Sunday Service Online Stream
This page has the notes for the sermon and links for songs used during children’s music time each week. Scroll down to the bottom for the children’s info.
The New Covenant Promised and Fulfilled
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Pastor Jeff Clarkson
Weekly Bulletin | Worship Lyrics
Jeremiah 31:31-34
v31 “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,
v32 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.
v33 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.
v34 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.”
Background
The Lord revealed this prophetic promise in ch. 31 to Jeremiah in about the year 597 B.C.
It was a time of upheaval and crisis in Judah.
This was about 800 years after the Exodus.
By 922 BC, Israel split into the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom
Because of Israel’s rebellion, God caused Assyria to conquer them and many were carried away in Exile by 721 BC.
Then in 597 BC because of Judah’s sinful rebellion, God sent the Babylonians to conquer and destroy Jerusalem by about the time Jeremiah was declaring this prophecy.
So, it was in this time of the downfall of Jerusalem and the upheaval ending in exile to Babylon in the midst of chaos and lamentation that Jeremiah revealed our text.
Part 1 - The New Covenant Promised
Verses 31, 32
v31 “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,
v32 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.
Biblical Covenants
* Covenants are a foundational component in biblical theology.
If we don’t recognize the significance of biblical covenants,
we will not be able to fully understand the message and teachings of the Bible as well as we could, should and need to.
* In general, a covenant can be described as a binding agreement between two or more parties.
*But when it comes to biblical covenants, it becomes more complex, there is a long history and there is a long line of biblical covenants.
*Each covenant has its own emphasis, their contribution to redemptive history and each have their sign, their stipulations and consequences.
*Scripture informs us of at least the following several important biblical covenants.
The Creation Covenant with Adam as the representative head of
Humanity – Genesis 1:26-30; 2:16-17 Sign
The Noahic Covenant – with all creation - Genesis 9:8-17
The sign of the covenant is the rainbow.
The Abrahamic Covenant – with Abraham and his descendants
Genesis 12:1–3; 15; 17:9–14.
The sign of the covenant was circumcision.
Fulfilled by Christ.
The Mosaic (Old) Covenant – with Israel in particular, added on to the Abrahamic Cov. Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 6.
The sign of the covenant was the Sabbath Day. Exodus 31:13
Fulfilled by Christ.
The Davidic Covenant – with King David promising a descendant on his throne forever.
2 Samuel 7; 1 Chron. 17:11–14; 2 Chron. 6:16.
Fulfilled by Christ.
The New Covenant – with Israel and Judah to which the Gentles would be included.
Jeremiah 31:31.34; Ezekiel 11:19, 20; 36:25-27; Hebrews 8. It replaces the Old Covenant and fulfills the Abrahamic Cov. We are not specifically told what the sign of the NC is, but a strong case can be made for the cup of the Lord’s Supper. Luke 22:20.
*In the ancient Middle-East there were a couple of main types of covenants that were common among them.
*One type was known as the Royal Grant form of covenant.
This type of covenant was unconditional.
For example, a king or some person of royalty being benevolent towards someone or group or a nation would establish a covenant by royal grant. No conditions were placed upon the recipients of the promises and benefits of this type of covenant. The benevolent king was responsible to uphold the covenant.
*Another important type of covenant is known as Suzerainty covenants.
These were conditional covenants.
They tended to be between a conquering king, the Suzerain, and a weaker king, a vassal.
For example, the Suzerain and his army might besiege another Kingdom and the Suzerain might offer the weaker king a pledge To spare the king and his people and his kingdom if they would agree to be subject to the Suzerain, pay tribute, even fight for the Suzerain and keep the rules and stipulations of the covenant. The Suzerain had absolute right over the vassal and if the vassal and his people failed to keep the covenant it meant destruction.
*Both types of covenants were generally initiated, by slaying animals, cutting them open and laying them out, then the participants of the covenant would ceremonially walk between the slain animals, which was ceremonially saying, if I fail to keep my part in this covenant, may I be slain like these animals.
*Implementing His covenant with Abraham, animals were slain, But Abraham fell into a deep sleep and the Lord symbolically Passed between the slain animals, showing the unconditional nature of his covenant with Abraham. It was entirely up to the Lord to fulfill it.
