(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.) So, we obviously had a lot in that chapter, but the main area that we want to talk about is where God promised a new covenant. So we've been going through a lot of different things with the Old Testament and New Testament series that we've been doing. We started off with the covenant timelines, understanding when the Old Testament started, stopped when the New Testament started, and how it doesn't stop, but then we also got into the Old Testament last week as far as all the different things that were done away, things that were just cardinal ordinances, that were customary laws, and how those were imposed on them until the time of reformation. So now we're switching gears into the New Testament. This is where we're at. We're in the New Testament, so this is what applies to us, and I just want to really get into what's so great about the New Testament. Why is it the better testament? What it calls it in Hebrews is the better covenant, the better testament. So it's the New Testament, but it's better. It has better promises, and I will get into that, of why that is. So I want to really just get into what's the great thing about the New Testament. The number one thing that I believe is the best, that's better about the New Testament is the Holy Ghost, the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. And so I want to get into this particularly, this is kind of the brunt of the sermon. I'm going to get into other aspects as far as what's better, but this is the quintessential piece. If you want to know why the New Testament is better, it's the Holy Ghost has come, the Comforter has come, we are indwelled with the Holy Ghost. This is something that was not in the Old Testament. The Spirit of God came upon Samson, the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and the Spirit of God came upon a lot of people, but they weren't indwelled with him. The Spirit of God didn't live inside of them, like he does in the New Testament. But there's a passage in there, so when we're reading about the New Testament, go to verse 34, and you may read this and kind of wonder what is this talking about? Because if we're talking about the New Covenant, we can see he's going to put in verse 33, I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people. But notice this next part, and this is where, if you don't understand the Holy Ghost and just stuff that the Bible teaches about that, you may be wondering, you know, what is this talking about? It says, they shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord, for they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them. So what is this talking about when we're talking about the New Covenant? Well, go to Isaiah 59, Isaiah 59, and I'm going to tell you what I believe this is. I believe this is talking about the Holy Ghost, and we're going to get into that as far as, this doesn't mean, what this is basically talking about is the difference in the way you would understand the Word of God and how God's Word was revealed to people as far as in the Old Testament versus the New Testament. In the New Testament, we have a more sure word of prophecy, and the Holy Ghost is all we need to know the Lord. And so, that's what that's talking about. It doesn't mean that you should never hear preaching, or you should never preach, or you should never hear someone talk or tell you, let me tell you about the Lord. And this isn't talking about, you're not going to tell anybody to get saved. Because knowing the Lord is a process, knowing the Lord is something that I'm still working on. I'm known of the Lord, because I'm saved, but to know the Lord, that's a process, that's something that takes time. He that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. If you don't love Him, then you don't know, but that doesn't mean you're not born of God. Knowing God is the extra thing that we're trying to go for besides just being born of God. So, go to Isaiah 59, and the last two verses in there, Isaiah 59, I believe this is talking about the New Testament as well, but this is, Jeremiah 31 is the famous passage about the new covenant. This is quoted in Hebrews twice, and I kind of want to just show you, I may not have this in the order that I want to show it to you, but either way, we're going to see it all. Isaiah 59, notice what the Bible says here, Isaiah 59 verse 20, it says, And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression, and Jacob saith the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord. My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed-seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever. So we see here the spirit and his words, and doesn't that sound familiar with the fact that he's going to write his law in our inward parts, and in our minds, and in our hearts, right? Now, this is quoted in Romans 11, and we're really going to dive deep into this once we get to Romans 11, so I don't want to get too bogged down with this, but in Romans 11, 26, it says, And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob, for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. So it says that I will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sins no more. That's what it talks about with the new covenant, and then in this same passage that's quoted in Romans, it says, This is the covenant I will make with them, when I shall take away their sins. So we're talking about the New Testament here. They're going to take away our sins, but the spirit is going to be with us forever, and I believe that's the big part that we're going to see with this is the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and go to Hebrews chapter 8, and I want you to see these two where you see Hebrews 8 and Hebrews 10, and when I was memorizing the book of Hebrews, this is where this really stood out to me. Honestly, this is where I made this correlation when it talks about you're not going to teach everyone and every man to know the Lord, for all shall know me. This is where this stood out to me, was in Hebrews chapter 8, and then when you couple that with chapter 10, because it's quoting the same passage. So Hebrews chapter 8, for sake of time, well, you know, Hebrews chapter 8 verse 8, this is quoting Jeremiah 31, which we were just getting