Thanks for joining us again as we continue our discussion tonight on the topic of life under the New Covenant. We've been talking about COVENANTS for thirty-three weeks now going back to September 13 of last year and I thought that maybe this would be a good time to examine in a little more depth what a COVENANT actually is. We've thrown that word around quite a bit: there's the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and several other covenants the Bible mentions. But is there something SPECIAL about the word COVENANT that we need to better understand to insure that we're on the same page with God when we talk about it and profess to be living under the NEW version of it?
The word COVENANT is first used in the Bible in Genesis 6:18 to describe an AGREEMENT God made with Noah. The terms of the COVENANT were these: that Noah would build an ark according to God's specifications and would put on the ark a sampling of pairs of all life forms to include among them Noah himself with his wife and their three sons and their wives. In return He (God) would spare them from the flood that was to soon come over all the earth wiping out all remaining life (Genesis 6:12-22).
The Nature of Covenants
The Hebrew root behind the English word COVENANT means "a cutting or slicing of something." That root meaning then incorporates the related idea that blood must be shed in order to "ratify" a binding COVENANT. In the case of Noah, the blood that was shed was from the burnt offerings that he offered on an altar after the flood had subsided (Genesis 8:20). In the case of Abraham the COVENANT they reached was ratified by the shedding of blood from clean animals (Genesis 15:9-10) and later by the shedding of Abraham's blood through circumcision (Genesis 17:7, 12). The COVENANT with Moses which introduced the LAW was ratified repeatedly by the shedding of animal blood to atone for the sin that the LAW revealed. All of these covenants were made between God and mankind and it was the shedding of the blood that CONFIRMED an oath on the part of each party to NEVER break the agreement. God has never broken a COVENANT; mankind has broken every oath and every COVENANT.
The most recent arrangement that we call the NEW COVENANT was made between God the Father and Jesus Christ and it was forever ratified by the shedding of the blood of Jesus. Since the two parties are both members of the Godhead, this COVENANT will never be broken. Mankind only becomes a party to the COVENANT by faith because we have already shown repeatedly that we can't be trusted where COVENANTS are concerned. So, we can be a party to the COVENANT by faith and it continues to be in effect even after we inevitably and repeatedly violate its terms and conditions.
It has been said that "agreements are made to be broken" which is pretty much how most folks conduct their lives these days. But a biblical COVENANT is made to NEVER be broken because the oath to never break it has been sealed in blood. I don't know why it has to be that way except that's the way God wants it. Blood is also required for the forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22) and I don't know why that has to be that way either except it's the way God wants it. I could come up with some really religious explanations from the Internet for why bloodletting is a part of God's Covenant-making but they wouldn't be clearly evident from Scripture which is my main criteria: I need to be able to see something in the Word for myself before I advocate it. Also, the reason for the bloodletting isn't my focus for this series; it just is that way because God says so.
In sum, according to God it's the nature of COVENANTS that they NEVER be broken which has finally happened with the implantation of the NEW COVENANT that CANNOT be broken.
How the Covenants Interface with Christians
There are three of God's COVENANTS that Christians should be able to deal with. First of all believers in Christ are to live under the NEW COVENANT which is the one we've been discussing since last September. It's a better COVENANT than the one God made with Moses called the LAW (Hebrews 7:22, 8:6) because Jesus was able to obtain redemption for all people for all time for all sin by the shedding of His sinless blood on one occasion. All we have to do is BELIEVE and in return God says He won't hold us accountable for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:19, Romans 5:13). Once we BELIEVE, we move out from under the Covenant of the LAW and re-establish ourselves under the NEW Covenant of GRACE (Romans 6:14). In other words, before we believed we were under the Covenant of the LAW but as believers we come under the New Covenant. The LAW is for non-believers to live under (1 Timothy 1:9-10).
Now most believers haven't fully understood that coming under the NEW COVENANT connects us back to the COVENANT with Abraham. In other words, the NEW COVENANT incorporates all the promises God made to Abraham PLUS making forgiveness and eternal life and the Holy Spirit available so that the promises can be fully enjoyed. You can see this explained in your bible in Galatians 3:13-14, 16 and 29. Indeed, the BLESSING of Abraham has come to the Gentiles so that through FAITH we can receive the PROMISE of the Spirit. If you want to remind yourself all that's included in the BLESSING of God, go back and take a look at all the pieces and parts of it in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. There you will find clearly enumerated all of the elements that GOD SAYS fit HIS definition of BLESSING.
Many Christians have been taught that the promised BLESSINGS of the ABRAHAMIC COVENANT don't apply to those of us today living under the NEW COVENANT. But here's what the NEW COVENANT actually says about that precise point:
"Christ has redeemed (rescued) us from the curse of the Law...so that in Christ Jesus the BLESSING of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith...(so) if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise" (Galatians 3:13-14, 29).
Friend, the COVENANT that God made with Abraham was an EVERLASTING COVENANT (Genesis 17:7). Why do so many Christians believe that we don't have the right to enjoy the blessings from it anymore when the NEW TESTAMENT CLEARLY SAYS THAT Christ HAS RECONNECTED US TO IT? How did we somehow lose the access to any of that Blessing? What scripture verses say that we lost it when the New Testament clearly says that when we were born again we were simultaneously REDEEMED from the Curse, totally forgiven of all sins for all time, received eternal life AND reconnected to the Blessing of Abraham and the Promise of the Spirit?
Friend, the New Covenant is a COVENANT of GRACE that includes the BLESSING of Abraham. It's time that we realized that we're involved in an unbreakable COVENANT with God. He will NOT go back on His promises and the abundance and prosperity of the ABRAHAMIC COVENANT are as applicable to the Christian of today as they were to Abraham almost four thousand years ago. All we have to do is accept that the BLESSING is ours so we can release our faith for it. It is ours by inheritance through faith! We need to keep in mind that God has covenanted with Jesus, and through Him to us, i.e. He's given His sworn oath sealed in blood to make His BLESSING available by GRACE to those who believe and will receive the PROMISE by faith. All of this is for NOW and I have put in my claim for it! How about you?
Thanks for joining our discussion tonight. We'll be looking for you again NEXT Sunday night on April 24. In the meantime may the Lord bless you with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3), pushing you to VICTORY in every area of life!
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Sinners' Prayer
If you've never invited Jesus to be your Lord, you can do so today by believing and saying out loud the following simple prayer:
Jesus, I declare today with all my heart that I believe in you and I believe that God raised you from the dead. I acknowledge that my sins have been forgiven for all time and I ask you to come into my life today and be my Lord and Savior. Thank you for salvation and eternal life.
If you were sincere as you prayed, God has already come into your life and you're a new creation, a totally new species recreated in His image. Now ask the Lord to lead you to a good faith-based, bible-teaching church where you can be equipped to fulfill your potential in the Kingdom of God.
When you get a moment have someone help you look up the following scriptures because they confirm what you've done by saying this prayer and believing what you said:
Romans 10:9
2 Corinthians 5:17
Ephesians 2:8
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