Daily Worship (March 01)

Jeremiah 31:31–34 (NIV)
“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “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 they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Devotional Thought
In Jeremiah 31, God promises something new. He says he will make a new covenant with his people. The old covenant was good because God gave it. It showed his holiness. It revealed his law. It guarded Israel like a shield. But the problem was not the covenant itself. The problem was the human heart. The people broke the covenant again and again.

So God promises something better. Instead of writing his law on stone tablets, he says he will write it on hearts. Instead of people knowing about him from a distance, he says they will truly know him. Instead of constant reminders of sin, he promises full forgiveness.

Hebrews 8 tells us this promise points to Jesus. Everything in the old covenant was a shadow. It prepared the way. Jesus brings the reality. Through his blood, our sins are forgiven. Through his Spirit, God’s law is written on our hearts. This means obedience is no longer just external behavior. It flows from a changed heart.

Many people still live like they are under the old covenant. They try harder. They promise to do better. They think religion will fix them. But only Jesus can change the heart. Only Jesus can bring true forgiveness and real relationship with God.

If you belong to Christ, God is not far away. He is your God, and you are his people. That is the heart of the covenant.

COMMA Questions

• Context: How does Jeremiah’s promise of a new covenant address Israel’s history of breaking the old covenant? How does Hebrews 8 use this passage to explain Jesus’ work? 
• Observation: What repeated promises does God make in this passage about what he will do?
• Meaning: What does it mean for God to write his law on our hearts instead of on stone?
• Main Idea: Why does God promise a new covenant instead of simply telling his people to try harder to keep the old one?
• Application: In what ways do you still try to fix yourself through effort instead of trusting Jesus to change your heart? 

Prayer
Father, thank you for promising a new covenant. Thank you that Jesus fulfilled that promise. Write your law on my heart. Help me trust in his finished work instead of my own effort. Remind me that you are my God and that I belong to you. Amen.

Hebrews 9:11–14 (NIV)
But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Devotional Thought
Hebrews 9 compares the old system of worship with the work of Jesus. Under the old covenant, priests entered a tent made with human hands. They offered the blood of animals. These sacrifices were repeated again and again. They made people ceremonially clean, but they could not fully clear the conscience.

A guilty conscience is heavy. You can try to ignore it. You can bury it with busyness. You can cover it with religious activity. But it does not go away. The old covenant sacrifices reminded people of their sin every year. They pointed forward to something better.

Jesus is that better reality. He did not enter an earthly tent. He entered heaven itself. He did not offer the blood of goats and calves. He offered his own blood. He is the spotless lamb. His sacrifice was once and for all. Because of him, our consciences can truly be cleansed.

This matters more than we think. Many Christians still live like they must earn God’s approval. When we fail, we feel distant. When we succeed, we feel confident. But our standing with God does not rise and fall with our performance. It rests on the blood of Christ.

Everything in the old covenant pointed to him. And now that he has come, we do not live in the shadow. We live in the freedom of a finished sacrifice.

COMMA Questions

• Context: How does Hebrews 9 build on the argument in Hebrews 8 about the old covenant being a shadow?
• Observation: What contrasts do you see between the old priests and Jesus in this passage?
• Meaning: What does it mean that Jesus cleanses our conscience, not just our outward behavior?
• Main Idea: Why is Jesus’ sacrifice better than the sacrifices offered under the old covenant?
• Application: When you feel guilt or shame, do you try to fix it yourself, or do you rest in the finished work of Christ?

Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for offering your own blood for me. Cleanse my conscience from guilt and shame. Help me stop trusting in my performance and rest in your once-for-all sacrifice. Teach me to live in the freedom you have purchased. Amen.

John 19:28–30 (NIV)
Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Devotional Thought
When Jesus hung on the cross, he said, “It is finished.” These words are simple, but they are powerful. He did not say, “It has begun.” He did not say, “Do your part.” He said it is finished.

For hundreds of years, God’s people offered sacrifices. Blood flowed again and again. The priests stood daily because their work was never done. The law showed God’s holiness and exposed human sin. It acted as a mirror and a guide, but it could not justify anyone.

All of that pointed forward. Every lamb pointed to a greater lamb. Every priest pointed to a greater priest. Every covenant promise pointed to a better covenant.

When Jesus died, the shadow met the substance. The true sacrifice was offered. The debt was paid. The curtain in the temple was torn because access to God was opened.

Many people still live like something remains unfinished. They think they must add their effort to Jesus’ work. But the gospel says salvation is complete. We are justified by his blood, not by our obedience. Our obedience flows from gratitude, not fear.

Because it is finished, we can draw near to God with confidence. We do not stand outside hoping to be accepted. We come in through Christ. Everything pointed to him, and his finished work now points us to full salvation.

COMMA Questions

• Context: How does Jesus’ statement on the cross connect to the sacrificial system in the Old Testament?
• Observation: What happens around the time Jesus says, “It is finished,” that shows something significant has changed?
• Meaning: What does “It is finished” mean for our sin and our relationship with God?
• Main Idea: Why is it important that Jesus’ sacrifice was final and complete?
• Application: In what areas of your life do you act as if salvation is not finished? How can you live differently in light of Christ’s completed work?

Prayer
Jesus, thank you that your work is finished. Forgive me for trying to add to what you have already done. Help me live with confidence, joy, and gratitude because my salvation rests fully on you. Amen.