You Know Better

Take your Bibles, if you would, please, and turn to Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 8 and verses 6 through 13. This is where we are. And if you're taking notes, the title for today's message is "You Know Better." And that is the author to the audience, you, Hebrews, know, and that you know that the New Covenant in Christ is better, better in its promises and better in its way of salvation. And so we too should know better than to shrink back into our old ways of doing things. The flesh is always warring against the spirit inside of our soul. And it's always a temptation to handle life in the old way, the old ways of handling things in the flesh and muscling it out, and perhaps thinking it through in your old ways, and perhaps shrinking back and just muscling through life.

The trials and the tribulations for which the Hebrews were under were causing them to shrink back into their old covenant ways. And the Hebrew author here is preaching with all of his heart, soul, mind, and strength that you know better. You know the better covenant. You know the better promises. You know the better Savior. And so he's pushing them from the old to the new.

Let's look at Hebrews chapter 8 and starting in verse 6, and we'll perhaps finish the chapter, and perhaps not. In verse 6 it says, "But now," this is a big transition point in the book of Hebrews, and now it is going to introduce to us the New Covenant. "But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, He being Christ, by a much better covenant—is He also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises."

Okay, this better covenant is revealed by Christ when He removes the veil. When people see and perceive Jesus, this is removed. The veil is removed. 2 Corinthians 3:14 says that the veil is removed in Christ. And so the only way that one sees the New Covenant is if this old veil is removed by perceiving Jesus.

In verse 7 it says, "For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second, for finding fault with them," he says. Now, some would read too quickly in thinking that the Old Covenant had a fault if you're looking into verse 7, but it's defined here in verse 8: "Finding fault with them." The fault is with Israel not fulfilling the law. And then now a long, direct quote from Jeremiah 31:31 through 34. This is the longest Old Testament quote recorded in the New Testament.

Now, I'll start with this quote: "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "when I will effect a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah." That is just to include everyone. "Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, for they did not continue in My covenant. And I did not care," or shepherd, "I disregarded them. I did not care for them," says the Lord.

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days," says the Lord, "I will put My laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen and everyone his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all will know Me, from the least to the greatest of them, for I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more."

Verse 13: "When He said, A new covenant He has made the first obsolete, but whatever is become obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear." So here the idea of being obsolete in the Old Covenant is stated.

Let's pause for prayer. Lord, thank You for the text. Thank You for this reading. Thank You for giving us the opportunity to perceive You in this New Covenant. Bring us into Yourself. Help us to be in You, dear Jesus, and understand why Jeremiah was to prophesy of this New Covenant in the Old Testament for Israel, and to apply these precepts to our life, we pray in Christ's name. Amen.

Like I said, the title today is "You Know Better," and the "better" referring to the better promises in the New Covenant. And so they are to move forward from the Old to the New. This is one of the main ideas in Hebrews. Turn to Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1. Let's just run through this concept of moving from the Old to the New.

In Hebrews 1:1, "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets and in many portions and in many ways." This is the entire Old Testament and the prophecies and the Psalms and everything. And so verse 1 is the Old. And now we're moving from the Old to the New in verse 2. "In these last days, we're in the last days now, He has spoken to us in His Son."

Okay, so you can just simply look at a progression from verse 1 to 2 is from the Old to the New. And this isn't the only place that you see this in Hebrews. It's really throughout, but I'd like to show you just another place as well in Hebrews chapter 7, verse 18. Turn to chapter 7 and verse 18 and notice how the author is moving from the Old to the New. He's moving the hearts and the minds of the Hebrews from the Old Testament law, the law of Moses, to the New Covenant.

In Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 18: "For on one hand there is a setting aside of the former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness." It's important to realize that the author ascribes the word uselessness to the Old Covenant and then as well obsolete as we've already read. And now as he's moving from the Old in verse 18 to the New in verse 19, read it with me along with me. "For the law made nothing perfect and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God."

Okay, so we're bringing in this hope. You see there, it's very obvious from the Old to the New. It's important as well to notice that the New Testament authors treat the Old Testament as a whole. This has theological implications. We won't go into all the details, but just recognize that the entire Old Testament law is treated by the New Testament authors as a whole.

Okay, for example in James 2:10 it says, "Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles even at one point is guilty of it all." See how the New Testament author James treats the Mosaic law and the Psalms and the prophecies and all that type of stuff as one whole block. Okay, and so the whole law including the Old Covenant now is obsolete. We're moving from the Old to the New.

