WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.520 Hi everyone, my name is Linda if you haven't met me. 00:00:02.960 --> 00:00:07.860 Reading from chapter 24 of Exodus from verse 3 to 12. 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:14.780 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:18.100 And all the people answered with one voice and said, 00:00:18.539 --> 00:00:21.120 All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do. 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:24.400 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. 00:00:24.940 --> 00:00:28.640 He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:32.380 and 12 pillars according to the 12 tribes of Israel. 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:37.560 And he sent young men of the people of Israel who offered burnt offerings 00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:41.740 and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 00:00:42.659 --> 00:00:45.700 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins 00:00:45.700 --> 00:00:48.480 and half of the blood and he threw against the altar. 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:53.400 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:57.740 And they said, All that the Lord has spoken we will do 00:00:57.740 --> 00:00:59.240 and we will be obedient. 00:01:00.420 --> 00:01:03.440 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:06.859 Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you 00:01:06.859 --> 00:01:08.799 in accordance with all these words. 00:01:09.960 --> 00:01:12.760 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, 00:01:13.320 --> 00:01:17.719 and 70 of the elders of Israel went up and they saw the God of Israel. 00:01:18.780 --> 00:01:22.680 There was under his feet, as it were, a pavement of sapphire stone, 00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:24.800 like the very heaven for clearness. 00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:29.800 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel. 00:01:30.520 --> 00:01:32.880 They beheld God and ate and drank. 00:01:34.220 --> 00:01:38.160 The Lord said to Moses, Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, 00:01:38.360 --> 00:01:42.080 that I may give you the tablets of stone with the law and the commandment, 00:01:42.500 --> 00:01:44.219 which I have written for their instruction. 00:01:44.219 --> 00:01:56.719 Good morning, everyone. 00:01:59.980 --> 00:02:03.180 Just quickly, if anyone's looking for me over lunch, 00:02:03.379 --> 00:02:07.819 I'm feeling a bit off today, so I'm not going to spread my germs over lunch. 00:02:08.579 --> 00:02:11.340 Fortunately, the first two rows basically are free. 00:02:11.340 --> 00:02:15.939 But, yeah, just if you're looking for me, you won't find me. 00:02:16.099 --> 00:02:18.780 I'll hopefully be at home in bed. 00:02:19.219 --> 00:02:22.060 Let me pray as we come to God's word. 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:27.180 Father, I ask for your help. 00:02:28.099 --> 00:02:31.120 Such an important passage and topic today. 00:02:31.259 --> 00:02:34.699 I ask that you would help me to be clear and truthful. 00:02:34.699 --> 00:02:52.699 And, Lord, I pray for all of us that you would just give us a deeper pause 00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:58.319 and we just lose interest. 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:07.939 But here in chapter 24, we have had one of the most important concepts 00:03:07.939 --> 00:03:13.840 that Scripture gives us for understanding relationship with God. 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:18.620 If you've noticed, our subheadings, they're human subheadings of the Scripture, 00:03:19.139 --> 00:03:21.340 Old Testament, New Testament. 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:23.659 Testament's just a different term for covenant. 00:03:25.539 --> 00:03:26.000 Covenant. 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:26.599 Covenant. 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:38.579 Here we see God entering into a covenant with Israel. 00:03:39.019 --> 00:03:41.500 Here's what one commentator says, Leon Morris. 00:03:42.599 --> 00:03:51.699 No idea is more fundamental to the Old Testament than that God has in love chosen 00:03:51.699 --> 00:03:57.879 a particular people and has brought them into covenant relationship with himself. 00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:01.919 However else you read the Old Testament, you read Scripture, 00:04:02.239 --> 00:04:05.120 no idea is more fundamental than this. 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:12.000 Covenant is the goal of salvation. 00:04:12.919 --> 00:04:17.920 Covenant is how we are to think of our relationship with God. 