New Covenant

New Covenant
Words of Faith 3-25-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 14
[22] While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body."
[23] Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it.
[24] "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them.

The Passover meal would have included at least four cups of wine. The words were predictable, having been repeated at this time each year of their lives. They were not so much well-worn as comforting because of familiarity.
But suddenly, Jesus made it clear that this was not an ordinary Seder. At a point when Jesus was expected to say of the matzah, "This is the bread of affliction our ancestors ate when they came from Egypt," instead, He broke the bread and stated: "This is my body." There may have been an awkward silence as the power of this statement began to sink in.
There were three pieces of matzah in the Passover meal representing God, the Spirit of God, and Messiah. The one in the middle was broken, and in family settings, half of it was hidden away for children to search for and recover at the end of the evening. This was called the afikomen, which means "dessert." The other half was divided among those present. When Jesus took the bread and broke it, He was declaring to His disciples that He was the Messiah. He also clarified that Messiah would be broken and then hidden away to return at the end. Now, a powerful new meaning and remembrance was given to the familiar breaking of unleavened bread.
Jesus then gave a new meaning for one cup of wine, probably the third cup of the Passover meal, called the cup of redemption. At a point when Jesus would usually remember the redemptive promise of God, saying: "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment," instead, Jesus said: "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." Clearly, Jesus was establishing the new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah in 31:31-33...
"The time is coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and Judah. [32] It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt because they broke my covenant. However, I was a husband to them," declares the Lord. [33] "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people."
The New Covenant is a relationship with God that is spiritual rather than religious. It is relational rather than legalistic. We will not obey the Law to gain acceptance or salvation. Instead, God will live in us and write His Word and law in our minds and hearts. By the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will live correctly.

Lord, thank You for the new covenant. Dwell in my heart. Write your law upon my mind and in my heart. Be my God, and I will be Your child. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.