Hebrews Pt 13

In this message we enter Hebrews 9 through the doorway of Hebrews 8:13—God declares the new covenant and renders the old obsolete—then walk the ancient tabernacle to see how every piece pointed to Christ. The lampstand and showbread prefigure the Light of the world and the true Bread from heaven; the Ark of the Covenant, overlaid with gold yet made of wood, foreshadows God with us in flesh; the manna, Aaron’s budding rod, and the stone tablets sit beneath the mercy seat, where blood covered Israel’s rebellion—signs fulfilled at the cross where the record of our debt was nailed and covered by Jesus’ blood. The old was a shadow; the new is substance—Christ our High Priest, our Temple, and our Mercy Seat, who brings the dead to life and bears real fruit in us by His Spirit.

But the new covenant is not about polished rituals; it is about a surrendered heart. Jesus exposes traditions that eclipse God’s commands, the same spirit that prized “our place” over God’s presence and kept ceremonies spotless while plotting the death of the Righteous One. God still hears the humble and contrite, as He did with Hannah; He still calls His church to bring the outsider in, like the man at the Beautiful Gate. So let go of self-reliant religion and cling to Christ—walk the narrow way with Scripture as your lamp and the Spirit as your Guide. If you don’t know Him, come: Jesus still saves, cleanses, and restores all who call on His name.