The New Covenant, Part 5

If you have your Bible, Hebrews chapter 9. Hebrews chapter 9, verses 1 to 6.

And as you're turning, I just want you to understand that I am fascinated with all that's in the Old Testament. I know that we are new covenant preachers and we preach it out of the New Testament so often, but everything about the Old Testament is absolutely remarkable. Think of all those men and all those women who lived in anticipation of the coming of their Messiah, who had not near the information that you and I have today. But they live such lives of faith. And what's going to happen when we get to Hebrews 11 is that we're going to examine some of those characters in great detail. We'll take one a week. And show you exactly how it is they lived in anticipation of the coming of their Messiah. It is such a beautiful study.

And so, as you look back at the Old Testament, the writer of Hebrews is going to draw this Jewish audience back in time to understand what's happening in the present. Very important to understand that what you know about the tabernacle in Hebrews chapter 9 and the old covenant is going to play a role, listen very carefully, in the millennial reign of Christ when there is a new temple, and you celebrate Passover in the new temple, and you celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Because the Messiah is here. You celebrate them because they are very symbolic. And all of those Jews are going to have to teach their children. How is it this tribulation came and killed so many of the Jewish people? Because they missed their Messiah when he came the first time. And so for a thousand years, there's going to be this worship in the temple in Jerusalem. With the Lord God on the throne celebrating, as Zachariah 12 says, excuse me, Zachariah 14, the feast of booths, or the feast of tabernacles. Looking at what the Bible says in the book of Ezekiel, celebrating the Passover. So they'll all come to understand. Because what happens in that temple is what took place in that tabernacle, which Moses received a pattern from heaven in Exodus 25. We showed you last week what was going on in heaven.

But he received the pattern so he would know how to construct the tabernacle so that there'd be a tent of meeting, there'd be a tabernacle of witness for the land of Israel. We told you last week that God walked with his people in Genesis. But in the book of Exodus, he wanted to dwell with his people. In order for him to dwell, he had to deliver his people. So he came down to deliver them in order to dwell with them. In order to dwell with them, there had to be a place for his dwelling. What was that place? The place was the tabernacle. That was a dwelling place of the living God. That's where God would come down on top of the mercy seat, in between the wings of the cherubim, and there he would meet with man. He would meet with the high priest. He would meet and give us all that we needed to understand. So incredibly important. And the glory of the Lord would encompass that tabernacle.

But what would happen throughout the Old Testament is you begin to see Israel, in order for them to have a tabernacle, a place worthy for the Lord to come and meet with them, they had to be a worthy people for him to come and meet with them. But they were not. And over time, they would see, as Ezekiel did in Ezekiel chapter 10, the glory of the Lord depart from the temple, go out through the eastern gate, go up over the Mount of Olives, and be gone. So, Israel's hope was all about the return of that glory, was all about the coming of God to dwell with them because they relied on the promise of Isaiah 7:14 that a virgin will conceive, she'll have a child. The child's name will be called Emmanuel, meaning God with us. God had dwelt among his people. Because his glory was there. But when his glory departed, they lived in anticipation of the coming of that glory, looking once again that their God would be among them.

And so at the birth of Christ, what happened? The glory of the Lord would shine all around those shepherds in the shepherd field. Signifying the fact that God's glory has come down, God's glory is back, and it was encased in flesh, the flesh of the Christ child. And so John would tell us that the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. We beheld the beauty of the Lord. Full of grace and truth, and on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew chapter 17, it was our Lord who unzipped his flesh, and the glory of the Lord would shine forth. Peter, James, and John were able to see that glory. Helping them understand that God's glory was among them once again. That's why Peter said, "Let me build three booths, three tabernacles." Because he knows the book of Zachariah, the 14th chapter, in which when the Messiah comes, there'll be a celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. And so it all becomes such an amazing story to understand that God's glory was among them.

And the writer of Hebrews picks up on that and says, "Listen, God's glory has come down. And God wants to dwell not just with his people, but in his people." And so the writer of Hebrews is saying that everything that was taking place in the old covenant was beautiful, was great because it was all divine designed by God. It was all a divine program that God designed so that the people of Israel would come to understand who He is and what He's going to do. And so the writer of Hebrews takes them back to show them that the old covenant, it wasn't bad. It just wasn't best. It was designed by God as a picture, as a shadow, as a foretaste of things to come. All the rituals and all the ceremonies all pictured the arrival of the Messiah.