into. Hebrews 8, 8, it says, For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith 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. One day, when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws in their mind and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest, for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness in their sins and their iniquities, while I remember no more. So it's pretty much just quoting us straight from Jeremiah 31, right? Well go to Hebrews chapter 10 and start in verse 15, Hebrews 10, 15. And notice what it says in verse 15, Wherefore the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us, for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds, while I write them in their sins and iniquities, while I remember no more. So the Holy Ghost, if you remember, the Holy Ghost was, the signifying of the Holy Ghost was the veil, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest. So the veil was rent, therefore the Holy Ghost has come, and the Holy Ghost is witnessing about this New Testament, and I believe the New Testament, I'm going to prove to you why I believe the Holy Ghost is what this is talking about, because of what the Holy Ghost does. But I want to first go into being indwelled with the Holy Ghost. And this can take a whole sermon in itself as far as the Holy Ghost and the indwelling, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God being upon you, stuff like that, that one thing to remember, to know is that the indwelling of the Holy Ghost is different than the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That's not the same event, and I'll prove that to you if you go to, well first go to John chapter 14, then we'll get into where they actually received the Holy Ghost. And so when you're going through and people, in the book of Acts, this will help you out, in the book of Acts, remember they hadn't received the Holy Ghost and they would lay hands on them and they would receive the Holy Ghost. That wasn't them being indwelled with the Holy Ghost. That happened the moment you believe. And so, but, the laying on of hands, that was the power of the Holy Ghost, that was being baptized by the Holy Ghost, that was being filled with the Spirit. And that happened only certain periods of time. I'm not always filled with the Spirit. Even today, you know, like today, I'm not filled with the Spirit all the time, but I'm always indwelled with the Holy Ghost. And so, I want you to see that they had received the Holy Ghost before the day of Pentecost. So that baptism of the Holy Ghost that they were waiting for, they had already had the Holy Ghost indwelling them at that point. So in John chapter 14 and verse 17, it says, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. So notice there that this is the big difference that's going to come when Jesus is glorified. When Jesus dies on the cross and he's going to be glorified, and again, this is a whole study in itself about the Holy Ghost, but the fact is that he was with them. And the Holy Ghost was with them in the wilderness. The Holy Ghost was always there, right? The Holy Ghost is God, but he shall be in you. That's what he's saying. This is before he dies on the cross, right? This is before, you know, he is resurrected. But then go to John chapter 20 and verse 22. This is where they were indwelled with the Holy Ghost. So if you remember, he had to ascend up, he had to be glorified, he had to put the blood on the mercy seat. There was a lot of stuff he had to do, but this indwelling was the promise, the comforter that was to come, that after, he wasn't going to leave him comfortless, right? And he was going to ascend the Holy Ghost. And the Holy Ghost is, he breathes on them, it shows here in verse 22. So John chapter 20, verse 22, this is after the resurrection, obviously. It says, And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. So this is before the day of Pentecost. This is, this is way before, you know, days before this, obviously, there's 50 days from when he was resurrected to when the day of Pentecost happened. And so they received the Holy Ghost right here in chapter 20. This is the indwelling. This is where the Spirit of God is going to stay with you forever, and he'll never leave you nor forsake thee. And so I just kind of want to touch on that a little bit about the Holy Ghost indwelling you. And the Holy Ghost is always there with you. And so this is something that, that is great about the New Testament. We are the temple of the Holy Ghost in the New Testament. And so there's a lot to be taught with that, with the Holy Ghost. But go to 1 John chapter 4, 1 John chapter 4. I just want you to see these passages, and then we're going to get into really what the Holy Ghost does. And then I think that's going to really help you understand what's great about the New Testament and why it says, you know, that no man's going to teach his neighbor. And what that means is that, well, I don't want to get ahead of myself with what we're going to teach here, but it's really going to help you understand that and what's so great about the New Testament. So 1 John chapter 4 and verse 1 there, familiar passage, but I just want to read it to get some context. I love it. Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. It's the spirit of God, knowing the spirit of God, and he is in you. So we have him in us. Go to 2 John chapter 1 and verse 1, and I believe this is talking about the Holy Ghost right here in verse, so 2 John chapter 1 and verse 1, there's only one chapter. It says the elder unto the elect lady and her children whom I love in the truth and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth, for the truth's sake which dwelleth in us and shall be with us forever. You ever notice in Revelation how when we get to the very end of the book, you see the Father's face and Christ the Lamb. Where's the Holy Ghost? He's still inside of you forever. And so this is something that doesn't end. This isn't something where the Holy Ghost is just the body, you know, he's inside of us and then one day he's going to leave us and we'll all be together. No, the Holy Ghost is inside of us forever. He shall be with us forever. And so this indwelling, this is the promise that would come, and obviously all believers, Old Testament, you