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:28.340 Here's an ancient Babylonian text of a covenant being made with someone called Mati-ilu. 00:04:28.420 --> 00:04:29.780 I don't know if that's how you pronounce his name. 00:04:29.980 --> 00:04:31.640 But a goat is sacrificed. 00:04:32.360 --> 00:04:33.720 And here's what the text says. 00:04:34.520 --> 00:04:37.920 This head is not the head of the goat. 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:41.620 It is the head of Mati-ilu. 00:04:41.620 --> 00:04:48.379 If Mati-ilu breaks this oath, as the head of this goat is cut off, 00:04:49.220 --> 00:04:53.540 so shall the head of Mati-ilu be cut off. 00:04:55.620 --> 00:04:56.560 Sorry, kids. 00:04:58.439 --> 00:05:00.639 This might be a bit of an understatement, 00:05:00.819 --> 00:05:05.759 but covenants in ancient times were very serious. 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:10.139 Very binding. 00:05:12.899 --> 00:05:17.180 The most common way of describing what was happening wasn't make a covenant. 00:05:17.300 --> 00:05:22.699 The most common phrase that we have recorded is cut a covenant, 00:05:23.139 --> 00:05:24.339 pictured of the animals. 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:29.219 We saw that earlier this year with the covenant with Abraham, 00:05:29.939 --> 00:05:32.120 the Lord passing through the cut pieces. 00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:38.899 This is way more than an agreement that I'll do this, you'll do that. 00:05:39.139 --> 00:05:40.139 This is loyalty. 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:43.660 This is you're loyal to the whole person. 00:05:47.639 --> 00:05:48.860 Loyalty to the king. 00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:51.600 The closest we've got today is the marriage covenant. 00:05:52.780 --> 00:05:55.079 It's not just an agreement, I'll do this, you do that. 00:05:55.180 --> 00:06:00.920 It's I'm loyal to you, fully intending to do you good. 00:06:00.920 --> 00:06:03.379 This is binding with witnesses. 00:06:03.860 --> 00:06:06.560 This is a very serious thing to enter. 00:06:09.960 --> 00:06:13.100 And there's every reason to assume that Israel knew what they were doing. 00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:16.020 They knew what a covenant was. 00:06:17.639 --> 00:06:20.120 The Hittites at that time were a powerful nation. 00:06:20.259 --> 00:06:23.580 They would create covenants with less powerful nations. 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:29.800 And there's lots of features that we find similar here. 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:34.180 We see here the five main features of the ancient covenants. 00:06:34.300 --> 00:06:35.460 There's agreement of the terms. 00:06:36.280 --> 00:06:37.379 There's swearing and oath. 00:06:38.180 --> 00:06:39.439 There's offering a sacrifice. 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:40.460 There's the witnesses. 00:06:40.960 --> 00:06:42.360 It's not quite the human witnesses. 00:06:43.139 --> 00:06:47.500 It's the pillar and the altar and the 12 pillars. 00:06:47.699 --> 00:06:52.019 They act as a visible witness to what's being created. 00:06:52.019 --> 00:06:56.399 And then there's the feasting, eating and drinking in peace. 00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:01.259 Israel knew what they were entering. 00:07:02.180 --> 00:07:03.719 And God is the greater party. 00:07:04.719 --> 00:07:06.299 He initiates the covenant. 00:07:06.740 --> 00:07:07.899 He sets the terms. 00:07:08.719 --> 00:07:12.120 Human beings, we can't negotiate with God. 00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:15.319 He's the greater party in the covenant. 00:07:15.319 --> 00:07:20.300 People can only accept or reject the covenant. 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:23.139 We can't bargain with him. 00:07:26.219 --> 00:07:27.959 So that's ancient covenants. 00:07:28.139 --> 00:07:32.699 But here in Exodus 24, we find a few unusual things. 00:07:32.699 --> 00:07:44.159 The first unusual thing is that usually it's the representative of the people who enter the covenant on behalf of the people. 00:07:44.339 --> 00:07:46.219 So you see that with Noah. 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:52.719 God enters the covenant with Noah, and that represents the whole earth, all people from then on. 00:07:53.240 --> 00:07:54.980 Abraham enters a covenant. 00:07:55.500 --> 00:07:57.279 That represents all his descendants. 00:07:57.519 --> 00:07:58.879 Here, it's not Moses. 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:03.100 Moses is more like the minister at a wedding, bringing the two parties together. 00:08:03.540 --> 00:08:07.100 Obviously, he's part of Israel too, but the focus isn't on Moses. 00:08:08.259 --> 00:08:12.079 So the strange thing here is that it's all the people. 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:19.339 God is creating a covenant with the whole nation directly. 