Knowing God
Sermon Notes
Introduction:
Today we’re continuing our teaching series called The Story, where we’re going through the biblical narrative from the very beginning in Genesis 1 to the last amen in Revelation 22, and today we’re studying Jeremiah ch 31 which is about knowing God. It’s about how can we get to know God personally, instead of just conceptually? It’s a great text for Father’s Day, because fathers are often full of knowledge, and they try passing on that knowledge to their children. For example some fathers try passing on their wisdom for success and life. Some fathers try passing on their wisdom for mechanical skills so they can learn how to fix things, build things, change a flat tire. Some fathers try passing on their wisdom for having a healthy rhythm of rest, having fun, making memories, so they can take a break from their stressful rhythm of work. There’s all kinds of wisdom fathers are trying to pass onto their children, but nothing is more important than a father teaching their children how to know God, which is what Jeremiah 31 is about. It’s about how can we get to know God personally, not just conceptually? So let’s turn to Jeremiah 31 and find out. You can find the book of Jeremiah in the middle of your bible, and we’ll be in Jeremiah 31:31-34. Title of today’s message is Knowing God, and the big idea is God wants to be known personally, not just conceptually...God wants to be known personally, not just conceptually...
Context:
Here’s your context. The book of Jeremiah was written during a period of Israel’s history when Israel was separated into two kingdoms, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Jeremiah served the Lord as a prophet in the Southern Kingdom of Judah for 40 yrs. He continually urged people to repent for being unfaithful to the Lord, and to turn back to the Lord or else destruction would come to Judah. But they didn’t listen to Jeremiah’s warnings, so the Lord allowed the Babylonians to conquer Judah, and they had to live in Babylonian exile. But the Lord told Jeremiah to give them hope, to give them a promise they could hold onto while in exile, and that hope, that promise is found in ch 31. It’s the hope of a new covenant. It’s the hope of a new, deeper, more personal way of knowing the Lord. Let’s check it out.
The Word:
Jeremiah 31:31-34 states, “The Lord declares, ‘Look, the days are coming, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” Notice the text says the Lord will make a “new covenant,” and whenever the bible uses the word covenant, it means something deeper, more personal, more relational than a contract. Both contracts and covenants have terms and agreements, but one of the major differences is a contract is more self-centered, and a covenant is more other-centered. A contract says what’s in it for me, and a covenant says I’m committed to you. At a wedding a couple doesn’t make a contract, they make a covenant. They don’t approach each other like a contract saying “You need to do this for me,” instead they approach it like a covenant saying “Here’s what I promise to do for you.” They make a promise, a vow saying “I promise to love you from this day forward. For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health. Forsaking all others, as long as we both shall live.” It’s a loving promise, a loving commitment, a loving covenant between two people. In the biblical narrative, in biblical history, the Lord makes 6 loving covenant promises with people.
#1 The Adamic Covenant = God promises that Adam’s descendants won’t be destroyed because of Adam’s sin, and that Jesus will eventually come to crush Satan’s head.
#2 The Noahic Covenant = God promises to save Noah and everybody else who enters the arc from the flood, and he promises he’ll never flood the earth in judgement like that again.
#3 The Abrahamic Covenant = God promises a new nation through Abraham, and that Abraham’s descendants will be as numerous as the stars, and they’ll be a blessing to the nations.
#4 The Mosaic Covenant = God promises he’ll set Israel apart from other nations by giving them the Mosaic law, the 10 Commandments, and using them to bless the nations.
#5 The Davidic Covenant = God promises King David that an eternal kingdom, an eternal dynasty will one day come through his family lineage.
The 6th covenant God makes is the new covenant we’re talking about here in Jeremiah 31. It’s another loving covenant the Lord makes, and he tells us the reason for this covenant next.
Vs. 32, “This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—my covenant that they broke even though I am their master.” So the reason for the new covenant, is because people kept ‘breaking’ the 10 Commandments in the Mosaic Covenant. It isn’t that God and the Mosaic Covenant failed, it’s that the people failed. They failed to live out the 10 Commandments in the Mosaic Covenant, and so God is making a “new covenant.” In the original Hebrew the word new means more like a new edition or a renewed edition, meaning God’s moral laws in the 10 Commandments are still expected to be upheld in the “new covenant.” It’s just the Lord will be helping his people uphold those moral laws in a new, renewed, much deeper, more personal way, which it states in vs 33.
