A New Covenant - Pastor Jason Brooks (05/24/26)

The New Testament page in the Bible calls a person to stop and see a turn. A testament is a covenant, and God has always worked with people by covenant. Exodus sets the pattern. God shields Israel under the blood of a slain lamb as judgment passes over, then God buries their captors in the sea, and finally God meets them at Sinai to give his law. Passover and Shabbat keep this memory alive, not as empty ritual, but as God-given reminders of deliverance, burial, and covenant.

Jesus fills that pattern to the brim. John names him the Lamb of God, and on Passover, Jesus is slain. His blood, not the merit of people, is what lets judgment pass over. Fifty days later, while Israel returns to Jerusalem to bring firstfruits and remember the giving of the law, God brings two crowds into one city. Shabbat gathers those keeping the old covenant rhythms. The upper room gathers those waiting for a promise. God is not changing his mission. He is changing his method.

Acts 2 shows the turn. Pentecost comes with wind and fire. The Spirit fills all, and the nations hear the wonderful works of God in their own languages. Peter stands up and says, this is that. Joel already said God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh. Jeremiah already promised a new covenant where God writes his law on hearts, not just on stone. The accusation lands hard and true: God has made Jesus, whom they crucified, both Lord and Christ. Their hearts are pierced, and the right question finally rises, what shall be done?

Peter names the terms of the new covenant. Repent. Be baptized in Jesus’ name for the remission of sins. Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. The promise is for every generation God will call. Repentance becomes a lifelong turning whenever conviction comes. Baptism buries what once held a person, and wisdom refuses to drag drowned captors back out of the water. God’s original intention at Sinai now arrives in full. No mediator climbs the mountain while others stay back. Every person must step into the fire of God’s presence and receive his Spirit. Tongues are not the Spirit. Tongues are the God-given sign that God has filled a person. Seek God, and God will do his part.

The old pattern was a sketch. Pentecost is the finished house. This is that. The covenant is clear, the terms are plain, and the door is open.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The new covenant completes the pattern [01:00:19] The Exodus map was not random. Blood that causes judgment to pass, water that buries captors, and a word written by God point straight to Jesus and Pentecost. The page that reads New Testament is not a reset but a reveal, the blueprint turning into the building. When Peter says this is that, Scripture stitches the story into one seam. [60:19]
• 2. Repentance, baptism, Spirit are covenant terms [01:02:31] Acts 2:38 is not a slogan. It is the signed agreement of New Testament salvation, where repentance turns a person from rule by sin, baptism in Jesus’ name remits guilt, and the Spirit indwells to empower a new life. This is how God moves the law from stone to heart. Refusing these terms is not a different route. It is a different covenant. [62:31]
• 3. Do not resurrect drowned captors [01:08:13] The Red Sea already closed. Baptism already buried what enslaved. Dragging old masters back onto shore feels merciful, but it is really a quiet betrayal of deliverance. Wisdom leaves what God drowned where God drowned it, and keeps walking in the freedom those waters opened. [68:13]
• 4. Conviction is covenant love at work [01:05:43] God corrects those he intends to keep. Conviction is not the judge’s hammer but the surgeon’s hand, rooting out what breaks fellowship. Each time light exposes a corner, repentance deepens the covenant rather than restarting it. The same Spirit who fills also refines, because presence and holiness are a package. [65:43]
• 5. Seek God, and tongues will follow [01:16:17] Tongues are God’s evidence, not a human technique. Chasing syllables misses the point; opening the heart to Jesus makes room for the Giver. Honest worship, humble hunger, and yielded trust set the table, and God supplies the sign. Power to witness and live above sin is the real gift at stake. [76:17]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [32:03] - Open Bibles to Matthew 1
• [33:22] - A new covenant defined
• [36:03] - Exodus, Passover, deliverance
• [39:05] - Sinai and the festivals
• [41:46] - Jesus as Passover fulfillment
• [44:13] - Shavuot and covenant memory
• [50:52] - Collision of covenants
• [54:11] - Pentecost outpouring
• [56:48] - Peter’s Joel proclamation
• [61:57] - What shall we do
• [62:31] - Repent, be baptized, receive Spirit
• [67:41] - Leave captors in the water
• [75:35] - Seek God, tongues will follow
• [79:50] - Invitation and prayer

Bible Reading
Acts 2:1-4 (ESV)
"When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."

Acts 2:37-41 (ESV)
"Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.' And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, 'Save yourselves from this crooked generation.' So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls."

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Observation Questions

1. What supernatural signs accompanied the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and how did they connect to Old Testament patterns (e.g., Exodus/Sinai)? [54:41]
2. How did Peter explain the crowd’s question, “What shall we do?” in Acts 2:38, and what three actions did he link to entering the new covenant?
3. What Old Testament prophecies (e.g., Joel, Jeremiah) did Peter reference to show Pentecost fulfilled God’s promises? [57:20]
4. Why did the sermon emphasize that baptism “buries” old captors, and what Old Testament event does this parallel? [07:41]

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Interpretation Questions

1. Why might God choose wind, fire, and tongues as signs of the Spirit’s arrival? How do these symbols reflect His covenant purposes?
2. The sermon states, “Repentance is a lifelong turning.” How does ongoing repentance deepen—rather than restart—a covenant relationship with God? [05:43]
3. What does it mean that the law is now “written on hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33) instead of stone? How does the Holy Spirit enable this shift practically?
4. Why is refusing baptism or the Spirit’s infilling described as “a different covenant” rather than just a “different route”? [01:02:31]

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Application Questions

1. When have you felt God’s conviction about a specific area of your life? How did you respond, and what steps could you take to turn more fully toward Him in that area? [05:43]
2. Baptism symbolizes leaving old “captors” (habits, sins, influences) buried. What is one thing from your past that you’ve been tempted to “rescue” instead of leaving it in the water? How can you actively release it? [08:13]
3. The sermon warns against chasing “tongues” instead of seeking God. What practical habits (prayer, worship, Scripture) could help you focus more on intimacy with God than spiritual experiences? [16:17]
4. How might you explain the connection between Passover, Sinai, and Pentecost to someone unfamiliar with the Bible? What analogies or stories would make this pattern relatable?
5. The new covenant is described as “for every generation.” If you’re a parent or mentor, how could you model repentance and dependence on the Spirit to those watching your life?
6. When facing a decision, how can you discern whether you’re relying on “old covenant” methods (rules, guilt) versus the Spirit’s empowerment? What would surrender look like in that situation?