Now you have to ask the question, "Well what then is relevant according to what the Old Testament has said because it still is Scripture. It's still pure. It's still holy." Well we understand the Old Testament and its truth in light of the New Testament and what has been substantiated or repeated or what we are commanded to teach according to what Christ has told us, what He commanded. As Great Commission Christians in the Great Commission, Jesus has commanded us not only to go and to baptize but to teach all that He has commanded. And so Christ is putting the emphasis upon what He has commanded. That is what is applicable.

If you have trouble deciding what is relevant to obey from the Old Testament, it is what Jesus has substantiated. So in Matthew chapter 28 and verse 20, Jesus said, "Teach them to observe all that I commanded." And so now Jesus extracts truth from the Old Testament foundation and applies it to the New Testament believers. And so we don't want to make something out of the Bible what it's not and try and obey the Old Covenant like Israel is trying to do in the text. You really get legalistically bogged down. Okay?

So therefore, whatever Christ restates from the Old Testament is binding on New Testament believers. Turn to Luke chapter 24 if you would and I'd like for you to see the presuppositions of Jesus and the presuppositions of the New Testament authors. Whenever you're reading a book including the Bible, you need to know the presuppositions that they come to the table with. And they presuppose a lot upon the Old Testament.

In Luke chapter 24 and verses 25 through 27, you'll see how Jesus refers presuppositionally to the Old Testament. Luke 24:25 says this: "And He said to them, O foolish men, slow of heart to believe, in all the prophets have spoken." Okay? So now you have authority given to the prophets in all that they have spoken. Verse 26 says, "Was it not necessary for Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" Okay, the prophets prophesied of the death and burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. So Jesus is simply stating, "Wasn't it necessary? Wasn't it already prophesied?" Okay? Keep following the train of thought here in verse 27. "Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them," oh, I wish I could have been there.

Can you imagine? Jesus explaining the message from the Old Testament, explained to them the things concerning Himself. Jesus exegeted the Old Testament and how it predicted Him as Lord and Savior in every way, shape, and form, concerning Himself in all the Scriptures, the Psalms and the prophets and the law. All the Old Testament Scriptures is pointing to Jesus.

And then look with me in verse 44 if you would. There's some more truth here. "Now He said to them, These are My words which I have spoken to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." And so the presupposition is that all of the Old Testament Scripture is pointing to Jesus. And when you think to yourself, it's really all about Jesus, it really is. The Word of God really, really, truly is Christological.

In verse 45: "Then He opened their minds to understand of the Scriptures." If you pray to Jesus for anything, pray that He would open your mind to be able to understand the Scriptures, to see, perceive, to know Jesus. The depths of His love and the depths of His Word are unsearchable. We'll never know all that there is to know within the confines of the canon here. But pray and ask God to open your mind to be able to see all of these things. Oh, it's so rich and wonderful when you see all of how the law is pointing to the Lord.

And now Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. He's Lord of the law. He's Lord of everything. And so the old law is obsolete, according to our text. Back to Hebrews, if you would. It's obsolete now. And so in verse 13, in Hebrews chapter 8, when He said, "A new covenant, He has made the first obsolete." But whatever is becoming obsolete is growing old, is ready to disappear. This old, obsolete covenant has truth to learn from, and we need to apply what Jesus has restated. So it's the old to the new.

And sometimes when you hear law and gospel, there are too many things from the Old Testament applying to the New Testament believers. I would like to help us to understand that it's law to gospel, not law and gospel. That refutes theonomy and a lot of different confusing questions.

Point number one: If you're taking notes, Christ mediates His covenant. You see this at the top in verse 6. Christ mediates His covenant. Let's read verse 6 again. "But now, He has obtained a more excellent ministry by as much as He is also the mediator. He is the mediator of a better covenant. He mediates it. He administrates it."

You could say it this way: He chooses who He chooses. He actively mediates it. This is divine initiative. This is active administration. Christ chooses to mediate His covenant to those whom He chooses to mediate it to. He reveals it to whom He reveals. He unveils His truth. He illuminates the mind for whom He chooses. And so He removes the old veil and removes and reveals the new covenant. This is His personal ministry. He's a mediator. He does this. This is what He does. He opens minds.

