Jeremiah: Everything Finds It's Purpose in Christ (P2)

Integration

Open your Bible to Jeremiah 31 and we will pick up in verse 34. Jeremiah 31:34-37

Before get to verse 34 I want to talk about covenant again.

We talk about covenant a lot and its a fundamental concept with in Christianity

When the Lord says “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant. (Je 31:31, ESV).

You guys get to hear my emphasis the word’ “This is the New convent in my Blood” every week when we come to the Lords table.

Understanding the covenant is vital to a rich deep faith

What are the old and the new?

“Calvin again, just cause, “Now, as to the new covenant, it is not so called, because it is contrary to the first covenant; for God is never inconsistent with himself, nor is he unlike himself. He then who once made a covenant with his chosen people, had not changed his purpose, as though he had forgotten his faithfulness.” [1]

The Law and the Gospel are not the same thing but they are not contrary to each other.

Paul said in Galatians, “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” (Ga 3:24, ESV)

I like the Old KJV rendering of that. “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.” (Ga 3:24, KJV)

The Greek word there “παιδαγωγὸς” paidagogos you could translated that, its a picture of someone that watches out for a child leading them to the right way.

The Law leads us guilds us to our need for Christ, and it does this by showing Christ’s fulfilled righteousness.

You want to wander and Christ’s perfection gaze at the law he perfectly kept.

You want to see your helpless ness gaze at the law you cannot keep even a bit of.

The gospel, predates the Mosaic law. That the whole point of the serious we have been on.

If the Gospel predates the law, the Law, how can it be the New Covenant.

The short answer as we say last time is that it is new in the same way the New at Cana was new.

Jesus said, “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.” (Lk 5:37–38, ESV)

New wine and old wine but both still wine. New covenant freshly minted and perfected in Christ and old covenant still God’s single covenant of salvation by grace through faith.

How do we see this new covenant, regeneration. All that have every had faith received regeneration, Able, Noah, Abraham, David, Daniel, and Zachariah, John the Baptist father, all were regenerate. Regeneration is an inward relative of the Covenant. What is new now, we have direct access to the Father through the son, those before only looked forward to these things.

That leads us right back to where we are in verse 34.

Lets read Jeremiah 31:34-37

Jeremiah 31:34–37 ESV

34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” 35 Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name: 36 “If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the Lord, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” 37 Thus says the Lord: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the Lord.”

May God Bless the Reading of His Holy, Infallible, and Sufficient Word.

Let’s pray

Transition

They shall know me is a very important phrase in verse 34.

Body

My Sheep Hear My Voice

Jeremiah 31:34 ESV

34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

The question being how do we know when those days are?

Remember in verse 31 says, “the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant.” (Je 31:31, ESV)

What is the sign of this new covenant. They will know me.

Calvin adds “We therefore consider that the object of the Prophet is mainly to shew, that so great would be the light of the Gospel, that it would be clearly evident, that God under it deals more bountifully with his people, because its truth shines forth as the sun at noon-day. The same thing Isaiah promises, when he says that all would become the disciples of God. (Is. 54:13.)” [2]

“Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me” The knowledge of God is now longer mediated by the Aaronic priesthood. Its not located in the temple behind the curtain to the Holy of Holies.

Jesus said to the Women, the time is coming AND NOW IS, that those who worship God will worship him in spirit and truth.

Jesus is perfectly clear here, before, you worshiped God be keeping all these regulations.

Now you worship God by coming to him through the one the keep all those regulations for you.

This is repentance.

Paul said in Acts 17:30, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Ac 17:30, ESV)

“from the least of them to the greatest” “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.” (Ro 10:12, ESV)

“I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more”

The problem in all of scripture, how can a just God forget pass over sin

Transition

Lets read verses 35 through 37 even though we will get into that next time.

I The Lord Will Do this

Jeremiah 31:35–37 ESV

35 Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name: 36 “If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the Lord, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” 37 Thus says the Lord: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the Lord.”

Conclusion

Its all about Christ,

The promise to Abraham in which we live, about Christ.

The Law about Christ to show what he accomplished for us. He righteousness and the perfect law.

His coming gloriously is as says as Calvin,

“clearly evident, that God under it deals more bountifully with his people, because its truth shines forth as the sun at noon-day.”

"1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (Jn 1:1–5 ESV)

Benediction

Romans 15:4–7 ESV

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

References

[1] John Calvin and John Owen, Commentaries on the Prophet Jeremiah and the Lamentations, vol. 4 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 126

[2] Ibid, 134