The New Covenant

Will you please turn to the book of Hebrews? Hebrews chapter 8. We will read
from verse 6 through verse 13.

Hebrews 8:6 “But now He (that is our Lord Jesus) has got a more excellent ministry by
so much as He is a mediator of a better covenant which is established on the footing of
better promises. For if that first was faultless, place had not been sought for a second.
For finding fault He says to them, ‘Behold, days come, saith the Lord, and I will
consummate a new covenant as regards the house of Israel, and as regards the house
of Judah; not according to the covenant which I made to their fathers in the day of my
taking their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue
in my covenant, and I did not regard them, saith the Lord.

Verse 10: Because this is the covenant that I will covenant to the house of Israel after
those days, saith the Lord: Giving my laws into their mind, I will write them also upon
their hearts; and I will be to them for God, and they shall be to me for people. And they
shall not teach each his fellow citizen, and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord’;
because all shall know me in themselves, from the little one among them unto the
great among them. Because I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins
and their lawlessnesses I will never remember any more. In that He says new, He has
made the first old; but that which grows old and aged is near disappearing.

Let us have a further word of prayer:

Dear Lord, with grateful hearts, we gather together unto Thy name. We thank Thee
for Thy faithfulness, for Thy promise to us: As two or three are gathered together unto
Thy name, there will Thou be in their midst. By faith we believe that Thou art here
with us. We know that we are on holy ground. We will remove our shoes and stand on
the ground of Thy bondservants, and say to Thee Lord, what has Thou to say to us?
Speak Lord; Thy servants heareth. We ask in Thy precious name, Amen.

Thank God for gathering us together again this time. The burden that the Lord has
put upon my heart is very simple. It is concerned with the new covenant, its life and
ministry.

We all know that we are today living under the new covenant, and it is God’s will
that we should live according to the new covenant. Not only our life, but even our
service, our ministry, must be according to the new covenant.

But as we fellowship with brothers and sisters in many different places, it seems to
me that God’s people today are still living under the old covenant. Not only so but
even our ministry, our service is still under the old covenant. Put it in another way,
it seems to be that God’s people today are still walking in the outward way of so‐
called Christian life. Even our services are still under the old covenant. To put it
very clearly, it seems as if all our Christian life and our so‐called Christian service is
still under the old covenant of law. It is still under the obligation of “Thou shall,
Thou shall not” instead of living and serving in the power of the life within. We are
still as it were living under law, and not under grace.

But we know that God has not only provided for us this new covenant way of life
and service, it is actually the only way that He wants us to live and to serve. So I feel
that it is time that we should go back to the very basic and by the grace of God, not
only to understand but also to live and serve under the new covenant.

Now this time, we would like to approach this matter from 4 different directions:

#1 what is the new covenant?

#2 how can we live the life according to the new covenant?
#3 what is new covenant ministry?
#4 how can we be brought into such ministry?

So let’s look to the Lord together and pray that the Lord will really give us
understanding, not only to know it but also to experience it. And it is all for the
glory of God.

Covenant God

As you read the Bible, probably one thing will surprise you. You’ll find that in the
word of God, it seems as if God delights in making covenants with men.

Now what is “covenant”? That is an old English word. In modern times, we usually
use the word “contract.” We find that in every business transaction, even if you are
trying to buy a house, now you have to have a contract. There will be a legal
document. And in that document it will relate what are the responsibilities and the
privileges of both sides, both parties. And it has a legal right before the court.

Now I remember when I was a child, at that time when you are doing any business,
there wasn’t such a thing as having a contract; it is all by the word. If you promise to
do certain things, now that is what you would do. But unfortunately, because of the
weakness of man, man’s word does not seem to be dependable. You may promise
something but you do not fulfill it and because of this, you have to have a legal
document that binds you to your responsibilities or to your privileges. This is how
contract comes into being.

