A More Excellent Ministry by a Better Mediator

In one paragraph

Pastor Mark was preaching through Hebrews and reached chapter eight, which states plainly that Jesus is our high priest seated at the right hand of God, ministering in the true heavenly sanctuary. The sermon followed the text's argument that the old covenant was temporary by design, pointing toward a better covenant enacted by a better mediator. The long quotation from Jeremiah 31 stood at the...

Read together

1. Hebrews 8:1-13 the main passage for the sermon
2. Hebrews 2:17 Jesus had to be made like his brothers and sisters to become a merciful and faithful high priest
3. Hebrews 3:1 dear brothers and sisters, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Jesus
4. Hebrews 1:3 Jesus is the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of His nature, who made purification of sins and sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high
5. Hebrews 7:11 if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood, what further need for another priest after the order of Melchizedek
6. Exodus 25:40 see that you make them after the pattern shown to you on the mountain
7. Exodus 25:8-9 let them construct a sanctuary for God according to the pattern of the tabernacle He would show Moses
8. Jeremiah 31:31-34 the longest Old Testament quote in the New Testament, describing the new covenant God would make with Israel and Judah
9. Ephesians 2:8-10 saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves, created in Christ Jesus to do good works
10. Romans 12:2 used as the benediction, do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind

Talk about it

1. The pastor described the original audience of Hebrews as Jewish Christians being tempted to return to first-century Judaism to escape persecution. When have you been tempted to retreat to something familiar or comfortable rather than stay the course in your faith?
2. The sermon described the old covenant as a 'copy and shadow' of the true tabernacle in the heavens, using the illustration of a dim old projector versus a bright new one. What does it mean to you personally that Jesus ministers in the real thing rather than the copy?
3. The pastor said the old covenant was like training wheels, good for a time and pointing toward something better, but that it 'made provision for the fault by finding the fault' without being able to fix it. How do you see that difference playing out between trying to live by an external list of rules versus having the law written on your heart?
4. The passage from Jeremiah 31 promises that under the new covenant all of God's people will know Him, from the least to the greatest, without needing someone to tell them 'know the Lord.' What does that kind of internal, direct relationship with God look like in your daily life?
5. The pastor closed by contrasting the world's idea of 'living your own truth' with the Christian experience of God writing His law on our hearts. How do you practically tell the difference between following your own desires and following what God is directing you toward?