*As we look at these biblical covenants, It seems that the Noahic, Abrahamic, Davidic and the New Covenants resembled the Royal Grant form of unconditional covenant, which is dependent upon the initiator and guarantor, who was God.
And it seems that the Creation Covenant and the Mosaic, Old Covenant were initiated along the form of the Suzerainty covenant which was conditional upon the obedience of the vassal party for the blessings, Israel to God.
v32
“. . . 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”
*The New Covenant is not like the Old Covenant!
*The indictment - Israel committed spiritual adultery by worshipping the golden calf on what amounted to their covenantal wedding night in Exodus Ch. 32.
v33
“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.”
*What is the law written upon the heart?
The Law, the Ten Commandments?
*Thinking about this, it is important for us to realize that the Law, the 10 Commandments written on the tablets of stone functioned as the summary of the words or terms of the Old Covenant.
And as such they really cannot be separated! They go together!
The Ten Commandments were the foundational
covenant document that was given specifically to Israel.
Exodus 31:18 “And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.”
Exodus 34:28 “And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.”
Deuteronomy 4:13 “And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone.”
Exodus 5:2,3 “The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us . . .”
Now, the ap. Paul did write that the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Romans 7:12
But what was the purpose of the Law the 10 Commandments?
Paul answers in Galatians 3 beginning in v19
19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, . . . (the Offspring here is referring to Christ!)
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.
24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
Then the Ap. Paul wrote following very decisive words in 1 Corinthians 9:20, 21:
“To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.
To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.”
*Hebrews 8:13 says, “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”
*2 Corinthians 3:7 calls the OC carved in letters on stone a ministry of death.
*If not the Ten commandments written upon the heart, what then?
*What did Jesus say that were the greatest of the commandments?
They were the 2 great commandments,
Matthew 22:36
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
38 This is the great and first commandment.
39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
The First commandment is from Deut. 6.4-6
And the second from Leviticus 19:18
*I want to assert here that the Law written upon the heart in the
NC is actually the Law of Christ as summarized by these two great commandments that Jesus quoted from Deut. 6.4-6 and Lev. 19.18.
*A good case is that the Law written upon the heart is summarized by the two greatest commandments according to Jesus:
Deuteronomy 6:4-6 “You shall love the Lord our God with all
our Heart, soul and strength.”
and
Leviticus 19:18 “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”
along with
Jesus “new commandment” from John 15:12,13
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have
loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that a person
will lay down his life for his friends.”
*These 3 commandments are strong candidates as the summary of the Law written upon the heart of the NC believer!
v33 . . . “And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
*This is a beautiful statement of God’s particular covenant redeeming love for His people, it is all of grace!
v34 “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. . .”
*To know the LORD, to know YHWH individually, another
Beautiful blessing of Sovereign Grace!
* This was not the common experience of those in the OT or of those under the OC.
Few really knew the Lord in this sense.
John 17:3
Jesus said, . . . “this is eternal life to know You the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
*In the New Covenant, every member knows the LORD.”
* This is another reason why we hold to believer’s baptism,
and why we hold to a believing membership, only believers know the Lord and only believers are members of the New Covenant!
v34 “. . . For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
*Can you fathom it?
The complete, total forgiveness of our iniquity and sin, to such an extent that the Lord will remember our sin no more.
*Our sin debt forgiven, cleared and remembered no more!
What an eternal relief!
Ephesians 1:7 says,
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”
Ezekiel 11:19-20
. . . “I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”
Ezekiel 36:25-28
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanesses, . . . 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”
*Ezekiel adds to the prophecy of the NC, the tremendous blessings of the promise of a new heart and a new spirit, and,
very importantly that God will put His Spirit within His people.
Isaiah 9:6
“. . . and the government shall be upon His shoulders”
*This passage connects Jesus to the NC as the Messiah King of the Covenant.
Isaiah 53:5-6
“He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
… and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
*This connects Jesus to the New Covenant as the suffering Messiah who would establish the covenant by His death.
Psalm 16:10
“you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption”
*This demonstrates Jesus as confirming the New Covenant by rising from the dead!
