In his sermon, Pastor Ramsey clarified the great differences between the old covenant and the new covenant.
The net result of Jesus’ better sacrifice is that as the mediator of this new covenant His sacrifice is final, complete, effective and powerful.
But those words are empty if you have no understanding of the covenants and how they differ; and what blessings the new covenant holds for believers.
I recommend reading Leviticus 16 before listening to the sermon, as Pastor Ramsey spends some time in that chapter because therein is the foundational imagery of covenantal intercession of the high priest with God for the sins of the people. And that is a picture of what Christ is doing for us now; but Christ is in the real, true holy of holies, in heaven; whereas the Levitical high priest entered into a copy of that heavenly temple, sprinkling blood of lesser value and efficacy.
The following points are highlights of Pastor Ramsey’s 24 minute mp4 sermon:
- Please open your Bible to Hebrews 9:23-28
- The new covenant is better because it fulfills the promises of the old covenant
- Also, because it is effective; therefore, no other covenant is needed
- The new covenant fully saves the people of God, of the old and new testaments
- The old covenant is similar to the new in the following ways: it had a priest, a temple and sacrifices; and via each covenant, salvation from sins was offered by God
- The difference is that the priest, temple and sacrifices of the old covenant were copies or models of the true heavenly covenant
- Psalm 130 and Jeremiah 31 speak of forgiveness of sins; for example: Psalm 130:2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! 3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
- Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
- We need forgiveness of our sins that we may live with God
- There is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood
- The elements of each covenant had to be consecrated with blood: Hebrews 9: 23 That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals. [NLT]
- [To remind readers why it is necessary that blood be shed and sprinkled: Leviticus 1:3 “If the animal you present as a burnt offering is from the herd, it must be a male with no defects. Bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle so you may be accepted by the LORD. 4 Lay your hand on the animal’s head, and the LORD will accept its death in your place to purify you, making you right with him.]
- [Sin has a high cost according to the creator God, in whose world we live]
- The heavenly tabernacle had to be consecrated with a better sacrifice; Jesus entered into the heavenly tabernacle offering His own blood, Hebrews 9: 12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
- A glaring difference between the old and new covenants is the number of sacrifices: thousands of sacrifices were made in the old covenant, vs only the one perfect sacrifice in the new. See Hebrews 7:27; 10:11, 18; and Hebrews 9:25
- The sons of Aaron, continually offered animal sacrifices, blood not their own, in order to enter into the holy of holies each year during the yearly offering on the day of atonement
- (See Hebrews 9:24-28) Jesus did not need to repeat His sacrifice
- Galatians 4: 4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
- 1 Peter 1:19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.
- Hebrews 7:18 Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. 19 For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
- Colossians 2: 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
- John 1:28 …These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
- Isaiah 53:12 …because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
- Israel, the old covenant, looked forward to God taking away their sins
- Christ has once for all put away sin, so His death marks the end, or consummation of the ages, the fullness of time, the climax of history [in a dramatic or literary work, the climax is a decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or is a major turning point in a plot]
- Christ’s sacrifice is better because it is final, effective, complete, and powerful; it is everything the old covenant sacrifices were not
- The meaning for us is that we are once and for all justified, accepted by God, made right with Him
- We receive, by FAITH, forgiveness for all of our past, present and future sins
- All of our debts have been paid for, our acceptance before God is certain, sure, and final
- His once for all sacrifice has cancelled and put away sin [That was also prophesied by Daniel in 9:24 “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity…]
- Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
- The doctrine in Hebrews vs the Roman Catholic Church’s doctrine of the mass; the mass is a re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice which they believe turns God’s wrath away
- They are not saying that Jesus dies over and over again but that His death is pulled into the present via the mass, in order to atone for sins today
- So, in order to be saved from your sins, you need to partake of the mass over and over and over again; that Christ’s sacrifice needs to be re-presented to you; therefore, you must attend thousands of masses and still NOT be cleansed of your sins; and while you are in purgatory, others must hold masses for your sins
- The Roman Catholic Church’s mass looks more like the many sacrifices of the old covenant than the one sacrifice of the new covenant
- Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:11 … But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
- The past tense indicates that it was completed via Christ’s sacrifice
- As mediator of the new covenant, Jesus will come again, not as a sacrifice for sin, but for salvation
- On the day of atonement (see Leviticus 16) the high priest entered into the holy of holies to intercede for the people’s sin while they waited outside expectantly for his return; when he returned (not having been struck down by God) it indicated that his sacrifice on their behalf was accepted by God
- Our High Priest has once for all time offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin and passed out of our sight, having entered into the heavenly sanctuary. There He remains today, interceding for us. There is no need for Him to return and offer more sacrifices for our sins, He has finished the work of redemption via His one sacrifice and now sits at God’s right hand
- He will one day return to us to usher us into glory
- Therefore, be encouraged to persevere in the faith until the very end; we can persevere and wait on Him because our salvation is sure
- As we live our lives in this present evil age, we are to walk with great expectation that Jesus is coming back to bring us to where He is
- You can be certain that your sins are forgiven, that you are washed and sanctified by the blood of the Lamb; you can live in light of the fact that Christ is coming again to grant salvation to those who eagerly wait for him
For other sermons by Pastor Ramsey, click the following link:
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=10252104814412