Category: Covenant

Hebrews 1:1-4

The first four verses of both the first and second chapters of Hebrews are similar in that they declare the superiority of the words of our Lord. However, while the second chapter points out the responsibility we have to heed and obey the words of Jesus, the first chapter keeps the focus on the Lord Himself.

The words spoken by Jesus are superior because of who Jesus is. He is the Heir of all things. He is the Creator of the universe (cf. John 1:1-4). He is the personification of God, and our blessed Redeemer. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and is presently reigning in His kingdom at the right hand of the Father. He is superior to the angels, and as stated by the writer, “has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (4).

These words serve as the premise of the Hebrew epistle. The Hebrew Christian should not place his trust in the Old Covenant. Rather, he should turn to the New. Salvation is in the words, sacrifice and mediation of Jesus Christ. All who have gone before are flawed, and unable to save. In these last days, God has spoken to us “through His Son.”

The Hebrews epistle describes differences between the Old Covenant, and the New Covenant. Such differences establish clearly the superiority of Christ and his covenant.

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The Apostle Paul used Sarah and Hagar to express some important truths concerning the change in law from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. The application is important here. 1) Do not allow yourself to be entangled in bondage to the law; 2) Do not use the Liberty of Christ as a liscense to sin.

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This sermon is a discussion of the text of Romans 10:1-13. It includes a discussion of the difference between the two covenants; the necessity of faith and confession unto salvation; and a definition of the phrase, “calls upon the name of the Lord.”

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Hebrews 2:1-4

The book of Hebrews contains numerous comparisons between God’s covenant with the Hebrews, and the covenant ratified with the blood of His son Jesus. The comparisons are intended to establish the superiority of the New (Jesus’ covenant) over the Old (Hebraic covenant).

One of these comparisons centers on the messengers God utilized under the Old covenant (described here as “the word spoken through angels [messengers]”), and Jesus Himself, the messenger of the New Covenant.

Since Jesus is Lord, His words carry the greatest authority. If God held the Jews accountable to the instructions He gave them through the agency of His servants, He will certainly hold us accountable to the instructions given to us by the Son of God himself.

So, we must “give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.” To fail in this is to forfeit our eternal standing before God.

In Genesis 12:1-3, God made three promises to Abraham, all of which he fulfilled. He promised Abraham that his descendants would receive the land of Canaan, that they would become a great nation, and that all of the nations of the earth would be blessed through him.

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Galatians 4:21-31

In our text, the apostle Paul uses the two wives of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, as an allegory. His words, “which things are symbolic.”

The two women represent the two covenants. Hagar is the Old Covenant “from Mount Sinai”, and Sarah the New “the Jerusalem above.”

The point of the allegory is to establish that the New Covenant, like Sarah, is to be preferred. Sarah was the mother of Isaac, the child of promise. It was through this lineage that redemption came, not from Hagar and Ishmael.

In the same way redemption is found in the New Covenant, not the Old. The New Covenant of Christ is to be preferred to the Old. We are to cast off the Old, just as the scripture says, “Cast out the bondwoman and her son.” As Paul wrote, “So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.”

Hebrews 7 & 8. The text reveals that Christ is a superior high priest, and his covenant is superior to the Old covenant. The Old Covenant has passed away, and we under the authority of the New Covenant.

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