Sermon: Baptism - The New Covenant, Pt. 1

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So like I said, we have about 10 minutes to be able to cover our subject this week

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Actually, this will be a two -parter and we will continue next week so just put that down in your notes and That way

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I'll have even less excuse for going super long This evening because we will have a little bit more time next week

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This is a part of our baptism series, though. We will be saying very little

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About the term baptism or the meaning or anything else. We'll be talking about What Baptists normally call the ordinances of the church or Presbyterians are only called the sacraments of the church

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Obviously, there's a long history of the utilization of both of those terms that we're talking about Specifically those things the

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Lord gave to his church in baptism and the Lord's Supper and We did about five weeks on the

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Lord's Supper a couple of years ago it's actually been that long now amazingly and we're about 12 or 13 sessions into our examination of the subject of baptism and Pretty much everybody in this room unless you're newly visiting is well aware of the fact that when you look at apology a church

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We preach the sovereignty of God. We preach the doctrine of election.

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We preach particular redemption we preach What are what are called the doctrines of grace and we also?

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preach very strongly the rest of what defines a Reformed Soteriology and reformed worldview and so we have a very strong emphasis upon God's law upon God's kingdom and Christ reigned over this world and yet Next week we will have a baptismal service and we will fill a

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Baptismal font we don't have a little font over here that we can just simply put a gallon of water in and we're ready to go we have baptism by immersion of believers and That is not the historically reformed practice and in fact if we had tried to set up shop in Geneva Calvin would have drop -kicked us through the goalposts and Certainly Luther probably would not have accepted our

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Experience either or our teaching and we certainly know that Zwingli would not have accepted our our teaching either and so down through the past number of centuries we have had the necessity of having interaction with our brothers

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When they would accept us as brothers, and we're not seeking to Imprison us or drown us in England on the subject of the proper mode and subjects of baptism and this continues to this day

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We have I have debated that subject in this room in 1995

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I believe it was I have debated the subject with Presbyterians of differing stripes and Tastes and perspectives and We continue having those discussions even to this day.

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And so we now come having covered much of what needs to be covered

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I think in Establishing the meaning of baptism the mode of baptism what the

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New Testament says about baptism to the real issue Because when I first started this series, what did we hear even from our dear brothers and sisters who?

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Listen to what we have to say and welcome much of what we have to say What do we hear right from the start?

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Well, you're not dealing with our real arguments So we kept saying that's because we haven't gotten to them yet There are necessary foundational issues which does to me seemingly indicate that very often this conversation takes place without having established the needed

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Foundations in Scripture concerning what Scripture says about this subject. I think it's more important To know what

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Scripture says about baptism than to know what anyone else has to say about baptism even if I happen to have tremendous respect for them, even if I happen to find a great deal of Light and edification what they say among upon other subjects.

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I Want to know what the Scriptures say on these subjects and upon these issues That is the most important thing and having established those things now we get around to so What about all the arguments regarding the

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Covenant? Regarding the idea that there is one covenant and since there was a sign for infants under a

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Portion of the Old Covenant Not all of it That came about after you have an

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Adamic period and the Noahic period It was it was a sign for for infants was not

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Definitional of those things and and what about the fact that you have the Covenant of Grace?

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How does the Covenant of Grace? Relate to the Old Covenant the New Covenant and to all those wonderful books.

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I have on my shelf from Calvin and all the Westminster Divines and and Bovink and Kuiper and all these people.

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They're just we learn so much from them and Yet when it comes this one issue were the odd people out and do we really need to keep arguing about this?

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and There are a lot of people that eventually get to the point saying no, I you know what? I'm tired of it

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I want to I want to be one of the big boys. I'm tired of getting what what we call the Presbyterian path

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Where you get a little pat on the back and you'll you'll figure it out someday and I get it all the time

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I get it all the time and I have for decades and so Why?

