Mediator on SermonAudio

Today Pastor Wayne Sanders share from Hebrews 8 about the new covenant that Jesus Christ usured in with the New Testament. The law was given to show us how hopeless our situation was and Jesus became the mediator of a better covenant. What happened to the old covenant? Are we still subject to it? LIsten and be encouraged that Jesus is our heavenly priest interceding for us with His Father. God bless you this week!

This sermon was preached on November 1, 2026 at Antioch Presbyterian Church, a congregation of Calvary Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America located in Woodruff, South Carolina. Dr. Joseph A. Pipa, Jr. preached this sermon entitled "The Completed Work of the Lord Christ" on Romans 8:34. For more information about Antioch Presbyterian Church, please visit ⁠antiochpca.com⁠ or contact us at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected].

Hebrews 8:1-9 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. 3For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. 4For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. 6But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9Not 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.

The sermon explores the theological significance of covenant history in Deuteronomy, arguing that God's past acts of deliverance lay a living claim on subsequent generations. It contrasts the covenant at Horeb with the Abrahamic covenant, highlighting how the new generation inherits both the privileges and obligations of the Mosaic law despite not having been present at Sinai. The preacher emphasizes that while the old covenant required obedience grounded in past grace, it could not bridge the gap of sin that separated humanity from a holy God. This tension finds its resolution in Jesus Christ, who serves as the superior mediator, fulfilling the covenant promises and opening the way for believers to approach God with confidence. The message concludes by urging the audience to view Christ's historical work as their own, calling them to repent, believe, and draw near to the throne of grace.

Seeking the Perfect Mediator I Seeking Whom? II. Seeking Why? III. Seeking How? Text: Lord's Day 6; John 6:22-51

This sermon explores the theological significance of the New Covenant by contrasting it with the Old Covenant established at Sinai. It highlights that while the Old Covenant was ratified with animal blood and external law, the New Covenant is inaugurated by the blood of Jesus Christ, providing ultimate forgiveness of sins. The message emphasizes that Jesus is the perfect mediator who obtained this ministry through His sacrificial death, unlike Moses who represented the people imperfectly. Furthermore, it explains that the New Covenant is superior because it is enacted on better promises, specifically the internal writing of God's law on the heart through the Holy Spirit. The sermon concludes with a practical exhortation for believers to recognize their new strength and empowerment to overcome sin, wielding the sword of the Spirit in daily life.

Chronicle of the Covenants: To properly understand Galatians, it is helpful to understand Hebrew history. There are three main covenants, respectively centered around 1) Abraham, 2) Moses, and 3) Jesus. God made a covenant with Abraham, and as part of it, He repeatedly promised to bless all nations of earth in Abraham's offspring. The initial physical fulfillments of the promises to Abraham were merely types (shadows) of the ultimate fulfillments of the new covenant in Jesus' blood: 1. Abraham (Promise) 2. Moses (Law) 3. Jesus (Fulfillment) Land (Canaan)---------------------------------------→ Heavenly Country Offspring Singular (Isaac)--------------------------→ Jesus Offspring Plural (Israelites)------------------------→ Church Blessing (All Nations)-------------------------------→ Gospel (Saved by Faith) Confusing: What makes this confusing is that in between the two is the temporary covenant of works mediated by Moses at Mount Sinai. It was not a covenant of grace (It had more to do with the grave than grace). It was based on law (performance), not promise. As relates to the literal, physical nation of Israel, the purpose of the law was to create a new nation from people who had been slaves all their lives, and was designed to separate them from all other peoples. It was a parenthesis between Abraham and Jesus, a covenant that is now obsolete (mission accomplished).

Mark 9:9–13 teaches that Jesus' path to glory was an intentional, voluntary, and substitutionary path that necessarily required suffering and death before resurrection. By commanding the disciples to keep the Transfiguration secret until after He rose, Jesus establishes that His glory cannot be rightly understood or proclaimed apart from the cross. Furthermore, by explaining that Elijah has already come through the rejected and martyred ministry of John the Baptist, Jesus reveals that suffering is the scripturally appointed lot for both the forerunner and the Messiah. This passage emphasizes that Christ's suffering was not an accidental tragedy or a failure of God's plan, but the ordained means to bear the punishment for sinners, offering instruction that true discipleship and the path of faith involve following a crucified Savior whose victory is firmly declared in His resurrection.

This sermon uses the analogy of a solar eclipse to explore the theological mystery of the incarnation, where the glory of God the Son was veiled by his human nature. The central message emphasizes that Jesus voluntarily humbled himself, taking on the form of a servant and enduring the full weight of human weakness and death to accomplish redemption. Key themes include the necessity of Christ becoming fully human to serve as a mediator, the specific ways his glory was obscured such as his lowly birth and suffering, and the resulting call for believers to adopt a mindset of humility and selfless love. The preacher connects this doctrine to the practice of the Lord's Supper, urging the congregation to reflect on Christ's willing sacrifice and to look forward to his exaltation and return with hope.