The Better Covenant: Built on Promises -(Hebrews 8:6-13)

Sermon on 28 June 2026 by Pastor Justin Chia

Hebrews was written by a Hebrew for Hebrews. They were in danger of drifting away and going back to Judaism due to persecution. The author of Hebrews wanted to encourage the readers to anchor their faith in Jesus and not on circumstances, emotions, or human strength. Our faith is not anchored in circumstances, emotions, or human strength, but in the unchanging person and finished work of Christ. They should persevere in their faith. We will experience persecution due to our faith but we need to persevere as we have our High Priest. Hold on to our blessed hope. The book of Hebrews urges believers to persevere in faith, hold firmly to their hope, and draw near to God through Christ. The author clearly spelled out the supremacy of Christ, and He is the true fulfilment of the history in the Old Testament. King David prophesied about the fulfilment and death of Christ.

There are 13 chapters in Hebrews. Chapters 1 to 4 is about the majesty of Christ (Christology). Chapters 4 to 10 is about the doctrine of salvation, which is the ministry of Christ (Soteriology). Chapters 10 to 13 is about the Christian walk and our ministry for Christ (The superiority of the Christian walk of faith). The author gave 5 solemn warnings to the readers to stay put, not to draw back, reject, or be hardened. The first warning is the danger of neglect in Chapter 2. The second warning is the danger of hardening of the heart (Chapter 3). The third warning is the danger of dullness of hearing (Chapter 5). The fourth warning is the danger of drawing back (Chapter 10). The last danger is refusing God (Chapter 12).

Hebrews 8:6-13 - “But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said: “The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.”

‭‭The establishment of a covenant based on promises of God was prophesied in Jeremiah. There are many cross references back to the Old Testament.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 - ““The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord. “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.””

‭‭In the prophecies made in Jeremiah 31:32, Israelites were not able to keep the old covenant as they disobeyed. God loved them but they still broke the covenant. ‘Disregard’ means that God lifted the favour and blessing from them. As they didn’t keep the covenant, the consequences were huge. They were exiled from Israel to Syria and Judah to Babylon.

When God puts His laws in our hearts and minds, we will be transformed. That is the greatest miracle. The new covenant is written in our hearts and we are now a new creation.

Romans 12:2 - “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

‭‭Ezekiel 36:26-27 - “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

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1 Peter 2:9-10 - “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.””

‭‭In the past, you needed the Priests to teach you about Jesus. But in the New Testament, the spirit of truth is in us to teach us the will of God. We don’t live in our past sins as the precious blood of Jesus has washed us clean. Anyone who draws near to Christ will be just.

Jeremiah 31:34 - “And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.””

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Romans 3:25-26 - “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin.

People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.”

‭‭The New Covenant is characterised by internal transformation and complete forgiveness of sins. The Old Testament has 613 laws. Grace and truth came from Jesus. The Old Covenant was external, written on stone, and conditional - dependent on human obedience. The New

Covenant is forced on the spiritual temple, the body of Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers. It is superior as it transforms hearts, personal relationships with God, and complete forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 10:4 - “For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

John 1:17 - “For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.”

‭‭Psalms 103:12 - “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

‭‭Matthew 5:17 - ““Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”

‭‭The old covenant is based on the law given at Sinai while the new covenant is based on better promises. The mediators in the old covenant are Moses and the Leviticus priests, while in the new covenant is Jesus, the ultimate high priest. The law was written on stone tablets, while the law is written in our minds and hearts now. The old covenant relied on external adherence to the law (613 laws in Torah) but the new covenant is the internal transformation through the Holy Spirit. But moral laws still apply like the Ten Commandments. In the Old Testament, our relationship with God is indirect through Priests and sacrifices but in the new testament relationship with God is direct.

Old Covenant	New Covenant
Based on the Law given at Sinai	Based on better promises (grace through faith) - John 1:17
Mediated by Moses and the Levitical Priests	Mediated by Jesus Christ, the ultimate High Priest
Law written on stone tablets	Law written in minds and hearts
External adherence to law (613 laws in Torah)	Internal transformation through Holy Spirit (Romans 10:4)
Indirect relationship with God through priests and sacrifices	Direct relationship with God through Christ (Hebrews 10:19-20)
Knowledge of God required human teachers	All shall know Him, from least to greatest
Forgiveness of sins is temporary and requires repeated animal sacrifices	Forgiveness of sins is permanent through Christmas one sacrifice. Sins are no longer remembered.
Effective and faultless in purpose but rendered obsolete by human failure	Effective, perfect, and eternal, providing complete salvation
Temporary, growing old, ready to vanish	Eternal and everlasting
It is a shadow of good things to come (Hebrews 10:1)	The substance, fulfilment and reality found in Christ

The Old Covenant revealed God’s standards and humans inability to keep them. The New Covenant provides what the old could not, which is a transformed heart, a permanent relationship with God, and complete forgiveness through the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Old Covenant revealed the problem where sin separated humanity from God, and no human priest or animal sacrifice could permanently fix it (Hebrews 10:4). The New Covenant provides the solution through Jesus Christ. He is the perfect High Priest who offers His own blood once for all, tears the veil, and invites every believer to come boldly into God’s presence (John 1:29). It invites everyone to come into His throne and receive grace. The book of Hebrews talks about a better Christ and better covenant.

1. Jesus, the superior Mediator

Hebrews 7:6 - “But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God.”

‭‭1 Timothy 2:5 - “For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.”

‭‭2. Better promises for a new relationship

Hebrews 8:11-13 - “And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.”

‭‭As a New Covenant Christian, we want to live our life according to the promises in the Bible. Many other things in life are no longer important. Everything is Christ first. Other things will not take away your attention for Christ.

3. Internal transformation through the Spirit

Hebrews 8:10-11 - “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already.”

Some are looking for external miracles but miss the most important miracle, the transformation of their heart.

A New Covenant is far superior to the Old. It promises transformation in our lives in the way the Old Covenant cannot. The New Covenant provides the solution which is Jesus. He offered His own blood once for all, tore the veils and incited every believer to come boldly into God’s presence. We can enter through His body into the Holy of Holies. We understand the sacrificial work when we say ‘In the Name of Jesus’. Leah into the fullness of God’s New Covenant promises. Allow your relationship with God to reshape every aspect of your life.

Amen.