Daniel Chapter 9, the 70 weeks of Daniel
*This has Jesus as the Messiah, fulfilling his ministry in the early first century. Only Jesus could have fulfilled this prophecy and it had to be by the first century.
*These prophetic passages along with our Jeremiah 31 passage come together to give us a more comprehensive understanding
of the promise of the New Covenant.
Part 2 The New Covenant Fulfillment
*The promise of the New Covenant was given through the prophet Jeremiah in 597 BC and the fulfillment was initiated about 29 - 30 AD through the words of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 22:20
“after they had eaten, the Lord said
‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my
blood.’”
*The promise was fulfilled nearly 630 years later.
*Who was with the Lord in the persons of the Apostles?
It was none other than a remnant of Israel and Judah!
The Apostles represented Israel and Judah when Jesus initiated
the New Covenant at his last Passover, which we call the Last Supper.
*The next day, the Lord went to the cross and established the
New Covenant in His own blood, accomplished by the substitutionary atonement for our sins fulfilling Isaiah 53.
*Three days later Jesus confirmed it all by His bodily resurrection the dead to bring the Gospel to New Covenant fulfillment, fulfilling Psalm 16:10
“. . . you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.”
* Jesus ascended into the 3rd heaven and was enthroned at the right hand of the Father where He mediates, intercedes and reigns to this day.
1 Corinthians 15: 25 says that Jesus must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6 that the government of the kingdom would be on his shoulders.
*At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended in power upon the 120 disciples and the New Covenant church was born.
3,000 Jewish souls believed and were baptized into the Church
in response to Peter’s preaching.
The New Covenant was inaugurated with a true remnant of Israel Judah.
*The inauguration of the New Covenant establishment of the Church was nothing less than an epic transformation of order in the kingdom of God.
*The kingdom was taken away from apostate Israel and given
to Jesus’ New Covenant followers!
Jesus foretold this in Matthew 21:43.
*It was an epic change in the covenantal administration of the
Kingdom of God!
A fundamental change in Law!
It was a monumental fulfillment of the Gospel of grace,
and new era in the experience of knowing God and eternal life!
*So, what about us?
How did the promise of a New Covenant get extended to the Gentiles?
*From Pentecost, the church remained Jewish for 6 years until some Samaritans believed the Gospel.
12 years later Gentiles were included in the church with the conversion of Cornelius.
Acts 10, about 41-42 AD.
*Romans 11, the cultured olive tree.
(Like the household of God, Eph. 2:19)
Believing Gentiles are grafted into the cultured olive tree of eternal life through faith.
Unfortunately, most Jews were pruned from the tree because of unbelief.
*We could view the cultured olive tree as the “people of God” rather than just ethnic Israel,
because the members of the New Covenant Church are representing the ongoing people of God in the olive tree metaphor since the Gentiles have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
The two peoples have been made one new man as Ephesians 2: 15 says.
Galatians 3:8 says,
“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying,
‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’”
*The fulfillment of the promises to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations occurred.
*Gentile members of the New Covenant Church greatly exceed the Jewish members, during these times of the gentiles,
But once the times of the gentiles are fulfilled, all Israel then living will be saved into the New Covenant Church.
*This is how the promise of the New Covenant to Israel and Judah, finally included the Church and the Gentiles.
Part 3 Covenantal Contrasts - A Better, More Excellent Covenant
*The New Covenant came last in order of the covenants.
The New Covenant is the covenant of fulfillment.
The New Covenant is called the eternal covenant, Hebrews 13.20
*The New Covenant fulfills the Abrahamic Covenant
Galatians 3:16
“Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.”
*Also, because the sign of circumcision has been done away with.
Galatians 5:2
“I, Paul, tell you that if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you.”
Galatians 5:6
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”
*The Bible mainly contrasts the New Covenant with
the Mosaic Old Covenant.
*The OC was given specifically to Israel
– the NC ultimately includes all peoples.
*All Israel were members of the OC by ethnicity, regardless of whether they truly believed or not.
- In the NC, only believers are members.
*The OC contained type and shadow
– The NC is fulfillment and completion.
*The OC was ultimately a ministry of death and condemnation
- The NC is a covenant of righteousness, and Gospel fulfillment.