know, before the Old Testament, all that, we're going to have the same promise. It's just that this didn't start happening, this indwelling of the Holy Ghost didn't start until the New Testament. Now let's get into why this is so great. In John, go back to John, and if you ever want to know about the Holy Ghost, the book of John is where you want to go. The book of John and 1 John are great passages for that. So John chapter 14 and verse 26, John chapter 14 and verse 26, and if I'm kind of going all over the place with this, I apologize, I have it in my head, but trying to like put it down on paper and trying to like hash it out is another thing. So John chapter 14 verse 26 says, but the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have commanded, whichever I have said unto you. John chapter 16 verse 13, so he's going to teach us all things, and bring all things into remembrance. John chapter 16 verse 13, John chapter 16 verse 13, it says, howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. Now this is the key. Go to 1 John chapter 2, so he's going to teach us all things, he's going to bring all things to remembrance, he will guide us into all truth. Now keep that in mind when you go to 1 John, and actually I'm going to turn there because we may just want to read a little bit before that just to kind of show you something else there. 1 John chapter 2, verse 27 is where I want you to see ultimately, verse 20 there says, but ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things, ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lies are the truth. So you have an unction of the Holy One, which is the Holy Ghost, and you have down in verse 27 there, it says, but the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. So the Holy Ghost will guide you into all truth, will teach you all things, and ye need not that any man teach you. Does that not sound familiar when it says you will not have to say to your neighbor, know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least to the greatest. That's not talking about unsaved people, that's talking about saved people, meaning that anybody that is saved has the Holy Ghost inside of them, and can read the word of God and understand it just like I can. Every believer. And so you need not that any man teach you, does that mean you don't want anyone to teach you ever? No. It just means that it's not required. Does that make sense? It's not a requirement for you to understand the word of God to have someone teach you, and to have someone tell you to know the Lord. I don't believe it was always like that. It says God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, but hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son. I do believe back in the Old Testament, if they really wanted to know the whole counsel of God, they couldn't just go, they didn't have the whole word of God. I don't believe they had everything written down, they definitely didn't have anything written down that we have written down, and so therefore they'd have to go to a prophet, they'd have to go to visions and dreams and these different things, the way God spoke to them, and they would have to have that prophet explain things to them and interpret things for them. Daniel would have to interpret things, and different prophets would interpret things for them, and therefore it was a lot different back then. Now in the Old Testament, we were talking about that and the fact that there's a lot probably in the Old Testament that people knew that's not written down. There's a lot that was spoken and taught, and a lot of prophets spoke, you know if you think of Jeremiah, he preached everything, Isaiah preached, he preached everything that Moses taught, you know all these different things, but the only thing that they wrote down was that which was pertinent to him and to the word of God that was inspired. These guys probably wrote a lot of other things, I'm sure this wasn't the only writings of Jeremiah besides the Lamentations, that there was a lot of stuff that was written down because it was different back then, and the fact that they didn't have the Holy Ghost inside of them. Now they had the Spirit of God, you know that would come upon them, and they had God that would, they could be filled, I believe they could be filled with the Spirit and all these other things, you know it talks about Samuel being the Spirit of God coming upon him and all this stuff and doing these great acts, but the thing is that there's a lot, there's a big difference between that and being indwelled with the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost living inside of you, and being the temple of the Holy Ghost. And so that's the big difference in the New Testament is the fact that, go to 2 Peter chapter 2, I mean, I'm sorry, 1 Peter chapter 1, I'm getting all confused on where I want to go there, I was just thinking of this, I just want you to see this though, because the Holy Ghost was there, it's not like the Holy Ghost wasn't around, but there is a difference between what we have in the New Testament and what they had back then. So I don't have this in my notes, so I'm going to turn there too, if I can get there, 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 19, it says, We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereinto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place till the day dawn and the day star rise in your hearts. Bring this first at no prophecy of the Scriptures of any private interpretation, for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. See, the Holy Ghost was in there, David spake by the mouth of the Holy Ghost when he was inspired by the Holy Ghost, so the Holy Ghost was there, but now we have a more sure word of prophecy. We have the complete word of God, and now we have the Holy Ghost living inside of us, and we have it at our fingertips. This is something they didn't have back then, and if you think about the printing press on top of that, now not only do we have the whole word of God, but it's in mass print, meaning that it's easy to get. You're not having to scribe down another copy when yours wears out, and so it's so accessible nowadays, but all that on top of the fact that we have the Holy Ghost inside of us to teach us all things, and so this, I believe, explains