Last week we said we were going to begin a series on asking this particular question of Why Jesus? And the answer is provided: He's better. And I think we're gonna stay with that answer. We're not gonna change our minds on that. In this lesson we'll see why He's a better hope.
- Hebrews 7
Previously we looked at why Jesus, and the answer is He's better. And we looked at chapters one and two, specifically understanding that Jesus is better than the angels because He fills a place that is exalted that no one else could fill. He's called a prophet—not necessarily by name, but He's described as a prophet.
- Hebrews 1:2
He's described as a priest because it was through His sacrifice that our sins are forgiven. That's the number one job of the priest, was to offer sacrifices for the forgiveness of people. And He is the king because He currently sits at the right hand of the majesty on high.
- Hebrews 1:1-3
The writer of the book of Hebrews, whoever it is, provides us with the answers to the question, Why Jesus?, at the very beginning—we spoke of this last week—and he's gonna spend the next 12 and a half chapters proving that Jesus is better.
Jesus is not only better, He is the only one that we should be looking to. He's the only one that we should be trusting in. He's the only one that is deserving of our faith. There is no one else. There's no one else that compares. There's no one else that rises to the same level as Jesus.
So we notice that Jesus was better than the angels, but Jesus is better because He brings a better hope.
Jesus Brings a Better Hope
“For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.” — Hebrews 7:19
There was a problem with the Old Testament law; Jesus brings a better hope. Now let's first off start by defining what hope is. Because I think we use an incorrect definition of hope instead of the way the Bible uses the word hope. We think more along the lines of a wish or something that we want to happen, but we don't have the proof or the evidence to back up that particular desire. We—it's just something that we want. That's how we use hope today.
You ask someone if they're saved and they might say, “Well, I hope I'm going to heaven.” I hope I'm going to heaven—and they're not saying, “I hope I'm going to heaven,” because they fully expect to go to heaven. There's doubts in their minds when they say, “I hope this or that.”
When we use the word hope, there's doubts in our minds. When the inspired writers used the word hope, when the Holy Spirit authored these individuals to write the word hope, there was no doubt. There was no doubt in their mind that the definition of the word hope is a confident expectation.
There's a reality that's been spoken of. There is a reality that is desired and we can hope. We can confidently expect whatever that particular topic is, that it's gonna happen. That's Bible hope.
It's not technically wrong for someone to answer the question, “I hope I'm going to heaven,” if we're using Bible terms by Bible definitions—that would be a very excellent thing to say. “I hope I'm going to heaven. I have a confident expectation that I'm going to heaven.” But that's not how we use the word. We use the word and we say, “I hope,” as if there might be some chance that I'm not, and I'm just gonna be happy to squeak through at the very end when the gates are being closed, if you will.
That's not hope. Hope is confident expectation.
So let's read Hebrews chapter seven and in verse 19 again. The Hebrews writer says, “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did.” There was a hope that was tied to the Old Testament, and according to this particular verse, it's inferior to the hope that is brought by Jesus Himself.
There is a better hope that is brought by Jesus.
A Better Hope is The Anchor of the Soul
- Hebrews 6:18-19
Now, how does that happen? How is it that one man brings a better hope?
Now, the King James translators helped you understand the flow from verse 18 to verse 19. And they supplied you the word hope, which hope is an anchor of the soul. But just read it straight through without any dividing of the verses there.
And the Hebrews writer says that they are going to lay hold upon the hope that is set before them, which we have as an anchor of the soul.
What good is an anchor? Maybe not much if you're on dry land. An anchor on dry ground doesn't really do a whole lot for you. It's just gonna sit there. It's not gonna be able to reach its greatest potential or fulfill its purpose.
But if you're out in the water, don't you really want to have an anchor on that boat? Yeah. If you're wanting to stop and maybe hang out for a little bit, if you're not wanting to drift into some place where you don't belong, what do you do? You get to where you're going. You get your fishing boat out there, what do you do? You drop an anchor. You throw something heavy over the side, right? And it's gonna be attached to your boat some way. That way it keeps you in a particular area. You can't drift too far as to become endangered by something.
Hope is an anchor to our soul. It ought to be considered that way—something that is going to keep us firmly in the place that we're supposed to be in. That is a right relationship with God in this context. That's called hope.
If our confident expectation is to reach heaven—and hopefully it is—we have boundaries on either side of where we exist. They're called extremes. We should stay away from both of them, by the way. And the properly trimmed anchor will allow us to do this. We'll float around in the waters of safety, if you will, without ever reaching the extreme either to the left or the extreme to the right.
