We journey through the profound teachings of Hebrews, analyzing the importance of Christ’s role under a new covenant and how it differs from the Old Testament’s system. By drawing comparisons between the old and new covenants, Dr. McGee offers insight into why our faith is anchored in better promises today. Join us as we learn about the grace of God, which both saves us and underscores the importance of walking in the Spirit.
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
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Welcome to Through the Bible on the eve of the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Our study continues in the book of Hebrews and it’s a great place for us to linger a bit because Hebrews points us to Jesus. This season we’re celebrating what actually began in eternity past when God set a grand plan in motion to save us, the people he loves. We’ll start with an introduction by our teacher Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
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We have another word today, friends, on the subject of dispensations. Maybe some of you are getting tired of hearing about it, but I trust not, because it’s so important. But it’s very much like the young man was proposing to his girlfriend, and he concluded his speech by saying, he says, I do not have a Cadillac convertible like Harry’s, and I do not have a yacht like Harry, but I love you. She said, I love you too, but tell me more about Harry. So we’re going to tell you more today about dispensations. There are three dispensations that concern us in the New Testament, and there’s apt to be confusion. The dispensation of law, which ended with the coming of the Lord Jesus and his death upon the cross and the day of Pentecost. Then we have the dispensation of grace, and that dispensation of grace is where we are today. But ahead of us is the dispensation of the kingdom, when God’s kingdom will be established here upon the earth. And there’s certain standards and certain rules and regulations that concern all of these. Now, the wonderful dispensation of grace that we are in, and I want to talk first about this standard that God has given to those of us that are saved by the grace of God. The standard here is above all human ability. For instance, let me give you just some verses that reveal the standard under grace. We’re told in 2 Corinthians 10, 5, “…casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God.” and bringeth into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Have you reached that high a level of living today? Well, that’s what’s set before believers. And in 1 Peter 2, 9, we’re told that you should show forth the praises. That is the characteristics of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Honestly, friend, if you’re a Christian, you represent Jesus Christ down here. You’re his signboard. You are his salesman. You are his bag of samples that he has. And that’s a high standard, wouldn’t you think? And then we read again in Scripture in Ephesians 5.20, giving thanks always for all things unto God. My, that’s a high plane to come to. Again, in Ephesians 4, 1, that ye walk worthy of the high calling wherewith ye are called. And then we’re told in 1 John 1, 7, walk in the light. Ephesians 5, 2, walk in love. And then we’re told to walk in the Spirit in Galatians 5, 16. Then we’re told, grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. And then we’re told to quench not the Spirit. Then we’re told to be filled with the Spirit. So actually, we’re called to a much higher plane than we were under law, that Israel was under law, or that they will be under even in the kingdom. You and I have been called to a very high plane indeed. And the question arises, how are you and I going to attain under this? Because I don’t know about you, I can’t do it with human ability. I’ve tried it and fallen on my face. But God has provided the method and the means to attain that high standard. Over in Galatians, in the fifth chapter, in verse 22, he says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Wouldn’t you love to have all these fruits in your life? And they are attainable, we are told. How? Well, if you will just keep reading in that epistle, and they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh. When did we do that? Well, when Christ died. You and I can’t crucify ourselves. With the affections and lusts, if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Now, there it means walking in the Spirit means to learn to walk in the Spirit. And I think that that is something that is so neglected today by Christians. It’s probably the most neglected truth that it is. God has asked you and me to walk by the Spirit, not in our own strength. I can’t represent Christ in my own strength. It’s only by walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. And how does that come about? The word walk here means learn to walk. And how do you learn to walk? Have you ever seen a little fellow that’s just learning to walk? I had the privilege of watching my two grandsons learn to walk. And I’m telling you, one of them fell on his nose. I know a hundred times, but he learned to walk. And today I can’t catch him. May I say to you, that’s the way that you learn to walk by the