New Heart and a

New Spirit
            God always has a plan for whatever situation we may find ourselves in.  From the
beginning, it was God’s design to enjoy glorious fellowship and work with his children on earth
as it is in heaven.  Unfortunately, mankind broke God’s mold, so to speak, and we went our own
way.  Despite our shortcomings, God still had a plan, not plan B, but his original plan, because
he sees the beginning from the end.  He puts into action various Covenants, one with Noah and
then the Mosaic and Davidic covenants.  This leads us to several Scriptures for today, which
ushers in a New Covenant.

·      “The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant 

with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…” (Jer 31:31 ff).

·       I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your
heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move
you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws (Ezek 36:26-27).

These two prophets both tell of God’s future plans to restore the people of God.  Jeremiah
prophesied throughout Israel about the coming judgement and captivity and future restoration of
God’s people (Jer 29:11-14).  Ezekiel prophesied while in captivity in Babylon about God’s
hope for the people of God (Ezek 11:16-19).  We have a loving God who cares deeply for his
people even when we wander away from him.  He loves us so much that he sent his Son Jesus to
bring us back into new life.  The new heart and new spirit we will look at today are only possible
because of the work of Jesus on the Cross, his blood that was shed, his resurrection from the
dead and his ascension to heaven.  

The New Covenant 

            The New Covenant (or New Testament) is the promise that God makes with mankind that
he will forgive our sins and restore our fellowship with the Father.  One of the main promises we
can enjoy in the New Testament is this: God is healing our broken hearts and giving us a new
spirit through Jesus Christ, the mediator of the New Covenant.  

             What does it mean to have a new heart and a new spirit?  This speaks of becoming a
New Creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17) - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!  What does it mean to be a NEW CREATION?

·      When Christ died, we died...

·      When Christ died our sinful nature died...

·      We live no longer as sinners prone to sin but as saints disposed to righteousness. 

·      We are righteous sons or daughters who, may sin because of free will, not because of our
sinful nature.  Because our sinful nature or our old man or our flesh has been crucified with
Christ. 

This is the truth we need to believe. Satan's lie is to get us to think that our sinful nature is still
alive. It is not but has been crucified with Christ.  Therefore, we are called to live with a New
Heart and a New Spirit, from glory to glory, not from sin to sin, or struggle to struggle.  The
Scriptures give several illustrations here; baptism, a will, new citizenship.
A New Heart and A New Spirit
            When Ezekiel (36:26-27) prophesied, he spoke of the human heart and spirit being made
new.  The heart of stone refers to Israel’s stubborn rejection of God and their pride and self-
reliance in life.  There were under the Law but consistently broke the Laws of God; in other
words, their hearts were no longer obedient, passionate or soft towards God. 

            When we become a New Creation, we are given a new heart and spirit.  We are made
alive in Christ (Eph 2:5), and our given the opportunity to live in the newness of heart and
spirit.  What does this look like practically?  There are two main points that I would like to
highlight.

1.     Revelation.  It was the plan of God to bring New Revelation to the people of God.  No
longer would they live according to the Law of Moses in order to fulfill righteousness.  They
were to receive the truth that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and to put their trust in him.  They were
to believe on the Lord Jesus and put their faith and God faith into action.  Truth was no longer
found just in a system of Laws, but in a person – Jesus Christ – full of grace and truth (John
1:14).  But Jesus didn’t stop there.  The key here is this – our righteousness, our new heart and
spirit, are experienced because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Everybody
needs to believe and receive this revelation of God.  After he ascended to heaven, he sent the
Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth – the Spirit of truth.  This leads us to our next point.

2.     Sanctification.  What good is a new heart and spirit if there is no growing in

righteousness?  One of the promises of God is that he has given us everything we need for life
and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).  Our ability to maintain our new heart and spirit is in direct
relationship to the Holy Spirit.  We must put our trust in Holy Spirit the same way we put our
trust in Jesus.  This puts us into agreement with God’s revelation about our righteousness being
found in Jesus, allowing Holy Spirit to enable us to be obedient and righteous in our daily
lives.  Consecration and dedication are two main exercises that we can put into practice adding to
our faith (2 Peter 1:5-9).  The Holy Spirit has many means of providing sanctification for us; the
Scriptures are key, circumstances, the testimonies and teaching of others to name of few.

In Conclusion
            There is something wonderful about something new.  A new baby or grandchild.  A new
house or car or belonging or job.  A new friend or getting married.  How about a new heart and
spirit that ushers in a whole new world, a new kingdom and spiritual world.  This is life changing
and has eternal significance.  

However, there are times when something new becomes used, gets old and we find ourselves not
quite as excited as first.  This is when we take the time to invest in whatever is getting old… We
renovate the house, clean the car and take time with our family and friends.

The same can be true of our faith and journey with God.  Maybe today, you need a new heart and
spirit for the first time.  Or maybe you need a refreshing of your new heart and spirit that has
grown cold or given into the routine of life.  One thing we can do is – “to thank God for you,
brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through
the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth” (2 Thess 2:13). Share first
time for a new heart/spirit. Or a time of refreshing for your heart/spirit.