Jesus is the true and perfect high priest, seated at the right hand of God, who mediates between humanity and God, granting us access to the fullness of God's presence. He is not just a copy or shadow of what a priest should be—He is the real deal, the fulfillment of all that the earthly priesthood pointed toward. Because He is both fully God and fully human, He represents us before the Father, and His perfection is credited to us. Through His once-for-all sacrifice and continual intercession, we are welcomed into the very throne room of God, not by our own merit, but by His completed work. [13:41]
Hebrews 8:1-2 (ESV)
"Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man."
Reflection: In what area of your life do you struggle to believe that Jesus’ perfection truly covers you and gives you access to God’s presence? How might you approach God differently today, knowing you have a perfect mediator?
God has established a new covenant with His people, one that is not based on external rituals or our ability to keep the law, but on His promise to write His law on our hearts and minds, making us His own and granting us intimate knowledge of Him. This new covenant is unconditional, relying on Christ’s faithfulness rather than our own, and it means that our sins are forgiven and remembered no more. We no longer need to strive to earn God’s favor or follow a set of external rules to know Him; instead, we are invited into a relationship where we truly know God, from the least to the greatest, because of what Christ has done. [04:19]
Hebrews 8:10-12 (ESV)
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more."
Reflection: Where do you still rely on external actions or rituals to feel close to God? How can you open your heart today to receive and trust the inner work of God’s Spirit in you?
The rituals, patterns, and symbols of earthly worship were always meant to be copies and shadows of the true, ultimate realities in heaven. God gave detailed instructions for worship in the Old Covenant not because the acts themselves had power, but because they pointed to deeper, heavenly truths. True meaning in worship comes when our actions are united with heaven—when our hearts connect with God’s reality, not just when we go through the motions. Without this connection, even the most beautiful acts of worship are empty; but when heaven and earth unite, our worship becomes a true reflection of what is happening in God’s presence. [23:27]
Hebrews 8:5 (ESV)
"They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, 'See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.'"
Reflection: Think about a worship practice or tradition you participate in—how can you intentionally connect your heart to the heavenly reality it points to, making it more than just a ritual today?
Because Jesus is perfect and has fulfilled the role of high priest completely, His perfection is now our perfection. We are not striving to become perfect by our own efforts; rather, we are made perfect in Him, and we are being perfected as we walk with Him. This means that our failures and imperfections no longer separate us from God, and we can live in the freedom and confidence of being fully accepted and loved. Christ’s victory is our victory, and we are already seated with Him in the heavenly places, sharing in His authority and inheritance. [50:44]
Ephesians 2:4-7 (ESV)
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
Reflection: What would it look like for you to live today as someone who is already “seated with Christ”—fully accepted, fully loved, and sharing in His victory?
As people of the new covenant, we are empowered to create, act, and live in ways that embody heavenly truth here on earth. Whether through art, work, relationships, or daily routines, we have the opportunity to make visible the invisible realities of God’s kingdom. Our actions, when united with the meaning and truth of heaven, become symbols that point others to Christ and His presence. This is not about impressing others or following religious trends, but about allowing God’s Spirit to infuse our lives with real, transformative meaning that reflects the reality of heaven. [49:48]
Colossians 3:17 (ESV)
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Reflection: What is one thing you will create, say, or do today that intentionally embodies and points to the reality of God’s presence and truth?
Heaven and earth are perfectly united in Jesus Christ, who is not a mere copy or shadow of God’s nature, but the exact imprint—God in the flesh. Through Christ, our sin and fallen nature are no longer barriers to the presence of God; his perfection has wiped away our sin, granting us full access to God’s presence. This is something the old covenant and its priesthood could never accomplish. The old system, with its rituals and sacrifices, was only a shadow, a pattern pointing to the ultimate reality that would come in Christ.
Hebrews 8 reveals that Jesus is our high priest, seated at the right hand of the throne of majesty in heaven. He is both the perfect priest and the perfect sacrifice, having offered himself once for all. Unlike the earthly priests, who served in a sanctuary made by human hands and offered sacrifices repeatedly, Jesus ministers in the true, heavenly sanctuary. His priesthood is not just morally perfect, but it is the fulfillment—the perfection—of what the priesthood was always meant to be. He is the champion who stands between God and humanity, and now, having accomplished his work, he is seated, signifying completion and authority.
The old covenant, with its patterns and rituals, was a necessary accommodation for fallen humanity, providing a way to approach God through copies and shadows of heavenly realities. Every detail of the tabernacle, every act of worship, was meant to point beyond itself to something greater. Yet, these acts were only meaningful when they were connected to heaven—when they embodied true, heavenly meaning. Without that connection, even the right actions were empty.
In Christ, the new covenant has come. This covenant is not based on our ability to keep rules, but on God’s promise and Christ’s faithfulness. God’s law is now written on our hearts; we know him directly, from the least to the greatest. We no longer need to strive to enter God’s presence or perform rituals to be accepted. In Christ, we are already seated with him in the heavenly places. Our worship, our creativity, our very lives can now embody true heavenly meaning, because heaven and earth are united in him. We are called to create, to live, and to worship in spirit and truth, making visible the invisible realities of heaven in our everyday lives.
Hebrews 8 (ESV) — Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.
For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.”
In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
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