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What's the real issue? Now instead of starting with all the Presbyterian arguments and then finishing up with what we think might be a better way of understanding

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I want to start where where we stand and lay out

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Solid foundational biblical realities regarding the New Covenant What is the

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New Covenant is? the New Covenant in full effect today because there are people that would say it's not and once we understand what the

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New Covenant is and New Covenant relationship to such subjects as election

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Who are the elect? Where their elect people in the Old Covenant, well, of course

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But were there non elect people who bore the Covenant signs Under the

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Old Covenant, well, of course we we look at so many of the

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Jewish Kings and They bear the Covenant sign they've been circumcised and Therefore they are called to be faithful To what they are commanded to do in that Old Covenant and yet they don't they're not faithful they don't do those things and So as a result

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God's name is defamed and we recognize that there was a remnant according to grace there were people who were

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Clearly elect and were regenerate There's someone named David. Well, David did bad things.

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That's true. But David received forgiveness if if he didn't we don't either and So you you have

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Under the Old Covenant these problems that we see and Do we simply take how the

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Old Covenant understood the signs and Just transfer them Because we're not dispensationalists here.

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I Hope that doesn't shock any of you But we're not dispense. I was raised as dispensationalist we're not dispensationalists here and So we recognize that God has been working covenantally

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There is a covenant of grace and it's it's been there since the garden and We recognize you know

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Again, I don't want to scare too many people off here. You know, I I know it's Mother's Day But we happen to be general equity

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Theonomists and post -millennialist to that's really scary for a lot of people I realize Careful I Know now the girls are getting to that too.

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So let's listen and so we recognize

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How important it is to look at all of God's Word? to not have a

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New Testament only or a red letter only attitude and So we recognize that that God's law says so much to us today

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We get all of that type of stuff So how in the world can you remain a

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Baptist in light of all those things it has to do with the nature of the Covenant and what you'll discover and what most of you have already discovered in your conversations is

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The issue really comes down to this are the New Covenant signs

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Defined first and primarily by the New Covenant scriptures Or by allegedly necessary inference from the

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Old Covenant scriptures That's really what it ends up boiling down to if you put your weight on What the

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New Covenant scriptures say about baptism in the Lord's Supper The conclusion is pretty clear.

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It's pretty obvious in every instance of Baptism that we saw in the book of Acts.

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You had the proclamation of God's Word. You had the exercise of faith and We saw that you can you can sort of stand on your head and spin and and sort of look at things sideways and try

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To come up with some type of household idea and maybe there was an infant hiding someplace But the point is that was the apostolic example that was given to us for baptism now what's interesting is is

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When you look at the Lord's Supper and Some of you probably saw the discussion I had with pastor

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Wilson who we love and I can guarantee you if he had the time to do it and he was in Phoenix We would love to have

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Doug Wilson stand from this pulpit and proclaim the gospel. He is our brother

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I've gotten to know him and I'm gonna tell you something right now I've said this on my program and I'll say it here I've now gotten to spend enough hours over the last two trips.

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I've made to Moscow with Doug Here's the most important thing I can say about him.

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He is what he is wherever he is No errors

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No trying to put something on He and I had had a had a lunch at taco time

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Amen, thank you And you know what the man that I sat there eating

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Crisp meat burritos with oh, that's just a little wonderful Is the same man you hear on blog and may blog the same man you hear preaching at Christ Church this he's the same he doesn't he just is who he is and that means he's consistent and That is the best thing you can say about anybody.

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It really is We'd have him preach here in a second But he and I have debated each other more than once Now we did so especially with a lot of love for one another but we don't agree on these things and when you listen carefully now,

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I don't know if any of you listen to the Conversation we had a couple weeks ago on the issue of the supper

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But if you didn't I hope you at least caught something that we recorded in my fifth wheel afterwards

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He specifically said That you can have a healthy believing Church as long as you do discipline and the way he said it was the

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Baptists put their bouncers at the front door and They're checking

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IDs and the Presbyterians put their bouncers at the bar Liking it to a nightclub, which of course were

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Baptist makes like so But but if it was a nightclub we put our bouncers at the door we check

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IDs on the way in and The Presbyterians put their bouncers at the at the bar and they kick people out from the inside He said the point is you can both have a healthy situation as long as you both do church discipline

