You’re Under a New Contract!

5th Sunday in Lent, 3/18/18
Jeremiah 31:31-34


You’re Under a New Contract!
I. That’s good, because your God does it all
II. That’s good, because it’s based only on faith


If you own or work for a company that is dependent on long-term contracts for its sustainability, you know how stressful the bidding process can be. You’re currently working under the terms of a contract that’s about to expire. The very work you’re currently doing and getting paid to do is now out for competitive bids. Your company has expended countless hours rebidding the work. And even though you’ve tried to contain costs as much as possible, the new bid has a higher price tag than the current contract. And that can be expected. After all, your costs will certainly rise. But what if someone under-bids you? It can be a very tense time both for management and the rank and file.

But when word is received that you’ve been awarded the new contract, it’s party time! Your angst and worries are over. There will be plenty of work for the foreseeable future and that means your livelihood will be secure as well, at least for as long as the contract is in force.

But what are the terms of the new contract? Did you win every contested issue? Probably not. That’s what negotiations are all about. You give a little in order to get a little. And while you may be pleased with the overall outcome, the person working next to you might not. For them, the new pain will outweigh the new gain.

In this morning’s text from Jeremiah 31, our God speaks to us about an old covenant and a new covenant. A covenant is an agreement between two parties. You might call it a contract. Our God tells us this morning, “You’re under a new contract!” Do you know what the terms of this new contract are? Is it better than the old one? What did you give up and what do you gain? Under this new contract will you flourish or flounder?

Put your worries and questions aside, because this new contract is all good—good for you. So rejoice! It’s party time! You’re under a new contract! Let’s see what it involves.

Part I.

Most of the time the terms of contracts are excessively verbose, annoyingly technical, and—frankly—boring. Case in point—how often do you read every word of the terms of use? Rarely, right? You scroll down to the end of the document as soon as possible and hit the button that confirms that you agree.

But some contracts contain the outlandish. For instance, a professional soccer player nearly 20 years ago insisted that his contract excluded interstellar travel. That’s right. If his team travelled to another planet, he was not obligated to do so. I’m not sure what he was worried about. Apparently, the abnormal.

But contracts with pro athletes are often abnormal. Normal contracts—at least in essence—are fairly simple. Two parties are involved. One party agrees that it will do this and the other party agrees to do that. It’s all there in black and white. If it’s not there, then it can’t be expected. If it is there, then you better do what you agreed to or there could be some dire consequences.
In this morning’s text, our Lord speaks to us about an old covenant or contract. What was it all about? What were the terms? Who was involved? Was there anything abnormal? Maybe you’re wondering, “What are we talking about here, Pastor?”

Well, it was God’s old covenant with his Old Testament people, the Children of Israel. Does that help you any? I’m sure it does. At Mt. Sinai, God told the Children of Israel that he would be their God and would lead them to the Promised Land. In return they agreed to obey all the laws which God was setting before them—the 10 Commandments, eating kosher, observing all sorts of daily rules and regulations, and especially having no other gods. And the people responded with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has said” (Ex. 19:8). There were no negotiations. They didn’t ask God for any concessions. They wholeheartedly agreed to the terms of the contract.

But you know what happened, don’t you? While Moses was on Mt. Sinai having God sign the contract, what were the Children of Israel doing? They were at the foot of the mountain worshipping a golden calf which they called the Lord and they were doing so with a wild party. And here’s God’s response, “They broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them.” God was completely faithful, loving and caring, but they trashed their relationship with him.

Obviously, the old covenant couldn’t maintain God’s relationship with his people. So he drew up a new contract. Instead of writing it with his finger, he wrote it with the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ. Instead of announcing his curse upon all who violated his contract, it announced his forgiveness. Instead of threatening termination, it promised an eternal relationship. Instead of requiring us to obey the terms, it stipulated that God’s Son will obey the terms for us. Instead of fining us for violating it, God fined his Son. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? It almost sounds ridiculous. Who would agree to a contract in which only one party does everything and he does it only for the benefit of the other party? Well, your God would not only agree to it, he accomplished it through the life, death and resurrection of your Savior, Jesus. You do nothing. God does everything. What a contract!

So rejoice! You’re under a new contract. That’s good, because your God does it all.

The terms of the new contract fill us with joy! We do nothing. God does everything! We rejoice! But only for so long. Let’s be honest. There’s a part of us that struggles with that contract. It’s like how you feel when someone gives you a gift. A part of you struggles to accept it freely. Why? Because now you feel obligated to give them something. And the longer you try to squelch that obligation the worse you feel. So you give in and return “the favor.” You give them a gift. There. Now you feel better. You’ve done your part.

There’s a part of us that feels the same way about our relationship with God. “Lord, just tell me what you expect. Let me know what you want me to do and I’ll do it—at least I’ll try—and then I’ll feel better about myself.” That sounds like a fine contractual posture to take, but it’s offensive to our God. Because whatever “good” we can do does nothing to remove the guilt of sin. We’re guilty as sin and “the soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ez. 18:4). Thinking that we can enter into a contract with the holy God in which we are obligated to do anything is futile. It won’t work. It didn’t work for the Children of Israel and it won’t work for us. But God works for us. Under the terms of the new contract with us he does it all. He works out our salvation for us. His Son cries out for us, “It is finished!” And his resurrection assures us of it. There’s nothing we need to do, nothing we can do. You’re under a new contract and that’s good, because your God does it all.

Part II.

It’s been said that making more rules won’t make people better, it will only give you more ruler-breakers. And it’s true. That’s because rules don’t change the heart. They can put the brakes on our sinful nature by threatening punishment, but they don’t change the heart.

That’s God’s next point with the old contract. He had an entire nation of 2 million people who said they would obey him and be his people. By their bloodline they were his people. But far too many of them lived and died in unbelief. Some were self-righteous Pharisees on the one hand; others were rank idol worshippers on the other. They were his nation of people, but their hearts were far from him.

That was under the old contract, but not under the new one. Listen to the situation under the new contract. The Lord states, “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time. 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. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” How can the Lord say “they will all know me”? All people don’t know the Lord as the God of their salvation. So, how can he state that they do? Because this is under the new contract. Under this new contract he states that all his people have faith in Jesus as their Savior from sin. He’s talking about the Holy Christian Church—all those who believe in Jesus as their Savior. All Christians know him. They have a “contract” written on their hearts. It’s by faith in Jesus. And by faith in Jesus every one of his people have the one thing they need most—the forgiveness of sins. You see, contrary to what some Christians think, God’s contract with them does not guarantee happiness or wealth or health or success. Take a look at the contract’s fine print. It’s written with the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. What every sinner needs most of all—forgiveness—God is under contract to provide. And it all comes by faith in Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but signing contracts buries the needle on my anxiety meter. What am I getting myself into? What if this deal goes sour? What if I don’t like the outcome? Makes for some sleepless nights.

But that’s not the way it is with your God. Remember, that’s the old contract. In the new contract God does everything and it’s all yours by faith in Jesus. Even your faith in Jesus is entirely the work of your God through his word and sacrament. So what now? Cherish your new contract! Make every effort to hold onto it as you hear and study God’s word and receive your Savior’s body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. Remember, you’re under a new contract and it’s all good. Now there’s something to bank on for this life…for eternal life. Amen.