This morning for our Bible study,
I would encourage you to turn to the book of Jeremiah, chapter
31, and I will begin reading at verse 31. 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
parts, that is, in their heart. I will write it on their heart,
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And
they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, every man his
brother, saying, Know 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 will remember their sin no more."
Now God declares unto us in these verses the promise of the covenant
of grace. God declares the promise of salvation
based solely upon the blessed covenant, the everlasting made
certain and sure through the priestly work of the Lord Jesus
Christ, through that blood sacrifice he gave. We read in the book
of Hebrews the law made nothing perfect but bringing in of a
better hope did That is Christ by which we draw nigh unto God. Now why is this called a new
covenant? And why is this new covenant
necessary? Well, the covenant of law and
work was never given to save. That mosaic covenant was never
given to save. It was given to reveal sin. It
was given to expose, constrain, and condemn, and to drive the
sinner to Christ. The law was given that the offense
might abound. The covenant of law and works
was typical, it was a shadow, and it was temporary. The covenant
of grace in Christ is reality and eternal, the blood of the
everlasting covenant. The covenant of law and works
says this due, it was conditioned upon the sinner. The covenant
of grace in Christ stands upon his merit, the merit of his sacrifice
and the merit of his righteousness. The covenant of law never made
any righteous. The covenant of grace in Christ
provides all righteousness. He is our righteousness. The
covenant of law never put away sin. We read in the book of Hebrews
chapter 10, it's impossible for the blood of bulls and goats
to take away sin. The covenant of grace always
puts away sin. He appeared once in the end of
the age. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. to put away sin by the
sacrifice of himself." So you see the necessity of this new
covenant confirmed, established, provided in Christ. Someone,
a hymn writer years ago, in making a comparison between the law
and the gospel, wrote this, "'Run, run,' the law demands, but gives
me neither feet nor hands. The gospel bids a sweeter song. It bids me fly. and give me wings."
The Lord Jesus Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believe it. He established righteousness
for us. He said in Matthew chapter 5,
he said, I didn't come to destroy the law, I came to honor it,
to fulfill it, and in doing so establish that covenant, everlasting
covenant of grace through his merit, through his sacrifice,
through his righteousness that is sure and steadfast to all
of God's elect. This covenant of grace was conditioned
upon the performance of Christ, and he satisfied every aspect
of it on our behalf. Now, I want to bring you five
thoughts from these verses here in Jeremiah chapter 31. The first one is this. He says,
I will make, in verse 31 of Jeremiah 31, I will make and establish
and reveal a new covenant. This covenant of grace in Christ
is new, not because it's newly conceived, it's the eternal covenant,
but rather because it's newly revealed and replaces the old
covenant. It's always new and fresh, it
will never grow old, it will never give way to another. Nothing will ever replace this
covenant of grace. It provides and promises all
things new to God's covenant people. We read in Ephesians
chapter 2, verse 1, He says, I'll give them eternal life. You have to be quick until we're
dead. We have new spiritual life. We have a new spiritual nature
through this covenant. He said, if any man's in Christ,
he's a new creature. Old things are passed away and
behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5, 17. We
also have a new spiritual heart. He said, I'll take away that
old stony heart and give them a heart of flesh. to give us
a new nature, a new heart, to speak with a new tongue seasoned
with grace. In the book of Revelation we
read about to give them a white stone and in that stone a new
name. We sing about the covenant of
grace with a new song unto him who loved us and washed us from
our sin in his own blood and we shall enjoy the new Jerusalem. You see, this covenant of grace
provides and promises all things new through Christ. New spiritual
life, new nature, a new heart, a new tongue, a new name, a new
song, a new city. It's a blessed hope, a blessed
promise to you who believe. Now, secondly, the new covenant
of grace in Christ reveals that salvation is a heart work, an
inward work. God who hath begun a good work
in you. Salvation is a revelation of
the greatness, the goodness, and the glory of God in the person
of Jesus Christ. God who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give us the
light and the knowledge of the glory of God that shines in the
face of Jesus Christ. He said, I'll put my law, my
principle, I'll write it in their hearts. You see, it's an inward
work. It's a revelation to the heart.
I'll put my law, and that's his principle of love and standard
of grace in their inward parts. James calls it the perfect principle
of liberty. He said it's a royal principle
of love. Our Lord said in John 13, By
this shall all men know that you're my disciples, that you
love one another. Now, here's the third thought
about this new covenant of grace in Christ Jesus. New covenant. It's certain and sure. He said,
I will be their God. Jeremiah 31 verse 33, I will
be their God and they shall be my people. We read in the book
of Romans chapter four, verse 16, it is a faith that it might
be by grace that the promise would be sure to all of God's
covenant people. God is God and the savior of
his covenant people. He's loved them with an everlasting
love. He's chosen them with an everlasting
determination. He's made us a peculiar people. We're called kings and priests
under God. He said, I will be their God
and they shall be my people. God's elect are his special,
peculiar, distinct, chosen people, chosen in Christ before the foundation
of the world. He said, all that the Father
had given me, John 6, 37, they'll come to me. God's elect are such
a glorious, chosen, peculiar, purchased people unto the Lord
in such a sense as others never will be. We're predestinated
and chosen to be conformed to the image of Christ. I will be
their God and they shall be my people. It's based upon, not
man's will, But salvation is based upon God's determination.