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Which as I said, and how often does that happen? He said I'll have to admit not very often not very often but his whole idea was we are looking for that profession of faith at the door and They're assuming it and then if you don't live like it, they kick you out from the bar see the difference so the question for all of us real simply is

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What does the New Testament look like? Where are the bouncers in the New Testament if we're gonna make that application now, what's interesting is their view and Pastor Wilson and Christ Church are

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Not strict pato communionist. He prefers the term child communion why because a strict pato communionist will say you baptize them as an infant and you

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Do what what we used to do sort of we had something called intinction

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Where you take the bread and you dip it in the in the wine But what they do is they take a little crumb and put a little bit of wine on it and you stick it in the infant's mouth

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They don't do that They don't do that. There are people to do there are groups to do

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He said they're Eastern Orthodox that that will do that with the Lord's Supper The vast majority of Presbyterians the

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Westminster Confession folks do not practice pato communion and You will find those folks specifically saying in their books against pato communion that the

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New Testament Documents have to define How you do the

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Lord's Supper and I go amen That's exactly right. They do and That's why there are people who say well, that's that's where that's where is it?

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There's an inconsistency on the other side at that point Well, we'll let them do the debates about that and the arguments about that and we'll read the books and things like that But the whole issue always comes down to where do you put the weight?

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Do you put the weight on the New Testament defines Baptism in the

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Lord's Supper or do you say the patterns from the old? Override anything you think you're seeing in the new that's going to be the issue

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So with that having been said what I want to do this Sunday and next Sunday is

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Nail down one really vitally important thing What does the

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New Testament say about the New Covenant What is the New Covenant? now there is an entire movement called

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New Covenant theology and I'm not talking about that in any way shape or form

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What I'm talking about is there is a phrase and It's primarily found in the book of Hebrews but as you know

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The book of Hebrews contains the longest single continuous citation

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From the Old Testament. Did you know that? The longest continuous citation from the

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Old Testament is in Hebrews chapter 8 And it's the quotation of Jeremiah chapter 31 verses 31 and following about the

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New Covenant and what we have in the book of Hebrews and I think this is one of the problems is

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I'll be honest with you. I Preach through Hebrews for years about a decade ago a little over a decade ago.

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I think it was 85 sermons Don't worry. I mean how many

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Matthew sermons were there? Do we even know? We don't even know. I know how many Hebrew sermons that you don't have any idea

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Okay, we need to find out we need to because if it's like if it's like 86 and I need to redo

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Hebrews, you know so But That book of Hebrews is

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Not one of the most popular books in the Evangelical Church today And I'll be honest with you when

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I grew up. It seemed like a mystery. I heard rare preaching from it and I'm gonna tell you why you can't figure out the book of Hebrews if you don't know your

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Old Testament because the writer assumes, you know it and know it well and As a result even down through church history

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I was I would say to you that Hebrews contains as much if not more direct teaching on the meaning and intention of the triune

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God in the Incarnation and sacrifice of Christ upon the cross as any other book in the

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New Testament It is at least equal with Romans on that subject and yet it's one of them for most people.

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It's a closed book There's just too many of those Old Testament site. There's too much Leviticus in there and For a lot of people

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Leviticus, you know The only thing they know about Leviticus is every time I try to read through the Bible I get the

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Leviticus and I don't end up reading through the Bible Because I don't get it But that book is the book that focuses us in on the

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New Covenant and tells us that in the New Covenant we have a better mediator and We have better promises

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Hmm that obviously is vitally important if we are talking about the signs of the

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New Covenant That New Covenant has a better mediator and better promises I remember,

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I don't know how many years ago it was 17 or something or so. I remember once I was on a flight.

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I do remember flying and I thought to myself, you know, I'm just gonna read

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Hebrews and I'm gonna lay everything else aside I'm gonna ask myself the question. What is this really all about?

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And so I just started at the beginning and I just read through it and I was struck by the reality

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That the the theme of that book is not that difficult to figure out.

