A Change of Heart

I'm going to start out with a question this afternoon for all of us to consider. And that question is, are we a part of the Old Covenant or the New Covenant? Where do we fit in this? It's a thought-provoking question. We're part of the Old Covenant or the New Covenant. In any case, the answer is obvious. We are under the New Covenant. No question about it. Have we ever been accused of being under the Old Covenant?

Actually, some of us have been accused of that, but none of us is old enough to even approach having lived under the Old Covenant or been a part of the Old Covenant. So with that, I have another question for you. How do we live? Do we live like we are under the Old Covenant or under the New Covenant? This is a different question. How do we know? Are we living like we're under the Old Covenant or the New Covenant?

To answer that question, we have another question. This is a question that we each answer on our own ourselves. How do we view the law? How do we view the law? Do we believe and practice the letter of the law all of the time, some of the time, or none of the time? Likewise, how do we practice the spirit of the law? How do we believe and practice the spirit of the law? Again, all of the time, more and none of the time.

Well, the Bible has a lot to say about the letter and the spirit of the law. There is much written in both the Old and New Testaments on the law. And today, I'm going to talk about the covenants and the law of God. We'll take a look at both the letter and the spirit of the law. There is much written, as I mentioned in the Bible on the subject, we'll see what Christ had to say about the law, what Paul had to say about the law. He wrote about the letter and the spirit of the law. And so today, I'm going to talk about the letter and the spirit of the law and principles about the covenants and the law of God.

It's a large subject. It's many faceted. So this is just fundamental principles. But still, even with this, there's a lot of information about the letter and the spirit of the law. To begin with, let's turn to see what Christ had to say about the law. Turn to Matthew the fifth chapter. Matthew the fifth chapter, and I'll start reading in verse 17. I'll read verses 17 to 20. Matthew 5 verses 17 to 20, where Christ says, just breaking into the context here, Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets.

I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For sure, the way I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not one shot or one tittle, will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. So not even crossing with tea or the dotting of an eye, so to speak. Nothing fails until all is fulfilled.

Verse 19, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Now notice that they're called least. They're not in the kingdom of heaven, but they're called least by those in heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. So I see that Jesus Christ very definitely supported the law. We know what Christ said. That's a strong statement. It's a plain statement. Nothing shall fail till all is fulfilled. Nothing deleted. Now the law of the prophets, Christ is referring to here, is actually talking about what we would call the Old Testament.

There was the Bible of that day, the law of the prophets, and then sometimes I say the writing, but it applies to what we call as the Old Testament. Christ said that the law and the prophets, nothing is going to fail from the Old Testament. Now some get sidetracked when they see the word fulfill.

It fulfills. And of course, fulfill does not mean to do away, but they get sidetracked when it says Christ came to fulfill the law. It certainly does not mean he came to destroy the law. The definition of the word fulfill, and it comes from the Greek word, and I'll say something like pleroho, it's translated fulfill in Matthew 5, and it means to make full, to fill up, to the full, to render full, to complete, and that's according to Thayer's Greek English lexicon of the New Testament.

In other words, Jesus said he came to complete the law, to bring perfection, how? By showing the spiritual intent, by the application of God's law. The remainder of the chapter showed how he was going to reveal the spiritual intent and the application of the law.

Back in Isaiah 42, 21, which I'm not going to turn there, it said Christ, the Messiah, will magnify the law and will make it honorable. And again, Christ did that by showing the spiritual intent, the purpose of the law. His meaning is clear from the context in the rest of the chapter, but that's exactly what he's doing. So in verse 17 to 20, again, we read these, there are strong statements about the law.

But did we ever wonder why Christ said what he said? Again, these were plain statements. Did we ever wonder why Christ said what he said? Now I'm glad he did say it, as it makes a subject plain for us. We can understand, it's good for us, but what about, you know, why did he say this to who he was talking to?

Think about the context. The context. Who was he talking to? Well, he was talking to those who were strict lawkeepers. He was talking to Pharisees. He was talking to Sadducees. He was talking to Scribes.