I will, and they shall. Now, fourthly, here's the fourth
thought. God's covenant people are taught of God. In verse 34,
Jeremiah 31, and they shall teach no more. Every man his neighbor,
every man his brother, saying, Do you know the Lord? For they
shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them,
saith the Lord. God's covenant people are taught
of God. Our Lord said in John 6, verse
44, No man can come to Me except the Father which sent Me. Draw
him, and all those who have heard and learned of the Father are
coming. Our Lord said, They are coming
to Me. All who are born of God, by the Spirit of God, they are
taught of God. By the revelation of the Word
of God to the heart, they are taught to the Word, and by the
Spirit of God to look to Christ. Looking unto Jesus, who is the
author and finisher of our faith, they are taught to come to Christ.
He said, Come unto me. Not to the front of the church,
not to the baptistry. Salvation is in Christ. They
are taught to come to Christ. He said in Matthew 11.28, Come
unto me. Come unto me, all you who are
labored and heavy laden. I will give you rest. They are
taught to have no confidence in the flesh. Paul describes
those believers in Philippians 3 are those who are truly born
of God, having no confidence in the flesh, they worship God,
they rejoice in Christ Jesus, and they have no confidence in
the flesh. They're taught to trust Christ. You see, they're
all taught of God. They're taught to rest in the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is our refuge from sin. He's our hiding place. And they
know whom they have believed. Saving faith is not ignorant.
They're born of God and they're taught of God. Listen to the
apostle in 2 Timothy 1.12. He said, I know whom I have believed. Faith is not ignorant. Faith
is born of truth. And this truth of the faith that's
true and sent of God and it's a gift of God has a single eye
to Christ. I know whom I have believed and
I'm persuaded he's able to keep that which I've committed unto
him. God's covenant people are taught
of God. This covenant is certain and
sure. You see, this is a glorious covenant,
is it not? The new covenant of grace ratified
with the blood of Christ. He said, this is the covenant
I will make with those people in that day, and this is that
day. Fifthly, here is the fifth promise
of this covenant of grace. This new and everlasting covenant
of grace reveals full and complete and eternal redemption from sin. Our great high priest, and that's
what he's called throughout the book of Hebrews, our great high
priest, not with the blood of bulls and goats, but with his
own blood, he obtained eternal redemption for us with his own
sacrifice. God bought us with his own blood. We're not redeemed with corruptible
things, but with the precious blood of Christ. Think of it
now. Listen to what it says here in
Jeremiah 31, verse 34. He said, I will forgive their
iniquity based upon that covenant of grace, based upon the sacrifice
of Christ. I will remember their sin no
more. Think of it. What a blessed promise
of this covenant. God remembers the sin of his
covenant people no more. Why? The blood of Christ has
put away our sin. All of the sin of God's elect,
all kinds of sin, original, actual, Before conversion and after conversion,
John said, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. We read in the book of Psalms,
Psalm 103, separate as far as the east is from the west. In
the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, verse 17, God said, their
sin and their iniquity will I remember no more. How can this be? Because
the blood of Christ covers our sin. The blood of Christ puts
away the sin of God's people, and God said the blood of Christ
is sufficient and enough. Payment for our debt puts away
all our sin. They do not exist. He said they're
cast behind my back, wherever that is, behind the back of God.
They're cast into the depths of the sea, Micah 7.20. And here's
the reason why. Because of that covenant sacrifice. God said, when I see the blood,
The blood on the altar, the blood on the mercy seat is before the
Lord. And God said, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. Their sin and their iniquity
will I remember no more. Now, my friend, are you resting
in this covenant of grace? Or are you going about to establish
your own righteousness? Are you going about to rest under
the covenant of works? That's a cursed place to rest
in Galatians 3. Paul wrote, cursed is every man
that rests under that law of works, that mosaic law, but blessed
is the man who rests in the covenant of grace. Christ was made a curse
for us. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law. That's what happened at Calvary,
a sacrifice for sin. He put away our sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. Now I pray the Lord will give
you grace to understand these things and to consider this scripture
found in Jeremiah 31 and think about that blessed covenant of
grace in and by and through and established in the Lord Jesus
Christ.