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It's really right on the surface It's written to Hebrew Christians I'm convinced is written well before the fall of of Jerusalem because it talks about the the sacrifices being offered the temple so I'd put it in the late 50s into the 60s

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It's written to Hebrew Christians who are being tempted that we know what was going on you become a

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Christian in those days and All of your Jewish friends and family aside from putting you out of the synagogue are gonna say come back you've joined a cult

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It's gonna it's gonna fade away there's nothing to it come back off of the sacrifices Jesus might have been a nice guy, but he wasn't the

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Messiah And the whole theme of the book is real simple.

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There's nothing to go back to There's nothing to go back to look at it.

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It was all pointing away from itself To a much greater fulfillment.

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There's nothing to go back to From the very first chapter talking about who

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Jesus was Identifying him as God in human flesh. I mean Hebrews chapter 1 is one of the greatest texts on the deity of Christ around Starting from there all the way through is

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This strong argument. There's nothing to go back to and so central to that argument

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Central that argument is the fact that there is a new covenant With a mediator who is our high priest who never dies and So the author takes all this vitally important stuff, especially from Yom Kippur You've heard of Yom Kippur right the

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Day of Atonement. It's really Yom Kippur. It's the Day of Atonement Because you look at Leviticus chapter 16 and following and there was more than one sacrifice offered that day

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But it was the central day where where the high priest would enter into the holy place

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If you grew up with the King James is the Holy of Holies well, that's just a that's just a Hebrew way of saying the holiest place and There the priest would

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Representing the people would go in and he would he was sprinkled the blood upon the altar and Then there was no place to sit down in there.

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He couldn't stay He had to immediately leave that place leave the presence of God only once a year

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Could he with that blood in that in that bowl enter through that veil? representing the people and So that the author takes all of that and says don't you see?

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It was pointing away from itself at something greater. So let's pick up with some of that.

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I For two reasons one of which is I only have 18 % left on my battery.

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Don't know how I did that but Hebrews chapter 7 Hebrews chapter 7 now

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The author speaks to us About a priesthood and this again is where people start getting a little bit lost

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Don't have time to develop all this but we have Jesus is

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Made a priest without an oath verse 20 and as much as he was not made priest without an oath for they have become priests without an oath, but he with an oath by him who said to him and then you have the quotation the

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Lord has sworn and will not relent You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek and so he's bringing in these

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Old -testament texts in regards to this coming Messiah This one's who is greater.

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He's the son of David, but he's even greater than David The Lord has sworn and will not relent you are a priest forever

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According to the elder order of Melchizedek. Well, there's only one Melchizedek and we don't have his death record for us

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We don't have a genealogy recorded for us. That's the whole reason the Holy Spirit did that by so much more

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Jesus has become a surety a surety or a guarantee of a better covenant

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Because he's made a priest not in the way the old priests were they're just it's because they're born in those families and they die

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But Jesus made a priest in a different way notice in a different way There's still an intimate connection.

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The Old Testament scriptures are telling us about this stuff We're not just breaking apart going

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I need to don't need to worry about any of that stuff anymore But there has to be a recognition that there is a better Covenant and here you have a priest being made a priest in a different way

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Than priests had been made priests under the Old Covenant So follow the argument verse 23.

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Also, there are many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing

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They were prevented by death from continuing and so you have many priests

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You already know where he's gonna go with this, right? but he because he continues forever because he lives forever has an

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Unchangeable priesthood the term there is oper a baton

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It's unchangeable and it cannot be passed on to someone else

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It's unique It's unchangeable It's an important text to keep in mind

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When those more missionaries come knocking on your door Of course, I think they pretty much have all of our doors marked off.

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Stay away. Apology. Uh, don't talk to those people But if they do come by and they say elder this and elder that they think they actually hold the

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Melchizedek priesthood And when I talk to those young men I go you do realize that Melchizedek did not have a genealogy.

