Let God Define The New Covenant

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Let God Define The New Covenant

Let God Define The New Covenant

Hebrews 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Hebrews 9:1  Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2  For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
4  Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5  And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

The book of Hebrews was written well after the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. While Jesus hung on the cross, we read that the veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. That opened the way to the mercy seat for all. There was no longer a need for an earthly priest to enter into that holiest place once a year to make an atonement for his own sins and the sins of the people. Every one of those priests was a sinner in need of forgiveness. Sadly many of them were corrupt men who despised God’s law and they taught a false view of the law.
Jesus Christ is the Great High Priest who entered into the Holiest place, heaven, once for all. He did not need to offer for His own sins. He had no sin. He did not just make an atonement but He made the way for all those who would turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, to be forgiven. The Old Testament saints trusted in the promises of God. They believed that the Messiah would come one day. They believed that He would make the way for them to be forgiven. Job spoke of his Redeemer. He stated that He was alive and that he would see Him one day with his own eyes. Abraham looked for a city with foundations and whose builder and maker was God. The Old Testament saints looked beyond the sacrifices that God had established for them. They knew there was more in the promises than the blood of bulls and goats. They were not disappointed. Jesus Christ opened the way for true saints to enter heaven and He made the way for New Testament saints to enter heaven.
In A.D. 70 the Temple was destroyed and that took that old covenant completely out of the way. The Temple was not needed as the place to bring sacrifices and offerings any more after Jesus shed His blood on the cross of Calvary. Peter and John still went to the Temple in Acts 3, but they did not go there to offer sacrifices. The Judaizers tried to keep the people away from the truth but they could not do so and God made sure that the Temple would not be there for them to use as a stumblingblock to the truth.
As we read in the last verse of chapter 8, that old covenant was no longer needed. In chapter 9:1 we read that the first covenant had rules and laws attached to it. There were very specific instructions that needed to be followed. Those laws and rules never saved anyone. They pointed to the perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament saints followed those laws and they understood that they were necessary to seek to live holy lives. New Testament saints also know this. There is no place for the lies of the New Evangelical crowd. I have seen enough people living in misery, claiming to be saved, but still bound by their sins. That is not Biblical Christianity. That is a lie promoted by the devil.
In verses 2-5 God rehearsed the things that were in the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle itself was a tent, a dwelling place. God dwells in the heart of every New Testament saint in the person of the Holy Spirit. The candlestick depicts the Light of the World, Who is Jesus Christ.

John 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

The table of shewbread was a type of the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ.

John 6:48  I am that bread of life.

That was all in the outer sanctuary of the Tabernacle. The inner part, within the veil was where the Holiest was. In there was the golden censer which represented the prayers of the saints. Then there was also the Ark of the covenant which had the golden pot with manna and Aaron’s rod that budded. This Ark was overlaid with gold, depicting the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Over that Ark was the mercy seat and the cherubims. The mercy seat was the place where the blood of the bulls and goats was sprinkled every year. Jesus Christ fulfilled that as well. He is the “propitiation for our sins”.

I John 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus Christ completely satisfied the demands of His Heavenly Father. He fulfilled all that was required to set the sinner free from the curse of sin. He shed His sinless blood on the cross and He died there. His blood was presented in His Father’s presence in Heaven.
Those who trust in God’s provision of salvation are granted eternal life. Their nature has been changed and they desire to please their Heavenly Father.
The cherubims were the special messengers of God. They carried out His special orders. Jesus Christ replaced them. He fulfilled all God’s orders. He fulfilled all the law and dealt with all the righteous demands of His Heavenly Father.

Matthew 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Yes, we, those who are saved, have been blessed beyond what we sometimes realize. It is great to be a child of the King. It is sad to see so many crippled due to their stubbornness. They would rather follow the lies of the tricksters than know the peace of God in their heart.
The true local church is there to help people to know the truth and walk in the truth. It is very important to be a part of a true local church. You need that fellowship for yourself and your family also needs that. Don’t miss out on God’s blessings by following the lies of the deceivers. Believe the Lord Jesus Christ and follow Him faithfully. You will be blessed in doing so.
Pastor Bartel

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