The CHRISTMAS COVENANT-IV—Jeremiah 31:31-34
God informed Jeremiah & Jeremiah the people, of the promise of a new covenant to supplant/fulfill/uphold/empower the ineffective covenant.
God’s people have the promise of an effective covenant.
What is the Christmas Covenant?
Why is the promise of a differing covenant encouraging to God’s people?
5 elements/encouragements concerning the covenant people of God.
The covenant people of God are promised...
Heb. 10:12-23—“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, & in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins & their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new & living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, & having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience & our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
We had found earlier that The Christmas Covenant is...
1. A PROMISED Covenant(:31a)
2. A NEW Covenant(:31)
3. A UNITING Covenant(:31)
4—The Christmas Covenant is a...
An INVIOLABLE Covenant(:32)
Explanation:(:32)Unbreakable/Differing/No middle ground
:32—“not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.”
‘Inviolable’=‘Something that cannot be ‘violated’ or changed.
This new covenant will not function as the old one has & is(at Jeremiah’s writing). The old covenant was made with the Israelite’s & Judahite’s “fathers”(ancestors). The old covenant was made in the time period when God led them “out of the land of Egypt”(the Exodus). God cared for the Israelites as a husband would care for his wife(Eph. 5:22-33). He “took them by the hand” in order to “lead them out.” God worked with a specific people—thru their kinships, blood ties, & lineages.
The former(present) “covenant” was initiated by God & thus it was actually His(“My covenant”). Israel & Judah “broke” the old covenant. Even though God had loved them & still loves them(fulfilling His portion of the covenant), Israel & Judah failed in their commitment to Him. They had no lasting, solidifying, personal connection to God, as do Christians by the Holy Spirit’s indwelling.
*Unlike the ‘old covenant’, breaking the New Covenant will be impossible! Trust in Christ yields eternal security! See :33-34.
Jn. 10:27-30—““My sheep hear My voice, & I know them, & they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, & they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; & no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I & My Father are one.””
Jn. 3:3, 5-7—“Jesus answered & said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”.....“Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water & the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, & that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
Sadly, there are those in Christian circles who teach that a person can lose their salvation once they have become born again or born from above! Whereas being ‘born of the Spirit’ speaks of a separate & solidly different life!
“The children of Israel used God’s covenant as an end in itself instead of as a means to an end. That misunderstanding of the Law is seen throughout Jeremiah & is especially evident in the[ir false] doctrine of the inviolability of Jerusalem.”—BS JerE.#2, C21-52
Jer. 7:1-11—“The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, “Stand in the gate of the LORD’S house, & proclaim there this word, & say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD!’” Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways & your doings, & I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.’ “For if you thoroughly amend your ways & your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man & his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, & the widow, & do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever & ever. Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, & walk after other gods whom you do not know, & then come & stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, & say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the LORD.”
1Tim. 1:5-10—“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, & from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless & insubordinate, for the ungodly & for sinners, for the unholy & profane, for murderers of fathers & murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, & if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,”
For those who are trusting in outward things—such as buildings & pews & service times & dutiful obedience—rather than depending on your personal one-on-one relationship with God, you have missed the point entirely, because you have missed Jesus!
“Covenant”—Also in :31 & 33—tyrb ber-eeth'—Covenant, alliance, pledge, treaty.
“Took”—qzx khaw-zak'—To strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore. Strong—a primitive root; To fasten upon; hence, to seize, be strong(figuratively--courageous, causatively--strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conquer.
“Lead...out”—auy yaw-tsaw'—To go out, come out, exit, go forth—Hiphil—To cause to come or go out, lead out, to bring out of, to deliver. Strong—a primitive root; To go(causatively--bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively, direct & proximally.
“Broke”—rrp paw-rar'—To break, frustrate; To split, divide.—Hiphil--To break, violate, frustrate, make ineffectual. Strong—a primitive root; To break up(usually figuratively), i.e. To violate, frustrate.
“Husband”—Qal Perfect—leb baw-al'—To marry, rule over, possess, own—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To marry, be lord(husband) over, 1a2) To rule over. Strong—a primitive root; To be master; hence(as denominative from leb bah'-al) To marry.—Hints at the title ‘Baal’—implying the mastery of a false god of fertility, rain, storms, etc.
Argumentation:
Mal. 2:10—“Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another By profaning the covenant of the fathers?”
They “deal treacherously” & “profane” because there is no permanence in the Old Covenant. Thus any such ‘treachery’ within the church signals the playing out of false or ‘violate-able’ salvation.
Heb. 13:7-10—“Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, & forever. Do not be carried about with various & strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.”
1Cor. 3:10-15—“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, & another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; & the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
Loss of rewards but no loss of heaven!
Acts 4:12—“Nor is there salvation in any other[than Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””
*Mk. 3:28-30—““Assuredly, I[Jesus] say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, & whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes[‘harmful report’--slander’] against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”-- because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.””
Jn. 5:22-29—““For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word & believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, & shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, & now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; & those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, & has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice & come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, & those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”
Rom. 8:1-2—“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin & death.”
Mat. 24:35(Mk. 13:31; Lk. 21:33)—“Heaven & earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
Lk. 24:36-44—“Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, & said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified & frightened, & supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands & My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me & see, for a spirit does not have flesh & bones as you see I have.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands & His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, & marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish & some honeycomb. And He took it & ate in their presence. Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses & the Prophets & the Psalms concerning Me.”
Jn. 15:4-11—“Abide in Me, & I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, & I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch & is withered; & they gather them & throw them into the fire, & they are burned. If you abide in Me, & My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, & it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments & abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, & that your joy may be full.
No longer is the world called to know ‘about’ God & failingly attempt to please him in your own strength of flesh.
Now, in Christ, because of Jesus—because of His leaving heaven & taking on human flesh(incarnation), His earthly ministry, His Cross-work, His resurrection, His ascension, & His resulting heavenly ministry & the resulting Holy Spirit’s continual presence in believers—Our faith commitment secures the believer in every respect to the Godhead & is eternally, conversationally life-changing.
Illustration:
When I was a kid, my Daddy bought a small mechanical ‘singing dove’ to sit in the branches of our Christmas tree/In the days before digitization it played one loud descending, Tweeeeeeeeeeeet, Tweeeeeeeeeeeet, Tweeeeeeeet, Tweeeeet, Tweeeet, Tweeet, Tweet...over & over & over again, ad nauseum!/Daddy would plug in that confounded bird every Christmas!/Most everybody in the family hated Daddy’s bird because it was so obnoxiously monotonous/But me & my wife grew to love the bird because it reminded us of Daddy/So every year Daddy’s bird would be allowed to sing out/It became an integral part of our Christmas/An INVIOLABLE Covenant associated with our Christmas
Application:
?Is The Christmas Covenant your INVIOLABLE Covenant?
?You living in Covenant with God thru His only-begotten Son?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
The Christmas Covenant is...
4. An INVIOLABLE Covenant(:32)
1. A PROMISED Covenant(:31a)
2. A NEW Covenant(:31)
3. A UNITING Covenant(:31)
Christmas celebrates the fulfillment of these promises!
Pt# 4 only! Presented 12/30/2018am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 1-5 Presented 12/05/2004pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 39897