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Do you have a genealogy? Yeah, you got a father and mother Melchizedek didn't and You you do realize that the

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Melchizedek priest Continues forever in his office and he has an unchangeable priesthood and the

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Melchizedek priest therefore verse 25 He is also able to save the uttermost those who come to God through him

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Since he always lives to make intercession for them. Can you save the uttermost those who draw on to God by you? I've asked many a more missionary that the looks have been truly astonishing

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No one ever asks them that that is like a conversation that's never had amongst the

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Mormons I think it's I personally think it's one of the biggest theological weaknesses of their system and a really good direction to go because There's not used to hearing anybody talk about it.

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So keep that in mind When you're speaking with them but he Because he continues forever because he has been raised from the dead

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Has an unchangeable priesthood. Well, isn't that a chain? Isn't that is that something new? That's something different Than the priesthood you had under the

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Old Covenant Now is you still have the connection But you have a greater fulfillment

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The priests could only Make a picture of Jesus In a in a in a to a certain level

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They couldn't go all the way there could not be a a perfect representation In fact, if you recognize what we have under the

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Old Covenant our types and shadows those types and shadows of necessity Cannot be as great as the fulfillment the fulfillment has to go beyond that So you have

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Christ he continues forever has an unchangeable priesthood Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost

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Those who draw nigh to God Through him those who draw nigh to God Through him.

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It's about salvation and he is able to save Completely Completely Think about what that means.

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I can't I can't not point out Whose theology teaches a gospel that has a

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Savior who can save completely how many people today preach a message of?

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Self -improvement of God trying of a

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Savior who tries his best That's not what it says

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If you want to see a vitally important description of a true Savior, he needs to be able to save completely

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Who can do that? If you make this a synergistic cooperation between Jesus is doing the best he can and us we're always gonna mess it up We're always gonna mess it up He is able to save to the uttermost

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Completely the ones coming to God Through him.

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This is a picture What did you see on? Yom Kippur you saw the faithful coming to the temple and They are believing that that high priest is representing them in going into the presence of God and offering the commanded sacrifice and Yet the point of Hebrews is going to be over and over again

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That wasn't enough because it had to keep being repeated because they had to come back again the next year and the next year and the next year, but here's what

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I want you to see and this is I Think it's important. We in our dear

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Reformed Brethren, at least the ones who Still really believe Reformed theology We believe in the perfection of the work of Jesus Christ upon the cross of Calvary We believe that he actually accomplishes something right, and So we don't believe in the concept of an atonement that is

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Universal but ineffective We believe in a particular redemption.

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We even sing the songs. My name was graven on his hands Ever thought about what that song is actually saying

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That when Christ dies he knows for whom he's dying It's not just some Peanut butter type spreading it all out there and hope someone takes advantage of it idea.

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It's personal. It's the elect Dying in their head There is a direct connection in the scriptures

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Between what it teaches about the effect of the death of Christ and What the covenant is that brings that about what did

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Jesus say? Drink, what is it? It's the blood of the covenant well

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For whom is that made? There must be a consistency Between our understanding of the sign of the covenant in the supper and The blood and those for whom it is spilled

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So if you believe in particular redemption those two go together You're not going to give that sign to unbelievers

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Unless you come up with the idea that you're just hoping someday They'll become believers and then obviously

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I think that then moves forward to the issue of baptism because we're talking about what what is baptism picture

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Death burial and resurrection who has died and been buried and resurrected with Christ everybody

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There are denominations that say so We recognize that is not the case

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So we must see that there is a consistency he is able to save the uttermost those who draw nigh

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Unto God through him why Seeing he always lives to make intercession for them.

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There's the key issue For whom is Christ making intercession and on what basis

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You see the old high priest goes into the holy place

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Sprinkles the blood and then he has to leave He can't stay there to make intercession for the people.

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He can only do it once a year And he's got to go back in to do it again and back in to do it again

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Christ enters in and he's seated at the right hand of the Father and His as we saw the

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Lamb Revelation chapter 5 Yeah, revelation chapter 5 remember remember how he's described standing as if what as if slain

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Standing as if slain the death marks upon him He always lives to make intercession for them

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It's specific It's personal and it's effective It's effective

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Here's your better promises. Here's your better mediator only shadows under the old

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But for whom does he make intercession if his intercession is effective?

