Where Do You Find Your Identity? (Hebrews Bible Study: Week 8)

Thanks for joining us this week for Hebrews chapter 8! I’m so glad you’re here – feel free to hop right in!

 

Last week, we discovered a few new things.

 

*The law has changed – and it’s marvelous. Jesus is sufficient.

 

*Jesus will never stop being able to save us, sinners.

 

*Jesus’ sacrifice for us was once for all – because He Himself was enough to cover all sin.

 

Last week’s takeaway: Jesus is enough for us – and even more; a life lived by grace is one of true holiness.

 

Previous Posts in This Study

 

// Welcome to The Hebrews Bible Study!

// Who is Jesus to You? (Hebrews Bible Study: Week 2)

// How Simple Belief Rescues Our Souls (Hebrews Bible Study: Week 3)

// Why Grace Brings Us To True Rest (Hebrews Bible Study: Week 4)

// We Are Redeemed! (Hebrews Bible Study: Week 5)

// Our Only True Hope (Hebrews Bible Study: Week 6)

// Why Jesus Is Truly Enough (Hebrews Bible Study: Week 7)

Let’s Get Started!

 

Today, we’re reading out of Hebrews 8. Click here to be directed to Bible Gateway, where you can read it instantly.

 

If you hadn’t noticed it yet, Hebrews repeats itself. A bunch. That says a lot – that these truths are so important, and that they’re more powerful than we often give them credit for.

 

Even so, as the weeks fly by, I find myself mulling over the verses and thinking, “Hey, didn’t I already discuss this a few weeks ago?”

 

As I was writing this, I found myself becoming extremely discouraged. “What if people stop reading because they’ve heard it all before? And from me, even!”

 

And then I had to stop, catch myself. Realize that it’s not up to me what exactly’s in the Bible. When segments of the Bible point back to things previously discussed, who am I to say it’s boring because it’s already been examined?

 

So this week might be a little different. We might come across things that we’ve heard before, as we’ve probably all heard a lot of this in our Christian lives already.

 

But redundancy doesn’t have to be boring – it can be oh so powerful.

Number One:

 

 

All this is written to show us that we do, in fact, have One – Jesus – who is the ultimate High Priest. (Hebrews 8:1-2)

 

We discussed this in week 5. We discovered:

 

“Jesus is the go-between when it comes to us and God.

He deals so gently with us – because He Himself was human. And yet – His judgment is perfect, for He is fully God, and He is perfect; so while tempted, He was without sin.”

 

Jesus offered up a sacrifice for us, one that would take away all of our sin – and that was Himself.

 

And also in week 7:

“As no one else could, He paid for our sin and called us blameless before God – and that is who we are.”

 

So not only was He the perfect High Priest, being the Son of God, but He was also the perfect sacrifice. We discussed that in week 5 as well:

 

“There is nothing on this earth that will save us besides Jesus alone.

His sacrifice for us – the blood He shed for us – saved us wholly. We have been redeemed by Him and in Him alone are we rescued.”

Number Two:

 

This New Covenant we have is our remedy for sin. (Hebrews 8:7-9)

 

In Romans 8:3-4, we read verses that echo this truth.

 

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

 

What does that all mean?

 

First, that God requires righteousness – yet in just following the law, we could never measure up to that standard, because we are inherently sinful. And second, that Jesus became that New Covenant for us, the One that could save us by His death and resurrection, and, in turn, our simple belief in Him.

 

In week 3, we talked about how simple belief in Jesus rescues our souls – not in following the Law, but in putting our trust in Him.

 

“Instead of teaching people that their lack of sin is what can bring them to salvation, we need to let them know that belief – above all else – is what brings us salvation. There is a time and place for fighting sin in our lives. But victory over our sinful nature can never happen unless we trust in Jesus to forgive and cleanse us, as only He can.”

Number Three:

 

The New Covenant involves the Holy Spirit, and not stone tablets. It involves becoming cleansed from our sin, once and for all. (Hebrews 8:10-13)

 

God has written His Law on our hearts, that we might be led by the Holy Spirit instead of a rulebook. That we might follow His guidance, and not legalism.

 

That’s what living in grace is like. We’re Children of God – but not by anything we’ve done.

 

We talked about grace like this in week 7:

 

“In living a life of grace, we will be properly motivated to live well – not because we must earn something, but precisely because of that will we want to please our God in everything we do.”

 

We’re completely cherished – because God is good, not us.

 

We’re forgiven, set free, and counted blameless – because we are loved so much, and it was demonstrated clearly for us.

 

This New Covenant, this system under Jesus – it’s incredible.

Recap:

 

*All this is written to show us that we do, in fact, have One – Jesus – who is the ultimate High Priest.

* This New Covenant we have is our remedy for sin.

*The New Covenant involves the Holy Spirit, and not stone tablets. It involves becoming cleansed from our sin, once and for all.

 

In short? Jesus is the One that makes us who we are. He defines our identity, saves our souls, and mediates the New Covenant between God and His People.

 

Questions of the Week:

 

1. How does living in grace change the way you live, as opposed to following a set of rules?

 

2. What other kinds of remedies are necessary to life, just as Christ’s remedy for us was essential in view of our sin?

 

3. How would you describe the merging point of God’s perfect holiness and His unfailing love and compassion?

 

*aj