These three major promises of the new covenant are intended to drive the Christian to a life of faith a trust in the once-for-all death of Christ, to live confidently in this present evil age in the face of great opposition and struggle, and to not give up.

The author of Hebrews desires for Christians to appreciate the much better quality of the new covenant than the old covenant administered at Sinai. His lengthy citation of Jeremiah 31 in Hebrews 8 is intended to cheer the Christian with what the new covenant secures for believers through the coming of Christ. The covenant promises that we now enjoy in fulfillment are the same promises that Abraham looked forward to and, as Hebrews stresses, “is not like the covenant made with Israel on the day when God brought them out of Egypt, the covenant which they broke” (Heb. 8:9; Jer. 31:32).
Since many early Christians were giving up on Christ and desired to return to the Mosaic administration as a more superior revelation of God, the author stresses three promises of the new covenant that makes the arrangement superior to the old one.
These three major promises of the new covenant are intended to drive the Christian to a life of faith a trust in the once-for-all death of Christ, to live confidently in this present evil age in the face of great opposition and struggle, and to not give up.
These are the most precious promises of the covenant of grace:
1. The Law is written on our hearts.

I will put my laws into their min ds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Heb. 8:10; Jer. 31:33).

The law was originally written on stones, and this is how the people related to God. Their religion was one of mere duty without love. But the summary of the law was to love to God from the heart. This is the great reasons that the Lord called for circumcised hearts–that they might love him. The new covenant promise spoke of the interior quality of true religion. True love of God, springing from the gift of faith, would be demonstrated by a people who are not characterized as always apostatizing from the Lord from the heart. Instead, out of sincere and true love for God, faith and repentance will be the defining characteristic of their lives.
Read More
Related Posts:

I recently read ‘How to Bring Men to Christ’ and found that it met me where I needed spiritual guidance. The book was written to urge God’s people to have a love for souls and to help those whom God’s Spirit has awakened to personal evangelism. Torrey continually proclaimed Christ through preaching, evangelistic meetings, as well as many thousands of personal conversations. He was a man immersed in God’s Word.

Can we communicate with the dead? A lot of people seem to think so. They go to graves, make social media posts to deceased loved ones, perform rituals, and worship ancestors.
Christians should know that direct communication with the dead is impossible. Trying to do so is sin against God (Lev. 20:6; Deut. 18:10-11; 1 Sam. 28:3). But what if I was to tell you that in a certain sense, the dead can speak, and we can listen?
How, you ask? Through the medium of reading their writings.
Old Books and Communing with the Dead
There are ways to commune with those who have gone before. We can listen to the voices of those who have passed beyond this world through their writings or recordings. There are the Scriptures, those writings directly inspired by God. But there is more that God uses. When we read the works of faithful Christians, we can fellowship with them around the unchanging Truth that challenged and shaped them. When we know their acts of faith and the overall tenor of their life, we can approach these voices of the dead and expect to be encouraged in our own life journey!
Books written by now long-dead believers may be just what we need. Let’s not fall into the trap of thinking that books written for Christians in different times aren’t for us today. Yes, there are some real issues with reading older books. You may have to deal with reading archaic language at times. There are vastly different cultural contexts represented. Denominational differences held by some writers can also be distracting. Having said this, don’t miss out on what godly writers in days past have left for us (like Richard Baxter)!
Sometimes we can allow our present life and ministry context to lull us to sleep. Some areas of our theology become dormant. Devotionally, we walk in circles. Reading sermons and books from believers of other times, especially when those writers have endured much for the sake of the Gospel, can be used of God to re-kindle our hearts.
I would like to draw your attention to two books that I have recently read that have stirred my soul about evangelism. The Lord knew I was desperately in need of this emphasis, so He led me to read some older works that have greatly helped revive me, including these two.
Words to Winners of Souls
Horatius Bonar was a Scottish preacher who lived through times of spiritual revival. He lived from 1808-1889. Bonar was well-known in his time as a preacher of God’s Word and leader in the Free Church of Scotland.
He was also a prodigious writer of books and hymns. He wrote over 140 hymns, including some more well-known titles, one of which is “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say.” I have seen him referred to as “the prince of Scottish hymn writers.”
Read More
Related Posts:

None of us came to trust God on the basis of good arguments alone. Rather, in his grace, the Holy Spirit opened the eyes of our hearts to see his worth. As we pray and trust God to do the same in the lives of young people we love, he frees us from teaching them from a place of anxiety. He helps us to be patient as we prayerfully wait for him to accomplish his work in their hearts.

How do I know the Bible is real? What about the gods in other religions?, one of my kids asked at the age of four. I was a bit caught off guard because she was being raised in the church and homeschooled at the time. Her questions weren’t coming from outside influences, but her own mind and heart.
As adults, we are called to disciple the next generation in our homes and churches. So what do we do when they ask us big questions? How do we respond when they question their faith?
Whether you’re a parent, aunt or uncle, or Sunday School teacher serving young people, here are some ways you can walk with children and teens through their questions and doubts.
1. Be a safe place for questions and doubts.
I often tell teens at church that I’m passionate about church being a safe place for them to bring their questions because I have worked through doubt my whole life. Sometimes, I’ll give them examples of questions I’ve wrestled with. My desire is that their uncertainty wouldn’t drive them away from the church, but to find the answers God has for them.
Children and teens need to know that we welcome their questions and doubts. Two ways you can show them that it’s safe to bring them up is:
Not being afraid of hard questions. Don’t immediately interpret doubts as unbelief or rebellion. Many times, questions are actually spiritual growing pains as children learn to reconcile their observations about the world with what the Bible says. Their faith in God is prompting questions where there seems to be a disconnect. Thus in many ways, questions and doubts can be an opportunity for their faith to grow deeper through testing. It is an opportunity for them to experience on their own that God is trustworthy.
Letting them know doubts and hard questions are normal parts of the Christian life. It can be scary, even shameful, for children to admit having doubts about what they’ve been taught in church or at home. Let them know that you understand this. Assure them that the Bible and history of Christianity is full of people who asked tough questions and still followed Jesus.
2. Invite them to look at the Scriptures with you.
One way that kids can grow in their trust in the Scriptures is actually by bringing hard questions to it. If the word of God is true and has handled the scrutiny of many throughout the ages, then it is able to handle the questions they have today.
Often, the questions children and teens have aren’t so much a challenge to the truth as much as it is an attempt to make sense of it. They aren’t attacking Christianity from the outside, but testing its trustworthiness from the inside. Though their questions may seem like challenges to the Bible (e.g. If God is really in control, why is there suffering? What about other religions? What about science?), but these are questions the Scriptures actually do address and that Christians have historically wrestled through and answered. Thus, these questions are opportunities to show them how God’s word is relevant, compelling, and has explanatory value in real life.
Other times, children and teens will know what the Bible says, but have trouble believing it. These are also opportunities to examine God’s word together. However, before going there, make sure you really understand the question being asked. Before jumping in to answering with truth, make sure it’s the truth they need.
When I was first trained to work with middle schoolers, my leaders emphasized that “at the heart of every question is a question of the heart.” The question at hand is important, but there may be more going on under the surface.
Read More
Related Posts: