SHADOW OR SUBSTANCE?

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 sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.  (Hebrews 10:1)

Imagine you are returning from a long trip.  It’s been two weeks since you have seen your spouse.  As the plane taxis down the runway, you feel the anticipation beginning to build.  You exit the plane and coming down the ramp, you see a shadow from the terminal—you would recognize that shadow anywhere—it is the shape of your mate—and your heart races at the prospect of holding them in your arms again.  Now, I ask you, would you fall down and kiss the shadow?  Would you try to hug the shadow?  It holds the promise of something real, but of itself it cannot satisfy the longing of your heart.  Yet, there were Hebrews who were trying to embrace the shadow and exclude the Savior. 

When the writer of Hebrews spoke of the law in 10:1-4, he echoed Paul’s words in Colossians 2:17, where he spoke of the Mosaic rituals and regulations as, “a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”  

God is utterly holy and unless we meet His perfect standard we cannot be accepted by Him.  No matter how religious we are or how much ritual we observe, we cannot do enough—our sins are still with us, and those sins will condemn us.  The blood of animals being sacrificed cannot blot out our sins!  The Old Covenant pointed people to the Savior but could not provide their salvation.  Then, how were the Old Testament saints saved?  The same as you—by faith—but their faith had to look for a Savior to come, while ours looks back at One who has come.  

Sin haunts the conscience—guilt being the ghost.  Our conscience feels guilt in the same way our body feels pain—it is a warning system.  The thousands and thousands of bloody sacrifices offered could never take away sin.  In fact, they were a reminder of the sin and its penalty of death!  It remained for Jesus to take away sin.  Twice it is stressed in Hebrews 10:5-10 how Jesus came to do His Father’s will.  The shadow has been forever replaced by its substance!  The Old Testament offerings gave a promise of salvation, but couldn’t provide it.  It made demands for holiness but couldn’t deliver it.  In Jesus we are made sanctified—that’s how God views us now!

The cross is the symbol of our faith—it is central in our message.  I read of a chapel where the arch was engraved with the words, “We Preach Christ Crucified.”  Another generation was repulsed by this and focused on the example of His life—not the efficacy of His death.  They allowed ivy to grow over a portion of the inscription and all you could read was, “We Preach Christ.”  The next generation was even more liberal, the ivy covered more and it only read, “We Preach.”  That is what the church has done today—even among evangelicals

There were many priests with much activity and they never sat down because they never were done.  But, One Man—Jesus—offered one sacrifice, once and for all, and sat down—mission accomplished (Heb.10:11-14)!  We have a New Covenant (v.15-18) that made us righteous positionally—in Christ; progressively—Christ in us; one day perfectly—with Christ and like Him forever!

Don’t trade the substance for the shadow!

THE NEW COVENANT

 

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.  (Hebrews 8:6)

Marriage is a covenant.  A man and woman enter into a commitment to love each other exclusively for life.   God entered into a covenant relationship with Israel.  He promised to bless them, if they would obey Him.  They agreed.  But, because of their sinful hearts, they proved unfaithful.  God still reached out and promised a New Covenant.  This covenant would be provided by His Son, Jesus Christ.  It would be superior to the Old Covenant.  Hebrews 8:1-13 tells us why.

There is a better ministry based on a superior priesthood (v.1-6).  “He has obtained a more excellent ministry” (v.6a).   In this section, we get to “the main point” (v.1).  At the heart of this message is that Jesus is our Great High Priest.  The writer is showing the folly of those who were tempted to turn back to Judaism.

Christ’s ministry is superior in His seat (v.1).  The Levitical priests never sat down.  They couldn’t sit down because their work was never finished.  But, when Jesus did His redeeming work, He cried out from the cross, “It is finished!”  Then, He arose from the grave and ascended to glory—and took a seat!

Christ’s ministry is superior in His sanctuary (v.2).  The Old Testament tabernacle was a tent—manufactured, transported, and erected by men—temporary, and has ceased to exist long ago.  Yet Christ ministers in the splendor of the New Jerusalem above—the eternal dwelling of God!