2 Corinthians 3:7-9
*The NC has a greater prophet – Jesus is greater than Moses
Deuteronomy 18:15 -
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from
among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen”.
*The OC was meant by God to be temporary leading to the time of Christ,
- The NC is called the eternal covenant, Hebrews 13:20.
*The OC Law was given to expose Israel’s sinfulness and need of Christ – Gal. 3:24
- The NC law of Christ is summarized in the love of God
The love of neighbor and the love of fellow Christians as Christ
loved us. Deut. 6:4-6; Lev. 19:18; John 15:12.
*The OC sacrifices were temporary and could not take away sin
- The NC has one sacrifice, the once and for all death of the
Lord Jesus Christ, which truly atoned for sin.
Rom. 6:10; Heb. 9:26, 10:10
*The OC Aaronic priesthood was repetitive.
- The NC Great High Priest, Jesus Christ was the one sacrifice of
himself and then was seated at the right hand of God
Hebrews ch. 7.
*The New Covenant is plainly a better covenant
And that is because the Lord Jesus Christ is the guarantor!
Hebrew 7:22
*The New Covenant has better promises! Hebrews 8.6
*In fact, the New Covenant makes the Old Covenant obsolete
and ready to vanish away. Hebrews 8.13
*Friends, the New Covenant is simply a better, more excellent
covenant - Case closed!
Part 4 - Characteristics of a Biblical Theology of the New Covenant
*Any system or emphasis of theology in our times that is biblical
must be compatible with the truth and ramifications of the New Covenant.
*The question is, how consistent are the various theological systems we see in our times with the New Covenant?
*CrossLife Statement of Faith - Section 8. The New Covenant
The NC is actually summarized in our statement of faith!
*We are New Covenanters! It is who we are!
*The following is a presentation of some fundamental characteristics of a Biblical Theology that are consistent with the
truths and blessings of the NC.
Fundamental Characteristics of a Biblical Theology of the New Covenant
1 All Scripture, OT and NT is able to make one wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:16 says:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
A. The central theme of Scripture is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture is Christocentric.
B. Scripture interprets Scripture, this is known as the Analogy
of Faith. Clear passages help to interpret less clear passages.
C. Scripture must be interpreted in light of the literary genre and context.
D. God’s revelation in Scripture was progressive over time.
Therefore, the OT must be interpreted in light of the NT teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.
E. The Holy Spirit enables God’s people to understand the meaning and application of
Scripture through His New Covenant ministry of illumination.
2 The Lord Jesus Christ the faithful and last Adam, He is the true offspring of Abraham and the true and faithful Israel. He is the only Israelite to keep the Law!
He is the only way of salvation and eternal life.
3 There is one redemptive plan of God centered on Jesus Christ.
The New Covenant faith is Christocentric.
The Gospel is most fully revealed and fulfilled under the New Covenant, and justification by faith
apart from works is at the heart of the Gospel. Salvation is by grace through faith in
Christ alone. The New Covenant weaves beautifully with the truths of Sovereign Grace.
4 There is one people of God through redemption in Christ.
Jews and Gentiles are both saved into the Body of Christ.
Inclusion into the New Covenant and the kingdom is no longer based on ethnicity.
The Gospel and therefore, the New Covenant and therefore, the kingdom of God is for all peoples!
5 The New Covenant fulfills the Abrahamic Covenant and replaces the Old Covenant.
6 All members of the New Covenant Church know their sins fully forgiven, are right with God,
and are permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
7 New Covenant believers are under the Law of Christ and no longer under the Old Covenant Law of
Moses. Christians live according to the Law of Christ by demonstrated through love and by the
enabling of the Holy Spirit.
8 The New Covenant Church, the Body of Christ now includes all true believers from throughout
redemptive history and is the fulfilled Israel of God. The church should not be equated with OT
National Israel.
9 The New Covenant Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth, and is commissioned by the Lord
to make disciples of all peoples. This is done through evangelism, missions, and church planting.
The local church is overseen by biblically qualified, ordained Elders, who administer Baptism and
the Lord’s Table, the Word of God, and prayer. The local church is also served by biblically
qualified, ordained Deacons, and members serving one another.