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HEBREWS 8: 6-12

"GOD'S NEW COVENANT"

I. THE PURPOSE OF THE COVENANTS.
        A. To establish the basis for man's relationship with God.
                1. Through relationship with God, many is blessed.
                        a. Thus it established the basis for blessing.
                2. Man needs to relate to God to be complete.
                        a. In many whole spiritual dimension dormant.
                        b. Not a total person -- just body and soul.
                        c. Fallen man would seek to relate to the animal kingdom.
                                1. Without the spiritual dimension he is as an animal.
                        d. Relating to a baboon can never be meaningful, you must  relate to
                           God.
        B. To give direction to man's life, and purpose.
                1. To keep the covenant brought blessings.
                        a. Ps. 1.
                        b. Joshua 1:8.

II. THE OLD COVENANT (Ex. 19:5..
        A. Established by God with Israel.
        B. lnscribed in two tables of stone.
                1. Their relationship and blessings conditioned on "if"' you obey.
                2. God's law contrary to human nature.
                        a. Man found it hard to keep God's law.
                                1. There were times when a lie would seem to serve a  better 
                                   purpose than the truth.
                                2. The development of situation ethics.
                                   Problem - authority lost, anarchy ensues, chaos results.
                        b. Man rather than change to conform to God's law sought to  change 
                           God.
                3. The law once violated condemned.
                        a. Man found himself estranged from God.
                        b. Thus the law made nothing perfect.

III. THE NEW COVENANT.
        A. Promised by God through Isaiah 61.
        B. Conditions declared through Jeremiah 31:33.
        C. Jesus after reading Isaiah 61 in the synagogue declared "this day is this  
           scripture..."
                1. To the disciples Jesus said, "this cup is a new covenant in  my blood..."
        D. The basis of the new covenant.
                1. Man being changed by a new birth.
                        a. Born again by the Spirit.
                        b. "If any man be in Christ...."
                2. God writing His laws in our minds and in our hearts.
                        a. He gives us a great desire to go to Bolivia.
                        b. Saying to Kay, "we're moving to-Tucson."
                        c. It's so easy - it flows.
                3. God's mercifulness to our unrighteousness, His forgetting our sins  and 
                   iniquities.
        E. The weakness of the old covenant - premised on man's faithfulness.
        F. The strength of the new premised upon God's faithfulness.