Luke 24:45, that which we just read. He opened their minds. In John 1:9 it says, "The true light enlightened every man." And so every man who has been given the repentance and faith confesses by repenting. And they confess their faith. And to everyone who believes, who's been enlightened, they come to the light. And so the emphasis needs not just to be upon the mediatorial work, not merely arbitration, but also the fact that God satisfies—I should say it this way—Jesus satisfies God's demands.

And so for a mediator to mediate a situation, a case, to be a go-between, a mediator in a court case is not obligated to do anything other than just provide the contract and try and get two parties to compromise and come to terms. But that would be a worldly way of looking at the new covenant. The new covenant is not a worldly document. It's a divine document. And it's beautiful because the mediator, on behalf of God and man, does so much more than what a mediator that you could hire, an arbitrator or a lawyer that you could hire to do.

And so where mediation is normally a contractual work to where both parties compromise and agree on terms, in this new covenant, the terms have already been written before the need of mediation. And so now we have no say in it. We have absolutely no sway, no, say as the lesser party looking at the greater party. We can only yield and submit. And so not only is the lesser party us having zero sway or say in this covenant, this contract, these terms, the greater party then goes and does all of the work for us.

And not only does He provide a covenant, we have God's written word, but He goes so far then to write it on our hearts. How beautiful it is. Look in verse 10 with me, Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 10. How beautiful it is that He has written it on our hearts.

And so this covenant, this agreement has been written on the hearts and the minds of those whom God saves. This is beautiful. Point number two: If you're taking notes, is that imperfect people can't keep a perfect law. Imperfect people, which includes every person, because we've all fallen short of the glory of God. We've all sinned. Romans 3:23. Can't keep the perfect law. Psalm 19:7 says that the law of the Lord is perfect.

OK, read with me in verse 7 if you would here in Hebrews. Hebrews 8:7 says, "For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second." And then in verse 8 clarifies "for finding fault with them." So the fault is on the imperfect people. The fault is ultimately with our sin. We have to own that. God's moral law is flawless. It is perfect. It describes Him. But flawed people could never keep this flawless law. Therefore, the perfect tabernacle in chapter 9 verse 11 had to do it for us.

Look with me. The perfect tabernacle. That being Jesus Himself had to do it for us. I'll give you an example by the animal sacrifices. In chapter 9 verse 11: "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands." Christ Himself. That is to say not of His creation. Jesus wasn't created. Verse 12: "And not through the blood of goats and calves," that's the Old Testament law in a sacrificial system, "but through His own blood. He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For of the blood of goats and bulls, and of the ashes of the heifer, sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctified for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself, without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God."

What a beautiful idea to see that this mediator offered Himself on the altar. He was the Lamb of God. Jesus is the Savior. And so this makes the Old Covenant in all of its ways obsolete. There's no sense in offering a heifer. There's no sense in animal sacrifices. There's no sense in following the law because Jesus is Lord of the law. Look at Jesus. He's Lord of the Sabbath as well. And ascribing Sabbatarian Old Testament rules to New Testament Sunday is going to make you confused and wear you out. And so we are in Christ. Christ is our salvific rest. We rest in Him. This is true for us as New Covenant New Testament believers.

Point number three for taking notes: Israel knew of the New Covenant. Israel knew. They knew of this. This is not new news. And the author of Hebrews belabors his point by quoting Jeremiah 31:31 and following. This is the longest quote from the Old Testament. And he's basically saying to everybody, "You know better. You, Hebrews, know the Old Covenant is obsolete." Now we have the New Covenant. Better promises, a better Savior. You know better. So this direct quote from Jeremiah 31 through 34 in context is very meaningful because in Jeremiah's day they had this doom looming over them.

They had this Babylonian exile causing them extreme grief, grieving, and weeping. A lot of them were truly regretting their idolatry, truly regretting their immoralities because they knew that their sin came with a punishment and now they were being exiled, separated from God, separated from His promises, separated from His blessings. And so they have this guilt looming over all of Israel and they're all being exiled into Babylon.

Yet, Jeremiah, this lone gunman, this one prophet prophesying a New Covenant. And boy, if there was ever any glimpse of hope, everybody would have latched on to this prophecy. In the midst of all of this terrible information, you've got one lone prophet saying, "A New Covenant, guys, is going to be in Christ and it's coming." So Jeremiah prophesies hope and he prophesies healing even though they outwardly had been disobedient to the Old Covenant. There's going to be a New Covenant that will transform their hearts and minds in Christ. And so though outwardly they have been disobedient, Christ would now make them inwardly conformed and obedient. This is divine inner forgiveness and restoration is coming. And so he's prophesying hope, he's prophesying the New Covenant. This is really, really good news.