00:08:24.519 --> 00:08:27.600 I think I struggle to grasp the privilege of this. 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:32.320 It's like all, like you think of the greatest empires in the world in history. 00:08:33.060 --> 00:08:40.300 Israel alone was in covenant with the one true God. 00:08:46.420 --> 00:08:47.399 It's incredible. 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:56.779 And all the Old Testament from here on is all about God's blessing and his cursing based on Israel being his covenant people. 00:08:57.600 --> 00:09:02.840 So that's the first strange thing. 00:09:02.980 --> 00:09:05.320 It's the whole nation, not just the representative. 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:07.600 And the blood is a little bit different. 00:09:08.519 --> 00:09:10.399 Verse 8 highlights the blood. 00:09:10.560 --> 00:09:11.899 Behold the blood of the covenant. 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:19.840 It's not like that Babylonian Mati-Elu. 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:27.160 It's not even like God passing through the animals with the Abrahamic covenant. 00:09:28.940 --> 00:09:30.200 The blood's a bit different. 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:35.139 Half of it is thrown against the altar and half of it is thrown against the people. 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:41.500 There's only two other times in God's law that blood is put on people directly. 00:09:41.500 --> 00:09:46.779 One is for cleansing. 00:09:48.779 --> 00:09:50.799 And the other is for priests. 00:09:51.879 --> 00:10:00.299 When they enter, when they're consecrated to God, when they enter that high calling to be in service of God. 00:10:00.299 --> 00:10:07.240 So I think the blood here, we're meant to see Israel is cleansed. 00:10:07.899 --> 00:10:10.120 They can be close to a holy God. 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:12.259 And they're consecrated. 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:17.019 They are now a kingdom of priests in service to God. 00:10:17.019 --> 00:10:25.379 So the blood is a very positive thing. 00:10:30.100 --> 00:10:36.819 The third different thing is when we compare the emphasis here with, say, the covenant with Abraham. 00:10:37.740 --> 00:10:41.439 If you recall the covenant with Abraham, the main thing was about God. 00:10:41.980 --> 00:10:44.720 Actually, the whole thing is about God and what he would do. 00:10:45.460 --> 00:10:46.460 I will bless you. 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:48.600 I will give you offspring. 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:50.600 I'll give you the land. 00:10:51.019 --> 00:10:52.720 I'll make you into a great nation. 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:55.220 All the world will be blessed through you. 00:10:56.139 --> 00:10:57.899 Nothing at all about Abraham. 00:11:00.100 --> 00:11:05.720 But here in the Mosaic covenant, very little is said about what God would do. 00:11:06.139 --> 00:11:07.799 The main thing is about the people. 00:11:10.439 --> 00:11:13.240 You've got the Ten Commandments as the foundation. 00:11:13.500 --> 00:11:16.559 And then you've got all the law code of chapters 20 to 23. 00:11:17.019 --> 00:11:18.840 It's what the people must do. 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:27.139 The promise in chapter 23 of God sending his angel to guarantee that they'll make it to the promised land. 00:11:27.220 --> 00:11:29.639 It's conditional on their obedience. 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:33.759 If I just read verse 21 and 22. 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:38.580 Pay careful attention to my angel and obey his voice. 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:44.600 Do not rebel against him for he will not pardon your transgression for my name is in him. 00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:48.519 But if you carefully obey his voice. 00:11:48.519 --> 00:11:50.559 And do all that I say. 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:52.620 Then I will be an enemy to your enemies. 00:11:52.980 --> 00:11:55.259 And an adversary to your adversaries. 00:11:57.340 --> 00:11:59.139 It's based on their obedience. 00:11:59.980 --> 00:12:01.860 That they'll make it to the promised land. 00:12:01.860 --> 00:12:05.080 In the ceremony itself. 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:09.379 Twice the people solemnly agree. 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:11.019 After reading the book of the covenant. 00:12:11.680 --> 00:12:13.940 All that the Lord has spoken we will do. 00:12:14.060 --> 00:12:15.019 We will be obedient. 00:12:18.220 --> 00:12:19.820 There's no mistaking is there. 00:12:20.100 --> 00:12:21.560 The focus is on. 00:12:22.560 --> 00:12:23.120 Obedience. 