Christ’s ministry is superior in His sacrifice (v.3).  Sacrifices were offered repeatedly by the Old Covenant priests because their virtue was only symbolic and temporary.  But, Jesus offered Himself—the Lamb of God once and for all atoning for sin and it will never need repeating.

Christ’s ministry is superior in His sphere (v.4).  The Levitical priests were men and ministered on earth.  Jesus is God and ministers in eternity.

Christ’s ministry excels in His standard (v.5).  The Hebrew sanctuary was patterned after the Heavenly sanctuary.  It would be like having a replica of Michelangelo’s statue of Moses on your bookshelf.  It could not compare in value and glory to the original.  

All this points to His supremacy (v.6). Hebrews proclaims the supremacy of the Savior in His person—greater than angels, greater than Moses, greater than Joshua; in His priesthood—greater than Aaron; greater in His provision—the grace and mercy in the New Covenant!

There is better Mediator based on superior promises (v.7-13).   “He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” (v.6b).

The law could give requirements, but not the resources to meet them (v.7-9).  It could reveal your error but couldn’t remove the evil.  Scales can show you how much you weigh, but cannot make you lose pounds!  The Old Covenant was an external code engraved on stone, while the New Covenant is an internal compulsion engraved on the heart (v.10-11)! 

Jesus has supplied our greatest need (v.12).  We are sinners who need a Savior.  He removes those sins as far as east from west and buries them in the depths of the sea.  

Music technology has changed much in my lifetime—from records to 8 tracks, cassettes to CDs, and now the cloud.  Things become obsolete.  Not the New Covenant—it promises eternal salvation (v.13)!

Are you in this covenant relationship with Jesus Christ?  If you are, then rejoice and tell someone else.  If not—trust in Jesus today!

A REAL DEAL

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness….  (Isaiah 61:3b)

If an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is.  Often, in our world, things are not as they seem—and the thing that appears to be a steal of a deal turns into highway robbery—for the purchaser.  The old clichés hold true: “Buyer beware,” “You get what you pay for,” and “Read the fine print.” 

A number of years ago I was sucked into attending a timeshare presentation by the offer of a free meal.  That turned out to be the costliest meal I ever purchased!  By the time I listened to the pitch, marveled at how much money I would save on vacations in the long run, and signed the contract—thousands of dollars would be invested in something where the maintenance fees continued to climb each year and the availability of the week I wanted to spend was seldom unavailable.  Finally, I cut my losses and let it go.

This is not to say that there are not some real deals available in life.  Sometimes we run into bargains that are exactly that—and we are foolish not to take advantage of them.

Have I got a deal for you!  How would you like to make heaven and miss hell?  Would you like to trade in your sorrows for perpetual joy?  What about swapping death for eternal life?  How would you like to have God’s blessing rather than His cursing?  Now that is a real deal, and God has extended the invitation!  It is found in Isaiah 61.

God offers a message of deliverance instead of a message of doom (v.1-3).  Isaiah, like all the prophets, was faithful to God’s Word—confronting the people for their sin and proclaiming the dire consequences of their rebellion.  It was not a sermon they wanted to hear, but one they needed to hear.  Much of his message was bad news.  Yet, God wanted the people to know they could trade that in for good news—the best news!  The Lord Jesus would come and fulfill this prophecy (Luke 4:18ff) by delivering us from our sin, into His salvation!  All we must do is trust in Him!  Now that is a real deal!

God offers a word of hope rather than a word of hopelessness (v.4-9).  Eventually, the city of Jerusalem would fall—the Gentiles trampling over the fields and taking over the flocks.  Israel would pay a heavy price for violating the old covenant.  In grace, God would extend a new covenant, the land would be repossessed by them, and blessing would be restored.  Trade hopelessness for hope?  That’s a real deal!

God offers a promise of blessing instead of a place of barrenness (v.10-11).  The curse will be reversed.  Instead of a funeral dirge, there will be a wedding march.  Rather than dressing in black to mourn, the attire will be white for making merry.  The ground that was full of weeds and thorns will be supplanted by fertility and fruitfulness.  Eden blooms again.  We have yet to see it, but God promises it is coming in a brand new age!  You can have this as your inheritance too!  Exchange your way for God’s will.  Turn from the miserable path of sin to the wondrous road to heaven!  It is the deal of a lifetime!