This new series will center on the ministry and accomplishments of Jesus Christ. The videos of these messages can be accessed by clicking the message title.
To encounter Jesus is to encounter a new covenant, a new binding agreement, between God and mankind. God offers the new covenant or pledge to us, but we have to accept its terms, or it will not make a difference to our lives.
The creation of a new covenant with man was prophesied about in Jeremiah 31:31,33-34 KJVS. [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: [33] 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, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. [34] And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, 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 will remember their sin no more.
The old covenant relied on animal sacrifices, special ceremonies for outward cleansing and days set aside as festivals to God. It allowed men and women to worship God and showed them how to live by a set of ten rules so they could be at peace with God and their neighbors.
Although the old covenant involved those continual sacrifices and daily rituals designed to remind the people of God’s ten rules for living, those ceremonies did not do away with the sins of mankind. They covered them so the sins would not cause the people to be cursed by God, but they did not erase them and make the people cleansed as if they had never sinned.
The old covenant was good, because it showed mankind that sin existed and there had to be some kind of reconciliation made between man and God because of the separation sin created between the two. It served as a temporary guideline so an imperfect man could approach the perfect God.
However, God knew the old covenant would need to be replaced eventually. He knew there had to be a better way, a better covenant, a better alliance, established so man could move back into the right relationship with Him.
So God promised to establish a new covenant with mankind that would cleanse people from their sins and put His laws inside people’s hearts, not just on stones they could read. To do away with sins in people’s lives, God sent Jesus to be the eternal sacrifice for sins. To put His laws into people’s hearts, God established the promised new covenant that was based on faith in Jesus’ role as the sacrifice who shed His blood that was poured out on the altar of God in heaven.
The new covenant was fulfilled in Jesus. Listen to Jesus’ own words as He introduced the new covenant to His disciples in Luke 22:19-20 NLT. [19] He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” [20] After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people-an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.
Hebrews Chapters 8-13 describe how the old covenant was replaced by the new one established when Jesus conquered sin and death by rising from the dead and ascending to the Father. Hebrews 8:13 NLT. [13] When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.
By 72AD the Romans had completely conquered rebellions in Israel and destroyed the Temple. Sacrifices could no longer be made on the altar and the Mercy Seat was no longer available for the sacrificial animal blood to be sprinkled on it. The actions by mankind that fulfilled their part of the old covenant could no longer be accomplished.
The new covenant was different because there was only one eternally powerful sacrifice made by Jesus. The daily sacrifices were no longer needed, and that changed the basis for the covenant. The new covenant established grace, instead of works and daily sacrifices, as the standard for being forgiven of sins.
What is grace? Grace is that moment when God gives us undeserved, unearned forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift, not compensation for deeds you have done or sacrifices you have made. Romans 6:23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
At the beginning of this message, I mentioned that we have to accept the terms of the new covenant before it can make a difference in our lives. What are those terms? The covenant terms include this—we can’t earn forgiveness; we must accept forgiveness through faith in the only one who paid the price so we can be forgiven. There is no other way for us to be forgiven and cleansed from our sins.
The new covenant also involves repenting of our sins. To repent means to change our minds and decide to go in a different direction. When we repent of our sins, we decide to stop living according to our physical desires and to focus on living in holiness according to Jesus’ teachings. It doesn’t mean we’ll be perfect in our own eyes. It means we’ll be as if we had never sinned in God’s eyes.
To encounter Jesus is to accept these terms of the new covenant. To encounter Jesus is to create this agreement with God that, because of His grace, your faith in Jesus will bring cleansing from your sins. To encounter Jesus is to decide to live by the new covenant.
Let’s reaffirm our covenant with God today.