Like many, I spent quite some
time in Christian religion. I was involved in various ministries. I was an active member of evangelistic
events. I attended and even led some
Bible studies. And I spoke about the gospel
to many different people from many different denominations. Yet, you know, I can't recall
in all that time and in all those conversations ever hearing of
the everlasting or new covenant of God's grace. And I guess what's
most amazing is that the everlasting covenant is the very foundation
of the salvation of God's people. It's also the chief ruling principle
of every single thing that takes place in this earth, all that
ever has and all that ever will. So it's a sad thing. It's very
sad to think that most people in Christianity are completely
unaware of this covenant and of its importance. So if the
Lord would allow today, I'd like to speak briefly on something
which is of infinite importance to us all. So the passage I've
chosen today is Jeremiah 31. We're going to read from 31 to
34. Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant
that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by
the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant
they break, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord. But
this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel. After those days, saith the Lord,
I will put my law in their inward paths and write it in their hearts
and will be their God and they shall be my people. And they
shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his
brother, saying, know the Lord, For they shall all know me from
the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity
and I'll remember their sin no more. So first of all, what is
a covenant? And to put it simply, a covenant
is an agreement between two parties where each party commits themselves
to fulfill certain obligations much like a contract. And in
the scriptures, there are a number of these covenants. There's covenants
between men and other men. There's covenants between one
nation and another. There's covenants between men
and God. Now, while the intentions of
men may be genuine and honorable, There are a great many things
in this world which can impact our ability to fulfill our covenant
obligations. The everlasting covenant is similar
to these other covenants, but there's also something quite
unique about it. Something that sets it apart
from all other covenants. So while this is a covenant,
as an agreement between men and God, the men involved in this
covenant are represented by the Lord Jesus Christ as a surety
on their behalf. A surety simply means someone
who, from the moment that the covenant's drawn up, takes full
responsibility for the covenant obligations of those they represent. So that means, in essence, this
is actually a covenant between God and God. It's an agreement between the
triune God and the Lord Jesus Christ representing his people. In this covenant, the father
chose a people for himself and he gave those people to his son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, as a bride. From that moment on, the son
took full responsibility for his precious bride. He committed
himself to fulfill all and any obligations she may have towards
a holy God. Not only did the Lord take full
responsibility to provide a perfect righteousness for his bride,
he also took full responsibility for all of her sin. So you see,
in the eyes of the Father, this bride who represents the church
has always been perfect in every single way. There's two significant things
about this covenant, especially for the saints of God. The first
is that as both parties are eternal, so is the covenant. It's an eternal
covenant. This is why it's called the everlasting
covenant. It never changes, it never has
an end, and it never had a beginning. It always has stood perfectly
fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that brings me to the second
most significant thing about this covenant. It's the sure
foundation of the salvation of the Lord's people. And why? Because
it's essentially an agreement between God and God. Our God
can't lie. He can't fail. He knows the end
from the beginning and he works all things after the counsel
of his own will. He's sovereign. Brothers and
sisters, our God reigns. And so unlike the covenants of
men, the everlasting covenant stands perfect, assuring the
salvation of God's children throughout all eternity. The everlasting covenant is mentioned
in numerous places in the scriptures. However, I've chosen this passage
for the day because I just want to briefly look at some of the
characteristics mentioned by the Lord here, because they highlight
the way God truly saves sinners. If anyone is to be saved, It
must be this way. This is the only way. So let's
start at the beginning of 31. Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord. Now God's speaking about this
gospel age, the gospel age that we're in now. The days when Christ,
God's way of salvation has been revealed. the days in which this promised
Messiah has been manifested for us all to see. Behold, the days
come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant. It's called the New Covenant
here because it speaks of our restoration after the fall. You see, in Adam, we all rejected
the grace of God and chose to take responsibility for our own
salvation on the basis of our newfound knowledge of good and
evil. In time, every one of us was
born in this world under this covenant of works. So therefore,
when God visits his people in restoration, he confirms this
covenant of his grace to our souls in our conversion. And who does he make this covenant
with? Look back at our verse, with the house of Israel and
with the house of Judah. Now Israel was a, a nation that
God chose out of all the people in this world, but there is also
a spiritual Israel. In Romans 9, Paul says that not
all Israel is Israel. You see, this represents the
elect children of God, those who were chosen of God, those
whom God shows mercy to. Verse 32, this new covenant is
not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of
the land of Egypt, which my covenant they break, although I was a
husband to them, saith the Lord. As I said, Nation Israel was
chosen as an illustration of God's elect children. The Law of Moses was given as
an illustration of the covenant of works that we entered into
in our father Adam, that Genesis 3-4. You see, this covenant,
this new covenant, it's not like the old covenant. It's not according
to works. It's built and based on grace. Verse 33, but this shall, notice
the shalls and the wills when God speaks. This shall be the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those
days saith the Lord. I will put my law in their inward
parts and write it in their hearts. True conversion is a work of
God in us. It doesn't depend on our fallen
ability. It depends on God's promise.