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:28.019 Obedience is the decisive thing. 00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:40.519 Now it wasn't obedience to a law code that was burdensome. 00:12:40.519 --> 00:12:45.100 I think we can read it today and think oh it's such a burdensome law. 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:45.620 It wasn't. 00:12:45.779 --> 00:12:46.860 It's redemptive. 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:57.060 Israel would have stood out from their neighbours as such a different good nation if they obeyed. 00:12:59.300 --> 00:13:00.740 We might find some of it. 00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:01.779 We didn't read it. 00:13:02.019 --> 00:13:04.379 And I encourage you to read it at home. 00:13:04.500 --> 00:13:07.360 But we might find some of it strange. 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:09.759 Like the very last command in chapter 23. 00:13:10.360 --> 00:13:13.940 You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk. 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:16.480 Okay. 00:13:16.860 --> 00:13:31.980 But if we understood that the Canaanites, the land they were entering, that was part of their corporate worship of false gods. 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:36.720 It was to bring fertility to their crops, to their animals. 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:39.860 They're saying don't do that. 00:13:40.300 --> 00:13:42.779 It's quite a disgusting practice if you think about it. 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:51.639 The milk that was meant to give life to the kid is used to boil it. 00:13:52.379 --> 00:13:54.959 God's saying don't be distinct. 00:13:56.100 --> 00:13:57.199 Worship the true God. 00:13:57.339 --> 00:14:00.299 Realise that life comes from Yahweh. 00:14:00.299 --> 00:14:07.779 The law code, it's not burdensome. 00:14:07.979 --> 00:14:11.419 It would have made Israel a shining light. 00:14:11.419 --> 00:14:23.740 I think we may struggle with the laws on slavery in particular. 00:14:25.419 --> 00:14:27.539 But again, it was radical. 00:14:29.599 --> 00:14:31.019 To give slaves a day... 00:14:31.019 --> 00:14:36.879 Now, I don't have time to go into it, but very different idea to slavery than we picture. 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:41.960 But people would give themselves as slaves to pay a debt. 00:14:44.019 --> 00:14:50.139 It's not the ethnic type of slavery that we imagine. 00:14:51.379 --> 00:14:54.600 But it would have been radical if Israel obeyed this. 00:14:54.700 --> 00:14:57.399 Giving slaves a day off. 00:14:57.399 --> 00:15:00.579 That is so... 00:15:00.579 --> 00:15:02.840 You imagine what Israel were like under Pharaoh. 00:15:03.439 --> 00:15:07.199 And they gave all their slaves the Sabbath rest. 00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:10.120 That would have been very different. 00:15:11.559 --> 00:15:14.399 They would have let them go after six years. 00:15:14.659 --> 00:15:16.740 Whatever the debt was, there is a limit. 00:15:19.240 --> 00:15:20.100 You can go. 00:15:20.100 --> 00:15:31.060 Slave and master together would have gone to worship God at the altar, side by side as brothers. 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:46.220 Whatever we react against when we read the laws about slavery, it's the fuller revelation in Christ that turns the world upside down. 00:15:46.340 --> 00:15:49.180 It's not some other culture that changed the world. 00:15:49.179 --> 00:15:52.500 It's the fuller revelation we see in Christ. 00:15:52.599 --> 00:15:57.599 When Christ says, whoever would be great among you must be the servant, the slave of all. 00:16:00.099 --> 00:16:10.559 Whatever disgust we might feel reading those laws, it's only because the fuller revelation that God has brought totally torpedoes slavery. 00:16:10.559 --> 00:16:23.879 There was an image used in America with a slave on his knees and the caption read, 00:16:25.159 --> 00:16:28.239 Am I not a man and a brother? 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:32.659 Am I not a man and a brother? 00:16:32.659 --> 00:16:32.740 Am I not a brother? 00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:36.899 Do you hear what undermines slavery? 00:16:37.100 --> 00:16:40.299 It's, I'm a man in the image of God. 00:16:42.019 --> 00:16:44.240 I'm a brother in Jesus Christ. 00:16:48.339 --> 00:16:51.579 The law code was redemptive for its time. 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:56.459 But it was never meant to be God's final word. 00:16:56.959 --> 00:17:00.120 The laws always prepared us to understand Christ. 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:14.799 So obedience is the main thing and it would have created a wonderful light to the surrounding nations. 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:25.240 Don't you love how the covenant finishes? 