Sermon - November 8, 2015 - Hebrews 8:1-13 - Jesus is The Truth!

We have passed the half way point in our series through the book of Hebrews. We might not spend most of our time each Sunday in the book of Hebrews, but each message ties to the verses you should be reading each week. If you don’t have a copy of the reading plan, grab one on your way out.

John 14:6

“⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Last week we reviewed how Jesus is The Way, this week we will see how He is The Truth.

One of my favorite movies is ‘A Few Good Men’ with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. Tom is the young attorney and Jack Nicholson is the seasoned Colonel who runs Gitmo in Cuba. Toward the end of the movie there is a fiery exchange between the two when Nicholson is on the stand testifying in court. Tom yells ‘I want the truth!’ and Jack fires back ‘You can’t handle the truth!’ Probably one of the better movie moments from the 90’s. Their understanding of the truth were not the same thing.

Truth, can be an interesting thing. People will say they want it but when they hear it they may wish to ignore it or simply not believe it. More often than not people want to believe ‘their’ truth, what they feel is right.

I remember back in grade school reading about a great scientist who met extreme opposition from other scientist, even to the point where he was tried by the Roman Catholic Church and found guilty of heresy. Galileo Galilei was ostracized because he shared with the world that the earth and the rest of the planets revolved around the sun. He was sharing true scientific facts and those around him wanted to believe ‘their’ truth instead.

We saw beyond a doubt last week that Jesus is The Way, following Him will get you to heaven while following others will not. Jesus has provided the path and the means to spend eternity with God. Jesus is The Way, and He is also The Truth.

True Truth comes from God. While we may never have the mind of God, we are told to have a mind like Christ. We must continually set our minds on things above and let our minds be transformed by God. Only then will our understanding of truth conform to His.

Romans 11:33

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His way!”

The Truth doesn’t change, but our awareness of it will!

The depth of God’s riches, His wisdom, and His knowledge is truly beyond our comprehension. No matter how smart we are, we cannot truly understand God. Yet, we can see through His Word, the Holy Spirit, and the way He works in our lives small slivers of what is going on in the perfect mind of God.

Hebrews 8:1-6

“8 Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, ² a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man. ³ For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. ⁴ Now if He were on earth, He wouldn’t be a priest, since there are those offering the gifts prescribed by the law. ⁵ These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain. ⁶ But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree He is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been legally enacted on better promises.”

We may not understand why God had both the original way of handling sin and the new superior way through Jesus Christ, but He did. We see through God given verses such as these that there is a reason Jesus had to come offer Himself. The statutes given Moses were copies and shadows of the real thing, they were inferior to what was really needed. Jesus on the other hand is the real thing.

Jesus has not changed, The Truth does not change, what changes is our awareness of it. Most people have heard of the name Jesus but it does not mean anything to them, it is just a name. When God works in them they begin to be aware that Jesus is so much more than just a name, they begin to be aware that they are in need of a savior. They have become aware that they are lost without Jesus. Has The Truth, changed? No their awareness has.

Romans 11:34-36

“³⁴ For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? ³⁵ Or who has ever first given to Him, and has to be repaid? ³⁶ For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

The Truth doesn’t change, but our understanding of it can!

Awareness of The Truth will open people’s eyes, but true understanding can only begin when someone is ready to accept The Truth.

Genesis 3:15

“I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

In this verse God points out that he always planned on their needing to be more than the Old Testament Law. The Son of Man was going to crush the serpent, AKA Satan, under His heel.

Hebrews 8:7-12

⁷ For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one. ⁸ But finding fault with His people, He says: Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—⁹ not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by their hands to lead them out of the land of Egypt. I disregarded them, says the Lord, because they did not continue in My covenant. ¹⁰ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. ¹¹ And each person will not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them. ¹² For I will be merciful to their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins.”

This is a hard one for Jewish people to accept. They believe that the first covenant is still valid and that they will spend eternity with God by following it. They do not understand that it is faulty and that Jesus is needed.

As someone’s awareness of God changes they begin to question more and more. They begin to understand that there is more to life than keeping up with the Joneses, chasing the might dollar, or hanging out at the bar. They slowly begin to understand that Jesus is real and that life can have real meaning. They being to understand that they are lost in sin and are headed down a path they do not want to go down. Only then through the power of the Holy Spirit do they realize that only Jesus can save them. Has The Truth changed? No, their awareness and understanding has changed. They are aware of Jesus and understand that they need Him.

Romans 12:1-3

“12 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. ³ For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.”

The Truth does not change, but our acceptance of it will change us!

As we begin to understand The Truth we must let it change us. I am not talking about a superficial change like going to church on Sunday. The Truth should change us in ways that have drastic and lasting effect on our lives. We are to be ‘transformed by the renewing of your mind.’

Colossians 3:2

“Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth.”

Letting our minds be renewed and setting them on the things of above, will alter our behavior. It will help us to better understand God’s will.

Hebrews 8:13

“By saying, a new covenant, He has declared that the first is old. And what is old and aging is about to disappear.”

We are to forsake trying to live the old way and live by the New Covenant, the covenant put in place by the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.

When people are not aware of The Truth, their box holds whatever they think will take care of them. As they become aware of The Truth they begin to realize their box is holding the wrong thing and when they finally come to the understanding of needing The Truth, they put Jesus in their box. As time goes on and their faith grows and they begin to accept The Truth more and more. They begin to realize that Jesus is not something to be put in a small box and pull Him out only when they want to.

Bit by bit as they are changed by The Truth their box begins to grow. More of their life is impacted by their box and step by step they exercise their faith. They are saying ‘More of God and less of me.’ They are letting Jesus take control. Has The Truth changed? No, they are aware of Jesus, they understand who Jesus is, and they have accepted The Truth and are letting Him change them.

Where are you on this journey? Are you aware of Jesus? Do you understand you need Jesus? Are you letting The Truth change you? How big is your box? Do you pull it out when you need it or has it expanded to encompass your entire life?

Philippians 2:9-11

“⁹ For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth— ¹¹ and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The Bible is clear, we can be humble before Jesus now and accept His gift of salvation, or we will bow before Him at judgment day, pleading for a second change. Let The Truth lead your life. 

Thanks for reading!

God Bless You!

Robert