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THE COVENANTS OF
GOD
A Bible Study on Covenants and
concentrating on the Old and New Covenant
Study Commentary by James Dale Coldiron unless otherwise noted
Note that unless otherwise noted,
scriptures will be in the King James Version. Any other version will be marked
accordingly. Examples: NAS or NASB is the New American Standard; NJB is the New
Jerusalem Bible; NKJV is the New King James; Also, the Emphasized and Amplified
might be used. Greek and Hebrew Interlinear translations are a “literal”
translation of each Greek or Hebrew word.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction: Setting the Tone
2. The Covenants of
Noah and Abraham
3. The
Law of Moses - 10 Commandments
4. 1st Commandment - no other
gods
Click to hear Lesson 1 with Real Player
INTRODUCTION
These scriptures will set the tone for this
exploration of God’s Word: Romans
8:1-4 “ 1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
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: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. “
There is a “lot” of misunderstanding of what our
Covenant is, and is not. In the church today, “many of the
denominational differences” come from a misunderstanding of our Covenant
Relationship with God and confusion over just which covenant that the church of
the Lord Jesus Christ is under. There is authority with each covenant and it
covers a certain people for a certain time and confusion over these things will
cause you much trouble.
Even a very common misunderstanding of the New Covenant
and what that means will pull you into a kind of legalism that will set you up
as a prey of someone who hates the New Covenant. There are people who hold onto
the Old Covenant and have come to despise and reject much of what the New
Testament of the Holy Bible says. Their error begins with a general
understanding of what Jesus Christ really did on the cross and how that we can
have it for our lives. It confuses some authority issues and some issues of
“law”. This Bible Study will be direct and to the
point. It can be nothing less. It will explore these issues freely and we pray
that you pray about what is given before that you respond to it,
because it is likely that if you have a traditional or
legalistic or liberal tendency, that you will find it going against that grain.
Dedication:
I want to dedicate this study to a minister and first cousin of mine named
Perry White.
He passed away just before 9-11
a few years ago, but he taught me something that I have never forgotten. You
see, I believe that the Lord gave Perry a dream that gave a wonderful
illustration which he had to call and tell me about after having it sometime
around 1998. Understand that I am not trying to teach his dream, but it made
a sharp and good example which I will quickly share with you here.
He dreamed that the Lord was
at his church giving ‘shaving lessons’. I know, that sounds odd, but give me
a moment. He was shaving people and telling them all that you need to always
“go against the grain if you want to shave the right way”. He told them that
man liked (because of the flesh) to always go with the grain because it is
just easier, but it isn’t the way that God wanted them to do it.
Perry said, “well Lord, I
shave against the grain!” The Lord said, “Yes Perry, but not always.
Sometimes you are in a hurry and you occasionally shave with the grain
because it is easier and quicker. And if you shave with the grain from time
to time, you might as well shave with the grain all of the time. To please
me, you have to shave against the grain all the time.” Understanding came to
Perry about what was really being said and he promised God, “Lord from now
on, I will always do it your way! I will always shave against the grain!”
And until he died, my best friend and cousin Perry White would “shave
against the grain”... when he preached, it was the straight Word of the
Lord... a two-edged sword that God brought through my friend.
This study will be against the grain I know... but it
is God’s way and it is for our good.
SETTING THE
TONE Understand that though I understand the views of those really into
dispensationalism, I am not that much of a dispensationalist. I think that
many of the divisions that they make of history is more history than
anything else. However, you can make a good distinction in how that God has
dealt with different people by the “covenants” that He has made and the
times of those covenants were in power. There are some covenants that are
temporary or for only certain people, and there are others that are
everlasting. The church is what it is... the body of Christ through the
grace of the New Covenant literally cut by Jesus Christ in His own life’s
blood.
I will quickly go over some quick definitions and covenants, but there are 3
that I want to emphasize. To a lesser degree, I want to emphasize first the
Abrahamic Covenant with the nation of Israel which is an everlasting
Covenant simply because it is still in place. This has nothing to do with
salvation itself, but it is a connection and promise that God has to the
descendants of Isaac (the Son of Promise) because of Abraham.
But to a much
greater degree, we want to explore the Mosaic or Old Covenant and the New
Covenant that has given birth to the Church. We shall see both similarities
and differences. But please keep in mind that the same God created all of
these.
Although, some argument could be given to a Covenant between Adam and God
after the fall, I will concentrate on the major Covenants that are called
so. I will skip a number of covenants including what you see in the garden
and the death of the animals to make the clothes for Adam and Eve, and other
covenants such as what Jacob made with the Lord when he covenanted to tithe
to the Lord. I will concentrate on just a few and the 3 major ones after
Noah’s.
We will begin with Noah after the flood and with a
definition.
THE
NOAHIC COVENANT
Genesis 6:17-18 “ 17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring
a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein [is] the
breath of life, from under heaven; [and] every thing that [is] in the earth
shall die. 18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt
come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives
with thee. “
Genesis 8:20-22 “ 20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of
every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on
the altar.
