Overcoming Apostasy: The Better Covenant, Hebrews 8:8-12

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Overcoming Apostasy: The Better Covenant

Hebrews 8:8-12

Introduction: Hebrews is about saving Christians from the danger of falling away. None of us are immune to it. As Paul said, “Let anyone who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.” For that reason, I have been trying my best to examine the Hebrew letter from the point of view of how it can help me avoid apostasy. When I was young, I was amazed to read of good kings (Asa, Jehoash, Solomon) turn away from the Lord in their waning years after serving the Lord faithfully for so long. It has always scared me. What could possibly have caused these good kings to fail later in life? It wasn’t that they sinned and repented; they rebelled. Paul referred to Demas as a faithful brother many times until his last letter: “Demas, having loved this present world, has forsaken me…” 

We do not know the details of what happened to these people to lose their courage and endurance, except to know that if it happened to them, it can happen to us. The consequences will be born out in eternity, and I don’t want that to happen to me and I don’t want it to happen to you.

In this lesson, another beautiful message from the Hebrew preacher on how to overcome apostasy. This time it comes from the power of the New Covenant.

1. The Message of “Covenant”
   1. From the beginning of God’s relationship with Israel, God has acted as a “suzerain” King. A suzerain was a powerful, benevolent king who came to the rescue of an oppressed nation with the terms that if the oppressed want continued protection and deliverance they would swear their allegiance to the suzerain. In the same way, God has become our suzerain, having rescued us from the power of darkness and blessed us with peace, protection, and an eternal home with him.
   2. The essence of this kind of covenant is seen in the final words of verse 10, “and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” The critical foundation of a suzerain covenant is that it is not a negotiated covenant. The suzerain sets the terms of the covenant, while the one needing help either accepts or rejects the terms. This is seen in the well-known words of Joshua, “Choose this day whom you will serve…” 
   3. Further, just as when we buy insurance from a company, we understand that the insurance is only as good as the monetary strength of the company and it ability to pay. In the same way, a suzerain is only as good as is his ability to protect and provide. Thus, God’s warning to Israel concerning idolatry.
   4. We need to also be reminded that covenants are extremely serious in the sight of God. Covenants are sealed by blood, in our case the blood of Jesus (9:15-16) which has been sprinkled on our hearts (10:22). The reason blood seals the covenant is because it is a promise that if broken will result in the destruction of the one who violated it. Israel violated their covenant promises to God, and their whole nation was destroyed. When we confessed Christ and were immersed into his death/blood, we entered into a covenant with the Lord. Woe is us if we break his covenant. 
   5. Keep in mind the result of Israel’s violation of the covenant. They had been delivered from bondage, protected from attacks from the nations, and given a land of Promise and a land of rest. Yet, when they turned from God, the peace and prosperity of their nation was destroyed, their children and fathers murdered, and the remnant taken into captivity. All of this because they cast off their Husband who loved them and would have protected and provided for them.
   6. Therefore the consequences of the violation of God’s covenant should be a major deterrent to falling away. But that is not the preacher’s message in this text. His message is a new covenant that will deliver us from our failure in the first covenant.
2. What Was Wrong with the First Covenant?
   1. That seems to be such an easy question. Just about any Christian could immediately answer: “it is because the first covenant could not take away sins!” 
   2. Consider verses 8-9 by itself. What do you conclude?
      1. Israel broke God’s covenant that was made with them at Sinai. Because they broke the covenant and lost their relationship with God, God is now making a new covenant. Bad old covenant and bad old covenant laws. Good new covenant and good new covenant laws. Is that how you read it?
      2. No doubt there is truth to the above conclusion, however, the beginning of verse 8 presents a greater problem. A new covenant was brought in because there was also a fault with the people. And we say, “Yeah, bad people!” Really? Who says we won’t act in the same disobedience and violation of the New as was done with the Old? Who says we are somehow going to receive the grace of God when they didn’t. Remember, God also gave them grace! We must understand, humans are humans and we always eventually act in human ways!
   3. In other words, it is evident that we need a covenant that goes beyond a “new set of laws.” New laws are not going to help us. We violate laws! A careful reading of this text shows that there is something more that is needed in the new covenant than just a new set of commandments.
