The Difference Easter Makes, Living in the Spirit - Vineyard Christian Church of Crystal Lake

The Difference Easter Makes

Living in the Spirit (Jer 31:31, John 14:15)

In the OT era the presence of God was confined largely to a geographic location.
When the Hebrews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years his presence was confined to the
When they finally reached the promised land God’s presence was confined to the Temple in Jerusalem.
- The presence of God was kept from the people.
The presence of God was also throughout the history of the Hebrews uniquely present with the Ark of the Covenant.
- This allowed the presence of God to be mobile and move as the people moved.

Dealing with the sin and judgment in the OT

In the old covenant Aaron as the priest wore a breast piece called the breast piece of judgment to bear the judgment of the people.
Exodus 28:30 Aaron wears this breast piece, which is made by human hands, to bear the judgement of the people.

Two problems with all of this:

First, they were insufficient
- The presence of God was not available to the average person.
Second, they could easily be counterfeited (See for example Isaiah 44:15)
- In the time of the OT because God’s presence dwelt in things and places made by human hands it was such an easy trap to fall into counterfeiting that.

In the OT they also used animals:

The priests would lay his hands on the head of a goat and ‘transfer’ the sins of the people to the goat.

The promise:

Verse 33 God’s promise that things will be different.

God says He will put the law not just on stone tablets for them to read, but He will write His law in our minds and in our hearts.

This promise in Jeremiah is fulfilled in Easter:

John 14:15 Here is that connection to love again. my life. Obedience is born in love.
Here in verse 17 Jesus explains how things will become internal.
John 14:25 God’s promise in Jeremiah to write His law in our hearts is fulfilled in the sending of the Holy Spirit.
In Jer 31:34 it says “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
The death and resurrection of Jesus He took care of our sin problem once and for all.
God still needed to deal with our guilt and propensity to sin.

The Holy Spirit will also do this.

Verse 8 God deals with our guilt by sending the Holy Spirit to convict us of our Righteousness.

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of its sin but convicts the believer of their righteousness.

Verse 9 The sin of the world is that it doesn’t believe in Jesus.

This can’t be counterfeited:

Finally that tendency to sin:

Eph 6:10-14 In the new covenant we all have a breastplate or body armor of righteousness.