21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I
will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination
of man's heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more
every thing living, as I have done.
22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and
summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. “
Genesis 9:8-17 “ 8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him,
saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your
seed after you; 10 And with every living creature that [is] with you, of the
fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that
go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11 And I will establish my
covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters
of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This [is] the token of the covenant which I make between me
and you and every living creature that [is] with you, for perpetual
generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of
a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I
bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15
And I will remember my covenant, which [is] between me and you and every
living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to
destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look
upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every
living creature of all flesh that [is] upon the earth. 17 And God said unto
Noah, This [is] the token of the covenant, which I have established between
me and all flesh that [is] upon the earth. “
The word covenant here
is the Hebrew “be-riyth or ber-eeth”.
It
literally means to cut a covenant or compact. It is much stronger than
an agreement, and is on the level of a treaty or alliance, and is
binding by both parties. It is said to be cut because the life’s blood
of someone or something must be shed to authorize it. In an earthly
covenant, they would literally cut the sacrifice in two and pass between
the two parts of the flesh. Both binding themselves to keep their part.
One other note on this, one party always had a greater part to keep in
this covenant than the other one. But both are responsible to keep their
parts.
This was usually done
between two kings or powerful men who made a peace treaty or agreement
with one another. But what we want to talk about is the covenants that
are spiritual that God has made both with individuals and nations. The
covenants that God made all pointed up to the final covenant... the one
where God would send His only begotten Son to cut the covenant between
man and God and bring the atonement.
Here, God promised to never destroy the Earth
again with water. There might be floods, but never again would
all of the land be covered by water. God had promised this to Noah and
all of humanity that followed him and his family. Before the Lord
actually flooded the Earth, He was already promising a covenant with
Noah afterwards which you see in Chapter 6. The covenant of promise to
the righteous was made a part of the judgment on the wicked that God was
predicting. God said, I will “establish my
covenant”. This is very strong wording.
One thing to remember about this is that man might make a treaty or
alliance with another and break it, but God never breaks His agreements.
He is true and holy and when He establishes something, it is
established.
There were climatic and atmospheric changes made after the flood on
planet Earth. Rainbows had never been seen by man, but now when you see
one... this is the sign that God gave that He would never destroy the
entire Earth again by water. This covenant was not only between God and
mankind, but between God and all of life on the Earth.
Twice before the
Earth had been destroyed by water (that we know of biblically), but
never again would God use this method. This has been very traumatic for
Noah and his family, and this promise was backed up by God. You can have
faith in the word of God for He is faithful.
Within this was also found a promise not to bring the world into
complete darkness again and established laws of day and night. You see
that kind of darkness in Genesis 1:2 and the Earth flooded, and
something similar happened with Noah’s Flood. Even in the darkenings in
the Tribulation spoken of by Joel and John in Revelation, etc., there is
not a complete darkness... the worst is 1/3 of the light showing 1/3 of
the day, which is pretty dark, but not absolute.
This covenant was established by God with Noah. Noah began the process
after their deliverance and coming to dry ground by building an altar
and making sacrifice to YHVH. God was pleased with the sacrifice and
then blessed it by making this an actual covenant.
THE EVERLASTING ABRAHAMIC COVENANT
This is a covenant that we need to look at for it is still in effect and
indeed shall all through eternity be in effect between promised seed of
Abraham and YHVH. Israel is in covenant to God even now, and although
Israel on the most part has literally turned away from God’s true
Messiah and are taught to reject Jesus Christ... Y’shua Messias... God
is still in covenant with the nation of Israel, and the main point of
the Tribulation Period is to bring Israel back into fellowship with God
and bring them into the New Covenant. They might have turned their back
on God in their pride and religion, but God has and will never totally
turn His back on them (no matter what some religious hate groups claim).
God has established an everlasting covenant and He is able and willing
to keep it.
Abraham actually had a multi-phased covenant or series of covenants that
grew with his walk of faith with Yahweh. The great covenant that the
Lord established after his test of faith would be years after his first
covenant of faith with God. In Genesis 17, circumcision would be the
blood shed that would bring Abram into the kind of relationship with God
that he could be blessed to be called Abraham or the father of nations.
There would be an increase in this blessing and covenant later when he
is asked to sacrifice Isaac, and the ram is provided by the Lord for the
blood covenant to be cut.
In Genesis 12, you see the relationship... and covenants are atonement
relationship agreements between two parties... you see the relationship
between Yahweh and Abram begin with the faith of Abram. Hold on now...
God spoke to Abram and he obeyed the Lord and left being an idolator
from Ur of the Chaldees (modern southern Iraq) to being a follower of
the one true God, Yahweh (YHVH).
Genesis 12:1-3 “ 1 Now the LORD had said unto
Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy
father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and
thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and
curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth
be blessed. “
You see the travels of Abram until God is about to establish a covenant
with him in Genesis 15. But already Abram is walking by faith and being
blessed of God.