that, of why this is so great. Of course, we're forgiven of our transgressions, and remember we were talking about how He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, but in these last times He was manifested, right? So we know that He's speaking of those things which be not as though they were, meaning that it's as if He had already done it, but this is where He did it, and the New Testament is, and the actual, right, it's not just the figures of the true, it's the actual true way of salvation that was to come from the foundation of the world. So we're forgiven of our transgressions and our sins through the blood of the Lamb. The blood of Christ is greater than any bulls or goats, but the Holy Ghost, this is what Jesus kept talking about, this Holy Ghost that was gonna come, and in Jeremiah 31, it's interesting because the prophecy of Rachel weeping for her children, which is in Matthew chapter 2, you remember that's talking about how Herod was gonna kill all the children from two years old and younger when they were trying to kill Jesus, so that's in Jeremiah 31, but it's interesting because in verse 12 it says, and their soul shall be as a watered garden and they shall not sorrow any more at all. In the New Testament, it talks about how He was talking about the Holy Ghost, and He said that He spake of the Holy Ghost, which was not given yet because He was not glorified, that in their bellies were gonna spring up living waters unto eternal life, and so it's interesting that that's mentioned in this chapter when we're talking about the new covenant and how the Holy Ghost was gonna dwell the believer. And so we could harp on that all day long, and I think that deserves its own sermon when it comes to the Holy Ghost, and just showing you the difference between the Holy Ghost indwelling the believer, which happens the moment someone believes, the washing and regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. It says that not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the washing and regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. So we know that as soon as we believe, as soon as we're saved, we have the regeneration of the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost is living inside of us, the Holy Ghost is in us. But then you have being filled with the Spirit, and that's different. Now it's still the Spirit, but there's a difference between the indwelling of the Spirit and being full of the Spirit, and so that's something that doesn't happen all the time. They would pray to be filled with the Holy Ghost. They would lay hands on people. You think of the fact of ordaining somebody to do a work or something like that. The Holy Ghost would come upon these people for them to do a great work, and it was a special thing that would happen to them, and I still believe that happens today, where the Holy Ghost will come upon, and you'll be filled with the Spirit. People preaching will be filled with the Spirit. People going out soul winning will be filled with the Spirit, but that doesn't negate the fact that the Holy Ghost is living inside of you to begin with, but there's a difference between that. There's a difference between the Holy Ghost living inside of you and you abiding in Christ, and Christ abiding in you. That's something that doesn't happen. That's not always going on. If you're sinning, you're not abiding in Christ, but the Holy Ghost is there with you, and the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. The Spirit is like that bedrock that we have in the New Testament that guides us into all truth. We can bear witness with our own spirit that we're saved, that that will tell us whether we're abiding in Christ. It's not speaking to us audibly, but we know from the Word of God and the Holy Ghost teaching us through that. So the Holy Ghost, I believe that explains that passage, that you'll not teach every man know the Lord, for all shall know me, because you need not let any man teach you, because we have the anointing, the Holy Ghost. We have that to where it's not necessary for any man to teach me what the Bible says. I don't need to go to Bible college to learn what the Bible says. I don't need to read any commentaries. I don't need to listen to preaching to know what the Bible says. If I'm saved, then I can know the Word of God. Now to be saved, that's something I can't do on my own, meaning the Bible says, how can I accept some man to guide me, the Ethiopian eunuch said, and how should they hear what a preacher is? So salvation is different. Salvation, you need a preacher, you need someone to show you. But once you're saved, you need not let any man teach you if you have the Word of God. You have the Word of God, you have the Holy Ghost inside you, that's all the tools you need. And so at that point, you can know everything about the Bible. You can know God as much as anybody else on the earth. So that's what's great about the New Testament. In my opinion, that's what's better about it, besides the fact of, and we're going to get into some other things that are better about it, so that's not the only thing, but I think that's the big glaring thing that Jesus was getting across is that, you know, he was even saying if I don't go away, the comforter's not going to come. It sounds like he's saying it's better, it's more expedient, remember, he said it's more expedient that I go away. So that's baffling to me, think about that. It's better for the Holy Ghost to be here with you than Jesus himself, you know, in the flesh. And so that's what he's saying, it's more expedient that I go away and that the comforter would come. And so that's something to think about. We shouldn't take that lightly and, you know, I think it's great, I love it. I love the comforter, I love the Holy Ghost and just him guiding me into all truth and just that relationship you have with God where God is teaching you what the Word of God says. This is his sword, this is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. So you have the Holy Ghost inside of you and he's using this as a sword. This is his weapon right here and he's teaching you how to use it. And so that's what's great about the New Testament. So there's other things that are good about the New Testament, obviously. And so another great thing about the