00:17:28.319 --> 00:17:33.200 We've seen already that when the Lord came down on Mount Sinai, there were limits. 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:40.960 And they weren't to come up the mountain when the people heard the voice of God directly commanding the Ten Commandments. 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:46.660 They said to Moses, you speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us lest we die. 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:51.940 The holiness of God was terrifying. 00:17:52.840 --> 00:17:55.900 But look at what the blood of the covenant results in. 00:17:56.019 --> 00:17:57.120 Verses 9 to 11. 00:17:57.519 --> 00:18:03.240 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and 70 of the elders of Israel went up. 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:04.240 They went up. 00:18:04.900 --> 00:18:05.960 They went up. 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:08.120 The mountain. 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:10.259 And they saw the God of Israel. 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:19.200 There was under his feet, as it were, a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 00:18:21.859 --> 00:18:26.140 I don't know what they saw, but all we get the description is what's under his feet. 00:18:26.140 --> 00:18:34.460 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel. 00:18:35.100 --> 00:18:39.100 They beheld God and they ate and drank. 00:18:40.320 --> 00:18:44.200 That's what the blood of the covenant achieves. 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:48.120 Being in fellowship, feasting with God. 00:18:48.119 --> 00:19:09.439 Well, as the people of God today, I think the burning question in our mind is, are we to obey the Mosaic covenant? 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:16.139 I'm going to be terribly unsatisfying in my answer. 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:22.859 But I want to point out some main problems I think we can often run into. 00:19:24.719 --> 00:19:27.299 We can answer this question in wrong ways. 00:19:27.959 --> 00:19:32.259 We can answer it saying we are about grace, not obedience. 00:19:36.219 --> 00:19:40.459 But that's the fail to see that Israel was saved by grace. 00:19:41.179 --> 00:19:46.819 Obedience is the proper response to a God who has saved you by grace. 00:19:46.819 --> 00:19:52.819 It is a privilege to obey and the high calling of being in special relationship with God. 00:19:54.200 --> 00:20:04.659 I think another wrong turn we can make is we're like in an ethical supermarket and we just, I like that bit, take it off the shelf. 00:20:05.659 --> 00:20:08.240 Oh, courts not taking bribes? 00:20:08.339 --> 00:20:08.799 Fantastic. 00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:10.579 Let's keep that. 00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:14.000 Not charging interest to make a profit? 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:16.940 I'd rather make a profit. 00:20:17.099 --> 00:20:18.299 I'm going to just leave that one. 00:20:19.859 --> 00:20:23.919 I think we can just be judges ourselves, I suppose. 00:20:23.920 --> 00:20:24.920 I think we can just be judges ourselves. 00:20:24.920 --> 00:20:25.920 I think we can just be judges ourselves. 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:26.920 We can just be judges ourselves. 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:27.920 We can just be judges ourselves. 00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:28.920 We can just be judges ourselves. 00:20:28.920 --> 00:20:31.160 Or are we to obey the Mosaic covenant? 00:20:31.160 --> 00:20:41.140 We need to follow where scripture pushes us. 00:20:41.140 --> 00:20:49.019 We too quickly make the Mosaic covenant about the church, Israel and the church. 00:20:49.019 --> 00:20:52.339 That's not where scripture pushes us primarily. 00:20:57.220 --> 00:21:00.220 Not even Israel obeyed the covenant. 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:13.259 Just think how outrageous it is that within 40 days, this same Aaron, these same elders of the people, 00:21:13.259 --> 00:21:22.460 within 40 days as Moses was getting the two stone tablets, they broke the covenant so grievously that they make a golden calf 00:21:22.460 --> 00:21:26.240 and say, this is the God who saved us from Egypt. 00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:27.619 This is Aaron. 00:21:28.039 --> 00:21:29.700 This isn't the riffraff of society. 00:21:29.819 --> 00:21:30.759 These are the leaders. 00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:37.140 They just saw whatever they experienced of God, eating and drinking in his presence. 