Better Promises (Hebrews 8:6)

BETTER PROMISES (Hebrews 8:6)

I.  The new covenant is here declared to be superior to the old covenant by virtue of its

 establishment upon on better promises. HEB 8:6.

II.  Some promises of God are conditioned upon the performance of the people with  whom He makes them. If the condition be not met, God may break His promise.

      A. The old covenant was based on this type of promise: one which required the   faith and obedience of its intended recipients. 

            1. God promised to bring the captive Israelites into a Canaan land IF they

                  would hearken unto Him. EXO 3:16-17; 23:20-22. 

                  a. Israel hearkened not. NUM 14:22.

                  b. God thus broke His promise. NUM 14:23, 34.

            2. God promised that Israel would be His peculiar treasure, kingdom of

                  priests and an holy nation IF they would obey His voice. EXO 19:5-6.    a. Israel outran God's longsuffering. ROM 10:21.

                  b. God thus transferred the kingdom and priesthood from Israel to

                        the church. MAT 21:42-43 c/w 1PE 2:9.

  3.  That covenant was weak due to the unbelief and disobedience of the

   people. ROM 10:16-21 c/w HEB 8:7-8.

 B.  Incorporated into that covenant were ordinances of divine service. Though    outwardly pleasing to God, such could not deal with the problem of sin.     HEB 9:1; 10:1-4.

 C.  That covenant's inability to adequately deal with the remission of sin was

  owing to the conditional nature of its promise: a "do and live" proposition.    ROM 10:5.

      D. That covenant based upon conditional promises was inadequate because of:

  1.  stringent requirements. GAL 3:10; 5:3.

  2.  the weakness of the flesh. ROM 8:3, 7-8.

  3.  its limited scope. PSA 147:19-20.

 E.  Righteousness could therefore not come by this kind of covenant. 

            ROM 3:20; GAL 2:21; 3:21.

      F. That covenant was to last only until the Seed of better promise. GAL 3:19.

III.  Other promises which God makes are unconditional. They are confirmed by the  faith of none but Himself. The lack of man's faith or cooperation does not thwart  God's purposes in promises such as these. Examples:

 A.  The establishment of Messiah and His kingdom. PSA 2:1-7; ACT 13:32-33.

 B.  The durability of the earth. GEN 8:22 c/w 2PE 3:7.

 C.  The second coming of Christ. 2PE 3:3-4, 9.

IV.  The new covenant is indeed established on better promises.

 A. Its promises are eternal in reward. HEB 11:16; 1PE 1:2-4.

      B. They are unconditional in nature, for the new covenant is "NOT according

            to the (old) covenant..." (HEB 8:9).

      C. God alone would write His laws upon men's hearts to make them His people;   no ifs, ands, or buts. HEB 8:8-13.

      D. Sin would definitely be remitted. HEB 10:17-18.

V.  God alone would be the confirmer of the eternal promises of the new covenant,  performing on men's behalf the works that none of them could do. ISA 53:4-12.

      A. Righteousness comes through the obedience of one: Christ!

  ROM 5:17-19; HEB 1:3.

 B. A promise of eternal life based on God's faithfulness was established for    certain before the world began. TIT 1:1-2 c/w 2TI 1:9; EPH 1:3-6.

 C.  Christ came to save His people which the Father had committed to His trust.    MAT 1:21; JOH 17:1-4.

 D.  The Word became flesh in order to represent those elect before the law.     HEB 2:14; GAL 4:4-5.

 E.  Christ assumed the sin of the elect and bore the curse of the law for them.     GAL 3:13; 2 Co.5:21.

 F.  This substitutionary work brings the elect into favor with God.

  1PE 3:18; HEB 2:10.

 G.  God's wrath against the sin of the elect is satisfied by Christ.

  ROM 8:3-4; 1JO 4:10.

 H.  Having destroyed sin and its consequences through His death, Christ's    righteousness is then applied to the account of the elect on an eternal scale. 

            HEB 9:12, 15; ROM 4:25.

 I.  The blood of Jesus Christ substituted for His people justifies them

            (ROM 5:9), reconciles them (COL 1:20), and redeems them. EPH 1:7.

 J.  Having met all the requirements of the law faithfully on behalf of the elect, it   can be truly be said that they are justified by "the faith of Christ." The elect's

            faith is not in this sense an issue. GAL 2:16, 20 c/w 2TI 2:13.

VI.  Given the nature of the better covenant established on better promises, it is assured  that none of the elect shall be lost. JOH 6:37-39; 10:27-29.

VII.  God's faithfulness in better promises should inspire our own faithfulness.

      HEB 10:23.