Our expectation is heaven. The hope that is talked about five times in the book of Hebrews—it is always in reference to heaven.
It's 54 times the word hope is used in the New Testament. Only one of those times, at least by the King James translators as it translated in any of the four gospels. Luke records the word hope one time. We don't really start seeing the word hope until you get to the Book of Acts, and then from the book of Acts all the way through the rest of the New Testament.
You know, over and over and over again, you read about hope. Paul uses the word hope the most in the book of Romans. But five times in the book of Hebrews, the word hope is used.
Consider Jesus as Apostle and High Priest
- Hebrews 6:18-19
- Hebrews 3:1
It's significant because the admonition there from the Hebrews writer is for them to consider. Notice chapter three verse one.
“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession the same word, Jesus Christ.” — Hebrews 3:1 [or confession, depending on the version you're reading from—English Standard Version says confession]
We need to consider this individual. He's an apostle for us. He's a messenger that is sent with a message—that's all the word apostle means. Someone who's designated to go and speak in particular. That's exactly what Jesus did. He spoke a message. He's our apostle. We don't think of Jesus as an apostle. Why? Because He had apostles. Okay? But Jesus is called an apostle by the inspired writer because He had a message.
He's also called the high priest there, which is significant for us to consider. And we're gonna have to talk about the high priesthood of Jesus if we're gonna understand what this better hope is and why it is that with Jesus, there's a better hope that the Old Testament law does not have.
The Problem with the Old Law
- Hebrews 7:19
There's a problem with the old law. What's the problem? The problem is those that lived under the Old Testament law and offered sacrifices under the Old Testament law never had the ability to be considered perfect in the eyes of God.
Now, that doesn't mean they couldn't be considered sinless or without sin in their lives. That's not what the New Testament does for us either. It doesn't make us perfect to the point that we cannot sin. There's only one—and we talk about it over and over—there's only one who lived totally sinless in thought and in action in the world, ever, and that was Jesus.
The idea of perfect in Hebrews chapter seven and verse 19 is the idea most often talked about and referred to by scripture: the idea of being complete and fulfilled, mature.
There was something that was lacking in the Old Testament law and those that lived and died and practiced Old Testament sacrifices never got to the point of being complete. They never got to the point of being fully matured. They were never considered perfect in the eyes of God.
It was Albert Barnes, I think, that he was quoting from somebody else, who said this:
"Concerning the word perfect: it did not restore things to the condition in which they were before the law was broken, and man became a sinner."
The Old Testament law couldn't do that. All the thousands of sacrifices that were made on behalf of the people couldn't remove those sins, didn't have the power to. All it did—as you recall, reading from the Old Testament about the sacrifices and the Day of Atonement and what we're gonna read concerning this Day of Atonement in the New Testament—they would offer sacrifices for sins and it would appease God. It would roll them over for a year. That way He didn't hold it against them, but they were not made perfect in the eyes of God so that their sin could be forgotten by God because God remembered their sin every year. That's why they continually had to offer the atonement sacrifices.
The law did not make anything perfect, did not make anyone perfect, even though they followed the law, even though they offered the sacrifices as God had instructed them to do. They were held—it was accounted unto them as righteousness. Why? Because God—not looking at them—God, according to Acts chapter 17 and in verse 31, was overlooking, literally looking over the top of all of their sins, all of their sacrifices to one point in time.
That was Jesus on the cross. And He overlooked their sin. We talk about overlooking sometimes as the way that we talk about overlooking, and we're just not gonna count that as sin. God doesn't do that. There was no time where we could violate the command of God. There was no time when they could violate the command of God when God didn't notice and God, “Well, I'm just gonna let that slide.” No, no.
God overlooked. He looked over the top of their sin. He looked over the top of every single animal sacrifice, every single Day of Atonement, and the only thing God saw was the cross of His Son. And it was only when Jesus died upon the cross that all of the sins of all of those people from those thousands of years before Jesus lived carnally in this world were actually forgiven and forgotten, never to be remembered by God again.
You're talking about individuals like Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and Joseph—great individuals of the Old Testament. They lived and died hoping, biblically speaking, that God would fulfill His promises that He'd made to them. And when Jesus died, their sins were completely wiped away and God did not recognize them anymore.
Jesus Fulfills and Removes the Old Law
But how is it that Jesus brings a better hope? Jesus brought a better hope by fulfilling the Old Testament law and moving it out of the way.