Genesis 15:1-6 “ 1 After these things the word of
the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I [am]
thy shield, [and] thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go
childless, and the steward of my house [is] this Eliezer of Damascus? 3
And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born
in my house is mine heir. 4 And, behold, the word of the LORD [came]
unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come
forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him
forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if
thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for
righteousness. “
Abram spoke of Eliezer who he was trying to make an heir, but God said
your heir shall come from your own seed, Abram. Now, Abram was old at
this time already, but he would get older before the promise would come.
Nonetheless, he believed God, and at this point Abram was justified!
Galatians 3:6-9 “ 6 Even as Abraham believed God,
and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that
they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the
scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith,
preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all
nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with
faithful Abraham. “
Justification by faith is first seen here by Abraham who would become
the model for the New Covenant eventually. The heathen shall by faith be
justified... through the seed of Abraham through Jesus Christ, all can
be saved who will enter into covenant by faith.
At this point, the blood was shed in a sacrifice and God continued to
speak and prophesy what would happen to this promised seed.
The promise and the covenant:
Genesis 15:7-11 “ 7 And he said unto him, I [am]
the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this
land to inherit it. 8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I
shall inherit it? 9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three
years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years
old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all
these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against
another: but the birds divided he not. 11 And when the fowls came down
upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. “
He first declares what He has done for Abram, then what He will do for
His offspring. Abram asks, how do I know that I shall inherit this? He
wants an assurance, for this is a really big thing when you consider
that there are giants (nephilim nations) and great nations that inhabit
this land already. God says, look... I will make a covenant between you
and me, prepare the sacrifice for the covenant and I shall establish it
between us and after you have gone the way of the grave, I will still
bring it to pass. After this, God speaks of the prophetic future of
Israel... of how that they will go from being slaves in Egypt... a
foreign land and go to inherit this very land that God has promised to
him.
In Genesis 17, Yahweh expands this covenant and Abram becomes Abraham,
the Father of Many Nations. And through Jesus Christ, this prophecy is
very true indeed. We call it
“the” Abrahamic Covenant, but it is
actually a series of covenants that God made with Abraham as Abraham
continued to walk in faith. These covenants actually was a continuation
of the blessing.
Think of this:
the nation of Israel to this day is blessed of God
because of one man’s faith! One man could make that much difference when
he decided to use the faith that God had given to him.
Genesis 17:1-8 “ 1 And when Abram was ninety years
old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I [am] the
Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my
covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And
Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant [is] with thee, and thou shalt be a
father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called
Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have
I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make
nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed
after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God
unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and
to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the
land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
“
1. Its an Everlasting Covenant... it shall not end.
This is not the
covenant of the Law of Moses or the New Covenant of Jesus Christ which
brings salvation. This is a covenant of the land of Israel belonging to
the children of Israel because of Abraham. This precedes Moses and will
continue forever and the land of Israel has been since then and ever
shall be the property of the children of Israel. Yahweh has established
it so.
2. God calls on him to be perfect... blameless in the NASB... it means
complete and whole. In other words, walk with me with a pure heart. This
is part of the covenant Abraham that I will not only bless you but also
your children because of you! This is Abraham’s part of the covenant.
Remember that covenants are always a 2 sided agreement that needs to be
kept. One party will always have the greater responsibility in keeping
the covenant or treaty, but both parties have responsibilities.
3. The land belongs to your children... it belongs to the seed of Isaac
throughout the generations and it is everlasting. Canaan is an
everlasting possession of Isaac’s seed because of you and your walk of
faith.
Genesis 17:9-14 “ 9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my
covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 This [is] my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and
thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11
And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a
token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12 And he that is eight days
old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations,
he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger,
which [is] not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that
is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant
shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the
uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised,
that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
“
4. Circumcision is required for the House of Israel. To be a part of
this covenant and have the promise of the promised land, the blood that
is given and the flesh cut is on the foreskin of the men as being part
of this covenant. Circumcision was one way of truly separating Israel
from the rest of the nations, and any in Israel who did not circumcise
themselves were cut off from the people since they had broken this Abrahamic Covenant.
Circumcision is the Abrahamic, and not the Mosaic
Covenant.
Now Abraham would try to help God in bringing the son of promise and
would produce Ishmael whose seed to this day despises Israel and the
Jews and wants Israel for themselves. They were not the son of promise
or faith, but Ishmael was the result of walking in the flesh. God would
give the son of promise in the person of Isaac to Sarah and Abraham and
when the boy was a young man, God would take Abraham through a severe
test... this is part of the covenant as well.
God has promised that through Isaac, this great nation would be born and
be as the stars of heaven, etc. And now God tells Abraham in Genesis 22
to sacrifice this son of promise to YHVH.
Now, God has forbidden human sacrifice and this was a test to see how
much that Abraham would trust the Lord, which you can see when he
started the climb up Mt. Moriah with the boy and told his servants to
hold their asses, that he and the boy was going to worship the Lord
there and would return. Abraham was so confident in the covenant that
had been cut between him and Yahweh, that he was willing to kill his son
on an altar knowing that if need be, God would raise him from the dead.
