Hebrews 8:1  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
2  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
3  For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.

We should be able to see how important this entire discussion in the book of Hebrews is to God.

II Peter 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

We know that the will of God is for all to be saved. We know that God did not pre-dispose anyone to die and go to hell. We know that every descendant of Adam is born a lost sinner and headed for hell apart from God’s intervening work in the heart of every individual. Most people reject God’s intervention, but God continues to prove that His will is for all to be saved. In order for salvation to take place, there must be a repentance on the part of the individual. Contrary to the views of some, repentance is not a human work. To turn to the God Who is calling you to salvation is not a human work. It is God Who calls Who also makes His call so clear and so compelling that only the fool says no to God.
In Hebrews 8:1 God tells us that He is giving us the sum of what He has already said. We have such an high priest. We have an high priest that is unique. There is none to compare Jesus Christ to. Jesus Christ is set on the right hand of God the Father in heaven. Jesus Christ did go to the cross. He did die on that cross. He shed His blood on that cross. He was taken from that cross and laid in a tomb and was there for 3 days and 3 nights. We are soon coming to a season on the world calendars that makes a mockery of the importance of Jesus’ sacrificial offering for mankind. We will get into that more later, but true Bible-believing Christians should not be dictated to by the world on anything. Jesus’ work of proving that He is the great high priest, is far too important to allow secular ungodly people to tell us how and when we should remember this important matter. Interestingly, God has declared that whenever true believers come together for the Lord’s Supper it is to remember the death of Jesus Christ. It is to remember His death til He come. We do not need some special date on a calendar. We need to know the Lord and serve Him faithfully.
Verse 2 tells us that Jesus Christ is a minister in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle which is pitched by the Lord, not by man. God gave very clear instructions on the assembling of the materials for the Tabernacle of Moses’ day. God also gave wisdom to men like Bezaleel to assemble the materials and set up the Tabernacle. When you think of it, the preciseness of that building, is amazing. That structure was designed by God to be put up and taken down multiple times and never was there a need to fix some piece that was not properly designed. It went many times over many years and it was just as viable the last time it was put up as it was the first time it was put up. God guided those who built it and they had such a fear of God in their hearts that that structure could signify the Lord Jesus Christ.
Having said all that, God has a better tabernacle in heaven that is not made by the hands of man. There is a tabernacle in heaven that is the ultimate after which the earthly tabernacle was patterned. Jesus Christ will be setting up an earthly Temple in the Millennium. The Temple that the anti-christ will build will not be accepted by God. It will be a corruption of God’s design. It will be worse than the Temple that Herod took 46 years to build. That building would have had Herod’s mark all over it. He was a politician. He wanted the Jews to love him. His goal was to be THE king. He entertained the Jewish religion, but He wanted to be the king. The anti-christ will demand the worship of man and many will fall before him.
It is interesting to see how many have fallen down before Dr. Fauci and Dr. Tam and the various political leaders of our time over the past 2 years. Even those who claim to know better are willing to bow before these ungodly liars and still claim to love the Lord. There is a cost to knowing the Lord. That cost is small in comparison to the many blessings that God has reserved for those who love Him.
God reminds us of the extreme value of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ and what He is doing right now.
In verse 3 we read that every high priest was ordained by God to offer gifts and sacrifices. The high priests had a very important task to fulfill. They were not just figure heads. They were essential to the work of God. Jesus Christ also needed to have somewhat to offer. He is not just a figure head. Jesus Christ is essential. We will look further at this important matter as we move through this book. Let us appreciate the essential nature of the Lord Jesus Christ and if you know Him, then bow before Him and exalt Him today and every day. Our world needs to know there is none equal to Him. Man needs to know the true God as much today as in any generation. The true local church is essential in making Him known today and every day. If you are in our area, come and join us in exalting this great High Priest.
Pastor Bartel