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Text: Jeremiah 31:31-40
Proposition: Why is the New Covenant Better?
Introduction
Jeremiah told the people of Judah and Israel that they were going to be scattered among the nations. They were going to die by sword, famine, and pestilence. They were going to pay the price for their sin. Justice was going to be served to them. In this chapter he tells them that God hadn’t completely forgotten them. He was going to build them up, plant them, and watch over them, Jeremiah 31:28. He was going to be merciful to them. He tells them that a time is coming when they will no longer be under the Old Covenant. They will have a New Covenant. They could have their sins forgiven instead of always being on parole for all their life for the sins they had done.
I. His laws will be on their hearts
II. All Shall know the Lord
III. There is forgiveness of sins
I. His laws will be on their hearts (How are his laws on our hearts?)
A. The inside of the cup is clean
1. Matthew 23:25-26, the Pharisees were always concerned with laws of cleanliness. They were strict observers of the law. They made sure they had washed their hands properly before they ate. They made sure that to all appearances they were keeping the law, but they had hearts that were full of sin.
2. Matthew 23:14
3. They devoured widow’s houses. Dwight L. Moody’s mother was a widow with 9 children, of which 2 were newborn twins. Her husband had a mortgage on the house when he died. The creditor came to take her house. She knew enough to know that Massachusetts law would not allow him to take her house, but the law did allow him to take many of her belongings. He and his men took her dishes, firewood, farm tools, stove, food from the cupboards and left her with almost nothing. He followed the law, but there was no law in his heart.
4. As a Christian we follow the law God has written on our heart. We have mercy and compassion toward others. With the law of God on our heart we not only follow the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law.
5. Matthew 5:20-24, Under the new covenant our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. His law is written on our hearts.
6. Matthew 5:27-32, Under the old law there was no command about lusting. Some in the Old Covenant had the law on their hearts, but most did not.
7. Job 31:1, Job had the law written on his heart. This is what the new covenant is about. Following the law that is in our heart. We do what is right even if no one will know that we are breaking the law.
8. God knows. He sees the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
9. Matthew 9:1-6
10. If everyone could see your thoughts you would be very careful what you think about. I am glad nobody can see my thoughts, but Jesus knows my thoughts. I must have his law in my heart to be pleasing to him.
11. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
a. I Corinthians 6:16-19
b. The Holy Spirit is in us. We have the law written on our hearts.
B. You will desire mercy and not sacrifice
1. Matthew 12:1-14
2. God is merciful. God was merciful to David and the priests. David was not supposed to eat the showbread and the priests were not to give it to him, but there was nothing else to eat. David and the priest didn’t obey the letter of the law. They didn’t break any of the Ten Commandments. The priests were merciful to David. They knew God desired mercy rather than sacrifice. Which is worse to let a man go hungry or to do what is unlawful and let him eat.
3. Jesus was merciful to the man with the withered hand. He knew that the Pharisees would not approve of what he was doing. He knew they would think he was breaking the law. There was nothing in the law that prevented someone from being healed on the Sabbath. They considered it lawful to rescue their animals, why not a man?
4. If you are on your way to church and you see someone with car trouble, but you will be late to church if you stop. Should you just go on by because you wouldn’t want to be late for church?
C. You won’t be excessively righteous
1. Ecclesiastes 7:16
2. The Pharisees were excessively righteous. They made sure they washed their hands before they ate. They didn’t want to touch anything or anyone unclean. They didn’t want Jesus to heal anyone on the Sabbath.
3. Jesus went around touching:
- sick people, Luke 8:43-48, Everything this women sat on was unclean. Everything she laid on was unclean. Whoever touched anything she sat on or laid on was unclean. Most people wouldn’t want her to touch them. If she touched them they would have cooties. Jesus wasn’t mad and if someone is made clean by touching you, I don’t think you are unclean
- dead people Luke 7:11-15
- people with leprosy, Matthew 8:1-3
4. Matthew 6:1-8, these people were excessively righteous. They thought they were more holy than everyone else was, but on the inside they were full of rottenness and dead men’s bones.