Genesis 22:7-14 “ 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said,
My father: and he said, Here [am] I, my son. And he said, Behold the
fire and the wood: but where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And
Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the
place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and
laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the
altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took
the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said,
Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here [am] I. 12 And he said, Lay not
thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I
know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine
only [son] from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and
behold behind [him] a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham
went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the
stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place
Jehovahjireh: as it is said [to] this day, In the mount of the LORD it
shall be seen. “
God stays the hand of Abraham from harming Isaac and God does indeed
provde the lamb. Abraham calls the place Yahweh Yireh... the provision
of the Lord shall be seen... the Lord our provider! That was faith!
God reinforces all that He has promised and adds to it. The faith of
Abraham is his part in this, and the promise of God is brought forth to
the nation of Israel. The covenant of Abraham had with it certain
promises... here the ram is given and the promises increase and
multiply.
Genesis 22:16-18 “ 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD,
for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son,
thine only [son]: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in
multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as
the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the
gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. “
Now the Lord swares by Himself (actually, He is the only one who can
really sware and you know that it shall come to pass... God will do what
He says), and because of this great act of faith, God promises that in
blessing He will bless Abraham. This is an increasing blessing... now
the stars of heave and the sand on the sea shore... the seed of Abraham
shall grow. And this nation of Israel will possess the gate of their
enemies. That’s dynamic! And get this... a Messianic Prophecy: through
the seed of Abraham, all nations of the Earth shall be blessed.
Because Abraham was willing to give his son of promise, God the Father
would give His only begotten Son and the Word would become flesh to a
woman out of the direct line of Abraham. Through that seed of Israel,
the Messiah would come and the whole world can now be saved by faith in
Jesus Christ!
This concludes the introduction phase of this study. We will now
continue on to the Mosaic and New Covenant Studies. - James Coldiron
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THE COVENANTS OF GOD
PART 2:
THE MOSAIC (OLD) COVENANT
AND THE LAW OF
MOSES
Click to hear Lesson 2 with Real Player
THE GIVING AND FOUNDATION OF THE LAW OF MOSES
:
THE 10 COMMANDMENTS
About Laws in General:
The Oxford University Press Dictionary says that a “law” is this:
“ law >noun 1 a rule or system of rules
recognized by a country or community as regulating the actions of its members and enforced by the imposition of
penalties. 2 such rules as a subject of study or as the basis of the legal profession. 3 statute law and the
common law. 4 a statement of fact to the effect that a particular natural or scientific phenomenon always occurs if
certain conditions are present. 5 a rule defining correct procedure or behavior in a sport. 6 something having
binding force or effect: his word was law. “
A law is a rule or system of rule that puts an higher authority’s will over a people or person. Law both
binds together the idea of a higher power’s will being given, and the authority that they have in
enforcing it. It also carries a penalty for disobedience to that authority by breaking that law.
There are 2 extremes that try to creep into Christianity over the issue of the “Law of God”.
And these
2 extremes are both error and miss what the Bible teaches us about the New Covenant and the
Believer’s walk. One is that we are not under any law at all. This is taught by a number of people
who take half of a truth to prove their point and ignore the rest. There is another group that would try
to bring us back under a Law for another time and people and ignore the authority and will of God for
us in Jesus Christ. These are both in error and both are dangerous.
In
lawlessness, you spite the authority of God over us which is a slap in God’s face. In
legalism, you spite the law of the Kingdom that we are now under and make Jesus Christ,
God’s only begotten Son’s Covenant of none effect in your life... and try to rely upon your own
righteousness in trying to keep the Law of Moses. Both of these views are in serious error and can
lead to a personal spiritual catastrophe depending on how deep the error is in the person’s life.
We will not be speaking of laws or rules of society very much except to mention that in Western
European Countries and outreaching countries from Europe such as the USA and Canada and
Australia, the laws of the land are based to one degree or another on the morals set down from the
Bible. You see much of what is held is the foundation of our laws of the land found in the
foundation of the Law of Moses as set forth in the 10 Commandments. We shall start our
exploration there in fact, since it is the foundation of the Law of Moses.
First, laws or rules are not given by God to give us a hard time or make life more difficult. The sin that
is inherent in our flesh makes keeping God’s will and law very difficult indeed.
In fact, without the
Holy Spirit within us and our willingness to submit to Jesus Christ, it is impossible to walk pleasing to
God at all. There is no good thing in our flesh in fact.
Romans 7:18-24 “ For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me;
but [how] to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would
not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a
law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the
law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?“
Paul said that in his own flesh dwelled no good thing. He wanted to do good... he wanted to do right,
but he found a law in that itself that no matter what he wanted, his flesh was always fighting him. And
in fact, it will until the day that the flesh is redeemed also at the resurrection. The evil that he doesn’t
want to do, he wound up doing. It was a constant struggle with the man of God. In fact, the harder
that he tried, the more that he discovered that sin dwelled in his flesh.
But the
Law of God is greater than this. Is this the Law of Moses? Well now, read
Galatians sometime or the next couple of verses in Romans 8. No, this is the Law
of the Spirit or the Law of the Kingdom which is greater. The Law of Moses
revealed the righteousness of God compared to man, but gave no way for us to
come up to that mark. There is another Law under
grace however.