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It's only for the elect You see how this is all connected together We have to be consistent and how we look at these things

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For such a high priest was fitting for us who is holy Harmless undefiled separate from sinners and has become higher than the heavens who does not need daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifices

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First for his own sins and for the people's that's young caperine for this he did once for all once for all

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That is vitally important this he did once for all

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Not repetitively not once for a year when he offered up himself

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When he offered up himself For the law points as high priest men who have weakness

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But the word of the oath remember we where we started the word of the oath I'm gonna make you a priest out the order because it which came after the law

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Appoints the Sun who has been perfected forever if this new covenant then is in the

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Sun how can't it be anything other than a far greater fulfillment a far greater fulfillment

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We continue on now, this is the main point of the things we are saying We have such a high priest

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Who is see at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens a minister the sanctuary the true tabernacle

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Which the Lord erected and not man back up a second

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What's Hebrews all about? There's nothing to go back to what were they being told come to the temple.

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Oh, isn't it glorious? we have a high priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the

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Majesty in the heavens a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the

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Lord erected and not man Why should I go back to a shadow? Something that's gonna be torn down by the

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Roman legions Why should I go back to that? I Have a minister of the sanctuary

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He's see at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens He's in the true tabernacle

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For every high priest It's a point to offer gifts and sacrifices. Therefore is necessary. This one also has something to offer for if he were on earth

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He would not be a priest since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things as Moses was divinely

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Instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle for he said see it you make all things according to patterns shown you on the mountain

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So we're talking about the tabernacle the writer of Hebrews primarily talks about the tabernacle that first image that was given

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More so than the temple But now he our mediator has obtained a what more excellent

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Ministry in as much as he is also mediator of a better covenant

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Which was established on better promises a more excellent ministry

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Remember I pointed out to you that under the Old Covenant you had so many who bore the covenant sign

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But did not have changed hearts. They bore the covenant signs

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We will talk about this later on when we deal with the specific arguments, but it's very clear that part of the reason for that is that you had as part of the old way of doing things the

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Continuation of the Jewish people in the land and So there was a connection to those promises

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But what that resulted in was having people who bore the covenant signs who did not have changed hearts

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They did not have changed hearts They went through the motions, but oh look at all the numbers of people that we could talk about under the

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Old Testament and They showed no no love for God They had hearts of stone not hearts of flesh

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But what if we had a more excellent ministry? What if we had a mediator who can save to the uttermost

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What if he's a mediator of a better? Covenant which was established on better promises

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Would that not think with me would that not impact? To whom we give the signs of that covenant

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Then we had then we have Jeremiah 31 31 to 34 quoted beginning in verse 8

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Now that will be the essence of what we look at next week I'm placing it in a context so we can when we dig deep into it next week

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We've got that context already established So, what are we seeing? We are seeing that there is an establishment of a better covenant of Which Christ is a mediator which established on better promises and so therefore the citation

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Beginning of verse 7 for if that first covenant had been faultless Then no place would been sought for a second.

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There's something about that first covenant that does not Bring about perfection in those for whom who enter into it

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Plainly what's being said and Then as I said beginning of verse 8 we have the longest continuous citation from the

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Old Testament through verse 12 and That will be what we really focus in on but let's just look at the

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Conclusion after the citation in that he says a new covenant. He has made the first Obsolete Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old?

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It's ready to vanish away. So what are you gonna go back to?

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How can you find anything in the temple if it's the old it's bits vanishing away?

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But I want you to see the rest of the application then indeed even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service in the earthly earthly sanctuary

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For a tabernacle was prepared and you've got the description of the tabernacle We're not gonna go through all of these things.

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These are things again. We're basic knowledge To the Jewish person and I'll be honest with you and my fundamentalist upbringing.

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I remember more than once we had all sorts of Cutouts of the tabernacle.