He was talking to Jews. They were excellent lawkeepers, physically speaking. So why would he say what he said to them? He honored and upheld the law in all of his statements.

He is telling them, don't misunderstand what I'm about, what I'm going to be doing. He's not pitting himself against the law, as it were. He is refuting the wrong interpretations and teachings of the Scribes and the Pharisees. Christ did not take away from the law or destroy the law, just to repeat myself again, but he definitely added to the understanding of the law.

He magnified the law. He taught the spirit of the law. He said, our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees, and they were very, very righteous. Better lawkeepers than they here, I would presume. They were very righteous. But Christ said, don't just look at the letter of the law. Look at the spirit of the law. Look at the intent. Look at principles. Look at what God intends. Look at the mind behind the law, the reason for some of the laws. Christ said, don't just look at the letter, but look at principles to understand not just what he said, but to understand why he said what he said, to learn to think like God thinks. A couple of examples that show this principle, continuing to read in verse 21, where it says, you have heard that it was said of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you, whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raka, shall be in danger of the counsel. But whoever says you fool shall be in danger of hellfire. So Christ didn't change the law as far as murder is concerned, but he did add something to it. He said, don't hate one another. Don't call each other fools. He added to that, he said, do not hate. Likewise, another example, verse 27, says, you have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit adultery.

But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So again, Christ didn't lighten up, if you will, as far as the law do not commit adultery is concerned. But he added to it, he said, do not lust. Do not long for that which is not yours. Well, what about the Apostle Paul? Turn ahead the Acts the 24th chapter, Acts the 24th chapter, and we'll read verse 14. Acts 24 and verse 14.

We're here, we have Paul before the governor Felix. He's on trial for his life.

I'm having some trouble with my pages here. He's on trial before Felix. And here's a statement that Paul mentioned as far as that is concerned. During the trial, Acts 24 verse 14, where he says, I even got the wrong page after taking so long to get there. Acts 24, 14. He's on trial before Felix and says, but this I confess to you that according to the way of which they call a sect, I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets. So what did Paul think about the law? He's believing all things. And again, the expression the law and the prophets, referring back to what we call the Old Testament today, to their writings. I'm not going to turn there, but Acts 28, 23. Paul said that he preached about the kingdom of God. This is when he was in Rome and the Jewish people came to him to inquire. He says he preached about the kingdom of God and Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. Again, the law and the prophets. So Paul definitely supported lawkeeping. In another place he says the law is holy. It's just and it's good. Both Christ and Paul were accused in their day, and for that matter they're even accused today of being against the law, saying it's done away. But that's just not true. Both of them supported the law and believed in the law. Turn ahead to 2 Timothy the third chapter.

2 Timothy the third chapter, and I'll start reading in verse 14.

2 Timothy the third chapter, in verse 14. We'll see more of what possible Paul had to say.

Okay, 2 Timothy 3, and starting in verse 14, where it says, But as for you, Paul's writing to Timothy, continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation. And again, what holy scriptures were these that he knew from childhood. These were what we would call the Old Testament today. From a child you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Jesus, which is in Christ Jesus. Verse 16, All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. So the scriptures, the Old Testament, is able to make us wise unto salvation.

Notice in verse 16, the way Paul describes the law, describes the situation, it says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. And that Paul here used the right word. He said it's profitable. He doesn't say all scripture is required. He says all scripture is profitable. He's using the correct word. It's profitable. It's useful. It's beneficial. It's helpful. Paul is not hostile to the Old Covenant or the Old Testament. He says it's profitable. We can learn from the Old Testament. What kind of things can we learn? Again, it's not required.

Some of it's not required. Put it that way. What about sacrifices? Can we learn about sacrifices from the Old Testament? Absolutely. We can learn about it. It is profitable. Now, animal sacrifices are not required today, but we can still learn from them. We can learn about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, about what He went through. We also can learn about our sacrifices that we have today.