The Law of God after the inward man is a law from God superseding the law or principle that he
found warring him in his own flesh. The Law of God and the Law of his mind... these are principles
that Paul found in his own life. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? He showed the
frustration that I and I know you if you love God and find yourself being frustrated by your own fleshly
desires at times can relate to.
ONE OTHER IMPORTANT NOTE TO INSERT HERE IS THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS
MEANT BY THE OLD COVENANT. We speak of the Old Testament and Old Covenant. Understand
that when we speak of the Old Covenant here, we are not confusing the Hebrew Old Testament side
of the Bible Books with the actual Covenant made with the Children of Israel given by God to Moses.
When we say that we are under grace and the Kingdom and the Law of the Spirit and free from the
LAW of Moses and the Old Covenant, that is not saying that we should not read and study the Old
Testament books. I have seen some ludicrous notions about this forwarded from the confusion of
what the Covenant actually is.
Note that not only does a study of the Old Covenant help us understand the New Covenant and grace
through Jesus Christ that we are under now, but there are wonderful examples of faith and
righteousness found in the Old Testament. There are wonderful songs and poems of praise and
many with prophetic value. There are prophecies given that have been fulfilled historically accurately,
and there are other Old Testament prophecies that are for the Last Days and are beginning to be
fulfilled now and are for the future and need to be studied and not thrown out. There is wonderful
history of the Earth and God’s dealings with mankind and faith that should not be discarded.
Do not confuse the Old Testament Books with the idea that we are no longer under the Law and the
Old Covenant. Let us be wise and not confused.
Lets see the conclusion however, and we will use the next verses as a
KEY VERSE
to help us
understand the context of the Covenants and the Law that is connected to each and God’s authority
over us... and how that we can walk pleasing to God.
KEY VERSE:
Romans 8:1-4 “ 1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 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: 4 That the righteousness of the law
might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. “
We will continue in a more exploration of these scriptures going into more detail in the ones that
follow this later. But for now, the Apostle Paul tells us that
‘THERE IS NOW NO CONDEMNATION TO THEM WHO ARE “IN
CHRIST JESUS”, WHO WALK AFTER THE SPIRIT... AND NOT AFTER THE FLESH’.
Romans 8:1-4 (NAS) “ 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could
not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an
offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in
us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:1-4 (Peshitta MRD) 1 There is therefore no condemnation, to them who, in Jesus Messiah, walk not after
the flesh. 2 For the law of the spirit of life, which is in Jesus Messiah, hath emancipated thee from the law of sin
and death. 3 Inasmuch as the law was impotent, by means of the weakness of the flesh, God sent his Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin; that He might, in his flesh, condemn sin; 4 so that the righteousness of
the law might be fulfilled in us; since it is not in the flesh that we walk, but in the Spirit.”
Quick Points:
1. No condemnation or damnation to those of us who are in Christ Jesus or Jesus the Messiah.
Further Clarification of who is NOT condemned despite these physical warrings of the last chapter:
2. They don’t walk after the FLESH. The flesh does not rule them. They do not live in sin.
3. Paul comes down to 2 LAWS here.
One that brings condemnation and one that brings liberty from that
condemnation and brings the power to walk in the Spirit. Both are from God, but their results oppose one another
because they are based on two different things to keep them.
4. The Law of Sin and of Death. This is the Law of Moses.
We will discuss this in detail very shortly. The Law of
Moses brings death because it reveals the holiness of God but gives us no way to be saved or justified by it.
5. The Law of the SPIRIT OF LIFE.
6. This Law of the Spirit is IN JESUS the MESSIAH!
This Law only is in effect or manifested to those who are IN
JESUS CHRIST. That is pivotal!
7. If you are under the Law of the Spirit in Jesus Christ, then you are emancipated... saved... made free from the
Law of Sin and of Death.
We are emancipated or set free! It no longer has power over us at all. The authority of
that Law was under a Covenant that is already fulfilled. We are under a New Covenant with a New Law from the
same God.
NOTE: Pastor Arnold Martin made a wonderful point on this the other day. If you want to try and be righteous and
“saved” by the law, all you have to do is live a perfect life and never sin from the day that you are born until the
day that you die and keep all of the law and never stumble. If you broke even one of the over 600 laws, then you
are guilty of it all and you blew that one. You had better turn to Jesus Christ in faith instead.
8. The Law of Moses was weak or impotent... without power to save anyone because of the flesh of man. Our
flesh is simply not able to walk in the Law of God by itself. That made it weak.
9. This is why Jesus came.
There could have never been any salvation if He had not. God took the sacrifices of
animals looking ahead to Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross. But if Jesus had not come, then we would all be
condemned for the Law only brought death, and not life.
WHY THE WORD BECAME FLESH (JESUS CHRIST) AND DIED TO CUT THE NEW COVENANT:
10. He came in the likeness of sinful flesh,
but he himself had no sin. He was the Last Adam.
