The New Covenant

THE NEW COVENANT

Heb. 8:6-13

Thesis:      The New Covenant is so far above the Old Covenant in the scheme of God’s redemption.

Objective:        To contrast the Old Covenant and the New Covenant to show the glory of the New.

Introduction:   The Bible falls into two major divisions: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The text points out some of the differences between the old and the new.

I.          Individual

A.    Read Heb. 12:18-21 – a description of the beginning of old covenant at Sinai. It was a national agreement (about 3 million people).

B.    Describe Pentecost, Acts 2. 3000 souls. Individuals. 3000 covenants made at Pentecost. Personal! Individual!

C.    No book at Pentecost. A.D. 30 (or 33). The first book of the N.T. was not written until 45 A.D. No one today can become a member of the new covenant without them.

D.    Old Covenant — written on tables of stone. New covenant - written on the heart! Becomes a part of us! You can carry these 27 books with you all the time, and still not have it written on your heart (2 Cor. 3:3).

II.        Companionship

A.    From the beginning, God wanted companionship with man (Gen. 3:8).

B.     The old covenant did not bring about this companionship.

C.     The new covenant brings (reconciles) us together (2 Cor. 5:18; Heb. 3:10).

III.       Know the Lord

A.    Samuel - a young boy. Circumcised. A member of the old covenant. But Eli, the priest, had to teach him the Law and about the Lord.

B.     New covenant - those who are in the covenant know the Lord! A prerequisite! (Acts 8:37)

C.    No baby membership in the new covenant.

IV.       Forgiveness of Sins

A.    Old covenant could not forgive sins (Heb. 10:4).

B.    New covenant takes away sins (Heb. 8:12; 10:10).