In Christ, you are a believer priest, and you may go directly to God through Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that a main reason that God introduced the Law was that sin might increase (Rom. Hallelujah! For a full listing of all devos, written and audio, go to our Audio Devos Page. (8) With the New Covenant comesthe promise of an intimate knowledge. 'You Raise Me Up' Duet Earns A Standing Ovation From The Judges, 7 Tests to See if Your Worship Is Truly Christian or Pagan. The Tower of Babel, the first Tower of Power, is a And so God has made that provision that you the believe, if you slip and fall into sin, not practicing sin, not living in it, that same blood that forgave you the first time you received Jesus as Savior will also forgive you and cleanse you. Full-Time. Many of the Christian believers know that they have entered into a covenant with God by salvation, but many of them are not enjoying the benefits of this covenant. But, plainly, the church today partakes of the one new covenant that Jeremiah predicted. Notice: You will keep My judgments Not You might keep them, or Youd better keep them, but You will keep them. Gods indwelling Spirit, given exclusively to New Covenant believers in Jesus, makes this a reality. The priestly ministry of Jesus is better than that of Aaron because the covenant he established and now mediates is better than that which came through Moses. Full-Time. The problem was us: sinful, lustful, greedy, selfish, independent, rebellious humanity. He says three things about this new covenant: First, the will of God is going to be written not just on stone tablets or white Bible paper, but in the mind and on the heart. Now, it is a delight because of our love for God. Friend, are you one of them? Lastly, And not only Glory, but the Fullness of Glory; for the Fullness of the Glory of Heaven is contained in this Covenant, or the perfect and full enjoyment of God, even the Beatifical Vision. The following is a short excerpt from a sermon on Isaiah 54:10 preached by 17th Century Baptist, Benjamin Keach (1640-1704). In many ways its the strangest day on our holiday calendar. It includes the forgiveness of subsequent sins or offences against God. Im not happy with how the opening line of v. 8 is translated. Persistent failure to live according to Gods covenant requirements led to inevitable disaster for both the nation and its monarchy, culminating in judgment: the It bids me fly, and gives me wings!. Covenant theologians argue that the old and new covenants are two different administrations of the one covenant of grace. God, in return, agrees to share with man all the blessings and benefits of eternal life. Want more fulfilling life? WebThe New Covenant gave life spiritual life by a new and better way (Heb. The Not only Peace, but the Fullness of Peace; Peace that passes all understanding. Much later on, Paul would describe this nature as the flesh. It rules to such a degree that good intentions and noble aspirations become impotent and futile. He never intended that this covenant be a means of establishing a holy people for Himself. We compare ourselves with others who are worse than we are, and conclude, Im not such a bad person after all! We hear of an atrocious crime and we think, How can people do things like that? 28:1-68). God says of me: Sam is mine! God says of you: Amy is mine! as well as during some school holidays (only as it relates The New Covenant is a covenant made first with the nation of Israel and, ultimately, with all mankind. And this ability stems from two sources: The new nature that God impacts to the believer. By Gods grace, we now partake of the benefits of the new covenant that were promised to the Jews. It would be like trying to prop up a corpse and get it to do certain things! Above is, To support SOGM with a monthly recurring donation, click above, Check out our ever-growing list of devotional teachings now available, Schedule an SOGM conference in your church. Paul says that the Law was like a tutor, needed until we grew to adulthood. The revolutionary New Covenant is not Thecorporationshall not discriminate against applicants, employees, students, volunteers, and others on the basis of race, color, nationality, or ethnic origin; however, as a religious institution, the corporation reserves the right to deny or terminate employment or to deny orterminate anyotherstatusof persons whose lifestyle, words, actions or otherwise do not align with the corporations Statement of Faith, standard of conduct, or other policies of this organization. The Law of Moses was very clear in stating, Thou shalt not or Do this and live or Be ye holy. But there was nothing in the law itself that could empower the people to obey it. He isyourGod! The Old Covenant motivation was the whip and the carrot: Obey Me and I will bless you like crazy; disobey Me and I will curse everything you touch. One would think that this might work, but in fact it was a dismal failure. Im more than a creature. As a result we can escape hell and enter eternity with God. You Have To Make Sacrifices To Stay Married. If that is the case then the scripture will be contradicting itself. They end up paying for things that are covered in the policy! 8:13-14). Some have assumed it was written by Paul, but if so, it certainly bears an entirely different form than Pauls other epistles. In fact, some are connected to the wrong source to the devil. What are the benefits of the new covenant? The Church is not a geo-political state. Lets take a closer look at this New Covenant. (4) Im not happy with how the opening line of v. 8 is translated. The New Covenant sacrifice of Jesus on behalf of His people means that sins can be forgiven once and for all. The only thing that matters is the faith in your heart: if you trust in Jesus, whether you are male or female, slave or free, Jew or Gentile, you are the seed of Abraham, the true Israel of God, and thus members of the New Covenant. 8:10b). 12:10). These promises make the New Covenant vastly superior to the Old Covenant, so much so that the New Covenant replaces the Old, making it obsolete. It never has been and it never will be. Im going to take issue with the Thank you, Jean. The writer (whoever he was) goes on to declare, through many different ways and using many different arguments, the superiority of Jesus Christ and His New Covenant over Moses and the Old Covenant. You must not waver in your confession of your promised inheritance; hold unto the promise of God, being fully persuaded that the Lord who has promised is faithful and able to perform what He has promised. 