Spirit of God. Each day is to say, Lord, I want to walk today by the power of the Holy Spirit. That means there’ll be no unconfessed sins in your life. That means today you’re willing to do God’s will. And if you’re willing to do that and step out and say, now, Lord, help me to take the next step. And the Spirit of God will be there to help you in that. This is the grace method. God provides his own. What the law could not do. That was weak. Weak how? Was the law weak? It certainly was not weak. It was weak in the flesh. You and I are the weak ones. We couldn’t attain to it, not even to the law standard. And certainly we cannot attain to the grace standard. But by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can and should do that. Now, grace saves us and teaches us how to live. And I have mentioned the fact that grace, you know, it not only teaches us, but it saves us. That’s what Paul told a young preacher when he wrote to Titus. He said in the second chapter, Verse 11, “…for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” I like to change that. “…the grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared.” Salvation is for all men. That’s the reason I don’t buy this new doctrine of election that’s going around where you don’t have to give out the word of God. I say to you, we’re called to give it out to everybody because it’s for everybody. And it says, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldliness, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. It not only saves us, but it teaches us, as we see, to walk by the Spirit. Now, when God saves you, you come to him He does not require any character or any conduct. In fact, he doesn’t accept that because he says your righteousness is filthy rags and there’s none righteous, no, not one. And there’s none that meets his standard. And so God provides it all. When you come, I know today that the average unsaved man I remember playing golf with a man, and a man was invited to church by one of my officers that was playing with me. And he said, oh, no, I don’t want that preacher telling me what to do. And I told him, I said, I haven’t anything to tell you what to do. He was amazed. I says, you know, God’s not asking you to do anything. He said, you don’t mean it. I said, I do mean it. God’s not asking you to do a thing. God’s done it all for you, brother. And he’ll save you by grace. You can come to him. And the hymn says, just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me. Oh, Lamb of God, I come and you come on that kind of basis. And God saves you that way. And when you trust him, he’ll save you by his wonderful grace.
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Let’s pray. Father, nothing in our hands we bring. Simply to your cross we cling. Speak to us through your word. In Jesus’ name, amen. We’re in Hebrews 8 as we go through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
SPEAKER 01 :
Now, friends, as we come today back to this marvelous 8th chapter, verse 6 of Hebrews, we have seen that the Lord Jesus ministers in a better tabernacle, that there’s a real one in heaven, genuine. He today has made the throne of God a throne of grace, and we have been bidden to come there with great confidence and assurance that he’s there. Now, last time we saw that he hath obtained a more excellent ministry. And the fact of the matter is that we have here he’s working now under a new covenant. He hath obtained a more excellent ministry. by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. Now, we have what’s known as the New Covenant today. We call it the New Testament. The New Testament is actually a new covenant that God has made. And it’s in contrast to the Old Covenant. Now, if you believe that it was different back in the Old Testament under law, When God gave to Moses the Mosaic law, and then he gave to them the tabernacle with its service, that’s where sin was dealt with. No one was ever saved by keeping the law. No one ever came to God and said, “‘I’ve kept all your commandments, therefore receive me.'” No, they were always bringing sacrifices because they were sinners. The law revealed to them that they’d come short of the glory of God. Now, that was the system in that day, and the sacrificial system was all shadow. The tabernacle God gave them was a real tabernacle, but it was a shadow of the reality of the one Christ ministers in today. And so we have a better one today, a better high priest and a better tabernacle. In other words, so far we’ve seen that we have a better priest today. We have a better sacrifice today. And we have a better tabernacle today. And all of this converges yonder at that brazen altar. For Christ is all three. He’s the better priest that ministers there. He’s the better sacrifice he offered himself. And he ministers in a better tabernacle for he offered his blood. for your sin and my sin. Now, I have always taken the position and did in my book on the tabernacle, God’s portrait of Christ. And it deals with this tabernacle on earth, that it’s a picture of the reality in heaven. And in that, I take the position that Christ offered his literal blood in heaven. That’s what he was doing when he told Mary, Touch me not, I have not yet ascended to my God, your God, my Father, and your Father. I’m on