11. He came on account of sin to fulfill the requirement of the Law.
He became the offering for sin.
12. He condemned sin in His flesh
(instead of the other way around) - he reversed the curse.
13. The righteousness of the Law is now fulfilled in us.
Jesus kept the Law completely and was totally righteous
of the Law... finished it, and not we by faith have His righteousness in us.
14. The Law before only brought death,
but through Jesus Christ, the righteousness of the Law if fulfilled in us.
15.We no longer walk under the power of the sinful flesh.
16. Now, we walk in the Spirit.
This is through the Holy Spirit and the fulfillment of the Law that Jesus completed
through our faith in Him.
This
Romans 8 reference will be the KEY SCRIPTURE that we will keep coming back to and will give flavor to this study.
AN
ANALOGY WORTH NOTING:
J. Hampton Keathley III
of Dallas Theological Institute and the Biblical Studies Foundation gave the
best analogy for “being under the Law”, and just which Law that we as
Christians are under. If I may, I would like to reiterate his example with
just a bit of changes here and there from myself.
If you were a Canadian citizen and decided to move to the United States and
become an American. Up until this point in your life, you were under
Canadian Law based on the Constitution of Canada. The laws of the land went
back to the base authority of the Constitution of Canada and its authority.
But then you move to Des Moines. You apply and receive citizenship in the
United States of America. Suddenly, some things have changed.
Although the laws of the USA and Canada are similar, they are not the same.
They might have the same roots as their origins, but the United States Laws
are based on the Constitution of the United States, which is a totally
different authority as that of Canada. Yes, there are similarities, but now
as a US Citizen, you are no longer under the authority of Canada. You are
now under the authority of the United States. It is no surprise that many
things are the same since they both have a European origin and to a great
degree, British roots. But now, you are under the authority of the United
States established in the Constitution. And there will be differences, and
the authority of the government over you is a different one that you started
with.
IN THE SAME WAY, God gave both laws. It is not surprising that things like
murder, adultery, idolatry, etc. are repeated in the New Testament, and in
fact are further qualified many times under the Law of the Spirit (or
Kingdom of God) under Jesus Christ than they were in the Old Testament or
Covenant. In fact, Jesus let us know that you do not have to perform the act
of adultery to have done it in your heart if you have thought it through
with wicked imaginations. In God’s eyes, if you have done that then you are
guilty as if you did the act. Fornication and uncleanness is further
qualified more so than it was in the Old Covenant Law. Many, but not all the
parts of the Old Covenant Law are replicated in the New Testament or New
Covenant. That makes sense since both came from God and reveal His Will. But
some things were specifically for Israel and in the New Covenant they are
different. We have left one Covenant and set of laws, and we have move into
a better covenant under another set of laws from the same God. It is just
like moving from one country to another.
You might think, well I have to do this and that because you had to as a
Canadian. The problem is you are an American now, and some things are
different. The same is true with the Covenants of God to man. The Covenant
is a Covenant of the Law.
Deuteronomy 5:1-9 “ 1 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and
judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. 2 The LORD our God
made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, [even] us, who
[are] all of us here alive this day. 4 The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the
fire, 5 (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by
reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,
6 I [am] the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 7 Thou shalt
have none other gods before me. 8 Thou shalt not make thee [any] graven image, [or] any likeness [of any thing]
that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the waters beneath the earth: 9 Thou
shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me, “
YOU SEE HERE THAT THE LAW GIVEN IS OUT OF THE COVENANT THAT GOD MADE WITH
ISRAEL. I WANT YOU TO NOTE THAT. THE LAW OF MOSES GIVEN AT THE FIRST
COVENANT WAS FOR THE NATION OF ISRAEL AND FOR ANYONE WHO WOULD BECOME A
PART OF IT.
God literally gave these laws which were part of a body simply known as the LAW, or the Law of
Moses since God gave it directly to Moses and through him to the people. God wrote the first 10 on
tablets of stone which Moses broke in his anger (note we all have our weaknesses, and Moses had
his as well). But the first 10 were only the foundation of the entire Law which would include 613 laws.
Our society has been breaking down because mainly... a lack of the presence and knowledge of God.
We need revival. It is good to teach moral principles as the 10 Commandments... and robbing them
from generation to generation of young people has contributed to the sinful erosion of our society. To
some children, that was the only exposure that they had to Godly things (10 commandments, simple
prayer in school, etc.).
But the
problem we have in this country is more than just the 10 Commandments being
removed. The reality and presence of God has been
removed from homes... sometimes “churchgoing” homes.
We need revival. And although we look to the New Testament, we learn more about the New
by studying the Old Testament. We are not under the Law... even the 10 Commandments. If
we are, then we are doomed.