   4. One of the faults we have had in reading this text is to simply think in terms of showing our friends that we are no longer under the OT covenant. Therefore, quit borrowing commands from the OT for NT worship.
3. “For This Is the Covenant I Will Make…”
   1. Verse 10: Note the words, “This is the covenant that I will make…” Now, what would you expect the first thing God would say about this new covenant since he finds fault with the worshiper? I would expect it to be what is said in verse 12, “I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Yay for the new covenant! No, that is not the first thing he says about the new covenant! God is not just concerned about our forgiveness! 
   2. Notice the last words of verse 10: “and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” There is the problem with Christianity today and there is the problem with Christians –– their primary concern is forgiveness! To most Christians, that is the new covenant; that is what is great about the coming of Jesus: We’re forgiven! But that is not God’s only concern nor his first concern. Forgiveness is important, but forgiveness is a means to a greater end. God desires oneness with his people, a relationship in which we find pleasure in him and pleasure in his thoughts and his ways. Cf. Romans 7:4
   3. The means by which he claims us as his people – “I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts”?
      1. First, it doesn’t mean that Christians will have memorized scripture. Memorizing scripture is wonderful, important, and needed. But that is not the message.
      2. Look at it this way: what is in our hearts and minds before we become Christians? Let’s let Paul describe it for us: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience – among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Eph. 2:1-3). Now don’t say that doesn’t describe you, because Paul included himself and said, “we all once lived…”
   4. Now let’s take the next step. Once you were baptized, all those passions and desires changed, right? Suddenly you were totally in tune with God and everything he said to do, you were eager and willing to do and overcoming the passions of the flesh were a piece of cake! Huh, not really! Instead, now began the process of God putting his laws into your mind, and writing them on your heart.
   5. Therefore, the new covenant is not just a new set of commands with a better sacrifice. The new covenant goes beyond new laws and a heavenly tabernacle. The new covenant works on the heart and transforms the one who comes to God through it. How does God do this?
      1. It begins with God changing our heart (Ezek. 36:26-27). Obviously, he does not change our hearts against our will. We can be stubborn and refuse – which is the warning of Hebrews 3-4. Nevertheless, if we desire him, God does change us, not outwardly, but inwardly. Let’s read about how he does this in Romans 5:1-11. The love of God poured out by the Spirit through Jesus going to the cross while were were still enemies.
      2. Ezekiel 20:39-44 Notice God’s determination to change his people so that all will serve him.
         1. My holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols
         2. They will become a “pleasing aroma” to him and he will accept them
         3. Because of God’s deliverance, they will know that I am the Lord 
         4. Repentance and a change of heart is evident in that they will remember their evil deeds and “loathe yourselves”
         5. The result of God changing them is that he would deal with them for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways and corrupt deeds
   6. But that is not all. Consider verse 11: “they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest.” There are two important principles here:
      1. Everyone in God’s new covenant knows him. No one. Now please understand. He didn’t say, “All who are baptized will be in the new covenant, from the least to the greatest.” No, they shall all know me. If we asked the question, do you think there are people who are baptized who don’t know the Lord? I would have to say yes. And that leads us to understand what it means to know the Lord.
      2. The word “know” is intimate in nature. It is to know his ways, his thoughts, his purposes, his desires, and most importantly, his character. Paul said it this way in speaking of the mind of God: “these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:10-13). That is how we know him. 
      3. Now notice how the new covenant is in contrast to the old. In the old, children came into the covenant. They came in without “knowing” the Lord and needed to later be taught so they could “know” him. It is said of Josiah that he began to “seek the Lord” when he was 16 years old, and when he was 22 he began to implement changes in Israel so that the nation would follow God instead of idols. Josiah had been in the covenant from infancy, but it was not until he was an adult that he could know the Lord.
      4. However, in the new covenant, no one can enter without knowing the Lord. Obviously, the knowledge of God increases as the Christian grows, but we do not come into the new covenant as an infant or child with a child’s understanding.

Conclusion: How does the new covenant protect us from falling away? It is by God putting his laws in our minds and hearts so that he is our God and we are his people. God enables us by forgiving our iniquities and remembering our sins no more.

Berry Kercheville