- Hebrews 8:6-13
Jesus brings a better hope because He is able to fulfill the Old Testament law, usher in a new covenant that makes the old one obsolete. It was never intended for the Old Testament, the old law to be an eternal law. It was always temporal in nature. It was never going to be one that was going to be subjected upon all of the nations or forced upon all the nations to follow. No, not ever was that the plan of God. It was very specific and very limited in its scope to bring about the Messiah, to bring about the Savior of the world, to bring about and to usher in this new covenant.
Jesus is able to fulfill the Old Testament with all of its regulations, with all of its guidelines, with all of its obligations, and He does so perfectly, thereby qualifying Himself to be the sacrifice that removes it out of the way.
- Colossians 2:14
Some have incorrectly decided that what that means is the Old Testament laws and regulations, the sacrifices and the clerical side of the Old Testament law was all put away and nailed to the cross and that we are still accountable to the 10 Commandments. That's not what Colossians chapter two and verse 14 says. You know, it's every aspect of the Old Testament law has been fulfilled and done away with, and we know that because there is a new law or a new covenant, New Testament that is in place.
Jesus became the final sacrifice for sin. This allowed Him to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament and then to move it out of the way, making room for the new.
- Hebrews 10:9-13
Jesus did something in one event that thousands of years of Old Testament sacrifices and one high priest after another high priest that came from the lineage of Aaron—which was a requirement of the Old Testament law—and hundreds and thousands of Days of Atonement, couldn't do. Millions upon millions of animal sacrifices didn't have the power of one man who willingly went to the cross one time and it will last forever.
The New Testament—the Hebrews writer says—He offered Himself as a sacrifice for sins one time and forever, and so it is that He is able to fulfill the law.
Now, the fulfilling of the law means there's gonna have to be a change in the priesthood, 'cause if the law was done away with, it is important that the priesthood also then had to change, which is now where Jesus is able to become the high priest.
The old law was put away, making room for the second, the new law established, which was the power to sanctify. The former priests made daily sacrifices without satisfaction and Jesus offered Himself once—a sacrifice that would last forever.
- Romans 5:9
- Hebrews 9:28, 27
We talk about Hebrews chapter nine and verse 27, that is accounted unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, and we apply it to ourselves. And we talk about how important it is for us to get our lives right with God because there's a time that's appointed for all of us to die and we don't get any more chances after that. And after that comes a judgment. Those are all true things there. There's nothing incorrect in making that statement.
But here's the interesting thing, if we haven't actually looked at it in its context, he's talking about sacrifices for sins. Talking about there's not gonna be any more sacrifices. It is appointed unto men once to die—that's in reference to Jesus dying on the cross—and after this the judgment.
Those who are seeking after Him—that's you and I, those that are coming to Him—that's you and I—are going to see Him once again in His second coming not to remove sin. He did that the first time. When Jesus comes back, He's not coming back and offering the forgiveness of sins. He's bringing salvation to those that are looking for Him.
Salvation to those—the idea of the way that it says there in verse 28, those that look for Him, those that have done His will, those that have followed through with the New Testament plan of salvation, those that have lived their lives fully expecting the promises of God to be fulfilled, sins are forgiven, added to the kingdom, taken care of through the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, providentially cared for by Jesus in our lifetimes, sins forgotten and heaven is our eternal home. That's what's awaiting when Jesus returns. It's not going to be to forgive us of our sins. That's why He came the first time.
Jesus brings a better hope because He is the final sacrifice. We don't have to find another sacrifice. We don't have to question whether or not He was a good enough sacrifice. He's the only one that's coming. He is the only sacrifice that there's going to be.
Jesus Brings a Better Hope as High Priest After the Order of Melchizedek
Jesus is also bringing a better hope because He changed the law—Jesus changed the law to be our legal high priest.
- Hebrews 7:12-13
The next verse talks about the idea that concerning the tribe of Judah, which is the tribe that Jesus came from, there was nothing in the Old Testament law that ever said anything about anyone from Judah ever offering a sacrifice as a priest. Didn't happen. It would've been inappropriate for Jesus to assume the role of high priest while the Old Testament law was still in effect.
Because there was a tribe already dedicated for that particular purpose. There was a group of people that was specifically chosen by God to offer the sacrifices. There was a particular family that was decided to be the high priest, and it was a direct descendant from the family of Aaron, the brother of Moses, and they were the only ones qualified to be high priest under the old law.