We can learn. So, sacrifices, the Old Testament is profitable, but again, not required. What about circumcision? Again, physically, it's not required today. But we all know in the New Testament, it says the hearts must be circumcised. There is a problem with the flesh and with the heart, and it needs to be changed. It must be changed. What about ceremonies or washings? Various offerings. We can learn from them, too. We can learn from the Passover of the Exodus. Now, as we think about that a little bit, when we keep the Passover, we're not keeping the Passover from the Old Testament. We're keeping the New Testament Passover as a commemoration of the death of Jesus Christ.

The original Passover from Exodus pointed to Jesus Christ, not Christ pointing back to the original Passover. Christ was the fulfillment of the Passover. The original Passover pointed to him. So Paul said that the Scriptures, the law, specifically the Old Testament, is profitable. All of it is profitable. Paul reasoned from the Old Testament when he was writing about new doctrines or quote-unquote, new truths. They really weren't that new.

He had a basis of the Old Testament for what he said. It was the foundation for what Paul taught.

The other New Testament authors also reasoned from the Old Testament.

Depending on which scholars work you examine, the number of quotations and references from the Old Testament in the New Testament may be as high as 4,105. And I didn't count these, but this is from the Expositor's Bible Commentary. It's a very precise number, but whatever what number is, it's a large number of references in the New Testament from the Old. Well, let's take a brief look at the New Covenant, something that was changed. The definition of a covenant is in the Old Testament the word is bereith, bereith, transliterated as B-E-R-Y-I-T-H, Strongs 1285. In the New Testament, the word for covenant is diath, a-K-D-I-A-T-H-E-K-E, Strongs 1242.

The definition that follows is based on a definition from Brown's driver in Briggs Lexicon.

It says, a covenant is an agreement or a treaty between two or more parties, and there are conditions that need to be met. There are actions as a result of the conditions being met or not met. So, in other words, there are actions, there are consequences. It's not a contract between equals. Think back in the Old Testament again, you had God, you had Israel, and you had the law, as far as the main parts of the covenant. It's not a covenant between equals. There was no negotiation between Israel and God. God said, this is what I'm laying out before you. Do you accept it or do you not accept it? Israel did have a choice of accepting or rejecting God's conditions, but they didn't have a choice to negotiate any of the conditions at all.

Turn ahead to Hebrews 8, chapter, Hebrews 8, chapter, and I'll start reading in verse 7.

Hebrews 8, verse 7, this is a passage that talks about the new covenant. And if you remember, I said that Paul based a lot of his teachings on the Old Testament. Now, Paul may or may not have written Hebrews. That I don't know, but the author of Hebrews did also use the Old Testament for the basis of what they're saying. He's talking about the new covenant, and starting in Hebrews 8, verse 8. This particular passage I'm going to read is quoted directly from Jeremiah the 31st chapter. So again, the author of Hebrews is using the Old Testament as his basis. He's not saying, this is something new, this is something revolutionary, this is something we've heard about before, and this is something that's going to be coming to pass. So Hebrews 8, starting in verse 8, it says, besides finding fault with them, he says, Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, since they when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them. So again, the people were the ones that didn't continue with the covenant.

Verse 10, For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord.

I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none shall his brother say, Know the Lord.

For all shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them.

Verse 12, For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. So here we have the passage referring back to the new covenant in the book of Hebrews. The New Testament shows that this covenant ultimately will be with everyone.

In Romans 11, Paul says the Gentiles are going to be grafted into Israel. We understand that the new covenant is through Christ, and it's for everybody. It's for all. Now, when we say new covenant, new is an interesting word. According to William Barkley in his new daily study Bible on the book of Hebrews, he says the new covenant is not only new, excuse me, it is different in quality and kind. There are two Greek words used for new in relation to the New Testament, given the New Covenant. One of the Greek words is neos, n-e-o-s, it means new in respect of time, even though it is an exact copy of something that already exists. And to illustrate this, let's say a year ago you went out and you bought a blue suit, and you really like that suit. You liked it so much that just recently you got a second blue suit, just like the first one.

So they look alike, but one is new because you just got it, and the other one is old because it had been around for a while. So this is new in respect of time, when the event or item happened.

The other word for new is k-a-i-n-o-s, k-n-o-s. It means new in time and quality.