So when you look at the Old Testament, it's like this big canvas, and on that canvas is painted a portrait of the person of the Messiah and the promises of the Messiah. The person of the Messiah would be their deliverer. And the promise of the Messiah would be the fact that he would dwell among his people. And what was concealed in the Old Testament, not painted on the canvas, was that he would dwell actually in them. That was the mystery, as Paul speaks about, that was concealed in the old, but revealed in the new. And so the writer of Hebrews is saying that the deliverer has arrived. And the deliverer is the one who dwells not just among his people, but in his people. And the new covenant actually gives you access to that which you could not access in the old covenant. The actual presence of the living God Himself.

And why is that? That's because you and I are priests in God's kingdom. We are a holy priesthood, according to 1 Peter 2, verse number 9. Revelation 1, 5 to 7, we're called a kingdom of priests. So we as priests have access into the holiest of all holy places. The presence of the living God. In the writer of Hebrews, what he does is he takes them to show them how great the old covenant was. But how much greater is the new covenant? He uses the earthly sanctuary in verses 1 to 6, and then he goes to the heavenly sanctuary in verses 7 to 14. He goes to the earthly sanctuary because it's a pattern of what the heavenly sanctuary is like. And so we gave you that little simple sketch last week that you could look at. That really was a sublime shadow of everything that Christ was going to do. And that's what Hebrews 9 is all about.

It is just a marvelous study of how everything in the Old Testament comes to be in the New Testament, where Judaism is the root and Christianity is the fruit. It's a beautiful portrait of all that Christ was painting in the Old Testament so we could see Him, our deliverer. And the promise that he gave to dwell among his people.

Hebrews 9:1 to 6 reads this way: "Now, even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one in which were the lampstand, and the table, and the sacred bread, and is called the holy place. Behind the second veil, there was a tabernacle, which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron's rod, which budded, and the tables of the covenant, and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat but of those of these things we cannot now speak in detail. Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship."

The writer of Hebrews would always help them understand how the Old Testament was fulfilled in the Messiah. And how the new covenant is better because of a divine priesthood, a divine purging, and a divine promise. There is a divine priesthood that's not in the Levitical order, but we told you, he quoted Psalm 110, verse number 4, because the Messiah will come from a different order, the order of Melchizedek. And this priesthood is a better priesthood because he was a king and a priest, and the Messiah will be a king and a priest because he will sit on his throne. And so he talks about a divine priesthood, and then he talks about a divine purging. Because what happened in the Old Testament is that your sins could be covered, but they could not be purged, they could not be erased, they could not be done away with. So in Hebrews chapter 10, he talks about, and he goes back to Psalm 40 and talks about the body of Christ, how that one sacrifice that he would offer would be sufficient enough to erase all of your sins. And he began in Hebrews chapter 1, verse number 3, about how this Messiah would make purification for sins and sit down at the right hand of the majesty on high. And so he would talk about a divine priesthood. He'd go back to Psalm 110 to verse number 4 because it was a messianic psalm. He would go back to Psalm 40 to help them understand that the Messiah would have a body prepared for him. And that body would become the chief sacrifice because there would be a divine purging. And then he talks about the divine promise. The divine promise was all about the new covenant and the promise of God's coming to dwell among his people. And that's why, in Hebrews chapter 8, he quotes Jeremiah chapter 31 of the new covenant, right? So he uses scripture to prove his point because how do you argue with God's authority, right? How do you argue with scripture? You can't. And so he uses the Old Testament to prove his point.

And they'd be saying, "Well, we know there's a divine priesthood and a divine purging and a divine promise, does that mean that everything that we've been doing for 2,000 years is obsolete and no good and ridiculous?" He says, "No, it's not ridiculous. It was great. God designed it. But it's like taking a picture of your wife, right? You take a picture of your wife, and you look at the picture of your wife, and you behold her beauty, and you look at her and she's so gorgeous, but she's sitting right next to you on the couch. But yet you keep looking at the picture, and she says, 'Honey, I'm right here.' You get, 'Hold on a second.' And you look at the picture. You're so beautiful. I can't wait to see you. I can't wait to hold you in my arms. I can't wait to hold your hand. I can't kiss your lips. I can't wait to be with you. And she's right here. She says, 'Honey, I'm right here.'"

And that's what Judaism is. It's looking at all the pictures and seeing how beautiful the Messiah is. Messiah is sitting right next to him. It says, "Throw away the rituals. Embrace the reality. Get rid of the shadows. Embrace the substance." And that's the way it should be. And that's why the book of Hebrews is so beautiful, because it unfolds for us everything that was old and the new and was really, really good. God designed it to show you that everything in the new covenant is really really great because there is a divine priesthood with a who offers a divine purging because it comes with a divine promise, the new covenant, where Christ will dwell in them and write his law in them. Isn't that great? What a beautiful, beautiful picture that Christ paints for us.

