"WRITTEN IN THEIR HEARTS" (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
A. God promised a "new" covenant......"write it in their hearts" (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
1. It was made with those at Horeb, and their descendants (Deuteronomy 5:1-3) (1)And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. (2) The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. (3) The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.
2. Israel had to learn the Law AFTER they were born. (Deuteronomy 4:1-14)
B. NEW Covenant is NOT biologically inherited
1. "Born" of water and spirit (John 3:4-5) (4)Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? (5) Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
2. "Born" of the word (1 Peter 1:21-23) (21)Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (22) Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: (23) Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
3. Learning the New Law PRECEDES the New Birth (Romans 10:17) (John 6:44-45) (44)No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (45) It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. (1 Corinthians 1:18-31) (1) (2)
C. "Earthen Vessels" (2 Corinthians 4:5-7) (5)For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. (6) For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (John 20:29-31) (29)Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (30) And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: (31) But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
1. God spoke DIRECTLY to Apostles and prophets of 1st century
a. WE learn today through the things that are written by those men
D. The Christians at Corinth were the epistle (letter) of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:1-3) (1)Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? (2) Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: (3) Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. Same way that Christians at Rome were Paul's epistle, by the word