D. Our mind is set on the things of the spirit
1. Romans 8:1-9
2. Those who have the law written in their hearts have a clear mind. They have the Holy Spirit living in them to help them obey the law that is written in their heart.
II. All shall know the Lord (How would all know the Lord?)
A. It would no longer be just the Israelites teaching their neighbors and brothers. Gentiles would also be included in the New Covenant. The New Covenant wouldn’t just be in one nation, but all over the world.
B. No longer would there be a man between God and us. The only one between God and us is the God man, Jesus.
1. In the Old Testament there was a priest or prophet between the people and God.
2. Exodus 20:18-22
3. The people didn’t want to come near to God.
4. Hebrews 4:14-16
5. We now have access by faith to the throne of God
6. We know the Lord. He is accessible to all. Anyone who wants to can know the Lord. We don’t have to travel to the temple in Jerusalem to be taught. His kingdom is all over the world in the hearts of men.
III. There is forgiveness of sins (How do we have forgiveness of sins?)
A. In the Old Covenant there wasn’t forgiveness.
1. If you broke one of the first 7 commandments you died. If you broke the last three an animal died.
2. The blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin
3. Hebrews 10:4
4. The law could humble you and remind you of your sin, but it was merciless and could not take away sin.
5. The law brought about justice, but not mercy.
6. The law is like a merciless judge. The judge condemns everyone to death. He is always right in everything he does. You can’t argue that he is wrong.
7. In the story Les Miserable the main character Jean Val Jean stole a loaf of bread for his sister’s hungry family. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison. He ended up spending 19 years because he kept trying to escape. After he got out he was under parole and had to carry papers telling everyone what he had done. He was cold and hungry. He needed a place to stay. No one would help an ex-convict. He finally found a priest who fed him and gave him a place to stay for the night. Jean Val Jean stole the silver salt and pepper shakers. Some policemen found him with the salt and pepper shakers. They didn’t think an ex-con should have them. They brought him back to the priest. They asked the priest if he had stolen them. The priest said, “No, he didn’t steal them. I told him everything here was his. He forgot to take the matching candlesticks that go with them. The priest gave him the candlesticks and said, “Use these to make an honest man of yourself.” Jean Val Jean did. He became a prosperous and wealthy man, but he broke his parole. The inspector who was to keep track of him hunted Jean all his life. Always trying to bring him to justice. Jean spent his life helping the poor and rich alike and showing mercy to all as he had been shown. The inspector was always trying to bring everyone to justice. He was merciless. He arrested everyone he could and put them in prison. Jean even showed mercy to the inspector. He could have legally killed him, but he let the inspector go free. The law is like the inspector, always right and just, but merciless and unforgiving.
8. Romans 7:6-13, the law is holy, just, and good.
9. The problem is that we sin and the law condemns us.
10. We need mercy and forgiveness of sins.
11. Keeping the law brings life, the problem is we can’t keep the law.
12. Romans 3:23
B. The blood of Jesus makes atonement for our sin.
1. Jesus offered himself
2. Ephesians 1:3-7
3. The payment for sin is life.
4. Leviticus 17:11
5. The life of the flesh is in the blood. Jesus blood is given to us to cleanse us of our sin.
6. Matthew 26:26-28
7. A covenant is not inaugurated without blood. Jesus gave his blood so that we can be in this New Covenant.
Conclusion
We live in the New Covenant. We have his law written on our hearts. We have direct access to God through his son Jesus Christ. We have forgiveness of sins. Our sins are taken away by the blood of Jesus. We aren’t reminded of them year by year by the sacrifice of a goat. Jesus blood takes away our sins so that not even God remembers our sin, Hebrews 8:12-13. If we repent of our sin and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins we will be in the New Covenant and our sins are forgiven.
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