Abram was a father of faith because he trusted in the promise. And it was an illustration of
the everlasting covenant. You see, this speaks of a new
creation that's been born of God. He speaks of Christ in us,
an inner man. In conversion, we're given a
new heart and we're given the mind of Christ. We're given a
new nature by which we're qualified to fellowship with our great
God. And what's the result? Look back
at our verse. And I will be their God. and they shall be my people."
True salvation has always been about being in relationship with
God. It's about having peace with
him and being able to come into his presence without being consumed
by his holiness. Verse 34, and they shall teach
no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
know the Lord. The word know here is representative
of an intimate relationship. In Genesis 4, when Adam knew
Eve, he entered into a oneness, an intimate unity with her. And
the result, in John 17 three, our Lord says, this is an eternal
life that they may know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom
he sent. In the fall of Genesis three,
as we've said, illustrated in the Mosaic covenant, we entered
into a covenant of works. Now this involves teaching a
personal responsibility for entering into and for maintaining a relationship
with God. If we think that we can manipulate
men into making a decision for Christ, or to work in some way
to add to their own sanctification, then we've completely missed
the Bible's teaching on salvation. And I'm sorry, but at that point,
we've ceased to trust the power of the gospel in salvation. And why is there no need for
this teaching in the New Covenant? Look back at our verse, for they
shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of
them, saith the Lord." Every single one of God's chosen children,
by the mighty hand of our God, in their conversions, will be
brought into an intimate union with God himself. Such is the
power of the everlasting covenant. And why? What's the basis in
which God can commune with his people? look back at our verse, for,
or because, I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember
their sin no more. Every single one of God's children,
right now, no matter what our life looks like, no matter how
fallen and failing we are, right now, every one of them possesses
eternal redemption, and everlasting righteousness in Christ's provision
from eternity. Brothers and sisters, the spiritual
security of every one of the saints of God is sure and certain
in the everlasting covenant of God's grace. And why? Because
all the responsibility lies directly on the shoulders of the Lord
Jesus Christ. According to Isaiah 42 and 49,
our Lord is the everlasting covenant. He's the only place of peace
between men and God. He can't fail. And that's why
King David in 2 Samuel 23 can say of the everlasting covenant,
it's all my salvation and all my desire. As I said earlier, the Lord is
eternal. He's the same yesterday and today
and forever. The scriptures in Revelation
13 declare him to be the lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. In Ephesians 1, they declare
that we, the saints of God, were chosen in him before the foundation
of the world. And in 2 Timothy 1, they wonderfully
declare that the children of God were actually saved before
time. May our great God give us the
grace to trust in the power of his gospel. May he remind us
that salvation is all his work and him alone. And may he continue
to gather his chosen children to himself by the preaching of
the everlasting covenant in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father,
thank you that you've promised to be the teacher of your people.
Please take the precious truths from your book especially the
ones we've looked at today, and embed them deeply upon our hearts
and in our hearts. Father, by the power of your
gospel, please refresh our souls and energise us and strengthen
us. Strengthen our faith, Heavenly
Father. Grow us in the grace and knowledge of your Son, our
great King and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, we thank
you for church and we thank you for the encouragement it is.
We thank you for the power of your gospel and the way it works
throughout this world. We thank you, Father, for your
Holy Spirit and his work in us and amongst us. And we especially
thank you, Father, for the finished work of your dear and precious
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray in his name for your
glory, say.