Now in our days, you’ll find that contract is everywhere. Nothing can be done unless
there is a contract. Isn’t it strange that our God should like to sign contracts? To
Him, there is no need of any contract because our God is the Truth. Whatever He
promises, He performs. He never goes back on His word. So there is no need for
God to have any contract.
But strangely, you’ll find this seems to be the way that God would deal with man.
Now of course, we know it is not because God needs such a contract. It is because
God knows our frailty. We are so unfaithful; we are not believable, so somehow we
think God is like us, that His words are not dependable. So God condescends
Himself to our level in order to encourage us to believe what He has said. So here
we see the love of God.

The History of Covenants of God

You know throughout the Bible, you’ll find again and again God makes contracts
with man. If I’m correct, the first word “covenant” appears in the Bible, that is found
in Genesis 9 and if you will turn to it, you will find that after the flood, God knows
that men are in such frightened situation because the flood has covered the world.
Every living thing was dead; only Noah and his family, they were saved through the
ark. So no wonder there was such fear in the heart of man.

Now in order to comfort man, so when God said how He would bless Noah and His
family, they will spread over the whole world, and they will have dominion over the
animals. Whoever sheds any blood of man will be punished and God says He will no
longer use any flood to destroy the world and He even put a single sign in the cloud
and at that time, He said in verse 9, “And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you
and with your seed after you.” So this is the first time that the word “covenant” is
used.

But as you read what God said to Adam, even though the word “covenant” is not
there, but as you read what He said to Adam, it is almost like a covenant. Because as
you read it, you’ll find that there are blessings that God has promised but there are
also responsibilities put upon man. Man is to plow and man is to govern. And man
is to watch and man is to subdue all things to the feet of God.

Not only there are duties for man, but there are also responsibilities. And God said
there is one tree you cannot eat; if you eat, you will die. So you have all these
elements there. It is like a contract with man.

But we see how man failed God’s purpose. So after that, you’ll find with Noah, God
come up with clear word about covenant, contract. And then of course we know
afterwards, in the life of Abraham, how the God of glory appeared to him and asked
him to leave his native place, his family and to go to where God will lead him and by
faith, Abraham obeyed. But when you come to Genesis chapter15, you see when
God is saying to him that he shall have his seed, many seeds, it seems as if Abraham
found it difficult to believe in God because he has not had any seed, any son after all
these years. And God wants to assure him, and it was night, it was night so God led
him outside of his tent, and showed him all the stars in heaven; “and your seed shall
be as the stars of the heaven.” And that strengthens Abraham’s faith and Abraham
believed and it was considered to be his righteousness.
Then when God said He will give him the land of Canaan, and Abraham could hardly
believe that because there were seven tribes already there. So you remember God
asked him to do something and actually that is the old way of a contract. You have
the animals killed and put on two sides and the two parties will go through it. It is a
contract of blood. And everything will be assured. So there you’ll find in that
chapter, it tells us that God made a covenant with him.

Then of course we are all familiar with God’s covenant with the children of Israel.
When you come to Exodus, in exodus 19, God brought them to Mt Sinai and God
gave them the 10 commandments in order that they might be God’s people. It is the
covenant of law and all these 10 commandments of “Thou shall, thou shall not.” We
call it the covenant of Law and then, as you continue on, you will find how they rebel
against God and they were in the wilderness for 38 years and when again, they came
to the border of the promised land, in the land of Moab, God made another covenant
with them. You’ll find that in Deuteronomy 29:1. It is a covenant of law with grace,
with mercy. And under that covenant, they were able to enter into the Promised
Land.

And probably you will think of David, after God has made him king over Israel and
God blessed him and then you’ll find in 2 Samuel 7, how God promised him to build
up His house, even though the word “covenant” is not used, but we know it is
Davidic covenant, and after all the failures of the nation of Israel, God promised
them in Jeremiah 31: 31‐34, God said I will make a new covenant with you and that
is recorded also in Hebrews 8.

So these are the brief history of the covenants of God.