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I'm not sure why I guess it's because we enjoyed, you know, cutting things out and pasting together or something

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I don't know, but we actually spent a lot of time on that. I've seemed to recall it very very clearly But goes through and discusses these things

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But then verse 6 now when these things had been thus repaired the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle

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Performing the services but in the second part the holy place The high priest went alone once a year not without blood which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance

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The Holy Spirit indicating this that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made

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Manifest while the first tabernacle was standing so Holy Spirit is indicating

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There's something more coming. It's gonna be greater It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which can

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Cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience

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You hear that that priest wasn't perfected by the offering.

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Neither were the people for whom it was being made It's concerned only with foods and drinks various washings and the fleshy ordinances imposed until the time of Reformation but Christ came as High priest of the good things to come

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With the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands that is not of this creation

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And I hear behind that oh look at the beauty of the temple it's one of the most magnificent buildings man has ever built

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Well up until 1870 Not made with hands that is not this creation and not with the blood of goats and cows with his own blood

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He entered the holy place once for all if we had started back in chapter 6 There's that beautiful text about Jesus entering into the holy place, but he is that anchor for us

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We have an anchor that goes within the veil the very presence of God And so unlike the high priest who would take that that that bowl that was still be warm Because the blood had just been drained from the victim

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And he would enter into the hope most holy place Not with the blood of goats and cows but with his own blood as a sacrifice

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He entered the most holy place again once for all That term by the way is not

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Distributive it's temporal What I mean by that is in English we have a phrase once for all

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Would be for all people one time for all people distributed That's not what it is in Greek.

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There's very great difference between the two. It's temporal one time only once for all time

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He does not have to go in and out in and out in and out like the old high priest did

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Because it's his blood The giving of the perfect sacrifice

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He enters in one time It was to say having

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Made eternal redemption possible Is that what it says? No having obtained eternal redemption

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Able to save to the uttermost having obtained

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Eternal redemption. I don't know where in the New Testament you find any of this

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Jesus trying really hard stuff Because it's all a finished work

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Having obtained Eternal redemption for if the blood of bulls and goats and ashes of a heifer

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Sprinkling the unclean sanctifies the purifying the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ?

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Who through the eternal spirit? Offered himself without spot to God. That's gonna be one of the most amazing

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Trinitarian texts in the New Testament about what happens between father son and spirit in Bringing about the forgiveness of the elect right there mark it you have

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Christ spirit God one verse How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God Cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living

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God We do no one any favors

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When we try to make the cross more acceptable to unbelievers

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It needs to be the offensive reality that it was and that one sacrifice

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Can cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God and for this reason

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He is the mediator of the new covenant by means of death

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For the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant how all those people get saved is only one way of salvation the one sacrifice of Christ That those who are who?

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called Those who are the called There is election

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May receive the promise of the eternal inheritance not by works of righteousness which they have done

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But by his mercy, right? The consistency is beautiful absolutely beautiful For where there is a testament there must also necessity be the death of the testator

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For a testament is enforced after men are dead since it has no power at all while the testator lives Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood for when

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Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to law He took the blood that got cows and goats With water scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people

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Saying this is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you then likewise He sprinkled the blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of ministry and according to the law

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Almost all things are purified with blood without shedding of blood. There is no remission Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these but the heavenly things the copies of things on earth but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these

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For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands which are copies of the true

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But in the heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us

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Not that he should offer himself often as the high priest enters the most holy place every year with the blood of another

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He then would have had to have suffered often since the foundation of the world but now once at the end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself and As it is a point for men to die once but after this the judgment so Christ was offered once To bear the sins of many

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To those who eagerly wait for him He will appear a second time apart from sin for salvation so much that could be said in all this but what you need to hear is the fulfillment one time

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You're being called to go back to a repetitive sacrifice Every year well until 80 70 which raised all sorts of questions for many people

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But that's what you're called to go back to Christ was offered once better mediator better sacrifices better covenant better promises over and over and over again the same element is repeated and then

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To me the application he's obtained eternal redemption. He's done it by one sacrifice

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He's seated the majesty on high the right hand He is able to save the uttermost

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For the law Having a shadow of the good things to come and not the very image of the things Can never with these same sacrifice which they offer continually year by year make those who approach perfect For then would they not have ceased to be offered?