00:21:37.140 --> 00:21:47.860 If we follow scripture itself, Psalm 78 recalls all God's goodness and then says, verse 10, 00:21:48.220 --> 00:21:52.700 they did not keep God's covenant but refused to walk according to his law. 00:21:54.020 --> 00:21:56.660 And verse 37, their heart was not steadfast to him. 00:21:56.740 --> 00:21:58.759 They were not faithful to his covenant. 00:22:00.040 --> 00:22:02.520 Or we read Ezekiel 16, 00:22:02.519 --> 00:22:27.759 The question, should we obey the Mosaic law? 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:30.799 Well, it's not the best question. 00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:33.500 Here's a better question. 00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:40.640 What does a covenant-keeping God do with a covenant-breaking people? 00:22:42.619 --> 00:22:44.379 He's faithful to his covenant. 00:22:44.420 --> 00:22:45.059 What does he do? 00:22:53.700 --> 00:22:57.180 Well, most important for our understanding is Jeremiah 31. 00:22:57.759 --> 00:23:00.619 If you've got a Bible, you might want to flip there with me. 00:23:00.879 --> 00:23:02.619 Jeremiah 31, verse 31. 00:23:02.619 --> 00:23:10.500 Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, 00:23:11.219 --> 00:23:16.019 when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 00:23:16.479 --> 00:23:19.559 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day 00:23:19.559 --> 00:23:22.459 when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, 00:23:23.099 --> 00:23:28.379 my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 00:23:28.380 --> 00:23:33.920 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, 00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:34.700 declares the Lord. 00:23:35.600 --> 00:23:40.660 I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:44.980 and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 00:23:46.080 --> 00:23:49.300 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbour and each his brother, 00:23:49.420 --> 00:23:51.760 saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, 00:23:52.520 --> 00:23:56.680 from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. 00:23:56.680 --> 00:24:05.380 For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:13.980 When Jesus took the Passover with his disciples, 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:18.519 and he instituted a new feast to remember him, 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:25.580 and surely Moses' words are very close to his mind when he says, 00:24:25.579 --> 00:24:28.639 this cup is the new covenant in my blood. 00:24:29.339 --> 00:24:31.559 Behold the blood of the new covenant. 00:24:32.399 --> 00:24:38.619 I think we too quickly try to compare Israel to church today. 00:24:39.879 --> 00:24:43.819 Scripture pushes us to go, Israel failed. 00:24:44.599 --> 00:24:46.859 Jesus is the true Israel. 00:24:46.859 --> 00:24:51.899 The covenant points to Jesus. 00:24:54.079 --> 00:24:55.899 We read the Gospels. 00:24:56.240 --> 00:25:00.159 Matthew, in his birth narrative, they go to Egypt, 00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:05.219 and Matthew says, Scripture is fulfilled. 00:25:05.399 --> 00:25:07.359 Out of Egypt I called my son. 00:25:08.519 --> 00:25:09.519 He's talking about Jesus. 00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:13.660 When Jesus is tempted in the wilderness, 00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:16.759 instead of grumbling and putting the Lord to the test, 00:25:16.900 --> 00:25:18.000 he's faithful. 00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:19.579 He's the faithful son. 00:25:20.980 --> 00:25:23.519 When he's on top of the mountain and he's transfigured 00:25:24.139 --> 00:25:27.079 and he's speaking with Moses, Luke 9.31 says, 00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:29.460 they're talking about his exodus. 00:25:34.660 --> 00:25:37.819 He's the obedient, covenant, faithful son. 00:25:37.819 --> 00:25:41.119 That Israel failed to be. 00:25:47.819 --> 00:25:51.519 And he creates a new covenant. 00:25:51.679 --> 00:25:56.779 He fulfills the covenant with Israel. 00:25:57.779 --> 00:25:59.899 And he creates a new covenant. 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:07.220 The prophets and New Testament describe it as an everlasting covenant. 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:09.919 You can't get better than everlasting. 00:26:13.579 --> 00:26:17.279 It's based on better promises, Hebrews tells us. 00:26:19.899 --> 00:26:22.019 As we've seen, the blood of the Mosaic covenant, 00:26:22.159 --> 00:26:24.460 the people's obedience was the decisive thing. 00:26:24.980 --> 00:26:29.960 In the new covenant, forgiveness is the decisive thing. 00:26:29.960 --> 00:26:31.039 That's the basis. 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:37.899 The word remember is a covenant term. 00:26:38.059 --> 00:26:43.500 When Noah is at the height of the flood, God remembered Noah. 00:26:43.639 --> 00:26:46.920 He acted on his covenant promise. 