Now the author is justifying Christ and the New Covenant over the old priesthood, over the old Mosaic Covenant. And he's helping them to see, perhaps maybe I can put it into modern day terms, you probably would all agree that the old carton buggy has been replaced with the car, right? Well, the Old Covenant, the Old Testament, the old ways have been replaced with the New Covenant in Christ. So if I see you walking around with an old carton buggy, like, "What are you doing?" That's about how the author is portraying this to his audience. It's silly to go back into your old ways and handle it in the flesh. It's silly. And so your old ways will not work. Your old, old ways won't work. And that applies both to them and to us.

Our old ways before Christ, they're not going to work. Our actions are like filthy rags, Isaiah 64:6 says. If you're trying to earn God's blessings, perhaps like Israel was through obeying the Old Covenant, the actions don't amount to anything. In fact, they're as filthy rags. And not only that, in the New Testament it says it like this: that grace is not of works, Ephesians 2:8. So it's not of works. We can't earn this grace. We must be strong in the Lord, Ephesians 6:10. Our strength truly is in Christ and being in Christ. They knew this. And so do we. We know this. We know better. And so the Hebrew author is really rationalizing with rebellious people with Scripture. He reasons with them from the Scriptures from which they revere. They believed in the prophets. They believed in Jeremiah. They knew these things. They know better. They truly do. Jeremiah prophesied of the New Covenant. Isaiah prophesied of the New Covenant. Ezekiel prophesied of the New Covenant.

You see the New Covenant in the Old Testament in all kinds of different ways. I'll give you just a few terms as to how you can see the New Covenant mentioned in the Old Testament in different ways.

Number one: it's called an everlasting covenant. It's mentioned five times as an everlasting covenant. Isaiah 55:3 is one of those places. Isaiah 55:3 says this: "Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen that you may live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you." This is the invitation to come into Christ, to come into the New Covenant. And so the everlasting covenant, that term, that, phrase is mentioned five times. It's also called a covenant of peace. And that's mentioned three times in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 54 and verse 10, the Bible says: "And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," says the Lord, "who has compassion on you." And this is a reference to the New Covenant. It's also mentioned as the promise of a new heart three times and specifically a New Covenant one time in Jeremiah 31.

And so they knew this. They knew the Old Testament. They knew and revered the prophets. They knew these things. And so they know better than to slip back into their old ways. And so must we also guard our own lives.

Back to Hebrews chapter 8. Now in verse 8, "for finding fault with them, he says, Behold, days are coming," says the Lord, "when I would effect a new covenant." Okay? "Behold," this is an urgent call to pay attention. And if anything is said throughout the whole sermon here in the book of Hebrews that is heard, it would be right here. Because if the preacher of Hebrews had a tendency, I'm sorry, the preacher of Hebrews, if he had a tendency to preach with perhaps a stomp or a raising of the voice or a smack of the pulpit or a hey, it would be at this point where he would say, "Behold," and get all of their attention.

Listen, I've got something to say. I'm finally getting to the main point here. The New Covenant. Behold, the word here is from a preacher. It's a strategy, a tactic to grab their attention. And at this point, if you like acronyms, you can write "I, I, I" right beside of "Behold," which is a made-up acronym that I made up: Important Information Inside.

Seriously, this is very important information. Behold, this is where you want to really zero in. This is the New Covenant. It's coming. Guess what? It's eternal. It's already there. And it's given to Israel and Judah. You see, Israel was split. Judah became in the days of Rehoboam. And the author mentions both so that none feel excluded. It's simply both and. And so here in the text in verse 10: "With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah." He's going to effect this covenant with everyone. And in verse 9, I like this phrase: "And when I took them by the hand." Let's read verse 9 together.

God had to take them by the hand. Everyone would have understood, not a demeaning phrase here, but an accurate phrase. In that, God had to take these helpless toddlers by the hand and lead them out of slavery. They could not save themselves. They could not get out of Egypt. They could not escape Egyptian bondage. They were helplessly lost like a toddler in the midst of a crowd. They were lost, lost, lost. And so when the Bible says, "When I took them by the hand," by way of interpretation, we need to know that unsaved people need to be taken by the hand.