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For the worshipers once purified would have had no more consciousness of sins, but in those sacrifices There is a reminder of sins every year

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For it is not possible the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins I've told you've heard me say it before I'm gonna repeat it for you again

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Repetitive sacrifice is a reminder that your sins have not been dealt with That is why?

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The Roman Catholic sacrifice to the mass is a blasphemy before God I Know some of you don't want to hear that but Rome teaches

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That the mass is a perpetuatory sacrifice, but it perfects no one you can go to mass 20 ,000 times in your life and End up in purgatory suffering for your own sins, or if you commit a mortal sin in hell

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Now I know the current Pope doesn't believe any of that stuff, but that's what Rome is always taught in those repetitive sacrifices you have an anamnesis a reminder of sins

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Every year and I can't imagine what would be like to be that high priest.

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Let's say you're a high priest for 30 years You go in there and you you sprinkle that blood, but there's nothing about cleaning the blood up You can imagine thing looked like after 30 years

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Every time you'd come in you'd be reminded. Well, there's There's a dry blood

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I did last year and the year before that and the year before that it was pointing to something greater

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It could not be the fulfillment of those things a reminder of sins every year

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But notice Verse 10 There's so much more

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But we're out of time, but look at verse 10 Previous verse sorry, then he said behold

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I have come to do your will Oh God, he takes away the first that he may establish the second by that will

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That Jesus fulfills from the Father by that will we have been

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Sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all

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Greater mediator greater covenant greater promises saves the uttermost perfection in Christ That is why when we in just a few moments partake of these elements

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These elements do not save That there is no need to come up with some

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Aristotelian theory of accidents and substance To turn these elements into the body of Christ and the blood of Christ So by partaking of them there is propitiation taking place he did it once for all

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We are called in the supper To have an anamnesis the

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Greek term anamnesis we saw in chapter 10 reminder of sins anamnesis

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We have a reminder do this remembrance of what me Not of my sins my sin bearer

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My sin bearer he bore my sins He is able to save the uttermost because my sins have been placed upon him.

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His righteousness is imputed to me but you see

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It's all harmonious This new covenant and the blessings the new covenant we're gonna see it when we dig deep into chapter 8 next week

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Everyone in the new covenant has all their sins forgiven It's not a mixed covenant

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It's not you got some people who do and some people who don't The new covenants better because its mediator is a perfect Savior and His death has brought perfection for those for whom he has died

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And so they're their remembrance Is of a perfect Savior Not of their sins year after year after year after year new covenant

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God promised it God brought about we live in the light of it and it's these signs of that covenant and What they mean and what they say there needs to be a consistency and my deep conviction is

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That when you give the signs of the covenant

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To those who do not make a profession of faith You are doing so in such a fashion as to be inconsistent with your own profession you may say oh, but I'm hoping

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I Hope this will have Have an effect. I'm Hoping that this person this child

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Will walk worthily who knows But where's the New Testament say the signs are to be given in hope that maybe

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Someone will experience true saving faith No, that's not what we're told

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We are told that those who are baptized believed We are told that those who were taking the supper are proclaiming the

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Lord's death until he comes Need to be consistent

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And that consistency points us toward an understanding of the perfection of the

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New Covenant and therefore the need to allow the New Testament documents to define the

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New Testament ordinances and They do that for us Let's pray together our

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Heavenly Father We thank you for the book of Hebrews and its testimony we thank you for a tabernacle that had a veil and The picture

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That it presented the need of holiness and sacrifice And yet we are also thankful that our

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Bible tells us that veil was torn from top to bottom and You're the one that did it

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We thank you for the New Covenant we thank you for the better mediator the better promises The better sacrifices the better everything

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Because we're its recipients We thank you for it Now father as we

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Prepare to come to your table We ask that you would indeed cause us to realize

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The great cost that was paid To make this available to us make this real to us

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May we all reflect deeply Upon the once -for -allness of the work of Christ in our behalf.