A Big Beautiful New Covenant

The blood of Jesus takes away the sins of the world, and this covenant, once and for all, pays the price to make the forgiveness of our sins eternal. There was an old covenant and it involved sacrifice and forgiveness as well, but that covenant was just a. shadow of the covenant to come. Jeremiah writes this in Jeremiah 31:31 “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord. This new covenant came through Jesus and the shedding of His blood.

During the Last Supper, Jesus spoke of this new covenant in Matthew 26:27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” Jesus broadened the effect of this new covenant beyond the people of Israel to the Gentiles, and He used a vessel by the name of Saul to do just that. Saul, who became Paul, was the one who saw many followers of The Way put to death because he did not believe this new covenant was for anyone but the Jews. The Lord blinded Saul and then sent Ananias to basically commission him to take the gospel to the rest of the world, and show them it was not just for the Jews. Here is what God told Ananias when He came to him in a dream. Acts 9:15 But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. 16 And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

The old covenant was for the Jews, and in the New Covenant God opened up this eternal life to all the world. A converted Jew, by the name of Paul, wrote this to the church in Rome in Romans 10:13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” God offered this new covenant and it was made possible through the shedding of the blood of Jesus. Romans 5:12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. And because of Jesus, a new covenant was made, and we live in that new covenant. Romans 5:18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. That one person is Jesus. His obedience showed in His shed blood for you and me.

Every time we sing the hymn Nothing But the Blood, our hearts should be stirred because of the new covenant we live in that allows us to experience God's grace. Never go back to the thinking that we have any part of this grace, except accepting it and receiving it. If not for the blood of Jesus, there would be no new covenant, and we would be bound for hell. Praise God for the blood of Jesus, and thank you, Jesus, for your blood that washes away my sin.

Our response must be to submit to God and He will guide us as we follow His Great Commission and offer this new covenant reality to the world.

Today's Message,

David Warren