The Christmas Covenant[2018]-6

The CHRISTMAS COVENANT-VI—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.

*OR beyond the Christmas season--‘The covenant people of God are encouraged with...’

We had found earlier that The Covenant People Of God Are Encouraged With(The Christmas Covenant is)...

1. A PROMISED Covenant(:31)

2. A NEW Covenant(:31)

3. A UNITING Covenant(:31)

4. An INVIOLABLE Covenant(:32)

5. A COLLECTIVE Covenant(:33)

6—The Covenant People Of God Are Encouraged With(The Christmas Covenant is)...A RELATIONAL Covenant(:34)

Explanation/Argumentation:(:34) Personal/Communicative

:34—“No more shall every man teach his neighbor, & every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, & their sin I will remember no more.””

“No more shall every man teach his neighbor”

This tells us that the old covenant—in place at the time of Jeremiah’s writing—required that “every man teach his neighbor, & every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’”

Israel’s relationship to God was not so much experiential & conversational as is that of Christians thru the Holy Spirit....

...Israel’s relationship to God was largely limited to ‘mental’ agreement & committal. And that ‘solely mental’ agreement was & is(if unaccepting of Christ) limited in it’s scope, to decisions of the flesh...flesh that was/is unguarded/uncountered/untempered/unbalanced by the Holy Spirit!

*Without the Holy Spirit’s leading, you are merely ‘playing games of religion’ with yourself & others! In such games there is no certainty, security or comfort!

1Thess. 4:9-12—“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; & indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more & more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, & to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, & that you may lack nothing.”

That was & is written to the Church...To those who have the Holy Spirit indwelling them & never leaving them throughout their lives. The promise...The anticipation, prior to Christ’s coming, is that we will no longer need to be taught by anyone other than God Himself. Yet the mere presence of Paul’s statement in 1Thess. is a teaching moment is it not?! He is ‘reminding’ the Church about what they already know. he is also reminding them that knowledge of God is ever available thru relationship with God!

“No More”—al lo’, awl low’, hl loh(De 3:11) or wl—Adverb—1) Not, no—1a) Not(with verb - absolute prohibition), 1b) Not(with modifier - negation), 1c) Nothing(substantive), 1d) without(with particle), 1e) Before(of time). Strong—a primitive particle; Not(the simple or absolute negation); by implication--No; often used with other particles.

“Teach”—dml law-mad'—Piel Imperfect—1) To learn. teach, exercise in—1b) (Piel)--To teach. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To goad, i.e. by implication--To teach(the rod being an Oriental incentive).

“Neighbor”—er ray'-ah OR--eyr ray’-ah—Noun Masc.—1) Friend, companion, fellow, another person—1a) Friend, intimate, 1b) Fellow, fellow-citizen, another person(weaker sense), 1c) Other, another(reciprocal phrase). Strong—An associate(more or less close).?From—her raw-aw'; a primitive root; To tend a flock; i.e. Pasture it; intransitively--To graze(literally or figuratively); generally--To rule; by extension--To associate with(as a friend).

“Brother”—xa awkh—Brother. Strong—a primitive word; a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship & metaphorical affinity or resemblance [like ba awb(Father)]).

“ ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me,”

*The New Covenant promises something vastly greater than a mere rational grasp of God’s existence....It promises involvement in a relationship with God. NOT a knowledge about God but rather a knowledge of God! An expanded degree of partnership based on personal intimacy.

This new covenant clarifies ‘heart’ assent/agreement rather than mere ‘mental’ assent alone.

As God’s law becomes centered & settled within the minds & hearts of God’s people, at least one requirement under the old covenant will cease. Namely that here will be no need to “teach” one’s “neighbor” & “brother” to “Know the LORD.”

This is because “all” who are included as ‘new’ covenant keepers, will “know” YaHWeH. This knowledge speaks of a personal & individual walk with the covenant-cutting God... a personal & individual walk which is largely missing by the old covenant.

The New Covenant supplants that former aspect of ‘outward’ teaching & knowing about or of God, & replaces it with ‘internal’ teaching & knowledge of God.

Jn. 14:26-27—““But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, & bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”