the way. And he was a high priest then, on the way. And I think he offered his literal blood in heaven. And I believe it’s going to be there throughout eternity. Now, somebody’s going to say to me, because it has been said, when that book was first reviewed by a Christian magazine in the East, they were very complimentary of the book. But they gave a warning. They suggested that all preachers get it. But they said, now, you have to be very careful. This man takes everything literal. He believes that Jesus offered his literal blood in heaven. And we feel that’s crude. Well, my friend, I don’t think that the blood of Christ is crude, even when it was shed here on earth or when it’s offered in heaven. I don’t feel it’s crude because Simon Peter, he was not what you’d call a cultured individual. He called it precious. He said, it’s the precious blood of Christ. And I don’t think that there’s anything crude about it. I think it’s going to be there in heaven throughout eternity to remind you and me the price that was paid for it. And my feeling is this, that as someone came to A great preacher in the East, years ago, and she was one of these society dowagers, had a lorgnette, you know, a lorgnette is a snare on the end of a stick. And she came up and put that lorgnette up to her eye and she says, Doctor, I hope you won’t be like our last preacher. He was rather old-fashioned. He put a great emphasis on the blood. And to me, it’s very offensive. The blood, it offends my ascetic nature. And she asked him if he didn’t take it as offensive. He said, I do not see anything offensive about the blood of Christ, but your sin and my sin. And I have a notion that preacher didn’t get along with that woman either. May I say to you, friends, very definitely, very dogmatically, I believe it’s there. And I believe it’s there to remind us throughout eternity. He paid a price for us. Now, we’re told here that it’s established upon better promises, better promises today. Now, back in the Old Testament, why they brought their sacrifices. They were given the law, and when they broke it, they brought the sacrifices. And by the way, before God gave the law and the instructions for the tabernacle, they came like they did in Abraham’s day, you know. And he came by faith to God. And then you move back of Abraham, you find out Noah was on a little different basis altogether. I don’t think you can read the Bible intelligently without seeing that God dealt with men differently in different ages. and you don’t want to call that dispensations, then you come up with your own word. But it’s there, my friend. If you accept the inerrancy of Scripture and believe that it’s the Word of God, you’ve got dispensations there, if you read it right. And we’re reminded here that there are better promises. This new covenant is based on better promises. Now, you and I have entered in today and have been made a part of it. But may I say to you, God is not through with the nation Israel. He makes that very clear and that these better promises are going to be fulfilled in the future. And I’d just like to turn to one passage of Scripture. We’ve been over it recently. It’s Jeremiah, the 31st chapter. And in this chapter, you just can’t get away from the fact that God is going to return the children of Israel back to that land. And friends, this present return is not the fulfillment of prophecy according to my book. Now, he says, very definitely, he’s going to return them to the land. In Jeremiah 30, verse 18, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I’ll bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places, and the city shall be built upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. Then in chapter 31, verse 8, Behold, I’ll bring them from the north country, gather them from the coasts of the earth, And by the way, he mentions the north country. That’s Russia. By the way, they’re not doing so well today getting out of Russia. But when God brings them, there’ll be no problem at that time when they turn to him. And he goes on to say, verse 10, “…hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob.” Now, they’re not back there under God’s redemption today. They are far from him. Now, God says, when that day comes, and I drop down now to verse 31 of chapter 31 of Jeremiah. Now, you listen to this, and this is what the writer to the Hebrews is talking about when he says there are going to be better promises on a better covenant that God will make with these people. Verse 31. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, After those days, saith the Lord, I’ll put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Now, God says, I gave it to them before and wrote it on a cold, hard stone, and they couldn’t keep it. But now I’m going to write it on the fleshly tablets of the heart. In other words, it was external before. He’s going to do a work in their hearts, which he has not done up to the present as a nation. And there’s no turning to God at all. A guide that I had the privilege of meeting, and I liked him very much. He’s a very attractive fellow. And he just smiled when I witnessed to him about the Lord Jesus. I told him, I said, you ought to be telling me about Jesus. You’re a Jew. You’re living here in this land. This is where he lived. And he died for the sins of the world. And I’m a poor Gentile. I’ve come from afar. You ought to be telling me about him. But here I am telling you. He just laughed. May I say to you, friends, they are not backed according to this promise, but God’s going to make it good. Why? Because, listen to him, verse 34, “…they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me.” They don’t know him today. from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I’ll remember their sin no more. Now, that’s what the writer to the Hebrews is talking about here, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, that is, If there’d been nothing wrong with that first covenant, God says, then should no place have been sought for a second. Now, what he’s saying here is something I think very important. He’s saying here the first covenant was not adequate and it created a necessity for a better covenant. Now, somebody says, then the covenant was wrong. Oh, no. Will you listen to him? Verse 8. For finding fault with them, not with it. The problem never was with God’s covenant. And there’s nothing wrong with God’s law. But there’s a whole lot wrong with you and me. You and I are not able to keep it. We’re not able to measure up to it. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I’ll make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. We’ve just read about that in Jeremiah, and you could read about it in the rest of the prophets if we have time. Now, verse 9. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. Because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I’ll put my laws into their mind, write them into their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord. For all shall know me from the least to the greatest.” For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that, he saith, a new covenant. He hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. So, my friend, we’re not under the Mosaic system. That system, God says, now it’s old. It’s an old model. He’s brought in a new model today. And that new covenant, he’s made through the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Savior. And he did it because something wrong with the old. No, there’s something wrong with us. And I feel sorry for these people today. And my friend, I come back to it. You’re just drinking milk when you get back under the law. And you talk about keeping a Sabbath day. And you talk about keeping the law. You know you don’t keep the Mosaic system, if you’re honest. You come short. Now, if you come to God, he’s gracious today. The Lord Jesus is right now at God’s right hand. You could come to him. If you would come to him, you can come and he will receive you. You and I can’t keep the old. I like to put it in this story. I use it in the eighth chapter of Romans. It’s like the woman or the housewife, she puts a roast in the oven and at the price they are today, they don’t put many roasts there. And so she puts the roast in the oven and she gets busy in the kitchen. And so the telephone rings and she listens to the phone and it’s Ms. Doe, John Doe’s wife. And Boy, she has a bit of gossip. She begins by saying, have you heard? And believe me, she hadn’t heard. And they talk for about 45 minutes or an hour. And all of a sudden, she smells something burning in the kitchen. And she says, oh, Ms. Doe, I got to go. because something’s burning in the oven and it’s not dough. So she rushes into the kitchen, opens it up, the smoke comes out, and she runs, gets a fork and puts it in. But the fork won’t hold. And then she moves it over near the bone and it still won’t hold. And so she goes, gets the spatula, puts it up and under the ropes. And then she lifts it out. You see what the fork could not do, the spatula now can do. And there’s nothing wrong with the fork. The problem’s with the roast. It’s overcooked. So what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God now has sent the Holy Spirit. We have a new covenant. It’s based on better promises. And that promise is that he’s given the Holy Spirit to us today. And he’s up yonder to help us. This, my friend, is a very wonderful passage of Scripture. And if you want to get off the milk diet, and I know they say milk is so good for you today, and it is. There’s milk in the Word. But learn to eat some meat along with it. That meat today is to put the emphasis upon the living Christ, His ascension and His intercession yonder in heaven for you and me today, my friend. When you and I lay hold of the living Christ, I tell you, we’ve gone to the heights. You can’t go any higher than that in this age in which we live. Until next time, may God richly bless you and have a lovely day.
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For more information about the work of Through the Bible, visit us at ttb.org or call 1-800-65-BIBLE. From all of us at Through the Bible, we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas Eve.
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All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.
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Through the Bible is a five-year study of God’s entire word, and together we discover God’s purposes in history and our lives, found only when we believe in Jesus Christ. Do you know him yet?
