s Table each week is the celebration of the New Covenant (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25). G.The New Covenant gives us rest.

7. Copyright © 2008 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited PowerPoint presentation of Lesson 19 in the series, Near to the Heart of God, A Study of the Book of Hebrews prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh for November 16, 2008. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.