EPISODE 0362 | The Covenant & the Kingdom: Part 4 The New Covenant and Israel
THESE NOTES ACCOMPANY EPISODE 0362
What exactly is the New Covenant—and who was it originally made with? In this episode, Pastor Stephen traces the New Covenant from Jeremiah 31 through Ezekiel 36 and into the New Testament, showing how it connects the entire covenant story of Scripture. Given at one of Israel’s darkest moments, God promises something greater than external laws or temporary sacrifices: a new heart, the indwelling of His Spirit, personal relationship with God, and permanent forgiveness of sin. Pastor Stephen explains how the Church participates in these blessings through Jesus without, in his teaching, canceling God’s covenant promises to Israel—and why understanding that distinction should deepen our confidence in God’s unchanging character and faithfulness.
Main Topics Covered
✅ The New Covenant begins in the Old Testament — Though Christians often associate the New Covenant with Jesus’ words at communion, Pastor Stephen goes back to Jeremiah 31, where God first promises a New Covenant specifically with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
✅ God promises transformation from the inside out — Unlike the Mosaic Covenant, which placed God’s law externally before His people, the New Covenant promises that God will write His instructions on their hearts. Pastor Stephen describes it not as behavior modification, but as a “heart transplant.”
✅ Ezekiel reveals a new heart and the indwelling Spirit — Ezekiel 36 expands the promise: God will cleanse His people, remove their hearts of stone, give them responsive hearts, and put His Spirit within them. Pastor Stephen connects this directly to Jesus’ teaching about being born again.
✅ The Church participates in the New Covenant without replacing Israel — Through faith in Jesus, Gentile believers receive forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, and God’s law written on their hearts. Pastor Stephen uses Ephesians 2 and Romans 11 to argue that the Church has been brought near and grafted into covenant blessings rather than replacing the people to whom those promises were originally given.
✅ God’s faithfulness to Israel reveals His unchanging character — The episode ultimately brings the covenant conversation back to who God is. Pastor Stephen argues that God’s determination to fulfill His promises demonstrates that His Word does not shift with circumstances—and gives believers confidence that the same God who keeps covenant with Israel will remain faithful to His promises in Christ.
Main Takeaways
The New Covenant changes the heart, not merely behavior. God’s answer to humanity’s inability to perfectly keep the law is internal transformation through His Spirit.
In Christ, believers receive real and permanent forgiveness—sin is not merely temporarily covered but forgiven through Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant.
The Church participates in New Covenant blessings through Jesus, but Pastor Stephen teaches that this participation does not cancel God’s promises to Israel.
God’s covenant faithfulness is ultimately about His character and His name. He fulfills His Word because He is faithful to what He has promised.
Understanding the New Covenant should produce both gratitude and hope: gratitude for what believers have already received through Christ and hope as we watch God’s larger redemptive story continue to unfold.
Key Scriptures
📖 Jeremiah 31:31–34
The foundational New Covenant passage promises a covenant with Israel and Judah in which God writes His instructions on their hearts, establishes personal relationship with His people, and permanently forgives their sins.
📖 Ezekiel 36:24–28
God promises gathering, cleansing, a new heart, a new spirit, the indwelling of His Spirit, and restoration—showing how the internal transformation promised by Jeremiah will take place.
📖 Luke 22:20
At communion, Jesus identifies the cup with the New Covenant in His blood, revealing that His sacrifice is the means through which its blessings are made available.
📖 Hebrews 9:15
Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant whose death sets people free from the penalty of sin and makes the promised eternal inheritance possible.
📖 Ephesians 2:12–13
Gentiles who were once separated from Christ and strangers to the covenant promises have now been brought near to God through the blood of Jesus.
📖 Romans 11:17–18
Paul’s olive-tree picture describes Gentile believers as branches grafted in to share in covenant blessings while warning them not to boast over the natural branches.
📖 Romans 11:26–27
Pastor Stephen points to Paul’s declaration that “all Israel will be saved” as evidence for his teaching that the New Covenant still points toward a future fulfillment involving Israel.
Resources
The Better Planner™ is a personal planner designed by Pastor Stephen to help you map out all the different aspects of success and personal growth on your way to better.
The foundation of the Better Planner™ is the practice of defining and reaching your personal vision. The other principles for growth all integrate with and flow out of this essential step. As you develop and record the insights you receive from God and His design for your life, the Better Planner™ will lead you through a step-by-step process to become better.
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