The New has Come.

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Essay by Dan

It has been my experience, while trying to wrap my mind around the old and new covenant of God, we need a global view of scripture to gain a proper understanding of both covenants. God defined the New Covenant in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Later, in the New Testament, we find Jeremiah’s definition used in the Book of Hebrews (Hebrews 8:7–12). In fact, this is the longest quote from the Old Testament presented in the New Testament. Using the Hebrews passage as a template, we find three pillars for the new covenant: Reconciliation, Revelation, and Forgiveness.

Reconciliation. God says — I will put my laws in your mind and write them on your heart (Hebrews 8:7). He inserted the law into our heart to help us resist Lucifer’s influence. He removed the barrier between us and himself. Ezekiel said – God will put His Spirit within you so that you walk in His statutes, see His ordinances, and you are able to keep them (Ezekiel 36:26-27, paraphrased). Paul wrote – For anyone in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus and gave us the ministry of informing the world of this reconciliation through Jesus, thereby not counting people’s sins against them anymore (2 Corinthians 5:17–21 paraphrased).

Revelation. God says — I will be your God, and you will be my people. No longer will you teach your neighbor or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because you will all know Me, from the least of you to the greatest (Hebrews 8:10-11 paraphrased). Later, Jesus specifically included the gentiles when He said – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). It is this simple – God revealing himself to us.

Forgiveness. God says — I forgive your wickedness and remember your sins no more. God promises to forgive our sins and justify us — we stand before God as though we had never sinned (implied in Hebrews 8:12). Paul defines the impact of reconciliation and revelation when he writes – If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Romans 10:9-10). We ask, he grants, we are recipients of his grace – we are forgiven.

These three pillars (reconciliation, revelation, and forgiveness) define the covenant path to the Kingdom. They are the principal elements of the new covenant (the Gospel). From my perspective, the new covenant is built on absolutes, hardcore assurances, a promise to us that we will be with Him forever. The mediator (Jesus) intercedes for us, averting God’s wrath for our extensive list of sins.

We stand “shaking like a leaf”, helpless before the formidable righteousness of God. The only thing that redeems us is inclusion in the new covenant by the mediator. We have not earned a seat at the table; we were granted a seat at the table. Not by what we did, but by his forgiveness and grace. We have nothing of value to offer in exchange for our life – Jesus alone offered something valuable to redeem us.

We are blessed by the Father, reconciled through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are blessed by the redemptive power of the blood of Jesus (just as the Hebrew children were redeemed by blood from the Passover lamb eons ago). Finally, we are blessed by revelation from the Holy Spirit, freely extending His insight (teaching) to us about the things of God. Just as the Hebrews saw the power of God through the daily allocation of manna, we obtain our daily bread (teaching) in scripture. We have nothing to offer, we are unworthy to receive this grace. We are granted grace as an expression of unconditional love. Selah.

I choose Jesus.

Finding the Eye of God

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Essay by Dan

It has been my observation that Jeremiah says the more we seek God, the more we are going to experience His presence in our lives. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13). Without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Furthermore, God is hunting for willing hearts, over and over, every day he looks, his eye moves to and fro — “The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” (Psalms 14:2). We are never far from his gaze… The counterpoint? Our lives are full of activities, stuff, and people competing for our attention. The distractions are just part of everyday life, so we often do not notice them until the damage is done.

Getting too busy, my day starts quickly, I race from one thing to the next without pausing. I fall into bed intending to read the Bible or pray, only to fall asleep exhausted. Not only do I fill my schedule, but I also fill my mind. With technology at our fingertips, we may try to fill every spare minute with entertainment or information. Television, movies, music, games, and social media all use energy. Some activities have a positive effect on me; many events do not. Regardless, God’s voice is competing with them for my attention. Despite my foolishness, he pursues me.

Yet, my choices can drown out God’s voice. My attitudes and habits can lead me away from Him without realizing it. Once questionable behaviors become a pattern, the pattern starts directing choices. Poor decisions are covered with shame, those decisions make me want to hide in the shadows from God. Sweet Jesus, how do I break this pattern?

Many people do not realize that doing nothing (apathy) keeps us from hearing God’s voice too. Apathy, a lack of concern or interest, toward the things of God can be just as detrimental to your relationship with Him as implementing poor behavior patterns because you are focused on earthly things. The voice of God always says something that reflects His character. God is gracious, kind and patient. He pursues me; then He installs peace and unity into my life. The more space I give to attitudes that are opposed to God’s qualities, the less I am willing to hear whatever He is trying to tell me.

