Hebrews 7:22; 8:6

"Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant (Heb. 7:22)... But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior... as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises." (Heb. 8:6).

In what ways are the promises of the New Covenant "better"?

1. The answer is found in the word "atonement." We use the word "atonement" to describe what happened when Jesus died on the cross: He atoned for our sin. The verb "atone" means "to cover. In the Old Testament sins were covered. But in the New Testament our sins are not "covered." They are wiped away - gone forever.

2. The old covenant is a shadow of the new covenant, which is "the real thing." Heb. 10:1 says, "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves." The Old Testament is a shadow of something yet to come. The New Testament reveals the real thing. In Jesus, we see the incarnation of God. We see this concept clearly in the new covenant-making ceremony.

Step 1: The Exchange of Robes representing an exchange of identities.

When Jesus and I enter into a covenant relationship, he exchanges His robes of righteousness for my rags of sinfulness.

By swapping outer garments with us, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor. 5:21).

Note also Phil. 2:7-8 Jesus "made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!"

Step 2: Exchange of Belts which represents the exchange of strength.

2 Cor. 12:7-10

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

The term "thorn in my flesh" is a Hebrew idiom unique to the language. In the Old Testament it refers to ungodly people trying to stop the work of God.

In this light, the thorn refers to ungodly (out-of-covenant) persons trying to block what God is doing through His covenant children.

Grace is God’s willingness to unleash His power in my behalf through I don’t deserve it.

The firepower of the enemy is no match for a believer armed with covenant authority.

James 4:7 says, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

The Word of God came to Zerubbabel saying, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit (Zech. 4:6).

Verse 7 continues "What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’"

God is in the business of helping us bring down mountains and make them into plains. God is our covenant partner and He will release His power in our behalf.

Step 3: Exchange of Weapons represents the exchange of enemies.

We took on Jesus’ enemy - Satan. He took on our enemy - death.

But because of what Jesus did, we can say, "Death has been swallowed up in victory." ⁵⁵"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (I Cor. 15:55).

God has provide for an exchange of weapons so we can overcome His enemy.

Eph. 6:10-12 speaks in covenant language. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood."

Our struggle is "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." (vv. 12-16).

The Fourth Step - Sacrifice. In the blood covenant there is always the sacrifice of life and the shedding of blood.

Jesus, by choice, became the one who was slain in our covenant-making ceremony.

Heb. 10:19-20 says "we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body."

When Jesus died, the veil split from top to bottom, recalling the imagery of slicing the heifer.

Matt 27:50-51 says "when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. ⁵¹At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."

Jesus became the sacrifice - the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Step Five: The Walk of Death: Walking through the animal blood symbolized the surrender of one’s life.

Luke 17:33 Jesus said, "Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it."

In Matt. 16:24-25 "Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."

Christian Baptism reflects the same truth.

Step Six: Mark on the Body - The New Testament regards circumcision as matter of the heart.

Romans 2:28-29 says "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. ²⁹No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’ praise is not from men, but from God."

Paul tells us that in the new covenant, circumcision is not an outward mark but an inward mark on the heart.