So it's not only brand new, there's something different about it. It's better, I'll say, or worse, still it's new. From the United Church of God Study Guide on the New Covenant, does it abolish God's law, page 42? It says in the New Testament, the Greek word that translated new and new covenant is with one exception, k-i-n-os. It means new as to form or quality of a different nature from what is contrasted as old, and that's from Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of the Old and New Testament words. Neither word for new and new covenant, neither Greek word for new or new covenant, suggests that every aspect of the Sinai or Old Covenant was replaced. Each only indicates the more recent covenant has enhanced and improved the quality of the original covenant.

So new is not exactly like the Old. In this case, it is better. It is superior. It means to refurbish, to remodel, to refresh, to improve. The New Covenant has a better relationship with God.

Some features are added, some of the features are replaced. Well, it talked about the New Covenant being new. What is new about it? What is different about it? Well, it's different in a few ways.

Number one, the law is written in our hearts. It's written in a different place, not tablets of stone.

People tend to follow their hearts. God changes us from the inside out. We internalize God's way, and we obey, not in fear, but in love, because we want to. We desire to obey.

The New Covenant is transformative. It's internalized within us. It changes us from the inside out.

And again, there's really no question about what law is being talked about here, because this passage that I read in the book of Hebrews came straight from Jeremiah 31.

And again, there was no question about what law was being talked about. The second point, the way the New Covenant is different, is it's with an individual.

The Old Covenant was national. It was with the nation of Israel. It had national promises.

It had the promised land. But the New Covenant is with individuals, and of course, it has better promises. Third way the New Covenant, third difference of the New Covenant, is the New Covenant is for everyone. The whole world, not just Israel, from the least to the greatest.

In the book of Joel 2, 28, it says, God will pour out His Holy Spirit on all flesh, on all, on everybody. God will ultimately have a relationship with all. And then the fourth difference I'll talk about now is that grace is introduced.

Dropping down while reading Hebrews 8 verse 12, it says, I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more. Grace is introduced. Sins are forgiven.

And the Old Covenant, an individual, had to pay a penalty, or a price if he broke the law, if he sinned. And the New Covenant, sins are forgiven. But as we think about this, notice that they're forgiven, but there still is a price, a big price. Christ has died and paid the price for us.

He is our Passover. Let's turn to 2 Corinthians, the third chapter. 2 Corinthians, the third chapter.

We'll see some more what the apostle Paul had to say about the New Covenant, and about the Old Covenant. 2 Corinthians 3, and I'll start reading in verse 1.

2 Corinthians 3 and in verse 1. It says, do we begin again to commend ourselves, or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? In other words, the apostle Paul was saying, look, you know, there are ministers that were going about at that time. And you would get a letter from one congregation, you'd show it to the next congregation, and that would be your basis to be able to come through the door, to be able to preach, to be able to teach. It was, I say, you know, credentials. Some examples of credentials are in Colossians 4. Paul gives instructions in a letter to welcome Mark. In Romans 16, Paul wrote a letter for Phoebe that she would be accepted by the congregation. So it's talking about credentials, and in this case, credentials are going to be written on the heart. But he said, do we need a commendation from you, or letters? Do we need some kind of piece of papers, you know, for our basis? Then in verse 2, he says, you are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men.

You are manifestly an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh, that is of the heart. So Paul is saying, as far as letters of commendation, you, each one of you, are a letter. The letter is written on your heart. The Holy Spirit has changed you, has made you different. You are the letter. He's contrasting physical and spiritual. You are the letter. You are our basis. You are our, you know, verifications, so to speak. It does remind a person of the new covenant, where it says that the covenant is written on the hearts and minds of people.

The Holy Spirit is proof, the Holy Spirit in the congregation is the proof of Paul's ministry.

Changed lives are proof of Paul's ministry. Dropping down to verse 4, it says, And we have such trust through Christ towards God. Not that we are sufficient for ourselves and think anything as being of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant. Not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Notice it talks about the Old Covenant.

