Have you ever wondered what Jesus is doing in heaven?
Hebrews 8:1-5 gives at least a small answer to this questions. Notice:
# 1 - Jesus is perfectly seated at the right hand of God (Hebrews 8:1).
Unlike the priests who had to continually offer sacrifices standing, the center of Christianity—Jesus—is seated at the right hand of the Father, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
Jesus is the only Savior of the world. No one else was born of a virgin. No one else lived a sinless life. No one else died bearing our sins. No one else was raised from the dead. No one else is seated at the right hand of God.
The only right side of history that finally matters is to be with the Son who sits at the right hand of his Father.
And on a very practical levels: Grace means you have an Advocate at the right hand of the Father, interceding for you. Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed him and uses his new power to save them.
From heaven to earth, to the cross, to the grave, to the empty tomb, to the right hand of the Father on high: may Jesus Christ be praised!
“A day in your courts, O Lord, is better than a thousand elsewhere” (Psalm 84:10). Once you have tasted the pleasures at God’s right hand (Psalm 16:11), you realize there simply is no comparison to any quantity or quality of pleasure deriving from anywhere else.
#2 - Jesus is ministering in the perfect sanctuary (8:2).
The real glory of heaven will not be its pearly gates, golden streets, or jeweled walls, but the One who sits enthroned in its midst—Jesus Christ. He’s interceding for us, as he is being worshipped. In heaven, there will only be one person with an imperfect body: Jesus, our Savior, with scars still in his hands as a reminder of his love for us.
Jesus Christ is the only one fit for heaven and only those united to him by faith, whom he holds in the palm of his hand, will be with him. The Lord is much bigger and much better than we imagine. No one ever gets to heaven and concludes that Jesus wasn’t worth it.
In heaven, we'll all worship in one place, we'll all have the same pastor, and the whole world will be our sanctuary as we stand before the only true high priest.
As Flavel said: “Jesus, our head, is already in heaven; and if the head be above water, the body cannot drown.”
That is One we can trust.
#3 - Jesus continues to be our one-and-only perfect sacrifice (8:3).
A key phrase in Hebrews: "once for all." I don't believe we can overreport the permanence and infinite endurance of Christ's finished work.
Because of sin, we're East of Eden; but because of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, we're West of the new heaven and new earth, and getting closer every day
And, again, unlike human priests, Jesus was the temple to end all temples, the priest to end all priests, and the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. Grace means that your obedience is never payment, but rather an act of grateful worship, because Christ, once and for all, paid your debt in full.
Jesus doesn’t change (Heb. 13:8)—and either does his eternal gift of salvation for all those who repent and believe on his name. In heaven, now and forevermore, the benefits of once-for-all death continue to bless his redeemed people.
#4 - Jesus’ character remains perfectly intact & unchangeable (8:4-5).
Specifically, Jesus would not be a human priest because he was from the line of Judah, not Levi (the lineage of priests).
But that is good news for us!
For those human priests who served here were simply participating in a temporary picture of what would be fulfilled in Jesus. I'm thankful for a Savior in whom there is no shadow of turning and from whom there is grace upon grace—not just a “type” or “shadow” (8:5).
The weather changes, governments change, people change, circumstances of life change, your body changes. But have hope! Jesus never changes.
Thank the Lord for Hebrews 13:8—Jesus is the same (as) "yesterday.” Eternally glorious—one with the Father & Spirit, Creator & Sustainer of all things. Jesus is the same “today.” Constant, not predictable; changeless, not boring. Jesus is the same “forever.”
Jesus. Cannot. Get. Better.
The God, who doesn’t change, calls us to a life of progressive heart and life change. So many things changing so much of the time. But God doesn’t change, his promises are sure, his presence is with you forever and he is forever faithful. And that is as real as it gets!
