The Christmas Covenant[2004]

THE CHRISTMAS COVENANT—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?

3 encouragements concerning the covenant people of God.

The covenant people of God are promised...

1—The Christmas Covenant is...

A UNITING COVENANT(:31)

—Explanation:(:31)

:31—“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel & with the house of Judah--”

No longer a separation among God’s people. Israel & Judah—Tribe against tribe—Family against family—Region against region—Might against weakness, etc...

Ezek. 37:16-24(28)—“16 “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself & write on it: ‘For Judah & for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick & write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, & for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ 17 “Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, & they will become one in your hand. 18 “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’-- 19 “say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, & the tribes of Israel, his companions; & I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, & make them one stick, & they will be one in My hand.”’ 20 “And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. 21 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, & will gather them from every side & bring them into their own land; 22 “& I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; & one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. 23 “They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, & will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, & I will be their God. 24 “David My servant shall be king over them, & they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments & observe My statutes, & do them. 25 “Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; & they shall dwell there, they, their children, & their children’s children, forever; & My servant David shall be their prince forever. 26 “Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, & it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them & multiply them, & I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 “My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, & they shall be My people. 28 “The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”’””

“Make”—Also :33—trk karath kaw-rath’—To cut, cut off, cut down, hew, cut off a body part, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant.

“New”—vdx chadash khaw-dawsh’—New, new thing, fresh.

“New” In that its encouragement is always new every morning, is never succeeded or antiquated by any other.

“House”—tyb bayith bah’-yith—House; Place; Receptacle; Home, house as containing a family; Household affairs

—Argumentation:

Rom. 10:5-13—“For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or,” ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth & in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, & with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew & Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.””