https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+31%3A31-34&version=NIV (Jeremiah 31:31-34) Grace mercy and peace are always for you from God and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen. Life is full of promise. In our human relationships on a daily basis, we make promises to one another. Especially in our love relationships, we speak promises that deepen the bond of our hearts. The deepened trust that fills us with joy and peace but also fills us with love, which defines the relationship of life we share. The Bible also speaks of promises. It uses the language of covenant. A covenant is a mutual agreement between two or more parties, which binds them together and defines their relationship. A mutual promise is a covenant. The Bible actually speaks of six covenants: ✡ The Abrahamic covenant. ✡ The Mosaic covenant made between God and His people at the base of Mount Sinai after He had delivered them from slavery in Egypt. ✡ The Priestly covenant and the whole vision of sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. ✡ The Deuteronomic covenant. ✡ The Davidic covenant: God promised King David that a Son of his would sit on the throne and rule in peace and glory forever. This is what gave rise to messianic hope. And finally, as Jeremiah’s passage in this prophecy speaks of . . . ✡ The New covenant that God would make where all would know Him, His law would be written on their hearts, and He would forgive their sins. We believe this covenant is fulfilled in Jesus our Savior. In Old Testament times, nations entered into Suzerain covenants. These treaties provided a relationship between a strong king and country, and a weaker king and country. The weaker would agree to pay the stronger the terms of a covenant in order to gain their protection or to appease them so that the stronger would not obliterate them. It was a covenant between unequals, a covenant of mutual accountability. If the weaker country and king did not pay up or keep the terms of the covenant, the stronger king and country would punish the weaker or even destroy them. The Mosaic covenant made at Sinai is a covenant of mutual accountability. The language is conditional. If you obey the terms of this covenant, then God will bless you. If you do not obey the terms of this covenant, then punishment and curses will follow. This is the language of the Mosaic covenant. It is conditional upon the faithfulness of God’s people. There are three covenants in the Bible where God guarantees the promise: ● The Abrahamic covenant ● The Davidic covenant ● The New covenant, which was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The New covenant is not just new in time, but also in quality. It is superior to all other covenants and, therefore, makes them obsolete. God has offered it, God has promised it, and God’s power makes it happen. The terms of the covenant cannot fail or change. They are fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior. That is the Good News – that in the name of Jesus, every promise God has made to us in the Scriptures finds fulfillment. It is sealed and guaranteed in the blood of Jesus Christ. In response to God’s new promise, we say to God, I believe your promise is for me. I gladly receive your Spirit in a relationship of trust. I am glad to be in a covenant with you, the living God. Life is full of broken promises in our human experience. Ever heard someone say, “Cross my heart and hope to die”? People have a hard time keeping their word. ☞ “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.” ☞ “I promise (even though I didn’t meet the deadline) to get it done for you by tomorrow.” Maybe the most significant broken promises are those made between a man and woman on their wedding day where they say “I promise to love you forever” or, “I will always be faithful to you”, but as the months and years pass, something is broken and the covenant falls apart. Why do people break their promise? ✗ Maybe they never intended to