Unsaved people need a Moses to lead them out of bondage. Unsaved people need to be shown the way, the truth, and the life. And this is great commission ideals. These things help us to see how important evangelism is. And so no matter where you're at, you're sharing the gospel, making disciples. So I ask you the question by way of application: Are you a Moses yet? Are you leading people to Christ? Are you leading people to walk with God? Are you a Moses yet? Are you able to lead people out of bondage and into freedom in Christ?

Lost people need to be taken by the hand. View lost people like God views Israel as lost toddlers who need to be brought back into safety. Are you an Israel? Are you like Israel and Egypt, perhaps? Maybe you're not a Moses yet. Maybe you're still like Israel and Egypt. Maybe you feel hopeless. Maybe you feel lost. Maybe you do not know the way, the truth, and the life. Well, that could be the case. Are you like Israel in the wilderness then? Maybe you're not in Egypt, hopelessly lost. Maybe you're wandering around and trying to find your way. Israel like wanderings. Are you like the faithful then, the remnant within Israel? There's always a faithful remnant. Are you part of the remnant?

Has God taken you by the hand when you were helplessly lost and dead in your trespasses and sins? And has He led you to the promised land, the way, the truth, and the life? Has He led you to Christ? Have you been ascertained? Have you been saved? Have you been brought into His grace? Have you been given faith? Have you activated your faith? Have you walked with Jesus? Walk with God? Has He taken you by the hand and you started walking with your own two feet with the Lord?

When it says right here, "When I took them by the hand," this emphasizes that Israel was helplessly lost like a toddler. And so were we. And has God then grown you up from the toddler phase, being lost, becoming a child of God, becoming a youth in the faith, and even a father in faith like Moses? This is good ideals to think through.

In verse 10, let's look at the phrase here: "I will put My laws into their minds and I will write them on their hearts." Hebrews 8:10 says this: "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days, says the Lord, I will put My laws into their minds and I will write them on their hearts." You see that in Romans chapter 2, verse 15. The law is written on hearts. You see this in Exodus 31:18, that God, first of all, wrote the law with His finger on tablets, tablets of stone. And so now, instead of stone, God is writing His law on hearts. This is a progression to the New Testament.

And so God has written these laws on the hearts and the minds of mankind. Now, evidence of your conversion, of you being taken by the hand and led to salvation, evidence that you're saved as your obedience to what has been written on your heart and mind. Internally, you truly desire to obey God's law. And so you have the law written on your mind and on your heart, and internally you have the desire to obey this. Your inner will is truly submitted to God's law. You love the law. You love the Word of God. You hate your sin and you love God. This inner compulsion and desire is evidence that you've been saved.

Outwardly, it works its way out into your actions according to God's law. And so what you know in your mind and what you believe in your heart becomes actions. Philippians 2:12 through 13 says it this way: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will," that being the inner part of your being, "and to work," the outer part of who you are, "for His good pleasure." And so all of who you are then is in conformity or working on being in conformity to the law of God. It's wonderful to see that God really, truly works these things from the inside of who we are.

What is the result? Well, in verse 10 it says, "I will be their God." I will be their God. Verse 10, read the tail end of it. "I will be their God, and they shall be My people." This whole thing is the grand plan of God saving a people, a remnant, as a gift to His Son Jesus. You see that in John chapter 17? "I'll be their God. They'll be My people." And so how is God your God? Well, if you take a look at how God has written His law on your mind, and He's written it on your heart, how is God your God?

Well, He works by accusing or defending based upon your obedience or disobedience. Okay? If, according to Romans chapter 2, verses 14 and 15, you can turn there if you would like as a reference, Romans 2:14 and 15, you see that proof that God's law has been written on your hearts is that the law accuses you when you sin and you feel shame. And you're under conviction. Internally, this is God's alarm system for you. If something is not right between you and the Lord, there's an alarm going off, and that alarm is kind of like one of those alarms that get louder, louder, louder, louder, and louder and louder. Okay? God's alarm system through conviction and through the reduction of joy in Jesus and through the reduction of the peace that's in your heart is God's alarm system. This is evidence that you've been saved as well as you desire to obey.

Now, if you are in sin, then the law, God's law, New Testament commandments as well, it's convicting. Okay? It's accusing you. You feel guilt and shame. But if you're walking with the Lord, then it defends. Okay? Your conscience will defend you in this. You'll have peace. When you're walking with the Lord, you have peace. Okay? You're settled in your soul, and you're okay. If you're walking with the Lord, you have confidence. It's not self-confidence. It's confidence that God is in control. He's working all things for His glory and our good. You have confidence.