The Old Covenant is of the letter and says the letter kills. The Old Covenant was a reminder from sin, a reminder of sin and of punishment. When a person sinned, something died. Something or someone died. Usually it was an animal, but if the sin was like murder or adultery or other, I'll say, specific sins, the person had to pay with their own life. So it was a ministry of death.

The Old Covenant did not forgive sin. It did not clear one's conscience. But what it did was it reminded the person of sin, but it did not forgive them. It did not pay for the sin. The Old Covenant was a system of punishment, not mercy, not forgiveness. And again, it didn't do anything for a person's conscience. What about the ministry? What is the minister's role if a person is caught in the sin? Say someone does something, you know, really bad like adultery. Under the Old Covenant, the letter of the law says they should die. No, they should be killed. Obviously, we don't do that today. Christ did not put a method of punishment for sin in the church. It's not a system of penalties or a fine. Like, let's say for lying. The commandment of thou shall not lie.

Thou shall not lie is also, it actually says thou shall not bear false witness, but thou shall not lie should be close enough. So, there's no system of punishment in the church. Like, let's say a person decides to tell a half-truth. Well, if he's caught doing that, well, you know, you have to pay a dollar. Or what if they have a quote-unquote little white lie?

Well, that's going to be $10. Well, what about a great big evil lie? Well, that'd be $100 or more, depending. Obviously, that method is not in the church. The ministry does not deal with people in that way. So, what is the role of a minister if someone is sitting? The minister should try to help the person to understand about sin, to understand about repentance, to teach about sin.

He's not there for punishment, although sometimes there is a time of correction, I would imagine, that some of you have already thought, well, what about 1 Corinthians 5, you know, where the man had the sexual sin? There is a time for the minister to take corrective action, but it's not to punish.

It's to help the person or the congregation. It's for the good of the church. It is done in love.

It's not done in punishing. Again, in 1 Corinthians, I've already referred to this 5, verses 1 to 5, which I'm not going to turn to. Paul was dealing with a problem of sexual immorality. According to the law, the man should die. For the good of the individual, Paul says, put him out of the church. For the good of the church, he says, put the man out. If Paul allowed the situation to continue, it would have affected and infected the whole congregation. Again, 1 Corinthians 5, verse 6, a little leaven, leavens the whole lump. However, again, because that system of punishment is not in the church, it does not mean that there's not a penalty for sin. The new covenant does have a penalty, and I've already mentioned that. If people do change and repent, the new covenant, if people do not change or repent, the new covenant does have a death penalty.

The wages of sin is death. There will be a lake of fire. But again, Christ died to pay the penalty of sin for all of... excuse me, Christ died to pay the penalty for all of our sins. God is serious about sin. He does not tolerate it. One of the reasons we have the Feast of Tabernacles, as we think about it, different time of year, is to learn to fear the Eternal, our God. And learn to fear. Fear does not mean to cower or to be in terror of God in this way. A good definition that I heard of this is to have respect for God, to take God seriously, take Him at His word. He does not tolerate sin, and He means what He says, and He says what He means. But He is working within each of us. He loves us. He wants us to be in His family, and He's working to save us. So the New Covenant is different from the Old Covenant. The New Covenant includes forgiveness and cleansing of the conscience. It gives life and mercy and forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The New Covenant has a different focus. One of the things that sometimes people have is like they have an idea of impending doom. Something's going to happen. Something bad is going to happen. Well, there was a, I'll say, a character in mythology called Damocles, and you may have heard the expression, the sword of Damocles. It's where a person was invited to dinner, and there was a sharp sword suspended above his head, and it was suspended by a horse hair. So he's sitting here, and he's got this, you know, and just wondering when is the hair going to break? When is the problem going to happen?

God's not like that with us. God's not out to get us, so to speak. If he were out to get us, he'd have gotten us a long time ago. That's not the way God works. He doesn't want us to walk around with impending doom or gloom. He's on our side, and again, he wants us to be saved. He wants us to be a part of his family. The Old Covenant was about punishment, but God is working in us now.

He's establishing a new covenant. He's established a new covenant, and he invited us to be a part.

