A Better Covenant: a better Promise, a better Word
A Better Covenant: a better Promise, a better Word
Where do you turn for hope, life & peace?
“Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.” -Hebrews 7:22
“The ministry of Jesus is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which He is mediator is superior to the old covenant, and it is founded on better promises.” -Hebrews 8:6
On Sunday, February 15, we will gather for fellowship, Worship, the Word & the Table of the Lord.
How will you prepare for our meeting together to “draw near to God with a sincere heart” (Hebrews 10:22)?
Fellowship: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” -Hebrews 10:25
Worship: “I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” -Psalm 27:13-14
“If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O LORD, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore, you are feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word, I put my hope.” -Psalm 130:4-5
The Hebrew word for waiting in these verses is qavah which means, “to look with eager expectation.”
Biblical waiting in worship is active, bold & intentional, while seeking God with cries for hope & mercy.
Word: in Hebrews 8:1-13 we see the author’s argument of Jesus as the guarantee of a “Superior Covenant” where Jesus, the sacrificial priest, serves in the sanctuary as a Mediator who fulfills the superior promises of the New Covenant: by calling this covenant “new,” He has made the first one obsolete (8:13)!
This new & better covenant offers us forgiveness of sins, freedom, life, peace & restoration of hope!
So, I will ask again where or to whom do we turn for these better benefits of hope, life & peace?
Table: Jesus established a ceremony of communion (a common table) that pointed to His promises within the New Covenant confirmed in His shed blood on the cross:
He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.” (read Luke 22:14-20) in preparation for the Lord’s Supper.
We accept His superior sacrifice by believing, drawing near, and exchanging the old for the new!
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come!” 2 Cor. 5:17
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God & the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all,
Pastor Scott