Galatians 3:1-5 “ 1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before
whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2 This only would I learn of you,
Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in
the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if [it be] yet in vain. 5
He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, [doeth he it] by the works of
the law, or by the hearing of faith? “
Galatians 2:16 “ Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even
we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the
law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. “
Hebrews 7:19 “ For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope [did]; by the which we draw
nigh unto God. “
Romans 8:2 “ For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. “
Galatians 5:1-3 “ 1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you
nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. “
Galatians 3:24-26 “ 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be
justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. “
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LESSON 3
THE 10 COMMANDMENTS: 1. NO OTHER
GODS
THE 10 COMMANDMENTS... THE FOUNDATION OF THE 613 LAWS OF
MOSES... A FOUNDATION FOR UNDERSTANDING THE MORAL NATURE OF GOD.
Click to hear Lesson 3 with Real Player
MAIN TEXTS:
Matthew 22:36-40 “ 36
Master, which [is] the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And
the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. “
Exodus 20:1-3 “ 1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I [am] the LORD
thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house
of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. “
All of our legal code was based upon the Judeo-Christian Law given to Moses. The
10 Commandments showed the fundamental personality and will of God to mankind.
And it isn’t that we should look at them as a set of regulations that hang over
our heads... we cannot keep the law in our flesh. That is one reason that Jesus
came, no one could keep the law. And I am not advocating going back under the
bondage of the law as some have, but if our heart is right toward God and toward
others... those commandments will show as well.
Going back to the law will bring us under the curse, for no one can keep it all.
Galatians 3:10-12 “ 10 For as many as are of the works of
the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that
continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, [it is]
evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but,
The man that doeth them shall live in them. “
We tend to want to make the Law of God a spiritual buffet that we can reject
part of and take the other as we please or it fits our own personal viewpoint.
But the fact is, if you are under the “works of the LAW”,
then you are cursed. You have cursed yourself. If
you dogmatically insist on holding on to even part of the Old Covenant, then you
are cursed by those works of the Law that you have put yourself under.
I hear this expression sometimes, and it makes me cringe because at one time I
remember me saying it myself, and I was wrong too at the time. This is it, “we
are no longer under the ceremonial Law, but we are still under the moral Law of
God.” This just isn’t so. This suggests that only
part of the Old Covenant Law passed away and part of it is still in force. You
cannot find this idea in scripture, but it has been invented by theologians and
it is something that we latch onto because it helps us deal with some of these
things easily. But it isn’t the right way to deal with it because scripture
doesn’t back it up.
This suggests that we are under part of the Law of Moses still... the moral part
including 9 out of the 10 first 10 commandments.
First of all, it was all moral. Even the
ceremonial Law was a shadow of spiritual things to come and was moral in its
essence. You are going to run into some problems that just are not solvable if
you hold to this notion. WE ARE NOT UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF
ANY OF THE OLD COVENANT. WE ARE UNDER THE NEW COVENANT.
NOW, the moral character of God is repeated in the New
Covenant in the commandments of Jesus Christ and the Apostles... the Law of the
Spirit, so you do see the same moral law being repeated. But you must
make the distinction of the authority of that Law being under the New Covenant
cut by the blood of Jesus Christ, or you will miss the mark of what scripture
teaches. And those who would try to make us lawless will grab onto the
inconsistencies, and those legalists that would try and bring us back into the
bondage of the Law of Moses will grab onto the inconsistencies as well. You
can’t change the rules half-way in.
There are a number of ceremonial laws that separated Israel from other Eastern
nations in those times that God used to separate them, and others that had to do
with keep good health through diet and other societal concerns that we call the
ceremonial law. Some groups will concentrate on one part or another... but if
you take one, you must take them all. [women wearing clothing pertaining to
men... wearing clothing of mixed weaves (cotton & polyester for example)]
But the 10 commandments showed the will of God concerning sin and morality and
the way that we are to conduct and live our lives. The 10
Commandments showed His righteousness and our sin.
We are justified by faith. Yet, the 10 Commandments were the basis of showing
God’s heart and will to man. They brought death however because man cannot keep
them. But through faith in Jesus Christ, Christ brings His
works through our lives. The Grace of God works it within us.
Ephesians 2:8-10 “ 8 For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest
any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. “
Someone would say, well if we are justified by faith... then we don’t need to
worry about the law. And the 10 commandments are passed away. Jesus said that He
came to fulfill and not to abolish the law. The law pointed toward Jesus.
We can learn much about what God is about by seeing these
commandments so important that He wrote them Himself on stone tablets.
The law showed us the problem, Jesus and His grace gave us
the answer. But we need to understand what is wrong in the eyes of God
and how we as a country have departed from God’s will. The 10 Commandments is
the base of His revelation of His moral character to us.
Romans 6:14-18 “ 14 For sin shall not have dominion over
you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin,
because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not,
that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom
ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But
God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free
from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. “
I. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT: NO OTHER GODS BEFORE
GOD!
There is a reason that this one is first... it is the most
important. If our relationship toward God is right, then our relationship with
one another will be right as well. Jesus made it clear if you love God
with all that you have and then your neighbor as yourself, then all of this will
be completed in you!
Listen, most of our problems spiritually come from a lack
of love toward God. When our love toward God grows cold, then our love
toward others grow colder as well. When our love toward God grows cold, then we
start putting other things above Him to try and satisfy our carnal flesh and
minds.