The Covenant and the Gentiles

But probably brothers and sisters, you will ask a question: It seems as if God
specifies especially two covenants. One is the covenant at Mt Sinai. It is a covenant
of Law and then you’ll find another covenant that God has promised to the nation of
Israel, it has not been fulfilled yet but God promised that one day, He will make a
new covenant with them. It is no longer a covenant of law; it is a covenant of grace.
It is no longer “Thou shall, thou shall not;” it is all “I will I will and I will.” But all
these two covenants are given to the children of Israel. Now we are Gentiles; so
what has that to do with us? How come that these 2 covenants seem to also
applicable to us?

Covenant of Law

Now if you will read Romans 2 from verse 14 to 16, here you’ll find the apostle Paul
is trying to tell people how people who are under law will be judged by the law. But
how about those Gentiles that are not under law? Because when God gave that 10
commandments, written words, to the children of Israel, it is for the nation of Israel.
If they do obey God’s commandments, then God will be their God; if they do not obey
God’s commandments, then God will not be their God. That is all concerning the
nation of Israel.

Now how about us Gentiles? God has not given the 10 commandments to us. We do
not have written commandments. So what shall happen to us? Is there any
relationship with us? And this you’ll find in Romans 2. So in verse 14, “For when
those of the nations, which have no law, practise by nature the things of the law, these,
having no law, are a law to themselves; who shew the work of the law written in their
hearts, their conscience also bearing witness and their thoughts accusing or else
excusing themselves between themselves; in the day when God shall judge the secrets
of men, according to my glad tidings, by Jesus Christ.”

So brothers and sisters, you see that even though we do not have the written law,
the 10 commandments, given to us, but somehow the very nature of that law has
been written upon our conscience. We call it the natural law. The so‐called “natural
law” is actually the law of God written upon our conscience.

Even though because we have sinned so much, our conscience seems to be in coma,
but once in a time, maybe a few times, our conscience seems to be wake up a little
while, especially when a person is dying. You’ll find that when a person is dying, he
always wants to say something good. Because in his conscience, he knows he cannot
see God. And this is how religion comes into the world. Whatever religion it may be,
if you really look into it, the nature is the same: how to appease the wrath of God.
And it is always answered by: Do something good, thou shalt, thou shalt not. So
you’ll find that even though we do not have the 10 commandments written by God
to us, but the very nature of that commandments, God’s commandments is written
on us so we will be judged by that. So when you look at it, you’ll find that we are all
under the old covenant of Law.

The New Covenant

Now how about the new covenant? Because the new covenant was promised to the
nation of Judah and the nation of Israel and it is not promised to us, now how come
that today we are in the new covenant?

Now if you read Luke 22:20, you remember before our Lord Jesus went to the Cross,
how He gathered His own in the upper room, for so‐called the last supper, and
during the last Passover supper He had with His disciples, the Lord took up a loaf of
bread and said, ”This is My body given for you, do this in remembrance of Me,” and
afterwards He took of a cup, and there you will find in Luke 22:20, in like manner
also the cup, after having supped, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood,
which is poured out for you.” In other words you’ll find what God has promised the
new covenant to the nation of Israel and nation of Judah, has now been given to us
Christians. So today, we are living and serving under the new covenant of grace. We
have already experienced the new covenant; we are living and serving under the
new covenant; the children of Israel, one day, will also have the privilege of this new
covenant.

As we read the word of God, we find that God has delivered us out of the old
covenant of law, and now He put us in the new covenant. It is the new covenant of
grace. It is no longer “Thou shall, thou shall not.” It is no longer depending upon our
own selves; it is all “I will, I will and I will.”

I think, theoretically, we all know we are under the new covenant of grace, but
unfortunately, we find that we are still living under the old covenant of law, and
even serving in the same way. So this is what we want to seek together before the
Lord.

The Difference between the Old and the New Covenant

Now, what is the new covenant? What is the new covenant that the blood of our
Lord Jesus has sealed? And it is given to His disciples.

