February 21 ~ A Better Covenant
There is a wonderful reality to be found in the Christian experience and as believers we must not stop short of realizing or possessing it. Because of our fallen natures and the pre-salvation work of Satan, often the deck seems stacked against us, but if we will do one thing, we can see the glorious fruits of the spirit become our personal experience. Here is a verse to encourage us to that end:
Proverbs 4:18 (ESV)
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
If we chose not to pursue the path of the righteous we can end up with this confession:
Isaiah 28:20 (ESV)
20 ... the bed is too short to stretch oneself on, and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
Instead of abundant provision and the enjoyment of the full day, we can end up covered incompletely and without room to really rest and be refreshed. What makes the difference? And why do some people end up angry, bitter and disappointed even though they are saved and secure for all eternity? For me it revolves around the realization and the response to one thing. Perhaps this verse could help us understand the proper threshold we all need to enter:
Acts 13:43 (ESV)
43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
Paul's entire ministry and the entire New Testament, when understood from the proper perspective, is and was designed to do one thing: "to encourage believers to continue in the grace of God." Let me contrast it with a couple of alternatives.
Now the bible speaks against sin and proclaims that the wages of sin is death. And the world and/or the church would be a much better place, if mankind stopped sinning, but you need go to a graveyard to find the only people who have stopped sinning in their lives. So Paul's message to these Jews was not to simply stop sinning. They could have done that and still missed the fullness of the God's day.
Sometimes I hear or read people say that the church needs to live right and then go out to proclaim the message of sin in society. And I understand the intention and on a certain level it seems to be correct but it is still short of the fullness of God's day. People are often well aware that they need to change their lives. They probably have tried. They may have books in their homes on how to change their habits, lifestyles and waistlines, etc. They need something more than a "do this, so this will happen" message.
This very message is found in the bible. It is the heart of what Moses preached. Look here in Deuteronomy for a quick glimpse:
Deuteronomy 29:2–6 (ESV)
2 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, ...... and those great wonders. 4 But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. 5 I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet. 6 You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.
Can you imagine the sadness of Moses? Can you hear the ach in his heart? "I have led you for forty years in the wilderness, God has done amazing miracles and yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear." Don't rush by these words too quickly or you will fail to spot the impact of them. And also overlook the shallowness of what he says next:
Deuteronomy 29:9 (ESV)
9 Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
If you do these things then you will prosper and be blessed by God. What you do will determine your blessing. This message is not Christianity, my friend. This is another gospel, another covenant. Listen to the writer of Hebrews:
Hebrews 8:6 (ESV)
6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.
Paul, what then does it mean to continue in the grace of God? It means to "stay on with, remain, continue and persevere in" the grace of God. It means to go beyond the old covenant with its conditional promises and limited blessings into the finished work reality Christ has made available. Contrast what Paul said in Ephesians 1 with what Moses said in Deuteronomy:
Ephesians 1:3 (ESV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
He declares with a finished work proclamation: "Has blessed us in Christ", not will if we do right but "has blessed us" forever with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Then he prays with confident assurance of something Moses only ached for:
Ephesians 1:16–19 (ESV)
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
Lord Jesus, I must stop here to simply worship and stand in awe of your finished work on our behalf. Thanks you for the abundance it has made possible for us to live in. Not a touch or an outward blessing alone, but a heart, with eyes and ears and a life to be lived in and great grace to continue in. Truly a better covenant. Amen!!!