New Testament is that all believers make up the holy nation of Israel. See, in the Old Testament, if you go to Exodus chapter 19, he made a covenant with this nation that they would be the holy nation, a peculiar people, a peculiar treasure, and that was to that nation particularly, right? That doesn't mean that he only wanted them to be saved, but that was the nation he was going to use to publish the Gospel throughout the whole world. That was the light that was supposed to be unto all the world was the nation of Israel. That's who he was going to give his word to and that was who Christ was going to come through was through the nation of Israel. So it was a great honor, but also they had laws that they had to keep to be that holy nation. Well, in the New Testament, go to Matthew chapter 21, this is where this is really starting here. He gets this, and actually at the end of Matthew, you just see the same thing going on where he's talking about how God's rejecting Israel and going to the Gentiles, rejecting Israel. And this is really where the crux of this is at. And this is where we get labeled as replacement theology. Yes, he taketh away the first that he may establish the second, my friends. He taketh away the first that he may establish the second. So yes, the New Testament replaces the Old Testament. Therefore, the old nation of Israel is replaced by the new nation of Israel, which we'll see. So Matthew chapter 21 and verse 42, Matthew 21 verse 42, it says, Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never hear, did ye never read in the scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected the same as become the head of the corner? This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore, say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof, and whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. So clearly Jesus is saying, this is, he's talking about the Jews, and if you read this passage he's talking about, he's giving a parable about this vineyard and how he sent all these servants in to get his, to get the fruit of the vineyard, and they kept beating them, killing some, and then they'd come back, and eventually he sent his only son. Sound familiar? All the prophets that he was sending to Israel, and they were killing all the prophets. Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that kills the prophets, right? And they said, they'll reverence my son, and they killed him, they took him out and killed him. And so this is a picture of Christ coming unto his own, and his own received him not. And they ended up killing him. And so he says that the kingdom of God is taken from them and given to the nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. That nation, that holy nation was taken away from them. As soon as that veil was rent, that Old Testament was done. That covenant that he had with them, that they would be the holy nation and kill your people was done. But it didn't just stop. It's not like the nation of Israel just stopped. The nation of Israel was replaced. And it always represented, remember the physical always represents the spiritual. There was always a spiritual Israel, that remnant, right, that was saved. That was always that spiritual Israel. And so go to 1 Peter chapter 2, and I believe 1 Peter chapter 2 is a great place to see this. And notice the same language, remember the stone which the builders rejected, we were talking about that, and the kingdom of God was taken away from them and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. We'll see the same language in here. And as we saw this morning, we're definitely talking about people that were not Israelites. So in 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 4, 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 4, the Bible reads, To whom coming as unto a living stone, this is allowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, behold I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone, select, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe, he is precious. But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. Sound familiar? Now let's keep reading it, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, where unto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy nation, a peculiar people that ye should show forth the praises of him, who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. So we see that the same thing of the stone, which the builders rejected, is made the head of the corner. The kingdom God was taken away from them and given to the nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. Who's that nation? That holy nation is believers. Jew or Gentile, doesn't matter, there's no difference in Christ. All believers make up that holy nation. And what's interesting about this is that people want to say that about the church, that the church makes up all believers. No, the church is a congregation, and until we're all in heaven together, and we're in the general assembly and church of the first born, then we're not all in the church of God as far as this all-encompassing church, but we all are part of the nation. You could say that I'm an American, and then someone across in California is American, that doesn't mean a congregation. So the nation, you could be all the way across the world, but you're of the nation of Israel. Does that make sense? You don't have to be congregated to be a part of that nation. And so that nation of Israel now is all believers throughout the whole world. And that nation, and sometimes that nation as far as if you want to go look at a particular group of people that makes up a bigger part of it, has moved throughout history. Think about where was it at in this passage, Asia Minor, Europe, that area, that the churches of God were being planted, and all these acts were being done, then it would go on to different, if you just look up history of where it went, it went to England, and you had England that was like a big hub for Christianity, well then that got corrupted, so then they moved out to America, and America became that hub for Christianity. And America's kind of faltering, but we're still the hub for Christianity. If you want to know who's spreading the gospel more than anybody else, it's the United States of America. And so that nation, see