201216w The New Covenant

Introduction:

“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28, NKJV) It was a blood covenant that Jesus declared was the New Covenant He was making!

My heart in this series of messages has been to encourage us with understanding of covenant. I think many people are scared of covenants because they are afraid of breaking them. IE. HOAsWe have looked at: What is covenant? And we have studied the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. As we look at these covenants, one man described them as skeletal structure that must be assembled accurately.“The reason God's covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David ought to increase the joy of our faith is that in all of them the main point is that God exerts all his omnipotence and all his omniscience to do good to his people, and we are that people if we follow Christ in the obedience of faith.” John Piper, God’s Covenant With David.Reminds me of Rom 5:8 While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.While sinners…he is for us!

Truths to RecallA covenant is a binding agreement between two people or parties. God in making covenant with us, literally puts himself into a binding agreement with us.God determines the terms of the covenant. It is not a mutual agreement. It is not negotiated. It is given and agreed to.The covenants that God makes with man is for man’s benefit! They declare the goodness and kindness of God towards us.Covenants are all about relationship! God wants relationships with us. That is why He initiates covenant! They are meant to bring people together, by ending strife and conflict.Covenants are about the stronger person providing covering/protection etc. for the weaker.In the Adamic and Noahic covenants: God initiates the covenant, sets the terms, blood is shed to activate/ratify the covenant, and man is the recipient of the covenant if he so chooses. In the Abrahamic Covenant: God establishes a people called to himself. This covenant was renewed with Isaac and after him, with Jacob. Israel experiences 400 years of slavery and a dormant promise and then, God renews the covenant with Moses.The Davidic Covenant - a King/man on the throne forever!The New Covenant Heb 8:6-13

The New CovenantCovenant Love. As we have looked at the covenants that God made with man. We see Him binding himself to us. I want us to see that this ‘binding of God to man’ is an act of love from a heart of love. It is covenant love!It is this covenant love that gives us security to stand, to have faith, and to trust our God.This covenant love is not an emotion. It is not feeling. It is profound!This love enables us to give ourselves to God whole heartedly…which we will see, is what God is after.Covenant ExpressionWe live in New Covenant times! Through Christ we can see and understand what that covenant means to us. The OT covenants give us a shadow of the reality that we have in Christ. IE. A shadow is not real. I can see my shadow but my shadow is not me. It may look like me but it is not me. IE. Many kids draw a portrait their shadow in art. The OT is a shadow of what we have in Christ.Jesus in his life and ministry, is helping us to see what it means to be in covenant relationship with God. He was showing us how to relate to God. What God was offering us and how He was to bind himself to us. In so doing, we would understand covenant love. Jesus was helping us to see the terms of the covenant and the depth of the bond being created.A key covenant expression is seen on our side of this relationship with God. We are to believe that God is who He says He is and to do that with all of our heart, soul, and strength.All three years of Jesus ministry is Him laying out the terms of covenant. Building their faith. And revealing the promises with supplied instructions.“Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23, ESV) Every thing hangs on us loving Him! Mk 12:28 - which is the greatest command? Love God and Love others!The two commands are the terms and the distinctive is that we love one another. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”” (John 13:34–35, ESV) And Mt 28:20 He promises to be with us forever. We will not be left as orphans (Jn 14:16-17). I chose you, you didn’t choose me. And it is to my Father’s glory you bear much fruit!Faith. Jesus was constantly working with them in the area of faith. It was critical that they know who God is and to trust Him with all their heart. He wanted them to not just have a head knowledge but be convinced in their hearts of what He was fully offering them. Therefore they would fully offer themselves to Him and He would fully offer Himself to them. When He gets to that point notice what He says…Jn 16:31 passion translation, “Now you believe!” Later he prays - “I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” (John 17:4, NLT) Observation: He has not died yet. Yet He is stating that He completed the work. What was the work? The work was that He had presented the terms of the covenant and they have accepted it! “Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.” (John 17:7–8, NLT)I told them they must love you with all their heart soul and strength. Everything hangs on this! They must turn away from self life, deny themselves and follow. I told them who I am, that they are your children, and if they believe they will be adopted and they will belong to you.They would believe so strongly that they would love with all heart, soul and strength. And I in return would give them all that I am. “Everything I have, I give to you. Everything you have, you give to me.”Now I am ready for the cross.The New Covenant Is CutIn Jn 17:1 Jesus knew that it was time to cut the covenant. He came for the purpose of cutting covenant after he had given the terms of the covenant and they agreed.The prior shadows were the sacrifice of bulls, lambs, doves, etc.But now the reality - the Son of God would lay down His life.The cross on which Jesus died was such a profound act of God that all the earth was shaken. Read Mt 27:45, 50-54. The earth reacted to this cutting of covenant! The greater the covenant, the greater the sacrifice! The Son of God! If you ever doubt your salvation and the covenant you have think about what God for us. As Abraham said to Isaac, “God will provide the sacrifice.” And He did!In the cross, God is saying I am binding myself to you so that we may have covenant relationship, something very solid for you to securely trust in.New Covenant Accomplishments So the new covenant is God's commitment to forgive the sins of his people and to put his laws within us and to write them on our hearts, and to be our God and to make us his people. The shadows of the OT become the reality in the NT.Jer 31:31-33 I will make a new covenant. It will be inside them, on their heart.Ezk 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put my Spirit in you.God in the New CovenantDeals with out sin. He takes our sin we get His righteousness.And puts His Spirit in us. His spirit in us helps us to walk according to His word. His Spirit in us make this relationship internal and very personal!

Conclusion:

God give us grace to comprehend this covenant! Switching of names, garments etc.It is written on our heart.Establishes relationship of ownership by God of us. We are his people, He is our God.That relationship is personal and intimate.A way better covenant! “Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20–21, NLT)

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