And that lack of a love for God brings a harvest of
trouble and spiritual emptiness for us. Many times we try and blame our
unhappiness on others, but the truth is that it is our own spiritual emptiness
that is to blame.
Placing other things ahead of God is the great sin that is killing this nation.
And the sad thing is that it can be seen in the church.
YOU WILL SERVE THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE. AND THE LOVE FOR GOD IS BEING REPLACED
TODAY WITH OTHER LOVES.
It is as if we are married to God... or if you will the church is the bride of
Christ who is engaged and will be wed during the Tribulation in Heaven. But, God
demands our loyalty and fidelity. Old Testament would speak of Israel playing
the harlot and committing spiritual adultery against God.
The last days “Babylon” will seduce the nations of the earth during the
Tribulation (and perhaps before) to partake in spiritual fornication.
Revelation 14:8 “ And there followed another angel,
saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all
nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. “
There is something that you must understand, our God is a consuming fire and a
jealous God. He will not be second in your life. He must be first or not at all.
And there are many who are playing games with God and do not realize that they
have walked away from Him for the pleasures of the world.
Deuteronomy 4:24 “ For the LORD thy God [is] a consuming
fire, [even] a jealous God. “
Hebrews 12:28-30 “ 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved,
let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly
fear: 29 For our God [is] a consuming fire. “
This kind of jealousy is a righteous kind. You cannot serve two masters. God
will not be second or third in your life. He has to be number one. If you make
Him the center of your life, then He will bless all the parts of your life...
like family and job and finances and relationships. He
will bless your life if you become a blessing to Him!
That jealousy of God is so great that He is reckoned as a
consuming fire.
To those who complain about spending a few hours per week in church... or feel
like they have not the time to pray or do something else for the Lord, you are
playing with the consuming fire of God. It is amazing what happens when God
moves His hand of protection from our lives... look at Job. Job had the hedge
removed for another reason... but when we rebel, we are playing with fire... and
it doesn’t take long to bring the chastisement of the Lord when we put other
things before God.
Some feel like that they can walk with the world and walk with God at the same
time. But Jesus said that it was impossible to do that.
Matthew 6:24 “ No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one,
and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye
cannot serve God and mammon. “
1 John 2:15-17 “ 15 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the
world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For
all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world
passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth
for ever. “
We will serve what we love the most. If it isn’t God, it
might be money, possessions, lust, power, our own pet bitterness... anything
that we put ahead of the Lord. YOU ARE SERVING
SOMEONE.
How about the compromise with the spirit of Antichrist that is raising up right
now... that says that Buddhism and Hinduism and New Age are all ways of
perceiving God and we can worship with them and we are worshiping the same thing
in different ways... LIE! LIE! LIE!
THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME! There is no other god.
WHERE IS GOD ON YOUR “TOTEM POLE”. IT MIGHT BE A BAD
EXAMPLE, BUT THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS WOULD PUT THEIR MOST IMPORTANT IDOL ON
THE TOP OF THE TOTEM POLE. IN OUR PERSONAL POLE, WHERE DOES GOD COME IN?
Does our jobs come first? Does our pleasure come first?
Does money come first?
God takes it very, very seriously. He hates idolatry. You will not go to Heaven
if you put other gods ahead of God. Ephesians 5:5-8 “ 5
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who
is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let
no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath
of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partakers with
them. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk
as children of light: “
According to the text here... a covetous man who is an idolater is pretty plain.
You can make anything, including riches and things a god. Anything that you
place in front of God becomes your god. When you know that you need to be
putting God first... and even in the church when we put God on the back burner
and don’t think of him until we are in trouble... we have other gods.
I have seen some folks make fishing a god. I have seen others make their home
one. I have seen others make money their god. A local coal operator a number of
years ago was quoted in saying while he patted his wallet, “this is my god”. And
that is the truth for many.
And today, in the time of the new age, when an old pagan religion is being
masked as something else... where crystals and palm reading and psychics and
astrology and occultic movies born from an imagination inspired by demons has
become so everyday, it is easy to compromise and sit at the table with demons...
just being spoon fed something that is ungodly and honoring the Devil.
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 “ 16 And what agreement hath the
temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath
said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and
they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye
separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive
you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty. “
IN THE END WHAT IS GOD TELLING US. LOVE ME AND BE
FAITHFUL. I LOVE AND AM FAITHFUL TO YOU. GOD WANTS ALL OF US, AS AN ENGAGED
GROOM TO A BRIDE.
God isn’t interested in you doing so many devotions... He
wants your devotion... your love and commitment. A relationship that will not
commit is an unstable one. He has committed to us... look at this...
Romans 8:35-39 “ 35 Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed
all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am
persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. “
God asks the same commitment from us. Actually, it is like this. If we pray
every day and let Jesus be Lord over our lives daily, we will never put other
gods ahead of the Lord. What does God want from us? He doesn’t want what we
can’t give. He wants us to just give ourselves:
Romans 12:1-2 “ 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed
to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. “
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