Series: How to Read the Bible Series

WEEK 2: "FROM OBLIGATION TO ADOPTION"

You cannot read the Bible correctly if you ignore the covenant, understanding covenant unlocks freedom, clarity, and the centrality of Jesus.

A covenant is a binding agreement that defines a relationship.

Key Covenants in Scripture (DANIEL - LIST THESE OUT ONE BY ONE)

• Abraham - God promises to bless all nations through his family

• Moses / Sinai - God gives the Law to Israel

• David - God promises an eternal kingdom through David’s line

• New Covenant - God fulfills every promise in Jesus

Each covenant builds on the previous one. But not all covenants are the same, and not all are still in effect.

MAIN POINT 1: God Promised a NEW Covenant

Jeremiah 31:31–34 “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant… not like the covenant I made with their fathers.”

MAIN POINT 2: The Old Covenant Was Not Bad, It Was Incomplete

Galatians 3:24–25 (ESV) “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”

Jesus Didn’t Abolish the Law, He Fulfilled It

Matthew 5:17 (ESV) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Matthew 5:20 (ESV) “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

John 19:30 “It is finished.”

This Protects Us from Two Errors

1. Ignoring the Old Testament entirely

2. Living under the Old Covenant as if Jesus never came

MAIN POINT 3: The New Covenant Isn’t Looser, It’s Better

Grace isn’t lower standards, it’s a different foundation.

Hebrews 8:6

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

Old Covenant New Covenant

• Law on Stone - Law on hearts

• External obedience - Internal transformation

• Repeated sacrifice - Once-for-all sacrifice

• Temporary covering - Complete forgiveness

• Obey to be accepted - Obey because you’re accepted

Under the New Covenant, God makes His home in His people.

When you read Scripture this week, pause and ask

• Is this a promise?

• A shadow pointing to Jesus?

• A principle that carries forward?

• Or a command specific to Israel under the Old Covenant?

This Week: Read Hebrews 8-10