I love this scripture in Old Testament Prophecy found in the Book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. He had seen Israel’s sin and God had called him from his youth to preach to Israel and challenge them to repent of their sin and if they did not, the judgment of God would come upon them. As the Law had promised, they would be taken from their land and carried to a foreign nation. But in the midst of this judgment on their nation, Jeremiah spoke a word of hope. God had seen, Judah and Israel’s inability to keep the commandments. The rules were about to change. God was going to make a new covenant unlike the old. In this covenant, God Himself, would put the laws in the minds and hearts. It would be an inward work of the Holy Spirit and not an outward work of simple compliance.
I have often considered the kid in school who refused to sit down. The teacher told the child once again to sit down or he would be punished. The young man finally sat down but look at the teacher and said, “I may be sitting down on the outside but I am standing up on the inside!” That is how many of us are with God. We will outwardly obey the moral Law of God but inwardly we are full of rebellion, strife, hatred, lust and every evil thought. As you walk with Christ, more and more of this is revealed in your life. But here is the question. Can we really be free? Is there really hope? Notice the covenant promise that God Himself would do the work of writing His Laws on our hearts and minds. How do we activate these promises in our lives? If this question catches your attention, stay with the study. You will begin to see how to open the covenant to release it’s secrets into your lives. It is not as hidden as you make think. But it is definitely a shift in thought process, attitude, and emotions as you allow the Holy Spirit to do the work.
God is so patient. He is unwilling to short cut the process because He will get all the glory. You will never ever be able to stand before Him and say, “look what I did.” When the work of heart is accomplished, God will look at you and say, “Look what I did!” and you will respond, “Glory to God!” As long as we feel that we have the ability to free ourselves or supply our own needs, faith is unnecessary and unneeded. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Now do you begin to see the picture. As long as you are doing the work of changing you, faith is dormant. You are still operating in the flesh. You are still walking in the old covenant. What am I saying, should we sin so that we have to stand on faith? Not at all but faith in God’s promise does not come alive until it is challenged by life‘s experiences.
Go back with me to Matthew 19 with the story of the rich young ruler. Here was a man totally committed to following the moral Law of God. He had done it from his youth. But Jesus told him to give everything away and come and follow Him. He could not do it because he trusted in his wealth. As he was walking away, Jesus said to those around Him, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” The disciples stood astonished because everyone wants to have enough food, clothing, shelter to be comfortable and not be concerned. They ask the question, “Who then can be saved?” I love our Lord’s response and we miss it if we do not take time to contemplate it. He said, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Think for a moment about the new covenant. God Himself will write His Laws on their minds and in their hearts. This is speaking of the born again believers in the Lord Jesus. It is God Himself that is doing the work. Job faced the same challenge as the rich young ruler. His world was stripped away from him and in that moment, all he had was his faith in God. It was then that Job’s faith became alive. He did not understand. He had a thousand questions. But he trusted God.
We still have much to say about this work of heart that the Lord is doing in our lives. The covenant of our Lord Jesus stands for eternity. Keep seeking, keep asking, keep knocking… He has promised we will find, it will be given us, and the door will open.
Let’s worship and pray. Father God, Your master plan for mankind has been kept a secret until the time of Christ. But now You have revealed it through Your word, in Your Son and by the Holy Spirit to us. We realize that all things contained in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, were written for our good. Help us Father, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, so that we might be filled. We so desperately need the Holy Spirit to teach us and guide us. Thank You, Father, for Your patience with us. Thank You for never giving up on us. In the name of our Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
Dr. Alan Wiggins
Associate Pastor
www.nbcornerstone.com
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