Christ, the Heavenly Minister

Rev. Sam Beltz, pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Oskaloosa, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Hebrews 8:1-13. The author of Hebrews makes his point plainly: Christ is the high priest who serves as our minister in the holy places, seated at God’s right hand. The tabernacle given to Moses was intended to provide an earthly image of this heavenly reality. Because Jesus has obtained this ministry that is much more excellent than what was given to Moses, the old covenant is passing away. This is made plain by the prophet Jeremiah, who spoke ahead of time of the new covenant that the LORD would make with His people. Because Jesus has come, that new covenant is here. “The New Covenant in Christ” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews is best understood as a sermon preached to those who have gathered for the Divine Service, exhorting them to continued faithfulness to Jesus. As the Son of God and our Brother, Jesus is both our exalted King and faithful High Priest who is truly present with us so that we might fix our eyes on Him.