JI Packer teaches us – The Spirit leads by helping us understand the biblical guidelines within which we must keep, the biblical goals at which we must aim, and the biblical models that we should imitate, as well as the bad examples from which we are meant to take warning. He leads through prayer and others’ advice, giving us wisdom as to how we can best follow biblical teaching. He leads by giving us the desire for spiritual growth and God’s glory. The result? Spiritual priorities become clear; our wisdom when making decisions is increased. He will cause us to delight in His will so that we find ourselves wanting to do it because we know it is best. Wisdom’s path will be ‘ways of pleasantness’ (implied in Proverbs 3:17).

The deeper truth — God is not devious; He does not push us to watch our suffering. If our first reaction is to resist God’s will, He will gently change our attitude — if we let him. God wants the absolute best for us in every activity he designs for us, even activities we shrink from or activities that may involve unpleasantness. In His time, His peace always arrives. Yield, call out for his help.

He who is drifting from the Logos — yield to the Ayin Adonai (Proverbs 15:3), find your bible, and start reading. Find God’s wisdom and affection. The Eye of the Lord (Ayin Adonai) is ready to help. There are no secrets, He knows. Read, learn, seek out Jehovah Shalom. Call out, be still, He is on the way.

I choose Jesus.

Never Let It End, God

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Ruth Graham

Never let it end, God,
never–please–
all this growing loveliness,
all of these
brief moments of
fresh pleasure–
never let it end.
Let us always
be a little
breathless at love’s beauty;
never let us
pause to reason
from a sense of duty;
never let us
stop to measure
just how much to give;
never let us
stoop to weigh love;
let us live–
and live!
Please, God,
let our hearts kneel always,
Love their only master,
knowing the warm impulsiveness
of shattered alabaster:*
I know You can see things
the way a new bride sees,
so
never let it end, God,
never–please.

Man Lowered Through the Roof

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When Jesus came to a house in the city of Capernaum many people wanted to come and listen to him. Many people came to the house to hear him preach and the house was so packed with people that there was not even room to stand inside. Some people even had to stand outside and listen through the doors and windows.

One man that wanted to come and hear Jesus was very disappointed. This man was paralyzed and could not walk. Four of his friends had to carry him on a mat. The man and his friends could not get inside the house where Jesus was preaching.

But the four men did not give up. They were determined to get their friend inside that house to listen to Jesus. What could they do?

Houses in those days had flat roofs that were made of clay and straw. They usually had stairs on the outside so people could climb on the roof to get some fresh air. The men had an idea. Maybe they could somehow get inside the house through the roof.

So, the men climbed onto the top of the roof carrying the paralyzed man. Then they started pulling off the clay and straw to make an opening.

The men kept pulling off clay and straw and soon the hole became as big as a man. Now it was time for their plan!

The people inside must have been very curious to see a hole appear in the ceiling. They could probably see the blue sky from inside the dark house. Soon something started appearing through the hole – it was a mat with a man on it! The man’s friends had lowered him down through the hole so that he ended up right in front of Jesus!

Jesus was impressed by all the trouble these men had gone to get him inside the house. He knew they must really want to hear the words he was saying. When Jesus saw their great faith he said to the paralyzed man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”

The man must have been happy to hear Jesus say that his sins were forgiven. But even though this man was happy there were some people who were not happy at all. The teachers of the law were always watching Jesus and checking to see if he made mistakes. They did not speak out loud, but they thought to themselves, “Why does this man say things like that? He is saying things that are against God. Only God can forgive sins.”

These teachers of the law only thought these things. People cannot hear thoughts that we have. People can only hear words that we say out loud with our voice. Only God can know what we are thinking before we speak words.

But Jesus is different from other people. What a shock to these men when he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up. Take your mat and walk’? Watch me now. I will prove to you that I have the authority on earth to forgive sins.”

So, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, stand up. Take your mat and go home.”

Immediately the paralyzed man stood up. He took his mat and walked out while everyone was watching him.

The man was happy. First, his sins had been forgiven and now, he could walk! All the people were amazed and praised God. They had seen a miracle take place. Jesus must have the power of God! Everyone was saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

And what about the man’s friends? If they had not had faith they would have given up. They might have left without finding a way to bring their friend to Jesus.

And how about you? Will you be the kind of person that will bring your friends to hear about Jesus?

Scripture Reference: Mark 2:1-12

1 Timothy 2:11-15

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11-15 I don’t let women take over and tell the men what to do. They should study to be quiet and obedient along with everyone else. Adam was made first, then Eve; woman was deceived first—our pioneer in sin!—with Adam right on her heels. On the other hand, her childbearing brought about salvation, reversing Eve. But this salvation only comes to those who continue in faith, love, and holiness, gathering it all into maturity. You can depend on this.