As the Apostle James says, mercy triumphs over judgments. The new covenant is about life and not about death. We're continuing on in verse 7, 2 Corinthians 3 verse 7. But if the ministry of death, written engraved on stones was glorious so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory is passing away. Now backing up, I'm going to read that again. I lost my place. So the ministry of death, written engraved on stones was glorious. The Old Covenant was glorious. It had glory. It wasn't a bad covenant. In fact, it was a really good covenant for dealing with a physical nation.

But as Hebrews 8 said, the problem with the covenant was with the people. It wasn't with God, and it wasn't with the law. It was with the people, and now God is going to correct that problem.

He's going to change people from the inside out. He's going to be working with the heart. Notice the person convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. God is going to be changing hearts, changing motivations, and then people will be changing their actions. Continuing down in verse number eight, it says, How will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

So the Old Covenant was glorious, but how would the ministry of the Spirit, the New Covenant, not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, and it did, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even that it was made glorious had no glory in this respect because of the glory that does excel. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is more glorious. So again, the New Covenant is much more glorious than the Old, which again to us should not be a surprise. Again, William Barclay in his commentary on the Old Covenant, he says the Old Covenant had glory, but it was second best. And I will add it was a big second best. It was huge. It's not something that's wrong superseded by right, but incomplete, superseded by that which is complete. Let's say to illustrate this, we go camping, you know, and at night we get out of a lantern. It can be an electric lantern or kerosene. And it's fine for getting around at night. Lanterns fine. We can see we can get around and walk around without tripping or crashing into something. It's fine. We could also, you know, be in the tent and play cards.

If it's a big enough lantern, could it even read? So hey, we have this lantern. But now we have the next day. The sun comes out and it totally outshines the lantern. The lantern is insignificant, even if the lantern is turned on. I mean, it's sitting there and it's just barely noticeable because of the light of the sun. The lantern had a what I'll call a little glory. The daylight has much more glory. It superseded the lantern, the new covenant superseded the old covenant.

Punishment does not change the heart or the motivation. However, God is changing us from the inside out. Again, punishment will last for a while, but it will at some time break down. True change must come from the inside. A changed heart, a changed motivation, and that's what the new covenant does. God giving each of us His Spirit working within us, writing His laws in our mind and in our hearts. The new covenant is about changing hearts, changing minds, and changing attitudes which lead to change in actions. The new covenant is about leading people to do the right thing. It's about what I'll call true righteousness. Continuing down into verse 12, it says, Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech, unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were hardened, for until this day the same veil remains, unlisted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.

But nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. This talks about Israel, and for that matter, the whole world is being blinded. They didn't get the point. They don't see what we see in the Old Testament, because we see what Christ has opened up our eyes to be able to see and to understand. When Christ died, the veil of the temple was rent.

People now have access to God because of Christ's sacrifice. And of course, we must turn to God, excuse me, God must turn to us before we turn to God. There is a calling involved.

We all know John 644. We've heard it from years. No one can come to Christ unless he is called by the Father. So the Old Covenant was a mindset of do's and don'ts. The New Covenant is about a relationship with God. It does not do away with requirements, but it does add new meaning, new death, new principles. Dropping down to verse 17, it says, Now the Lord is the Spirit, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all with an unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just by the Spirit of God. So God gives us His Spirit. He gives us mercy. He gives us grace. He gives us liberty, freedom from sin, not freedom to sin. He gives us liberty. We're able to become more and more like Jesus Christ as we walk with God, as we serve God, as we have more and more of God's Holy Spirit. Turn to 2 Timothy, 2 chapter. 2 Timothy, 2 chapter, and I'll start reading in verse 14. 2 Timothy 2 and verse 14. It says in Paul giving instructions to Timothy, Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be shamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. This is what God wants really for all of His children, to be more mature, to more understand. As I talked in the beginning about Christ magnifying the law, of understanding more of the depth of the law, more understanding God's requirements, more understanding the mind behind the law. He wants us to rightly divide the Scriptures, putting principles together, putting concepts, not to strive about words, but to look at principles and the intent. Turn ahead or drop down to verse number 24. It says, in a servant of the Lord, must not quarrel, but be able to be gentle, to be able to teach, and to be able to be patient.