4:25; 5:1). Fifth, according toHebrews 8:6the New Covenant is better (present tense) and has been enacted (perfect tense) on better promises. The Law kept sinners at a distance. And so when you have come through Christ to God you have direct access. But now, under the new covenant, God is calling the nations to salvation. When you receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you enter into this new agreement and you have access to all the promised inheritance. The basis for Gods forgiveness is His mercy as shown at the cross. Not only Pardon of Sin, but Fullness of Pardon; or, the Fullest Pardon, complete Pardon. God loves each one us! Therefore it is only to them that the ordinance of baptism is applied. They know the promises of God to them but they are yet to taste these blessings. If new covenant believers are not under the Law, how can we know which Old Testament commands apply to us today? WebBut the new covenant invites sinners to draw near to the very throne of God through the blood of Christ, to receive grace and mercy! 3:11-12a). Feb. 28, 2023, 5:00 p.m. WebC.N.782.2001.TREATIES-6 of 5 October 2001 [Proposal of correction to the original of the Covenant (Chinese authentic text)] and C.N.8.2002.TREATIES-1 of 3 January 2002 [Rectification of the original of the Covenant (Chinese authentic text)]. But under the old covenant forgiveness was never final and forever. Gods way: God faithfully keeps his covenant. And when He comes in, He comes complete with all the ways, desires, laws, and passions of God for He is God. 5:21-22). He who commits sin, 1 John says, is of the devil. Thus Paul could say (in 2 Cor. In 2008 Sam became Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This is why members of the nation Israel had to be exhorted to know the Lord. He belongs to you. 5:27-30). Sixth, inHebrews 10:15our author says that the Holy Spirit bears witness to us the Church that God has made this New Covenant with us! (3) We read inHebrews 8:6-7that the very existence of this New Covenant is just one more proof or demonstration that the high priesthood of Jesus is superior to the high priesthood of Aaron and his descendants. They prided themselves in never committing murder. But sadly many believers insist on living like Israel under the old covenant. Instead, They dont need to go through an intermediary. Let us consider just three benefits of the new covenant very quickly. WebThe new covenant, the new testament, contains all that Christ has done. We all fail miserably. c)Come with full assurance of faith and a heart sprinkled and purified from guilty conscience by the blood. Well but youd say, it also covers subsequent sins. God alone can initiate and establish a covenant with human beings. Could My Dads Death Be The Wakeup Call I need? People during the time of the old covenant could obviously memorize the law of God, and many did. We mustnt forget that according toGalatians 3:16and3:28-29(and numerous other texts) anyone who believes in Jesus Christ is now the seed of Abraham and thus an heir according to the promise. And that is what the Holy Spirit does in the heart of the believer. Only those who come to saving faith are members of the new covenant community. Liberty at Risk Without a proper understanding of civil government's biblical function and limited jurisdiction, Christians can be trapped into believing that civil government should promote policies beyond its designed purpose as long as they are for the good of the people. Again, this simply means that not everyone who received the physical sign of the old covenant was born again or regenerate. 3-5. That was the old way. He repeatedly says, I will, I will, I will, (8:10-12) to emphasize that the new covenant is superior to the old, because it is based on the promises of God, not on the promises of sinful men to try to keep it. It was simply a cosmic demonstration of the failure of human willpower, human initiative, and human goodness to fulfill the laws of God. 8:7, 8). Sam is on the Board of Directors of both Desiring God and Bethlehem College & Seminary, and also serves as a member of the Council of The Gospel Coalition. When Moses went up on the mountain to meet with God, He told him to go back down and warn the people again, so that no one would break through to gaze on the Lord and perish. If you want to be justified by the Law, all you have to do is to keep it perfectly, from birth until death, not just outwardly, but in your heart! Because finding fault with them, He says: Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah (Hebrews 8:7, 8). The new covenant, secured and sealed by the blood of Jesus, creates the people of God and controls the people of God. Are you enjoying the full benefits of that covenant? O let it be so, Father, in Jesus Name. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest (Heb. We must remember that Gods covenant with Israel was theocratic in nature. But we do not replace the entire tree, as some teach, because Paul shows that God will work in the future to graft the Jews back in. After all, the tendency to draw away from Christ after eagerly embracing Him is not merely a Jewish problem; it is a human problem. 36:26-27). It is the basis for all of the other new covenant promises, because until our sins are forgiven, we do not know the Lord and we are not His people. My Bed Of Marital Roses Has Unforeseen Thorns, The Right Spouse For You Will Come At The Appointed Time. The gifts and sacrifices of the old covenant could not make a worshiper perfect in conscience. And Im not just a human being. The curses for disobedience were horrific (28:15-68). God wants to keep you happy, healthy and holy. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more (Heb. And he has done that only with the members of the body of Christ, the Church. 5:17). But most of them were unbelievers who did not know God. How many times have you prayed Lord, crucify me; let me die to self? In Deuteronomy 5:29, God exclaims, Oh, that they [Israel] had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always! In Deuteronomy 29:4, Moses tells the people, Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear. But in the new covenant promises of Ezekiel 36:26-27, God declares, Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. As His people, we can go to Him as children go to their father, to receive from Him the things that we need. Hes not simply the omnipotent, infinitely kind and gracious supreme being who created all things and upholds all things. The Church is a spiritual organism united to Christ. He concludes, It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery (Gal. Not only Strength, but the Fullness of Strength; The Lord is the Strength of my heart, and my Portion forever. Above is a brief music video featuring video clips and pics from our recent mission in Nigeria in Oct/Nov, 2019. They are plagued by guilt, when the policy says, I will remember their sins no more. They feel alienated from God and His people, whereas the contract stipulates, I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They put themselves under many manmade rules, whereas God says, I will put My laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. So instead of knowing the glorious privileges of being children of the free woman, they live in slavery as children of the bondwoman (Gal. Death be the Wakeup Call I need done that only with the members of old! 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