Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow

Today: Start Dancing -

Timing of Jeremiah’s Prophecy

The New Covenant

Jeremiah 31:31–34 ESV

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 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.”

So why not start dancing now?

The New Covenant is already inaugurated

John 1:14 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Sermon on the mountain, a new Sinai

The crowning with thorns

The price paid at Calvary, and vindicated on the third day by resurrection!

Even if we look like fools!

- The Songs of Moses and Miriam

- Paul and Silas sing hymns to God while in chains

Romans 8:18 ESV

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Grieve when it is time to grieve. Still weep with the weeping, but pray for the moment and as soon as it arrives (even if it is fleeting) when faith is granted beyond your circumstance, start dancing!

Rom 8:18

Jeremiah 31:13 ESV

Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

Still weep with the weeping, but pray for the moment and as soon as it arrives (even if it is fleeting)

jer 31:

Yesterday - Your Salvation was secured -

Before the Foundation

Before the foundation = before

HE is God; we are not, so HE is acting

HE chose US, not merely a plan

My response:

Sometimes I just wrap myself in the comfort of that fact

Sometimes I still quake to the core of my being because it bumps up against that fundamental truth that a part of all our fallen human nature detests; that We are not God.

Not to the exclusion of in time experience

Not even Paul’s own experience showed this in or his retelling in or

The Apostolic message was to repent and believe

2 Corinthians 7:10 ESV

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

But to the exclusion of some future need

But to the exclusion of some future need

We may seek assurances

We ought to seek growth and maturity

We need DO nothing, it is by faith

Do you believe the gospel is true?

Do you believe the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are enough to save?

Do you believe it was for you?

John 10:28 ESV

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Glory is waiting -

Final Glory

the state from which Christ came in the incarnation

the state to which all those who become children of God will atttain

John 1:12–13 ESV

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Jn 1:

Present Glory

We received grace

John 1:16 ESV

For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

Jn 1

From this flowed John’s ministry:

John 1:19 ESV

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

Not only because in our culture this is a New Year, but more importantly because we who believe are new creations in Christ Jesus, and know that all things are being made new: when we look to tomorrow, we see glory; when we look to yesterday we see our security in Christ; so maybe today is the day we should start dancing!