The Covenant

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The Covenant

May 23 2021

Series: Rest in the Journey

Topic: covenant, Mosaic law

Ed Wright

Ed Wright

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I. Mosaic Covenant Ratified
3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” Exodus 24:3-7 (ESV)

 
II. Why the Mosaic Covenant Failed
  1. The heart (mind, will, and emotions) is defective. 
  2. The Law reveals lawless behavior, but it is usually ineffective in changing behavior.
  3. The heart gravitates to legalism (or the law of measure) and defeats the intent of the law.
  4. The heart misuses the redemptive provisions of the Mosaic Law.
  5. The Mosaic Law reveals sin, but it does not impart righteousness.
 
III. The New Covenant Promised
33 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. 34 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.”Jeremiah 31:33-34 (ESV)
 
IV. Why the New Covenant Succeeds 
The reason for the success of the New Covenant over the Old Mosaic Covenant is the Holy Spirit.
 
V. You Can Ratify the New Covenant Now!
1. He is offering each of us the blessings of the New Covenant:
  • We can all know God.
  • Our sins can be forgiven and forgotten.
  • He will write His law on our hearts through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
2. But we have to make a commitment to ratify this New Covenant.
  • Salvation
  • Confess sin – be filled with His Spirit
  • Walk in the Spirit
3. Celebrate what he has done for us: Baptism and Communion.
4. Never forget the sacrifice of the cross and the empty tomb – his resurrection.
5. Live and speak what you have been given so others can have what you and
I have.