Vs. 33, “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days. I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts.” So in the new covenant he’s putting his teaching within them, meaning within their minds and hearts. The Lord’s intent has always been for us to know him both in our minds and hearts. But the new covenant’s allowing that to happen in a much deeper, more personal way through the Holy Spirit dwelling inside his followers instead of just beside his followers. As biblical scholar Matthew Henry states, “The law shall be written in their hearts by the finger of the Spirit, as formerly written in the tablets of stone.” In the old covenant the Lord wrote the Mosaic Law on tablets of stone, but in the new covenant he writes it on our hearts with his finger. He’ll be a personal teacher, in every believer, transforming our minds and hearts from within. So we’re learning 2 things about knowing God.
#1 God wants to be known in our minds = God wants to be known in our minds. When
he says I’ll put my teachings within them, he’s saying he wants us to know him factually, instead of just conceptually. The way to do that is to listen to the truths he teaches in the bible. We’re to read the bible not for entertainment like a novel, but to hear from God and listen to his teachings. We’re to read the bible asking, “What’s the Lord want to teach me today? What’s the Lord want me to learn today?” I ask my family these questions every Sunday on our ride home from church. “What’s the Lord teaching you today? What’s the Lord wanting you to learn from today’s text?” It’s because the Lord’s always wanting to teach us something whenever we read the bible. Every time we read the bible we should seek to hear and listen to his teachings, but also his rebukes. I mean sometimes we dupe ourselves into believing wrong things, into thinking we know what’s best for our lives. So we need a good friend to rebuke us, to speak truth into our lives. We need a good friend to tell us not what we want to hear, but what we need to hear. The Lord is that good friend who will always speak truth into our lives. He’ll always speak truth into the lies that are destroying our lives. If you aren’t reading and listening to the truth of God’s word, you won’t know to turn away from the lies that are destroying your life. You need to read the bible if you want to know God more factually, and if you want him to personally teach you what’s best for your life. You need to read the bible seeking to hear and listen to the truths, he puts in your mind.
Again vs. 33, “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts.” That’s the 2nd thing we’re learning about knowing God. We’re learning...
#2 God wants to be known in our hearts = God doesn’t just want to be known in our minds, he also wants to be known in our hearts. He wants to write his teachings in our hearts so we’ll not just listen to the truths he’s teaching in our minds, but we’ll also love the truths he’s teaching in our hearts. The way to do that is to receive his love for your life. You’ll never love his truths, unless you receive his love. Instead of his truths being written on your heart, they’ll be a burden to your heart. Instead of viewing things like his moral laws as being something good for your heart, you’ll view it as a burden to your heart. The reason some of you reject certain moral laws in the bible, is because you haven’t received God’s love deep enough in your heart. You don’t trust his love behind those moral laws, so you trust the culture’s teachings instead. You’ll never love his truths, unless you receive his love, and trust his loving heart behind those truths.
I have to remind my children of this when I tell them they can’t do something. When I tell them they can’t eat an entire bag of Salt and Vinegar chips, Dominoes Cheeseburger pizza, and ice cream all in one sitting. It’s because I love them and don’t want them puking it up later. They think I’m robbing them of joy, but I love them and I’m trying to protect their joy. When I take time to talk to their hearts, to explain I love them and I’m trying to protect their joy, they’re much more willing to follow compared to when I just lay down the law without love...My point is a person who receives God’s love, who knows God loves them, doesn’t look at life saying “Great! I can’t lie, can’t covet, can’t sleep around. Life is such a drag and God is such a cosmic kill joy. But I guess I’ll follow so I can get to heaven.” A person who knows God loves them doesn’t look at life like that. Instead they say “I want to follow what God says because I know God loves me, which means his teachings are always good for me. I want to follow his teachings because they are always good for my heart, good for other people’s hearts, and it pleases God’s heart...” The Lord wants us to receive his love, but also to love his teachings knowing that he’s given them to us to protect our joy. The reason the Jews in the text are being robbed of joy in their Babylonian exile, is because they didn’t trust the Lord loved them, and that he gave them the Mosaic Law to protect their joy. So they turned to other gods, were unfaithful in following the Mosaic Law, and it lead them to being robbed of joy in their Babylonian exile...The Lord wants us to walk with him personally listening to his truths daily within our minds, but also loving those truths within our hearts. He wants us to walk with him personally, allowing his heart to transform our hearts.
