June 6’s devotional.
“By saying a new covenant, he has declared that the first is obsolete and what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away” (Hebrews 8:13, CSB). Those words carry both warning and hope. The old covenant could expose sin, but it could never remove it. Rituals could point forward to Christ, but they could never save. Andre said plainly, “Don’t remain in the old. It’s gone. The new has come.” That is the great call of Hebrews 8. Stop clinging to shadows when the substance has arrived in Jesus Christ.
Many people still trust in externals. Church attendance. Morality. Religious tradition. Good intentions. Yet none of those things can reconcile sinners to a holy God. Andre reminded the church that “the Old Testament sacrifices and rituals, robes, bells, smells, buildings could not save one soul.” Only Christ saves. Only His finished work upon the cross can cleanse the guilty conscience. Scripture says that Jesus “has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6, CSB). Behold the sufficiency of Christ. He is the better priest. The better sacrifice. The better hope.
The warning in this passage is deeply personal. Andre asked, “Are you living in the old, clinging to that which is gone? It’s obsolete. Or are you living for that which is new?” Those questions demand an honest answer. It is possible to know Christian language yet remain spiritually dead. It is possible to admire Jesus while never truly trusting Him. But the new covenant changes the heart. Christ does not merely improve behaviour. He makes sinners alive. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Not by works. Not by performance. By grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
The world around us feels unstable. Nations rage. Economies shake. People search desperately for certainty. Yet Jesus Christ remains unchanged. He reigns as the eternal High Priest seated at the right hand of the Father. And He is coming again. Andre closed the sermon with this sobering reminder: “I believe the Lord is saying, ‘Look, I’m coming. I’m coming soon.’ Are you ready to meet him?” That question matters more than any earthly success or failure. Examine your heart today. Are you trusting in religion, or are you resting fully in Christ?
Father, thank You for the new covenant established through the blood of Jesus Christ. Thank You that salvation rests not upon our works but upon Your grace. Search our hearts and expose every false confidence. Strengthen our faith. Keep us steadfast in a restless world. And cause us to live with joyful readiness for the return of our King. May we say with sincerity, “My Jesus, I love thee. I know thou art mine.” Amen.