God has always had to deal with a disobedient people. That has been His reward for His goodness and His mercy. He called out to generation after generation in love and mercy:

…Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them. For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice (Jeremiah 11:6-7).

“I earnestly protested and pleaded with the fathers. I rose up early and told them to obey My voice.” That is what God has done through the generations. He has continually tried to get His very best to His people, His special treasure.

He said, “I rose up early. I protested. I pleaded. I proclaimed, ‘Obey My voice.’”

“Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart” (Jeremiah 11:8).

Let’s look at Deuteronomy 5:29. Here the heart of God is saying once again, “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”

This is the heart of God yearning over His special people, yearning over the people He formed for Himself. Although we are not in the same position as Israel was, God is in the same position with us where our obedience to the new covenant is concerned.

For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart [of death] out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God (Ezekiel 36:24-28).

He said He would put a new heart in them. You and I have that new heart if we’ve made Jesus Lord of our lives. We not only have a new heart, but we also have God’s Spirit dwelling in us to teach us to walk in His ways and give us individual guidance. When we come before the Lord on that great day for our rewards, we will have no excuse for not fulfilling His will. He has put a new spirit in us. His Spirit within us teaches us, counsels us and manifests the presence of Jesus in us.

Gloria Copeland

1 Corinthians 11:23-26
KJV—For I have received of the Lord
that which also I delivered unto you,
That the Lord Jesus the same night in which
he was betrayed took bread: And when
he had given thanks, he brake it, and said,
Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken
for you: this do in remembrance of me.

After the same manner also he took the
cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup
is the new testament (or covenant) in my
blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in
remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat
this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show
the Lord’s death till he come.

Amp—For I received from the Lord Himself
that which I passed on to you—it was given
to me personally; that the Lord Jesus on the
night when He was treacherously delivered
up and while His betrayal was in progress
took bread, And when He had given thanks,
He broke [it], and said, Take, eat. This is My
body which is broken for you. Do this to call
Me [affectionately] to remembrance.

Similarly when supper was ended, he
took the cup also, saying, This cup is the
new covenant [ratified and established] in
My blood. Do this, as often as you drink [it],
to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance.
For every time you eat this bread and drink
this cup, you are representing and signifying
and proclaiming the fact of the Lord’s death
until He comes [again].

Moffatt—I passed on to you what I received
from the Lord himself, namely, that on the
night he was betrayed the Lord Jesus took
a loaf, and after thanking God he broke it,
saying, ‘This means my body broken for
you; do this in memory of me.’

In the same way he took the cup after
supper, saying, ‘This cup means the new
covenant ratified by my blood; as often as
you drink it, do it in memory of me.’ For
as often as you eat this loaf and drink this
cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until
he comes.

NEB—For the tradition which I handed
on to you came to me from the Lord himself:
that the Lord Jesus, on the night of his
arrest, took bread and, after giving thanks
to God, broke it and said: ‘This is my body,
which is for you; do this as a memorial
of me.’

In the same way, he took the cup after
supper, and said: ‘This cup is the new covenant
sealed by my blood. Whenever you
drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ For
every time you eat this bread and drink the
cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord,
until he comes.

Gloria Copeland

Hebrews 7:24-25
KJV—But this (Jesus), because he continueth
ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Wherefore he is able also to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by him,
seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them.

Amp—But He holds His priesthood unchangeably
because He lives on forever.
Therefore He is able also to save to the
uttermost—completely, perfectly, finally
and for all time and eternity—those who
come to God through Him, since He is
always living to make petition to God
and intercede with Him and intervene
for them.

Moffatt—He holds his priesthood without
any successor, since he continues for ever.
Hence for all time he is able to save those
who approach God through him, since he is
always living to intercede on their behalf.

NEB—But the priesthood which Jesus holds
is perpetual, because he remains for ever.
That is why he is also able to save absolutely
those who approach God through him;
he is always living to plead on their behalf.

Hebrews 8:6, 10-12
KJV—But now hath he obtained a more excellent
ministry, by how much also he is the
mediator of a better covenant, which was
established upon better promises.

For this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, saith
the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind,
and write them in their hearts: and I will be to
them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
And they shall not teach every man his
neighbour, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from
the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful
to their unrighteousness, and their sins and
their iniquities will I remember no more.

Amp—But as it now is, He [Christ] has acquired
a [priestly] ministry which is as much
superior and more excellent [than the old]
as the covenant—the agreement—of which
He is the Mediator (the Arbiter, Agent) is
superior and more excellent; [because] it is
enacted and rests upon more important
(sublimer, higher and nobler) promises.

For this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days,
says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon
their minds, even upon their innermost
thoughts and understanding, and engrave
them upon their hearts, and I will be their
God, and they shall be My people. And it
will nevermore be necessary for every one
to teach his neighbor and his fellow citizen
or every one his brother, saying, Know—
[that is,] perceive, have knowledge of and
get acquainted by experience with—the
Lord; for all will know Me, from the smallest
to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful
and gracious toward their sins and I will
remember their deeds of unrighteousness
no more.

Moffatt—As it is, however, the divine service
he has obtained is superior, owing to the
fact that he mediates a superior covenant,
enacted with superior promises.

This is the covenant I will make with the
house of Israel when that day comes, saith
the Lord; I will set my laws within their mind,
inscribing them upon their hearts; I will be a
God to them, and they shall be a People
to me; one citizen will no longer teach his
fellow, one man will no longer teach his
brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all are
to know me, low and high together. I will be
merciful to their iniquities, and remember
their sins no more.

NEB—But in fact the ministry which has
fallen to Jesus is as far superior to theirs
as are the covenant he mediates and the
promises upon which it is legally secured.

‘For the covenant I will make with the
house of Israel after those days, says the
Lord, is this: I will set my laws in their understanding
and write them on their hearts;
and I will be their God, and they shall be
my people. And they shall not teach one
another, saying to brother and fellow-citizen,
“Know the Lord!” For all of them, high and
low, shall know me; I will be merciful to their
wicked deeds, and I will remember their sins
no more.’

Gloria Copeland