So, the writer of Hebrews, what he does, is he describes in very short words, the tabernacle. He says in verse number five, he says, "of these things we cannot now speak in detail." Why? Because they all know the details of the tabernacle. They all know the details of the temple. But we don't. So he gave you this sketch. Let me show you how the sketch paints Christ. Let me show you that all the six pieces of furniture in that tabernacle show us who the Christ is.

Remember, that tabernacle was 150 feet long and 75 feet wide. And on the eastern side, there was an opening that was called the gate that led into the outer court. Okay? That gate was 30 feet wide and 7.5 feet tall. And it was open for all of Israel to come. And they would come and they would bring their sacrifices to the priest. It would be in the outer court that the priest would examine the sacrifice. Very important because in the New Testament, the only way to enter into God's presence would be through one door. Where Christ said, "I am the door. I am the way." He was the only way. He is the only way. And remember those seven great "I am" statements? Why are they so unique? Because they reiterate the fact that He is their deliverer who came to dwell among them. Because "I am," translated ego eimi, is the Greek translation of Yahweh, Jehovah, in the Old Testament book of Exodus, third chapter, which speaks about the great "I am that I am." And so he would tell them, "I am the gate, I am the door, I am the only way to God the Father. I'm the only person that you can enter through. I'm the one that's going to give you access. Somebody said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the door. I am the good shepherd. I am the resurrection of the life.'" He was reiterating once again that he is the same God who spoke to Moses from the burning bush and said, "I am that I am. I am your deliverer, and I am here to dwell among my people Israel."

And so they would enter through that gate into the outer court, and the very first piece of furniture was what? The brazen altar. The brazen altar. And on that brazen altar that was seven and a half feet square and four and a half feet tall were these coals that were underneath this brass circular or square bin, which was covered by four horns on each side, which were used to tie down the sacrifice. It was all symbolic, listen carefully, of the sacrifice that Christ would offer for the sins of the people. And so, when you move past the brazen altar, the next piece of furniture is called the lever or the wash area. And that labor was designed to wash the priest's hands and the priest's feet when they were covered with blood. Why is that? Because there was a cleansing that would take place. And both of those are symbolic of what takes place on earth in the outer court of heaven, where there would be a sacrifice of the Messiah for the sins of the people that would cleanse them from all of their sins. And is it not true that we are cleansed with the washing of water by the word of the Lord? Is it not true that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins, there is no forgiveness of sins? Hebrews 9:22. And so he came to shed his blood that we might receive the cleansing of all of our sins.

And so when you walk through that gate, that one, only one entry into the tabernacle, and you walk into that outer court, the very first thing you see is the brazen altar, the place of sacrifice, and the lever, which is the washing place. Symbolizing cleansing. Remember in John chapter 13, at the eve of the crucifixion, when Christ tied a slave apron around his waist? And took a washed basin and began to wash the disciples' feet. And Peter was all up in arms. "Lord, you're not going to wash my feet." And what did Christ say? "If I don't wash you, you have no part with me." What did Peter say? "Take the whole thing and throw it on me. Give me a bath." And Christ says, "You don't need a bath, but you do need a daily cleansing." And all that takes place when you come to understand that it's the blood of Christ that cleanses us from our sin, but there is always that daily cleansing that needs to take place. And all that is done in the outer court, this earth.

But then you enter into what is called the holy place. The holy place, not the holy of holies, the holy of holies is located inside the holy place. And as soon as you walk in through the veil of the holy place, there is a golden branched lampstand to your left. There is a table of showbread to your right, and there's an altar of incense in front of you. And the priests would perform their priestly duty every day in that holy place. Not just outside with the sacrifices for people for the sins, but they would go into the holy place and there they would take care of everything. Once a week, they would replace the bread on the table of showbread. But let me back up. To your left is the golden lampstand. The branches that are there, solid gold. It represents Christ as light. But listen, not Christ as light to the world. Why? Because it's in the holy place. Holy place is symbolic of heaven. It's the light that God gives to his priests. That's you and me. Because the light comes, the illumination comes through what? The Spirit of God and the reading of the Word of God. "Thy word is a lamp unto your feet and a light into your path." Why Christ said these words in John chapter 9. He says, "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. While I'm here, I'm the light. But when I leave, I'm no longer the light. You will be the light." That's why in Matthew 5 it says, "You are what?" Salt of the earth and the light of the world. Because as priests in the presence of the living God, we are able to understand the illuminating work of the Spirit of God in conjunction with the Word of God that makes us true lights to the world. And this is so good. This is so rich.