You need to have an understanding more of what God's mind is on a matter.

And it says that we should not quarrel. We shouldn't go around fighting, and especially about the Scriptures. I don't know if this is entirely true or not, but I would think that if there's a real argument between two individuals regarding the Scriptures, they're both wrong.

They're both wrong, mainly because starting with their attitudes, that's not the mind of God working that way. Now, sometimes there can be things that they'll say we don't agree on, but we could talk it out one with another and hopefully come to a meeting of the minds. It's not so important which one is right or who is right, but what is right and what is God's mind on the manner. We need to be putting on more of the mind of Christ to be humble, to not to be humble, to not argue. Turn back to Luke the 10th chapter. Luke the 10th chapter.

And I'll start reading in verse 25. Luke 10 and verse 25, I think, a familiar passage to many of us who are here. Luke 10, 25, it says, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him. So again, we're off to a bad start here. It's not like I want to sincerely know or understand. I want to catch you in something. The lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said to him, what is written in the law? You know, what is your reading of it?

So the man answered and said, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. And Christ said to him, you have answered rightly. Do this and you will live. So they had a meeting of the minds there. It says, but he wanting to justify himself said to Jesus, and who is my neighbor?

Then Jesus answered and said, a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. And this is a rather long passage. I'm not going to read it. I think we're all familiar with it, where a man is traveling and he falls, fell among thieves, and there was a priest that came by and tried to ignore the situation. There was a levi that came by and went on the other side of the road. And then finally a Samaritan. And of course, we all know Samaritans and the Jews were not, were not peacefully coexisting. They didn't like each other. They didn't like each other a lot. So here we have the Samaritan. But Samaritan is the guy that came through. He's the one that bound up the person's wounds and, you know, paid for his care while he, paid for his care while he went and continued on in his trip. He was the one. So here we have Jesus Christ answering this question. Who is my neighbor? He's answering it with a principle. He's answering it with a story. He's illustrating the situation.

Now if, when he was asked the question, you know, who is my neighbor? And he said, well, your neighbor is the one who lives with a hundred feet of you. Well, then the lawyer would say, what about 150? You know, is he your neighbor? No, it doesn't work that way. By not giving the man a specific, let's say, number or name, it kind of took the wind out of his sails. There's not much you can say after that. Christ was dealing in principles, and he often did teach in principles, not necessarily giving a direct answer which may or may not be readily accepted. The man answered rightly. So when he answered, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your strength, and with your neighbor as yourself. The man had the right answer.

He said, love God and love the neighbor. God's law is based on love. It's based on God's love.

The law is an expression of His love. It teaches us how to love God and how to love each other.

Turn to John the 13th chapter. John the 13th chapter, and I'll start reading in verse 34.

John 13, and I'll start reading in verse 34. Again, it's a familiar passage to those of us who are here. It talks about the sign of a Christian. What is the sign? John 13 starting in verse 34.

It says, a new commandment I give to you that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. And then verse 35, by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love, one for another. This is a sign of Christian love. It's about a relationship, relationship with God and relationship with each other. Talking about Christian love, it's not talking about what we know. It doesn't say, you know, the sign of a Christian is that we keep the Sabbath, or that we have the knowledge of the holy days, or tithing, or foods, you know, clean and unclean meats. Those things are fundamental. They're basics.

They're the beginning point. We need to go on from there, and to go on in love. We need to have more love for God and for each other. And it's important how we treat one another. As I mentioned, it's about relationships. Mr. Gary Petty has a series of sermons on the Internet in the United Church of God archives, and the series is on agape. I don't know how many have looked at that, but if you haven't, I highly suggest it. He's got 11 sermons based on, you know, that word, agape, 1 Corinthians 13. I highly recommend it. So again, brethren, God is looking for children to be like Him now and forever, to live with Him for eternity in His kingdom, to be a part of His royal family forever, to have more of the mind of Jesus Christ. So again, God is looking for those who have His law written in their minds and in their hearts.