It's the exact opposite. When you're in sin, you have zero confidence in your job. You have zero confidence in your marriage, zero confidence in your church, zero, zero, zero confidence. You're in sin, confidence is reduced, joy is reduced, peace is reduced. But if you are walking with the Lord, peace is high, confidence is high, joy is high. This is an inner alignment with God's law. This is how God is your God.

One way I should say. This is how God is your God. I shall be their God and they shall be My people. And so those with obedient hearts then are blessed because obedience brings blessings. The promise here, the New Testament promise, encapsulates all of these New Covenant benefits.

Now with this language, "I will be their God and they shall be My people" is a potential allusion to Hosea chapter 2 verse 23. Hosea chapter 2 verse 23 says very similar language: "And I will say to those who are not My people, You are My people and they will say You are My God." And this is not the only place in the Bible where this type of phrase is used. But I bring this up in that it is a potential allusion. Perhaps the Hebrew author had what was said to Isaiah here, or Hosea in mind because Hosea's children were named names that typify the disobedience of Israel and despite their disobedience, they were changed. Despite that, God offers salvation, New Covenant. He says I will have compassion on who I'll have compassion in the New Testament. And then in the Old Testament, "I will say to those who are not My people, You are My people and they will say You are My God."

But you Hebrews know the better promises in the New Covenant, a better Savior. Theologically and practically, they knew better and so do we. Anytime we as well then by way of application slip into our pre-Christ days before we were saved and handling life, you lose your joy, you lose your confidence and you lose your peace. Things become extremely difficult and unsettling on the inside. And so grow out of your old ways and into the new ways of Christ and this takes a continual submission to the Word of God. It's almost like you have to take what's written on the pages in the Bible and write it on your face and speak and act according to what the Bible says sometimes by faith and believe that God's ways are better than your ways and that handling things in a stubborn old fleshly way is only going to make things worse.

So how do you do this? Leave you with this ABC idea: Recognize, Repent, Realign. That's it. Recognize when you are drifting from God's ways. Recognize that. It's almost like a red stop light. Stop. Recognize. Recognize that you're drifting and start thinking biblically. Recognize this. And then repent. So repentance, what's it going to include? This is just you praying authentically and saying, "Lord, something is not right. Something isn't aligned with You. Something inside of me is being triggered. I don't know what it is. I need to realign with You."

Repent and start praying and then act biblically. And so this is very simple to remember through head, heart, hands. Recognize is cognitive. Repent is a very internal heart realignment with Christ. And then as you go and realign, it's almost like you're acting biblically now. And so aligning your actions and ordering your life accordingly is training yourself in righteousness according to the Word of God, 2 Timothy 3:16. It is bringing your thoughts captive. It is taking a low estimation of self and a high estimation of Scripture. It is truly living out what the Bible says despite what we feel or think. And so this truly is an act of conformity to Christ.

And as you discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness, 1 Timothy 4:7b, as you discipline yourself, as you train yourselves in these purposes, guess what? God's will will be done. The training in righteousness is happening. The joy of the Lord increases. The conformity to Christ increases. The peace, the confidence, everything. All of the gifts that God has installed inside of you start to hit. And I ask you this question as well in regards to the gifts: Is obedience to Christ sufficient? Is just you being obedient good enough for the Lord or do you need accolades for mankind? No. We serve Christ. When we are in alignment with the Lord, when we are walking with Him in a new covenant relationship, not doing it the old way, but doing it the new way, we truly have confidence in Him. This is rebooting our brain and behavior daily. This is walking the Lord. I recommend starting it first thing in the morning so that you can get the brain patterns going in the right direction so that your heart's feelings and emotions and willpower will align with that and then proceed in a disciplined and accurate way.

You're responsible to do these things despite how we feel or think because God is God and His Word is true. The new covenant is real and the old covenant is obsolete. Don't do it the old way. Do it God's way.

Let's pray together. Lord, thank You for the time that we've had and I pray that You would help us to move from the old and into the new as we study the new covenant. I pray that You would help us to continue to unfold this passage and all of its little nuances to us personally. You say that Your Holy Spirit will teach us accordingly. I pray that that would be true for all of us as here we want to be good Bereans to study Your Word, to show ourselves approved and to truly, truly be in alignment with You both in thought and in heart and in actions. Lord, Israel was an example of what not to do so help us to learn from their mistakes and not repeat them and to be pleasing unto You. God, we pray this in Jesus' name. God said, Amen.