Some time ago, I began blogging on our Sunday sermons to help myself review; today, I’m continuing that by covering our June 28 sermon, on Hebrews 8:1-8.

As usual, I won’t summarize the sermon, since you can stream it if you want to hear yourself, but will focus on what I take away from it.

First, I was surprised by the significance of this word “sat”, and WHERE Jesus sat. I’d never noticed that before – that if he’s sitting in the tabernacle, he’s sitting on the mercy seat itself, the only one who could truly mediate between God and sinners; it paints a powerful picture of him as the only one qualified to save us.

Second, this sermon – and this passage – emphasizes the critical issue for our time and for all time. While other issues (social justice, the poor, helping the needy, and many others) are important and ought to matter to the church, that’s an issue of the church’s character, not its mission. Its real mission is to bring the message of reconciliation with this mediator who is at God’s right hand. So we must fight for the gospel first and foremost before we fight for anything else. Our savior is on the throne, and one day everyone must answer to him. Are we fighting for souls? Is that what matters most to me? It must be if I see him clearly!

Third, Christ is not simply a mechanism to avoid hell. He, himself, is the one I need – not as a mechanism but as a goal. v6 highlights this – his ministry is superior, more excellent. His promises are better. Do I see him as superior to everything else I could pursue? May God help me to do so, and pursue him wholeheartedly!