As you read Hebrews 8, you will find it is very simple. Because the Lord said, in the
old days, how He took the hands of the fathers, He led them out of the land of
bondage and He led them through the wilderness and He was leading them into
Canaan. But somehow the children of Israel as if they struggled out of the hand of
God, it is as if a mother or a father holding the hand of a child, and lead the child
through the street, and somehow the child’s attention was attracted by something in
the window and he struggled himself out of the hands of the parent, and go his own
way. Now this is the way that we find God’s dealing with the children of Israel, God
led them out of Egypt, God led them all the way through the wilderness, He made
every provision for them, it is as if He is holding their hands and leading them out
but somehow they struggled out of the hand of God.

Now brothers and sisters, in our Christian experience, how often we find we are in
the same way: the Lord said, “I will, I will” and yet we struggle out of the hands of
God, and we want to say, “Thou shall, thou shall not.”

So in other words, the old covenant of law is the outward way of life. Even though
with all God’s loving instructions, and with all His merciful hand, it is still something
outside; He is holding their hands, it is not something inwards, and because of that,
there is the danger of leaving the hands of God and go their own way.

Now brothers and sisters, somehow many Christians today are still in that kind of
living. They do not see the inward way of life, they do not walk in the inward way of
God’s leading, so God said, “I will make a new covenant with you” and this new
covenant is all inward, and it is all, God said “I will, I will and I will.” It is not because
you perform, therefore God acknowledged you as His own. It is because you are His
and He is responsible to bring you into His fold.
The Three Articles of the New Covenant

So when you read the new covenant, it is very simple; it is no longer 10

commandments, no longer 10 “Thou shall and thou shall not.” It has only 3 articles.
And in all these 3 articles, God says I will do this, I will do that, I will do everything
and because of what I’m doing, that is where you are. So it is all a covenant of grace.

Now whether you read Jeremiah 31 or Hebrews 8, you‘ll find there is a certain order
there:

The first article mentioned there in Hebrews 8:10, “Giving My laws into their minds, I
will write them also upon their hearts, and I will be to them for God and they shall be
to me for people.“ That is the first article.

And the second article, verse 11, “And they shall not teach each his fellow‐citizen and
each his brother, saying, Know the Lord; because all shall know Me in themselves, from
the little one among them unto the great among them.”

And the third article is verse 12, “Because I will be merciful to their
unrighteousnesses, and their sins and lawlessnesses I will never remember any more.”

Now this order is according to the will of God.

God’s will is that He may be, He be our God and we be His children so He writes His
law into our minds. Then you’ll find secondly how are we going to know His will?
And then finally, you’ll find finally how our sins will be solved. This is God’s order.

Now so far, as our experiences go, we will go first with the last article. We will first
experience what righteousness is; how can we be right before God? We have no
standing before God, because we have sinned and we have continued to sin. But
thank God, He not only forgive but He forget. So this is the beginning of our
experience of the grace of God. And then as you go on, now how do I know the will
of God? And it says, you know it in yourself; it is not an outward knowing,
something that is taught to you. It is the anointing within you that teaches you. And
then finally, where do you have the power to overcome yourself, to overcome your
flesh? You will find that God Himself is your power. So that will be the order
according to our experience.

Then you will find in verse 13, “In that He says New, He has made the first one old;
and aged is near disappearing.“ Now this refers to our experience. So far as God’s
fact is concerned, the old covenant is already over, the new covenant is now in force
but when you come to your own experience of God’s deliverance, it does not come
all at once; you’ll find that gradually the old passes away, and then finally the new
takes over. So this is what you’ll find what the new covenant is.
Now this morning we are just laying a foundation. Now God willing, tomorrow we
want to see according to our experience, how can we live according to the new
covenant? How can we be delivered from the old covenant of law and actually living
according to the new covenant? So let us continue to wait upon the Lord that He
will lead us into reality.

Let’s pray.

Dear Lord, we want to thank Thee, for Thy living Word. We pray that by Thy Spirit
illumined, we may really be brought into the reality of Thy Word. Deliver us from only
knowing these things with our mind. Pray that Thou will lead us into living
experience. Show us how we may be delivered totally from ourselves, and be brought
into the new inward way of life, that Thy purpose concerning us may be realized. We
want to thank Thee that it is not only Thy will that Thou should justify us, Thou want
to sanctify us and even to glorify us. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.