Again vs. 33, “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days. I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them.” He’s saying only those who receive the new covenant, will truly know the Lord. You have to receive his invitation to know him intellectually in your mind and personally in your heart. Only then will you have a personal relationship with him. You can call him my God, and he’ll call you his people.
Vs. 34, “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.” That’s a prophetic claim pointing to Jesus about 600 yrs before he was crucified. God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah making the prophetic claim that the new covenant, will come through Jesus dying for our sins on the cross. The Lord says he’ll forgive their iniquityand remember their sins no more, which is exactly what Jesus came to do. He came to die for our sins on the cross so we can have eternal forgiveness and love in an eternal relationship with God. So the way to know God, the way to have a personal relationship with God that’ll transform your mind and heart, is through faith in Jesus. The way to know God, is to know Jesus. Colossians 1:15 says, “Jesus is the image of the invisible God.” So if you know Jesus, then you know God. If you have a personal relationship with Jesus, then you have a personal relationship with God. Jesus is the fulfillment of the new covenant. He’s the fulfillment of all the covenants I mentioned earlier. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “All the promises of God find their Yes in Jesus.”
· Jesus fulfills the Adamic Covenant, by crushing Satan’s head on the cross proving he’ll win the battle over sin and death, through the power of his resurrection.
· Jesus fulfills the Noahic Covenant, by saving us from the flood of hell in the ark of the cross.
· Jesus fulfills the Abrahamic Covenant, by allowing even those who aren’t Jews to be adopted into God’s family, making Abraham’s decedents as numerous as the stars.
· Jesus fulfills the Mosaic Covenant, by perfectly living out all the Mosaic laws on our behalf.
· Jesus fulfills the Davidic Covenant, by giving us a place in his eternal dynasty, in his eternal kingdom of heaven.
All these covenant promises find their YES in Jesus, and so does the new covenant. Jesus
came to display God’s love by dying for our sins on the cross, and those who receive his love will have their minds and hearts transformed by his love. They’ll be forgiven of their sins, have a personal relationship with him, and be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit for continual transformation of their minds and hearts. Tim Keller states, “The gospel brings massive changes to your life...It profoundly changes your character. It changes the very structure of your identity. It changes the very pathways of your heart. It changes the way your heart works...But those things only come after having received the gospel.” You have to receive the love of Jesus, to be transformed by the love of Jesus. You have to keep spending time with Jesus, if you want to keep being transformed by Jesus. The more you spend time with Jesus reading the bible and praying, the more he’ll transform your life. He’ll transform your mind and heart, into alignment with him.
The Big Idea:
The big idea of the message is God wants to be known personally, not just conceptually... One of the core teachings of the Bible is that God invites us to have a personal relationship with him through faith in Jesus. This new covenant wasn’t just an invitation for Jews back then, it’s an invitation for anyone who puts their faith in Jesus today. If you don’t know Jesus, then put your faith in Jesus and start following Jesus today...If you already know Jesus, then be consistent in spending time with Jesus through reading your bible and prayer so you can keep growing in your relationship with Jesus. When you open your bible ask him what he wants to teach you, because he’s always wanting to teach you something for your good and his glory...For those of you who are fathers, you’ll teach your children a lot of things in life both good and bad. I tell my kids to follow the good things I do, but don’t follow the bad things I do, the sinful things I do. My kids know I sometimes stumble in sin, which is why the greatest thing I can ever teach them is to know and follow Jesus. The greatest thing you can ever teach your children, is to know and follow Jesus. You’ll sometimes fail your children, but Jesus will never fail your children. You’ll sometimes sin against your children, but Jesus will never sin against your children. You’ll sometimes teach your children good and bad things, but Jesus will always teach your children good things. The greatest thing you can teach your children is to know and follow Jesus.
As a father your faith, is critical to their faith. According to one study if a father comes to faith in Christ, then there’s a 93% chance everybody else in the family will come to faith in Christ. According to another study if a father is irregular in church attendance, there’s a 97% chance their child will be irregular, or completely non-existent in their church attendance when they’re older. As a father your faith, is critical to their faith. So let’s do this, let’s have those of you who are fathers stand for just a minute. We want to honor and pray for you today since it’s Father’s Day...City Awakening let’s praise God for these fathers being here today...You fathers being here is a step in the right direction. You being more consistent in your church attendance, reading your bible, praying, is an even greater step in the right direction. You teaching your children to know and follow Jesus in their everyday life, is the greatest step, the greatest direction, the greatest teaching you can ever give your children in life.