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What do these verses have in common? Jeremiah 31: I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Luke 22: Yeshua said to His disciples: This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. John 3: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 5: Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. 2 Corinthians 5: If anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Ephesians 4: Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Romans 6: We were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. The answer is “new.”

Those who have entered into the New Covenant have a new relationship with the living God. They are forgiven. They are accepted by Him. They are close to Him. His Spirit lives in them. They have a new nature. They are born again. They have a new life. They have a new self. They are a new creation.

How do we enter into the New Covenant? How do we become new people who experience that new relationship with the living God? By faith. By knowing and believing that Yeshua is the Son of God, the dead and risen Messiah, Lord and Savior.

Then, after we are saved, redeemed, rescued, delivered, born again, new-natured – each day we are to walk in newness of life. How do we live in newness of life? Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Each day we must renew our minds. Don’t be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

We remind ourselves that we are new creatures. We have a new, godly nature. Our relationship with sin is different. We died to sin. Sin is no longer our master. We do not need to sin. The Lord is our master, and we are slaves to Him and to right living.

We pray at the beginning of each new day. We ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit, so that we will be close to Him and have the ability to think the right way and live the right way and resist sin. Then, during the day, we pray. We talk to the Lord about the things that interest us. We praise Him for who He is and what He has done, is doing and will do. We thank Him for all the many things He does for us. We talk to Him about the things that concern us. We ask Him to meet our needs and the needs of others. We pray for all of our brothers and sisters in Messiah’s Community. We pray that we love the Lord the way we should and love each other the way we should. We pray that we would walk in the Spirit, resist sin, be more heavenly minded and less earthly minded. We pray that we would serve the Lord the way we should, boldly proclaim the Gospel the way we should, be committed to building Messiah’s Community the way we should.

At the beginning of the day, we read the Word of God. That focuses our mind on God and living in the way that pleases Him. Then during the day, we think about the Word of God and try to apply it to every situation we face. Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. And: I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. When we are thinking about the Word of God, we will be close to God and better able to live the way we should.

If we do these things, we will die the way we need to die, like Messiah did; we will put off the old self. And we will put on the new self. We will rise to new life, the way Messiah did. We will live in newness of life – as Messiah is living now. Our lives will bring God praise, honor and glory, as Messiah’s life does.

Other ways the Bible describes walking in newness of life: Walking with God. Enoch walked with God. Walking by the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit. Being led by the Spirit.

Being alive to God: You must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God. Alive to God. Relating to Him. Aware of Him. Thinking about Him. Talking to Him. Serving Him.

Seeking God’s face: You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

Abiding, living, dwelling in Messiah: Yeshua said: Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

Praying without ceasing: Praying at all times in the Spirit.

Fixing our eyes on God: My eyes are continually toward the Lord. When Peter looked at Yeshua, he was able to walk on the water. When he took his eyes off of Yeshua, he started to sink.

Waiting on God: Waiting on God means being aware of God, being attentive to Him, like a good waiter is attentive to his customers, like a good servant watches for the slightest signal from his master. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God. And this: For you I wait all the day long. And: Those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary; they will walk and not faint.

Loving the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind and all your strength: All of you, every part of who you are, is fully engaged with God. Your heart, your innermost being, is absorbed with Him. Your soul, all of your force, is occupied with Him. Your mind, your thoughts, is engrossed with Him. All of your strength is used to love and serve Him.

Messiah’s resurrection really happened. But it must be more than a historical fact for us. It must be a daily, living, transforming reality in our lives. Let’s remember Messiah’s death and resurrection and new life. And may each one of us die to our old self, put on our new self, and each day renew our minds and walk in newness of life. Amen?