it's not bound to a certain location. And there's not a temple or anything like that that we have to go to and we have to pray to or anything like that like in the Old Testament. And so go to Romans chapter 9, I want to just show you this, that this nation of Israel that's a spiritual nation exists. This isn't just some phantom. This has always been taught in the Bible, but in Romans 9 and 6 it really shows you that there's two different Israels. Two different Israels. So Romans chapter 9 verse 6 it says, not as though the word of God had taken into effect, for they are not all Israel which are of Israel. Now think about that phrase for a second there. They are not all of Israel, or they are not all Israel which are of Israel. That has to mean that there's two different Israels we're talking about here. They're not all Israel which are of Israel. All Israel I believe is talking about all the spiritual Israel. All Israel is that spiritual Israel, but they're not all of Israel, meaning that they're not all those that are Israelites, meaning that it's not just made up of them. And if you read through that chapter, which I don't want to steal my thunder for Romans chapter 9, but in Romans chapter 9 we're going to get into that and the fact that there was only a remnant that was saved. There's always only a remnant that was really saved in Israel. So you had that whole nation of Israel, but isn't that the truth today in Christianity? You have all these people that claim to be Christians, but only a remnant of them is actually saved. And so it hasn't changed, it just changed geographically in the way we would look at it. And so the nation of Israel, they are not all Israel which are of Israel, meaning that there's two different types. There's a physical, because it says, neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is they which are the children of flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. So what is the Israel referring to then that they're not all of? The children of God, meaning that that nation, that spiritual nation of Israel are the children of God. And so go to Galatians chapter 6, Galatians chapter 6. So people can accuse me of replacement theology all day long, amen. I'll wear that just like I'll wear easy believism, because he taketh away the first that he may establish the second. There's a change also in the law, you can say that that's like heresy all you want, but that's what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that the kingdom of God was taken away from them and given to the nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. That's what the Bible teaches. And so that's the New Testament. The New Testament, the nation of Israel is not the holy nation. Actually it's Sodom and Egypt according to the Bible. Read Revelation. It's spiritually called Sodom and Egypt. So that's another sermon for another day when we get into the synagogue of Satan. But Galatians chapter 6 and verse 15, Galatians chapter 6 verse 15 it says, for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. Upon the Israel of God. So we have this Israel of God, those that walk according to this rule, meaning that they are trusting in Christ alone. It says for, you know, in Galatians, earlier in Galatians, Galatians 5, it says for in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. Remember, faith is what saves us. That new creature is what's a result of our faith. And as many as walk according to this rule, meaning by faith, then peace be on them, which are the Israel of God. So we see the Israel of God, Ephesians chapter 2. I want you to see this. And I know I'm kind of belaboring this point, but I just really want you to see this. And I'm going to make a point to this. Because when you're reading through the Old Testament, you'll see these promises to Israel. You see these promises to that seed. And people are going, well, this is forever. This is forever. This is forever. Yes, it's forever. But who did he make the promise to? Now that Abraham and his seed were the promises made, he saith not unto them as the seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. So get that straight, first of all, that the fact is that he made a promise to Abraham and to the seed. But there's other promises that we'll see. And actually, in Jeremiah 31, there was that promise. There's an everlasting promise that was made to the nation of Israel. But I hope this makes sense now after we realize that the nation of Israel didn't cease. It was replaced. And it was replaced with all believers. And so it didn't just come out of existence. It's just the fact that now it's all believers. It's the spiritual Israel. It's the children of God. Ephesians 2 and 11, it says, wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh, made by hands, that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. So we see that back then in the Old Testament, the Gentiles were not a part of Israel as far as that holy nation. The commonwealth, we think of the commonwealth of PA, you know, and different people have that, but I know I got my license at PA, it's the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, different places have different ways of saying it, but it just means citizenship, right? The commonwealth or just, anyway, so that's a common term even today, you know, as far as just meaning citizenship of a certain state or country. Go down a few verses to verse 19, it says, now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. Notice the same language that we saw earlier in verse 20, it says, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. So this nation never ended. This nation will last forever because New Jerusalem's coming, my friends, and that's the end game, you know, that's what's going to be at the very end, so this promise is an everlasting covenant that he made with the nation of Israel, but what you have to understand is that it wasn't just, it wasn't a promise made to physical people that aren't believers, it was made to those that were actually of the seed of Christ that made up that nation, and that's gone on forever, and it will go on forever. So that answers this question. When you go back to Jeremiah 31 and look at verse 36, right after we get after that new covenant it makes this promise basically that, you know, as long