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Sabbath June 30, 2012 - "The Better Promise"
· · At
free dictionary.com it defines a covenant as such.
(http://www.thefreedictionary.com/covenant)
cov·e·nant (kv-nnt)
n.
1. A binding agreement;
a compact. See Synonyms at bargain.
2. Law
a. A formal sealed
agreement or contract.
b. A suit to recover damages for violation of such a contract.
3. In the Bible, God's promise to the human race.
v. cov·e·nant·ed,
cov·e·nant·ing, cov·e·nants
v.tr.
To promise by or as if by
a covenant.
v.intr.
To enter into a covenant.
1.
Exo 19:1
In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth
out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into
the wilderness of Sinai.
· As our
Creator lead Israel out of their bondage in Egypt, some 3 months later they now
find themselves at the wilderness of Sinai.
2.
Exo
19:3 And Moses went up unto God,
and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou
say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
Exo 19:4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians,
and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and
brought you unto myself.
· Now notice that prior to speaking His law
to the children of Israel God wanted to make a covenant with them.
3.
Exo
19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice
indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar
treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Exo
19:6 And ye shall be unto me a
kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are
the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
· So Moses now goes and speaks to the children of
Israel those words of the Lord.
4. Exo 19:7 And Moses came and called for the elders of
the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD
commanded him.
Exo
19:8 And
all the people answered together,
and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned
the words of the people unto the LORD.
· The Children of Israel all answered together and
said “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do”. The one thing we should note here is that
this was done prior to the LORD speaking His Law to the people. So we see the Covenant is not the law, but
has something to do with the law. It was
an agreement between the Lord and His people.
5.
Psa
19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the LORD is sure, making
wise the simple.
6.
Rom 7:12 Wherefore
the law is holy, and the
commandment holy, and just, and good.
· After the agreement between the people God spoke the
law and wrote them with His very finger on two tablets of stone.
7. Exo
24:4 And
Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and
builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve
tribes of Israel.
Exo
24:5 And he sent young men of the
children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace
offerings of oxen unto the LORD.
Exo
24:6 And Moses took half of the blood,
and put it in basons; and half of the
blood he sprinkled on the altar.
Exo
24:7 And he took the book of the
covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that
the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
· We see the audience of the people repeat “All
that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.” (Exo 24:7)
Obedience is always the key.
8. Exo 32:7 And the LORD said unto
Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land
of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
Exo
32:8 They have turned aside quickly out
of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and
have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up
out of the land of Egypt.
· They worshipped a beast which was decorated of
gold.
· The principles of the first covenant were “Do,
obey and live.”
9.
Eze
20:11 And I gave them
my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.
· It was not the law that was faulty, but the fault
was with fleshly minded men.
10. Heb 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent
ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which
was established upon better promises.
· We see the new covenant being spoken of as a “better
covenant”. Better than the Old covenant,
and established on better promises.
· “God’s law is Perfect, Holy, Just, and Good!” (Psalms
19:7, Romans 7:12).
· Something cannot be faulty, but yet be perfect,
holy, just, and good all at the same time.
11. Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant
had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
· Our Lord kept His end of the agreement, but the
fault was on the end of sinful men who could not keep their part.
12. Heb 8:8
For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come,
saith
the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah:
· Paul makes this statement where he says the old was
ready to vanish away.
13. Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that
which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
14. Rom 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith?
God forbid: yea, we establish the
law.
· Can you establish something that has been vanished
away at the same time? Wisdom tells us
no. (Proverbs 2:6) “ The Lord giveth wisdom.”
The old promise the old covenant/agreement was what was fading away in
Hebrews 8:13 and NOT the 10 Commandments.
· In
reading Hebrews chapter 8 verses 6-13 we will see our better promise is now
established through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. The old covenant that was established between
God and a sinful people is now established by Jesus Christ, and satisfied by
the Father on High.
· The
promise is now given to Spiritual Israel, and NOT the lineage of Abraham. Jesus is the Mediator of a better
covenant/better promise.
15. Rom 9:6 Not as
though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
Rom
9:7 Neither, because they are the seed
of Abraham, are they all children: but,
In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Rom
9:8 That is, They which are the
children of the flesh, these are not the
children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the
seed.
· In the
better promise we are all cleansed from our transgressions of His law by the
blood of Jesus Christ upon the cross of Calvary.
· In this
new covenant, which Jesus is the Mediator of is how it is established upon
“better promises.”
· A
promise that through His blood you can be forgiven of all your sins, and
cleansed from all unrighteousness.
· A promise that His grace given to all
who accept Jesus will be given the Holy Spirit to renew every heart to be in
harmony when we “come boldly unto the throne of grace.” (Heb 4:16).
16. Heb 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we
may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
17. Heb 8:10 For this is
the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I
will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his
neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know
me, from the least to the greatest.
Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their
sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
· This new birth by the Holy Spirit will now allow us
to bring on the fruits of the Spirit.
· When God’s Holy Perfect law was written on stone it
served as an instrument of condemnation and pointed out sin.
18. Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom
8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom
8:3 For what the law could not do, in
that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom
8:4 That the righteousness of the law
might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom
8:5 For they that are after the flesh do
mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things
of the Spirit.
· By walking in His Spirit this now brings on that
power of victory and perfection.
19. 2Co 3:9 For if the ministration of condemnation be
glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
· By the Spirit of the Lord the “righteousness of
the law” is fulfilled in us who walk “after the Spirit.”
20. Psa 119:97 MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my
meditation all the day.
· Each day as we meditate upon His Law and His Word,
the righteousness of His law is being fulfilled in each and every one of us
with a renewed heart that walk after the Spirit.
· Jesus is the Mediator and Minister in the work of
redemption.
· The Holy Spirit is our Saviours representative in
this fallen world, to carry out the divine goal and function of bringing to the
fallen state and nature of humanity the power from on High, so that man may
repent and find victory from their defiled characters.
21. Heb
8:12 For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no
more.
· As Jesus fulfilled the law for us and every
repentant sinner and believer forgiveness is now guaranteed by the sacrifice of
Christ in our behalf.
22. Isa
56:5 Even unto them will I
give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons
and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that
shall not be cut off.