Jesus is our high priest. We've already looked at that. High priest is used a number of times—at least seven times—in the book of Hebrews in reference to Jesus, which by the way, Hebrews is the only New Testament book that refers to Jesus as our high priest. We wouldn't know that Jesus is our high priest except for the book of Hebrews.
The law had to change. For the law to change, the law had to be fulfilled. For the law to be fulfilled, Jesus had to die. For Jesus to die and fulfill the law, He had to live perfectly according to the law. All of those things happened. Therefore, Jesus put the old law away. He fulfilled it, and He set it to the side.
What a concept. He just laid it right over here. We're not gonna use that anymore. We have something better.
What kind of a law is better? A one that is going to last forever, one that is going to apply to all people. It is an open invitation to anyone regardless of nationality, regardless of race, regardless of economic status, regardless of differences in life. It applies to all. It will stand forever as long as it's the big—if Jesus is high priest, which is never gonna change. As long as Jesus is our high priest in the law that we currently live under, the New Testament is going to be in force, and it's one that we can trust in and we can have faith in and we can follow because He is the one that brought it.
“The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” — Psalm 110:4
There are those in our religious world today that have—at least they say they have—more than one priesthood in effect at the same time. Those of the Mormon persuasion, the LDS, they have—for those who are newly converted into their particular faith—they become part of the Aaronic priesthood soon after their conversion. And at some point they then graduate from being part of the Aaronic priesthood into the priesthood of Melchizedek. Well, and that goes on at the same time.
You're not gonna find anything about that in the New Testament. Jesus was called to be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. That phrase is found no less than five times—and actually is found six times—in the book of Hebrews: of the order of Melchizedek. And parts of this verse, Psalm 110 and verse four, is found six times in the book of Hebrews.
- Hebrews 4:6 & 10
- Hebrews 6:20
- Hebrews 7:11, 17, & 21
Jesus is made a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
The promise of God was fulfilled in Jesus. Notice it said there that “I swear with an oath and He will not repent.” He will not turn from that promise. That's God the Father in the promise that Jesus is going to be our high priest. He was just waiting for the right time.
The Better Hope: Made Perfect Through Jesus
What is a better hope? We will get through this very quickly as our time is about to leave us.
What is the better hope? We as New Testament Christians are made perfect—completely kept from the punishment of sins—as the idea of made perfect, completely kept from the punishment of sins by Jesus our high priest who sits with the Majesty on high.
We do something wrong as a New Testament Christian. And if we're walking in the light—1 John 1:7 that we talked about—you and I can have confidence in our salvation because we're gonna do what's necessary to remove that sin from our life. But we don't have to worry about things that we're not aware of causing us to lose our salvation.
Jesus is there. He is our mediator. Part of that mediation that He does on our behalf was giving—do you realize that the giving of the New Testament is part of the mediation between God the Father and Jesus for our behalf? We should view the New Testament as a blessing from God because it was given for the purpose of our salvation.
We talk about the New Testament being inspired and it is the very mind of God. And that's true.
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17
And it has these reasons for its existence, but it's part of the mediation between God and our mediator, which is Jesus.
- Hebrews 8:1, 6
- 1 Timothy 2:5
As we conclude here, just remember this particular point above anything else: all redemption and justification before God is obtained only through the covenant mediated by Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ mediates the new covenant as we've already proven through Hebrews chapter eight and other passages. Therefore, redemption and justification before God are obtained only through the new covenant.
You can't go outside the word of God and hope—biblically speaking—to find salvation because it's not there. There's no other book that was mediated by Jesus Himself that was meant for you and it was meant for me, and that's going to stand the test of time until Jesus returns.
Are you a member of the body of Christ? But maybe your hope has not been confidently placed in Jesus. Your hope has stumbled. Your expectation of heaven as your reward when this life is over is not what it was when you first became a child of God.
Are you ready to have that secured today? There's assurance for us to have in trusting Jesus. There's assurance that we can have today that Heaven will be our eternal reward when we leave this world.
Do you have that confidence?
Maybe you're one who's outside the body of Christ. Where are you going to be when your life ends in this world? Will you be with Jesus and the angels carried into Abraham's bosom? Or will you be with the rich man who woke up in torment, who had no hope? Are you going to be one who's outside the family of God when He comes back to bring salvation to those that follow Him?
Can we help you? Having heard, or read, this message, are you willing to believe it? Repent of your sins, confess your faith in Jesus as your Savior, and submit to a watery grave of baptism where your sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus through the power of an almighty God?
If we can help you in any way, we would encourage you to contact us.
