Differences Between The Old and New

Rivers of Blood Think for a moment about the realities of living under the Mosaic covenant: 730 yearling lambs offered every year just for the daily burnt offerings for God. How much blood in a yearling lamb? 1 Liter? Millions of people bringing occasional sacrifices for sin offerings. Bulls. Goats. Lambs. Doves. Constant bleeding and constant burning to remind the nation of Israel of the stench of sin. Mosaic covenant covered some 1500 years, or roughly 1,095,000 lambs for daily sacrifice.

A Particularly Bloody Day 1 Kings 8:62-64 To dedicate Solomon’s temple to God: Sacrificed 22,000 cattle in one day Sacrificed 120,000 sheep and goats in one day

Was God Really Wanting All This Sacrifice? Isaiah 1:11- "The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?" says the LORD. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. 12 When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts?”

So What Did God Want? Isaiah 1: … wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, 17 learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

And What Was The Point? Galatians 3:19 – What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. Galatians 3: Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

The Shortcoming of Blood Sacrifices They had to be repeated continually for the imputed forgiveness of sins: Hebrews 10:11 -- Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. They could not, in reality, provide satisfaction (propitiation) to God for the death penalty for sins.

They lead to “externalizing” righteousness, rather than teaching mankind of the horrible nature of sin. Micah 6: With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

The Focal Point of the New Covenant Jeremiah 31:31-34 God declared a new covenant, different from the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant was broken though God was a “husband” to them. The New Covenant will deal see God’s law written in the “minds” and “hearts” New Covenant people will learn the details of the covenant BEFORE entering covenant, not after. Sins will truly be forgiven.

The Problem of the Old Covenant People became covenant children by birth, and not by choice. They had to be taught “know God” because covenant was based on birth, not by knowledge. Sins could not truly be forgiven. An external sign – circumcision – demonstrated covenant relationship.

What is at the center of the New Covenant? A.The heart and mind B.The new covenant is concerned with INTERNAL change, not external signs. C.God’s law is to be learned, remembered, meditated upon, lived. D.The New Covenant is an intellectual covenant – a covenant child must HEAR, BELIEVE, and DECIDE to enter covenant relationship by obedience to the terms of covenant.

Expectations In the New Covenant Faithlessness results in exclusion from the covenant. There are no birthrights. Romans 2: But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God "will give to each person according to what he has done."

“Internalizing” the covenant is a key expectation Romans 10: But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Salvation is a result of obedience and knowledge of the truth. Matthew 7:21 -- "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 --This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Forgiveness is complete and final Hebrews 7:25 -- Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Relationship with God is based on keeping the covenant Hebrews 10: Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?