(This message series is inspired and excerpted from Heaven is Now by Andrew Farley)
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. (Hebrews 10:19-23 NLT)
[Pop Quiz: True or False? Does the New Covenant teaching begin in the New Testament in Matthew 1:1?]
One of the most important and often overlooked principles of the Bible is that the beginning of the New Testament, Matthew 1:1, and the beginning of the New Covenant are not the same thing. That would be like believing that the first Star Wars movie was the beginning of the Empire. They did “strike back” a few years later, but that doesn’t really mean you understand the beginning. In order to put all the pieces together you would have to (and I’m sure some of you have) watch The Phantom Menace, which came out 22 years after the first movie; then Attack of the Clones 3 years after that; wait another 2 years and see Revenge of the Sith (that’s the last movie, sort of); then Star Wars; then The Empire Strikes Back; and finally looping back to 1983 to watch Return of the Jedi. That sure seems harder to remember than God ushering in the New Covenant by filling the disciples with the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2. It was just as Jesus promised it would be in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, all historical accounts under the Old Covenant with Israel.
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5 ESV)
Over the years most of us have learned that Jesus was born of a woman, it’s part of the well known Christmas story. Why do we skip over the fact the He was born under the law? The New Covenant could not have been initiated with Jesus’ birth if He was born under the law.
Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. [16] For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. [17] For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. (Heb. 9:15-17 ESV)
“Why is there talk of a “will” in the book of Hebrews? Actually it’s quite clever. The words will, testament, and covenant are all the same word in the original language. We still use the expression “my last will and testament” today when referring to the official document. The writer of Hebrews is saying that just as someone’s will doesn’t go into effect without a death, so God’s new covenant didn’t go into effect before Jesus’ death. So it was Jesus’ death, not his birth, that brought in the New Testament era.” (loc. 547 of 2138) This was a really ugly time with harsh teaching and the unspeakable crucifixion of Jesus. Why is this such a big deal for us today?
“Jesus told his disciples to teach people to ‘observe all I have commanded you’ (Matthew 28:20). So aren’t Jesus’ harshest teachings for us to obey? There’s no question that Jesus told his disciples to teach the gospel and to teach others what he had commanded them to teach. But here’s a question: Do you believe the disciples obeyed Jesus?”
(loc. 565 of 2138)
Hopefully you concluded that they did just as Jesus commanded them. “And where can we find the result of their obedience? In the epistles they wrote! The epistles reflect what Jesus commanded them to teach. Yet nowhere do Peter, James or John ask us to sell our possessions to enter the kingdom, as Jesus commanded in Matthew 19:21. Nor do the apostles tell us to sever body parts, if necessary, in our fight against sin, as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:29-30. Finally, they do not suggest that if we fail to take extreme measures like these, we will be “thrown into hell,” as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:22 and 29-30. These harsh teachings of Jesus are conspicuously absent from the apostles’ instruction to the New Testament church. They do not appear in any epistle or in any sermons delivered by the apostles in Acts.
Why Not? ” (loc. 565 of 2138) Did the apostles deliberately disobey Jesus?
Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19 ESV emphasis added)
“At first glance, it seems as if Jesus expects us to keep his harsh teachings to become ‘great’ in heaven. And we might even think that same after reading Paul’s statement about law abiders:
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. (Romans 2:13 ESV)
This seems to suggest that there are people who can truly practice these commands, some who can be labeled ‘doers’ of the law. As Romans continues, however, we discover the exact number of people who have successfully practiced the law and, by extension, the number of people who will be called ‘great’ in heaven:
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. [20] For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:19-20 ESV)
“So how many human beings have successfully practiced the law?” (loc. 582 of 2138)
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20 ESV)
“Jesus wasn’t naive when he presented them with this unattainable standard. He knew full well they couldn’t even approach the level of righteousness he introduced. As Galatians 4:4-5 reveals, Jesus was born under the law, and the goal of his teaching was to redeem those under the law. How would he redeem them? The first step was to make them realize that any attempts of their own to ‘be perfect’ were futile. [Why are we still trying so hard?] . . . This truth illuminates the purpose behind the harsh teachings of Jesus. And it enables us to feel the pure freedom of God’s grace, here on this side of the cross.” (loc. 603 of 2138) What is pure freedom beginning to look like for you?
Heaven Speaks [What Jesus might say if He were sitting right here.]
“I was born under the law in order to fully meet its requirements so that you wouldn’t have to. Through my death heaven ushered in a new way for you, and Father’s ancient promise to Abraham was kept.
Although some look to my birth as the beginning of the new way, it was my death that started it all. Just as an inheritance requires the death of the one who left it, my death brought you an inheritance beyond your wildest imagination.
I have had many faithful servants throughout history. But through my new way, I have given you something better than any servant of old ever experienced. Yes, those who came before you expressed incredible faith in me, to the point of suffering, even dying, for my name.
Still, I saved my very best for you.
Consider your favorite hero from the Old Testament. I have made your relationship with me better than anything they could enjoy. Because you live on this side of my death and look back on my finished work, you benefit in a way that even David, a man after my own heart could not.
The ministry of the law came on the scene with a certain glory. When Moses came down from the mountain, my people could not look him in the face because of the glow of its glory. Despite the glory of the law, it still only brought condemnation and death to everyone. But my blood inaugurated a new and living way of much greater glory. Compared to the surpassing glory of my new way, the law now has no glory at all.
So there is no reason to flirt with the old way. You cannot mix death with life. The covenant you participate in is one of life, my life. I’ve called you out to celebrate the freedom of this new life with me. – Jesus”
(loc. 621of 2138) (inspired by Gal. 3:16-29; 4:4-5; Rom. 8:3-4; Heb. 9:16-17; 11:39-40; 2 Cor. 3:7-11)
Awakening to Heaven [A sample prayer to close]
Jesus you revealed the true spirit of the law to all those around you. Life with you in your kingdom cannot be earned; no amount of effort could possibly attain it. Thank you, Jesus, that it’s all about you and your efforts on my behalf. Thank you for your promise to be my High Priest forever, no matter what. I put full confidence in the truth of your new covenant promises. Thank you for forgiving me, and making me right. Thank you for placing your resurrection life in me and equipping me to minister your new way to others.
I love you Jesus.
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