as there's night and day and all this stuff that Israel will be a nation forever. Verse 35, just to get context, it says, thus saith the Lord, it's Jeremiah 31 and 35, it says, thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divided the sea when the waves thereof roar, the Lord of hosts is his name. If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever. Now, when the nation of Israel was taken out in 70 AD or whenever that happened, right, they ceased to be a nation, right, until they all came to Christ in 1948 and became a nation. Obviously that was not what happened. They had a power grab and got their little plot of land in 1948, but what I'm saying is that their nation ceased at 70 AD and they were scattered through all the world. Does that promise get broken or is the fact that that nation is still going on today? That nation never ended and the nation never will end because this promise was made to the seed of Israel. All his seed are going to be justified. All of Israel shall be saved, but it's the only true Israel. We read this before when we were talking about some other things as far as Old Testament stuff, but go to John chapter 1. I want you to see this again with Nathaniel. There's a lot in this. When you look at Nathaniel and his answers and what Jesus said to him, this is packed with information about being saved and about what a true Israelite is. Remember, we knew that a Jew is not a Jew which is one hourly, so we know that's not just physical, right? The Jew to God is someone that's circumcised in the heart and in the spirit. But John chapter 1 verse 47, it says, Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him and saith of him, behold an Israelite indeed. Every word of God is important there, indeed, meaning that he's truly an Israelite in whom is no guile. Remember, we were talking about how in Psalm 32 it talks about in whose spirit is no guile, those that are saved, that whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God. So we see he's an Israelite indeed. One thing I didn't mention about this, but Nathaniel saith unto him right after that, the rich man's knowest thou me, my sheep hear my voice and I know them. Jesus knew Nathaniel and he called him by name. One thing you'll recognize is that did Jesus ever call Judas by name? He called him friend, but he never called him by name. Do you know that in Luke 16 it says Lazarus, but it doesn't say the rich man's name. So just a little nugget there that doesn't really have to do with the Israel part that we're getting into, but my sheep hear my voice and I know them. Remember he says in Matthew 7, it says I never knew you, depart from ye that work in equity. So he doesn't know those that are lost and going to hell, but if you're known of God then you're saved. He was known of Jesus and he was an Israelite indeed, meaning it wasn't just about being a physical Israelite, it was about being saved and being of that true Israel. The nation of Israel indeed, if you want to call it that, the true Israel is those that are believers and that never ends. So that promise is fulfilled, that promise is still sound, that the nation of Israel shall never cease from being a nation forever because all the saved are going to walk in new Jerusalem forever and there's not going to be weeping or anything like that. So another good thing about the New Testament, we see that the nation of Israel, we don't have to go out to Jerusalem, make a pilgrimage out there to get our sins atoned for. So the nation is just all believers, but the house of God is now not the tabernacle that represented the veil and all that stuff and had all those different pieces of the figures of the true, the house of God is actually the church. So go to 1 Timothy chapter 3, so I just want you to see these pieces and we're kind of getting into just different pieces of why the New Testament is better and just kind of understanding the differences. So now we don't have the tabernacle, we don't have the temple, we have the church and the church is just the congregation, it's not the building, but the church replaces that building as far as being the house of God. And so in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 15, so 3, 15 it says, but if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. So we see that the house of God is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. So in the New Testament the nation is all believers, in the New Testament the house of God is the church and local churches, remember a church is congregation so you have different houses of God throughout the world. And all those houses of God that are true houses of God make up the nation of Israel. And so we have the nation of Israel today which is believers. So now, and I know we've covered this, but now as far as getting right with God and purifying the flesh, we don't go, we don't go to this physical temple, we don't go to this tabernacle, we're not taking a goat or a lamb or two turtle doves or two pigeons and we're not going up to the priest about our scabs and all this other stuff. So we have a lot of stuff that we're not doing now that is a lot better in the New Testament. Go to Hebrews chapter 4, actually go to Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19 and I'll read for you Hebrews chapter 4 verse 16. Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 16 it says, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Now in the New Testament we can come boldly unto that throne of grace. We can come directly to the source. We're coming right to Jesus Christ, the high priest, the mediator between God and men. And so we don't have to go through an earthly ministry, does that make sense? We're not confessing our sins to a priest, that's where the Catholics get it wrong. We're not going to some confession booth here. They're not the mediator, Jesus Christ is the mediator. He's the only mediator that we need to go to and we can come boldly unto that throne of grace. Do you see the difference? Before they would have to go and bring this blood and they were tiptoeing pretty much to get a hold of God. It was a lot scarier to try to atone for all this type of stuff whereas now we come boldly unto that. Go to, well you're in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19. The Bible