And to the right was a table of showbread. That too, that was made of acacia wood, and on top of that were 12 loaves of bread, symbolizing what? 12 tribes of Israel. It was also called the table of presence. Because the nation, symbolized by 12 loaves of bread, 12 tribes of Israel, were always present before the Lord. And the Lord was always present among them, the table of presence. And so that bread could be taken by the priests at the end of the week. They put 12 new loaves every Sabbath, and at the end of the week, they would take that bread and eat it. Because that bread, truly, Christ said, "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." In John 6, he talked about how he was the bread that has come down to feed those who are truly hungry. And he is the feeder of mankind. And so with that table of presence or table of showbread, those priests would take those loaves and eat them and then replace them so that they would be there in the presence of God for that week.

And then you have the altar of incense, and the altar of incense, the coals from the brazen altar, will be taken to the altar of incense. And that which was there would rise up, symbolizing the prayers, not just of all of us who commune to God. That's why, in the book of Revelation, there is this golden censer, and in that golden censer were the prayers of all the saints. There is something sweet about the prayers of saints when they're offered up to God in all of his glory. But it also is reminiscent of the intercessory work of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who intercedes on behalf of his people Israel. All this was a picture. All this was a painting. All this was something that happened all the time in Israel. That tabernacle would go with them wherever they went. When they built the temple, it was there. They were always reminded of what the ministry of the Messiah would be among them.

There's the brazen altar. There is a lever, which signifies the sacrifice and the cleansing of blood. Then you walk into the holy place where the priests themselves, priests like you and I, priesthood of believers can go in and be illuminated by the Word of God, be fed by the Word of God, offer prayers to our God as He intercedes on our behalf, and then beyond that veil, the Ark of the Covenant. The sixth piece of furniture. The Ark of the Covenant that was overlaid with the mercy seat, solid gold, with two cherubim that were solid gold. And God says that he would dwell and meet with them between those two wings. The Bible says in Exodus 25, verse number 22, he says, "And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the cherubim." That's where God met with man. But only the high priest, only once a year, only on the day of atonement. That was it. The priests could go into the holy place and be there every day performing their priestly duties. They could be in the outer courtyard performing their priestly duties. But only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies. Once a year on the Day of Atonement. And there it says, God would meet with man.

And all about the new covenant is this. Now you have access to that holy place. The Holy of Holies. Now you can actually meet the true and living God because the Messiah gives you access. He is the door. He is the gate. Narrow as it may be in Matthew chapter 7, and few there be that find it. And even in Luke chapter 13, fewer ever get in. Of the few that find it, fewer than that even get in because it demands a life given to the Messiah. And so you walk in and you begin to understand all the articles of furniture that are there that took place from a pattern that was in glory, according to Exodus chapter 25, a pattern that would set the tone for all of Israel to know that this is a big painting, a canvas showing to us the person or work of the Messiah. Who was going to come down to deliver you, that he might dwell not just with you, but dwell in you. And that's why the writer of Hebrews says, "Let us come boldly before the throne of grace."

Why can we come boldly? We can come at any time. We don't have to wait for a high priest to mediate for us. There's one mediator between God and man. It's the man Christ Jesus. And because of the new covenant promise, we now are able to enter into his presence. And so, why the writer of Hebrews does not go into great detail, and truly we haven't gone into great detail concerning those articles of furniture, understand this. That the way they were aligned, they were aligned in a picture of the cross. Because the cross is everything about Christianity, the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord, the sacrifice for our sins, in order to deliver us, in order to dwell with us. He had to die for us. And so he came to earth to die. And in a few weeks, we'll celebrate Christmas. And Christmas is all about the deliverance of the Messiah who came to dwell among his people, but he came to die. The birth is about his death and how he came so that you and I would have life. And that's why we celebrate Christmas. That's why it's so magnificent. But all in the context of the fact that with new covenant promise comes complete and total access into the presence of God Himself.

I wonder if you have that access. I wonder if you've obtained the promise. I wonder today if you know the Christ as your Lord and Savior. Do you know that he came to die for your sins? He came to deliver you from those sins. So that he might dwell not just with you, but truly dwell in you. So the intimacy between you and the Lord God of Israel would be so unique, so deep, that you're able to experience the true love of the living God.

Let me pray with you. Father, we thank you for today. For truly, Lord, it's a great day to worship you as King. Truly, it's a great day to honor you as our Lord. Truly, it's a great day to gather with the people of God to sing praises to your name. Truly, it's a great day just to represent you one more moment in this day. May we represent you truly and purely. For if there be one among us today who does not know you, may today be the day of their salvation. We pray. In Jesus' name, amen.