A Better Covenant Established On Better Promises 更美之约原是凭更美之应许立的
15 Feb 2019 | 6 min readsermon2019singapore | promise
Our God is a God who keeps covenants. A covenant is like a contract between two parties. A contract means that the two parties need to honour the terms and conditions written in it. By signing it, they are obliged and have the responsibility to keep that. God made many of such covenants with His people. These covenants can be broadly classified into two categories:
- Unconditional covenant
- Conditional covenant
The 4 covenants in the Old Testament:
• Noahnic covenant
Gen 9:11
After the flood destroyed all on earth, only leaving Noah and his family, God promised that He’d never again destroy the earth with water. This covenant was made between God and all men.
• Abrahamic covenant
Gen 17:4-8
This covenant was only between God and a special group of people (cf. Noahnic covenant which is between God and ALL men). This covenant God established is clearly stated in v7. Abraham would be exceedingly fruitful. What’s interesting is that it’s an everlasting covenant. God will give them a promised land. Circumcision was a sign of this covenant. Today, we relate to the Abrahamic covenant because it is through water baptism we put on Christ, becoming sons of Abraham, enabling us to have these blessings. Baptism is circumcision made without hands.
• Davidic covenant
Psa 89:2-4
God said David’s seed would be established forever. This is fulfilled by Jesus Christ (Matt 1 records the genealogy from David to Jesus). Jesus is the everlasting king. Because He’s everlasting, His reign can be forever.
• Mosaic covenant
Exo 24:6-8
Moses took half the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Then he took the book of the covenant (which were the 10 commandments and the laws of God) and read to the people. The people said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”
These 4 covenants in themselves have great significance. They shape the relationship God has with His people. They also provide insights into why God acted in certain ways. We also know God remained faithful in keeping these 4 covenants, while Man was unfaithful.
These were the 4 covenants in the Old Testament. But this sermon will focus on the covenant in the New Testament; the better covenant.
What is this better covenant and why should we bother with this better covenant? Remember that God is a God who keeps His covenants. Today we make a covenant with God. Since God keeps His covenants, we have the responsibility to keep our side too.
Heb 8:6-9
These verses contrasts the OT Mosaic covenant with the new covenant.
v6 Why is Jesus’ ministry more excellent? Because Jesus is the Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man (v2). The tabernacle erected by Man is an earthly sanctuary, a copy of the shadow of the heavenly things (v5). It brings to remembrance the time God showed Moses the pattern of the tabernacle. From the true tabernacle Moses saw, the tabernacle was erected by Man. Jesus is the high priest who served in the true tabernacle whereas Aaron served in the tabernacle that was a shadow of the true one. There’re many contrasts between Jesus the high priest and the Aaronic high priest.
There’re two many differences.
- Jesus’ offering was once for all. The Aaronic priests have to keep offering.
- Jesus continues forever, because He lives forever and can be the high priest lives forever. Aaronic high priests’ service is limited by how long they can live
This makes the ministry of Jesus more excellent (v6).
Jesus is the mediator. The original Greek word for mediator means arbitrator - guaranteeing the terms stipulated in an agreement. It can also mean intervening to restore peace between two parties. This word appears in the New Testament 6 times. In all these occurrences, it only refers to the Lord Jesus.
Heb 8:6
Jesus is the mediator of the better covenant. Because Jesus is God Himself, of course He can guarantee the performance of the terms in the agreement. If He can’t, who can? Also, Jesus makes peace between God and Man through His sacrifice on the cross. When Man repents of their sins, we are truly reconciled to God.
Jesus is the true Mediator. In contrast, Moses. Through Moses God gave the people the law. If they keep the law, it would be well with them; like a peace arrangement. But was Moses able to guarantee the performance of the terms in the covenant? No. Because he’s still man. Since Jesus can guarantee but Moses can’t, the covenant Jesus mediates is better.
What else makes the covenant Jesus mediates better?
We need to take a step back and examine the old covenant first. The old covenant contains the law. But what happened after that? After receiving the law, did the Israelites keep the law? They found it very hard to completely keep the law in the 40 years they were in the wilderness; often, they transgressed.
Deut 5:5, 6-21
Moses stood between God and the people at that time (i.e. 40 years ago). 40 years ago, Moses declared the word of the Lord to them. They were afraid. Now God’s going to make a covenant with the people before they enter the land or Canaan. If we read it, actually it’s a repeat of the 10 commandments. It’s the same content. The covenant after 40 years remains unchanged.
v29 “that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all Ny commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!”
But after they entered the land of Canaan, did they keep God’s commandments and fear God? We know they didn’t fully do that. In the period of judges, everyone did what was right in their own eyes. In the period of the Kings, the people turned to idols, married foreign women.
God remains faithful to the covenant He made with His people. “You must keep My commandments then it’ll be well with you.” That’ll require them to have the fear of God in their hearts and keep the commands. In Exodus, they failed to do this. After entering Canaan, they failed. The old covenant was there but the people weren’t able to keep it. The book of Hebrews is directed to the Jews who were keeping the old covenant. That’s why the author said Jesus is the author of a better covenant, the old one is fading (Heb 8:13). There’s nothing technically wrong with the old covenant. If its commandments were kept, you’d live. The problem wasn’t with the commandments but with the people; “finding fault with THEM” (Heb 8:8)
How is this new covenant better? Since we’re all part of the new covenant, we must know why it’s better.
Heb 8:10-13
In the better covenant, the laws of God aren’t written on tablets of stone, but put in their minds and on hearts. Today the laws of God are in our minds and on our hearts too; it’s IN us. This is a prophecy that God made through prophet Ezekiel.
Eze 36:26-27
The Holy Spirit is called the spirit of truth because He reveals to us the word of God. We know that when the word of God is in us, it’s more probable we’ll keep it.
Another reason why the new covenant is better is because we have a more intimate relationship with God.
Heb 8:11b
“all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them”
Do we know God? When we receive the Holy Spirit, we’re able to know God intimately (cf. times of Moses). Knowing God intimately isn’t some privilege. It’s for everyone regardless of your background.
Rom 5:5
“the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us”
We know God loves us, through the Holy Spirit. This love isn’t just superficial love. The love of God is IN you. We experience that love when God covers us when we’re sad. We understand His love also when we appreciate His death for us.
Commandments of God + Holy Spirit + Love of God:
When people asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, His reply was to love God with all one’s soul mind and strength, and to love others as oneself. Today the Holy Spirit also writes this commandment in our hearts. Through the Holy Spirit God pours this love in our hearts. With this love, we’re able to love God and others.
The better covenant. Why better?
• Jesus mediates it and He’s better than Moses
• The commandments are written in our hearts
• Everyone of us have an intimate relationship with God, because through the Holy Spirit the love of God is poured into our hearts.
Why better promises? Because the covenant we have today promised eternal life. During the last supper, Jesus said He wouldn’t drink of the fruit of the vine until He drinks it anew in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Exo 19:5-6
If the covenant is kept, the people would be a kingdom of priests and God’s special treasure. This didn’t happen in the Old Testament, but did in the New Testament (1 Pet 2:9).
The promises in the New Testament are better than the mosaic ones because they really happened.
Do we treasure the covenant we have with God today?
The contents of the covenant have not changed. We now have a better covenant established on better promises. How should we respond to that?
Resolve to live a life of faith. Keep the covenants; keep the commandments of God. Submit to the Holy Spirit and grow in the love of God.
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