reads, having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say his flesh and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Now remember what was the purifying of the flesh in the Old Testament, the blood of bulls and goats and calves and the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer to the sanctifying to the purifying of the flesh? Well now we can come boldly and through the veil. They couldn't go through the veil, only the high priest could go through the veil once a year and that veil's rent and notice that the veil represented his flesh. Now I've had this happen to me one time and this is off topic but it's kind of on topic on this where I've had these liberal preachers that didn't like the King James Bible. We're King James only and they were just trying to nitpick something. It's almost like they were just trying to find some contradiction in the King James to falter us in what we believed. One time this assistant pastor who didn't know the Bible from a hole in the ground, we were at a Bible study or something like that and we were reading about how his body was broken for us. It says he broke the bread and it says as my body is broken for you, take ye and remember it's me. And he's like it says broken there but not one of his bones were broken. At that point I was just like he just needs to stop talking first of all. But this explains that his flesh was broken, his flesh was rent. So when it's talking about his body being broken it's not talking about his bones it's talking about his flesh. Remember that the bread was to represent the flesh, the blood represented the drink. So we know that that's what represents flesh and it was rent just like the veil was rent and by his stripes we are healed so his flesh was broken. And so this kind of shows you that as far as the veil was rent and his flesh was rent and that explains the broken body, not the broken bones, the broken body. And so I obviously told him to put that in his pipe and smoke it but that's just what people do when they don't like the King James Bible, they don't want to have an authority, they just try to find little things to nitpick at. So it says let us hold fast in verse 23 the profession of our faith without wavering for he is faithful to that promise and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. So it goes straight into get into the house of God. We can come boldly onto that throne of grace. You can personally go to God for getting your sins covered especially concerning the flesh, the washing of the water by the word, right? All these things that the church, the church is, and this is a whole sermon in itself as far as what the church does and how it operates, but in 1 John chapter 9, 1 John 1 verse 9 it says if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is talking about fellowship with God. This is the replacement of the purifying of the flesh by blood of bulls and of ghosts and the ashes of an heifer. This is a lot easier, right? You can go straight to the mediator, straight to God by confessing your sins to him alone and so you don't need to come to me and confess your sins to me, okay? And so I'm not, that's not what my job is as the pastor and so you see how this is better? See how this is a lot better than what that Old Testament was? And so if there was no fault that they wouldn't have sought for the second, if there was no fault with the first, they wouldn't have sought for the second. The second is better, it's the better testament, it's the everlasting testament and we'll end with this. So there's sacrifices as well, there's still sacrifices today that we can do, but it's not physical sacrifices and so Hebrews chapter 13 if you want to turn there and we'll end with this. So I just want to show you some other things. We see the Holy Ghost is the big thing about the New Testament that's better. We have the Holy Ghost living inside of us that's going to teach us all things. We need not that any man teach us. We have the more sure word of prophecy. We're the holy nation, we don't have a physical geographical location but we make up the holy nation, that peculiar people and then we saw that but now we have boldness to come onto the throne of grace and to enter into the holiest of all through the blood of Christ. So we have this great blessing of these promises that were promised from the foundation of the world but this is, just to give you some other insights about the sacrifices, Hebrew chapter 13 verse 15, it says, by him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips giving thanksgiving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate, forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. You know, in 1 Peter we were reading that that we may offer up spiritual sacrifices. It says in 1 Peter chapter 2 where we read already. So these are spiritual sacrifices that we do. And you don't have to turn there but Psalm 51, 17 it says, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart, O God, that will not despise. So in the New Testament, yes, we still have sacrifices but it's spiritual sacrifices. Giving of thanks, doing good, communicating, a broken spirit, a contrite heart. Obedience is better than sacrifice, remember, but the sacrifices of all these different things that we can do, sacrificing your life for Christ, you know, your body, making your body a living sacrifice. So we've had the physical in the Old Testament, we're now into the spiritual. This is the spiritual side over here with the New Testament. Spiritual Israel, spiritual sacrifices, we have the Holy Ghost inside of us. All this was pointed to in the Old Testament. All of it was a picture for a time then present, but now we're living in it. We are in the better testament. We are in the better covenant. And don't take it for granted, you know, read your Bible, let the Holy Ghost teach you all things. So we have more of an advantage than anybody throughout the whole history of time to know God. So let's know God today. Let's end with a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you today and Lord, we just love you for your word. Thank you for giving us the Holy Ghost that would dwell inside of us and Lord, that you'll never leave us nor forsake us and Lord, we just love you and pray to be with us as we go home. We pray all this in Jesus Christ's name, Amen.