00:26:47.420 --> 00:26:52.099 When Abraham, when Israel are in slavery, they're crying out. 00:26:52.299 --> 00:26:53.579 We already saw this earlier. 00:26:53.579 --> 00:26:56.619 God remembered his covenant with Abraham. 00:26:57.319 --> 00:27:01.480 And here in the new covenant, I will remember their sin no more. 00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:04.859 That's the basis of the new covenant. 00:27:05.500 --> 00:27:06.819 That's the decisive thing. 00:27:06.819 --> 00:27:16.439 The blood, we're going to share the Lord's Supper later. 00:27:17.439 --> 00:27:23.659 And it reminds us that this blood really deals with sin. 00:27:23.879 --> 00:27:27.919 We have that cleansing, that full cleansing. 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:36.320 But it also reminds us that we're consecrated to the Lord as well. 00:27:39.140 --> 00:27:45.039 As we share the Lord's Supper, we're pledging afresh that we're going to live as a church 00:27:45.039 --> 00:27:49.180 in a manner befitting as the people of the new covenant. 00:27:49.180 --> 00:28:01.620 The new covenant, Jesus, maybe I should say cut, has cut in himself, 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:05.220 is more power to obey, better power. 00:28:07.180 --> 00:28:12.380 Mosaic covenant, the laws were written external on stone by the finger of God. 00:28:12.460 --> 00:28:16.720 But in the new covenant, God writes the laws on our heart. 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:20.220 It's transformed by Jesus' spirit. 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:25.059 It's transforming us from within. 00:28:25.240 --> 00:28:28.960 The laws aren't this code on the external that we have to conform to. 00:28:29.319 --> 00:28:31.180 It's so a part of us. 00:28:36.460 --> 00:28:41.180 His spirit creates a people desiring to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:28:43.180 --> 00:28:44.799 Romans 13 talks about. 00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:48.000 Love does no wrong to a neighbour. 00:28:48.159 --> 00:28:50.319 Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. 00:28:52.619 --> 00:28:54.319 We have better power to obey. 00:28:54.879 --> 00:28:57.000 And we have better feasting with God. 00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:02.819 Very few people in the Old Testament were said to have known the Lord. 00:29:03.299 --> 00:29:06.099 It was an aspiration to know the Lord, but very few people. 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:10.500 Moses is described as knowing God face to face like with a friend. 00:29:10.500 --> 00:29:14.880 And he would come down from meeting with God and his face was glowing. 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:17.640 But it faded. 00:29:21.519 --> 00:29:27.640 But we're told in 2 Corinthians, as we behold God in the face of Jesus Christ, 00:29:28.019 --> 00:29:32.599 the glory that changes our character bit by bit, it will never fade. 00:29:32.599 --> 00:29:38.240 It's just going to increase the more we behold God in the face of his son. 00:29:41.819 --> 00:29:47.480 Can I suggest that whatever the leaders of Israel experience up that mountain seeing God, 00:29:48.759 --> 00:29:50.839 we all know the Lord. 00:29:50.839 --> 00:29:55.339 We see him more clearly in the face of Jesus. 00:30:03.740 --> 00:30:08.039 In the new covenant, as we're going to share the Lord's Supper, we have better feasting. 00:30:08.299 --> 00:30:13.720 It's representing the fact that we're not just sharing a meal horizontally. 00:30:13.720 --> 00:30:19.559 We're spiritually feasting with God. 00:30:19.660 --> 00:30:20.600 We're at peace with him. 00:30:22.519 --> 00:30:24.660 And it's also reminding us that's our hope. 00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:26.480 We're going to see him face to face. 00:30:26.839 --> 00:30:29.079 And we're going to be feasting forever. 00:30:36.019 --> 00:30:37.360 We are the people. 00:30:37.640 --> 00:30:41.779 If you have faith in Jesus Christ, we are the people of the new covenant. 00:30:43.720 --> 00:30:46.019 Why don't you pray with me? 00:30:46.200 --> 00:30:46.519 Let's pray. 00:31:01.600 --> 00:31:10.740 Lord Jesus, I pray that you would help us understand our relationship with you 00:31:10.740 --> 00:31:14.200 based on the new covenant that you have established. 00:31:14.579 --> 00:31:19.440 Our minds and our hearts so quickly go back to our own performance 00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:25.720 when you've established such a better covenant for us. 00:31:26.539 --> 00:31:28.359 Father, also pray for us as a church. 00:31:28.359 --> 00:31:36.120 I pray that you would help us live in a way that's befitting as people of the new covenant. 00:31:36.500 --> 00:31:37.620 And I pray this in Jesus' name. 00:31:37.859 --> 00:31:38.079 Amen.