2012-03-30
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, we did a careful analysis of IS 42: 6, “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.” This was God’s message to the Jewish people, and also to Gentile believers, who are “the wild branches grafted in to the cultured olive tree” [RO 11: 17-24]. We must understand that the moment Christ gave up His physical life on the cross, taking the sins of the world with Him, the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place in the temple was rent [torn] from top to bottom, not by human hands but by divine ones [MT 27: 51; MK 15: 38]. This opened up access to God for all who believe in His Son, thus changing the entire dynamics between humankind and their Creator. We could now approach God with confidence and freedom [EPH 3: 12] in prayer and through study of His word. It is with this kind of access to God that we are called to witness to our faith with all who are potential believers, “baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I [Christ] have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age” [MT 28: 19-20 –The Great Commission].
RO 6: 4-7 sheds warm illumination on the covenant relationship we have with our Lord Jesus. “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should not longer be slaves to sin-because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” When we are united with Christ in His death and resurrection, we are also walking in the newness of life. Now, we can have a better understanding of HE 10: 19-22. “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain [veil], that is, His body, and since we have a great Priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God and with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
I can’t help but think of Abraham on the day he was first deemed acceptable, “innocent,” by God [GN 15: 6] and then fell asleep as the sun set while he was brought to the consummation of the Abrahamic Covenant in GN 15: 17, “When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces” [of the sacrifice halved on the altar]. Abraham was brought into his covenant relationship with God, while at the same time, God was consummating His covenant promises and relationship with the Jewish people. We must remember that in GN 12: 2-3, God had said, “I will make you a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Now God’s plan and will, as stated in IS 49: 6b, really make sense. “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.” We who believe are now to “walk through the pieces,” taking a walk unto death- the death of our independence. Forevermore, we would be in a covenant relationship with God, taking the hand of Christ when needed, in this walk down “the hard path through the narrow gate that leads to eternal life” [MT 7: 13-14]. We would never be alone and hopeless again, for the Lord is with us. We would from thence on make God’s agenda our own, out of choice, not by compulsion.
Are we finding these assurances and this charge- to witness to our faith, to engage in faith-strengthening relationships and activities, and to live righteously according to God’s teaching- a blessing in our lives? If so, then we truly understand the message that God has given us and the blessing/significance of the veil rent. We are not afraid of the permanent commitment we have made in entering into the Covenant of Grace with the Father, because we know the alternative of this leads to an unthinkable end. None of us wants to go to “gehenna” [Hebrew word for hell], which is eternal and conscious torment from which there is no escape. Instead, we all want to go back to our Lord’s side for a blissful eternity in heaven, ruling with Christ as joint-heirs to God’s Kingdom [RO 8: 17]. Being in a covenant relationship with our Lord means that we may need to make hard choices at times, enduring a measured amount of suffering designed to forward our spiritual maturity. We will be brought even closer than we are to Him, Who created us through this experience. At the same time, we will enjoy a sweet camaraderie with the Lord Jesus that leads to the “peace that goes beyond human understanding” while on earth [PHIL 4: 7] and eternal bliss with Him in heaven. Our God loves us beyond measure. Praise be to Him!
PRAYER: O Lord, how very blessed You have made us when You commanded Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us on the cross, tearing the curtain in the temple from top to bottom! Anyone who confesses his sins and professes genuine belief in the Lord Jesus with only the purest intentions is saved and has his sins forgiven and even forgotten. 1 JN 1: 9, “If we confess our sins, He is fruitful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” HE 8: 12, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Because You have granted us access to You, through Christ’s Atonement, we can approach You, asking for Your help in living righteously. We cannot do that without Your help. You have given us this unprecedented access through prayer and study of Your word. We are grateful and pledge to do our best to be faithfully obedient to You. You have not only made us Your servants, but also Your friends. RO 5: 10-11, “For if, when we were God’s enemies , we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have now received reconciliation.” We remember JN 15: 15, when tells us that He shares with us everything the Father has given Him. That is what our Lord does for us as His friends. Moreover, JN 15: 16 tells us, “You did not chose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask for in My name.” We are grateful that You, Dearest Abba, made the sacrifice of Your only Son on the cross for us, that You commanded Him to make those who believe His servants and His friends. Moreover, we heard His new commandment, in JN 13: 34-35, that we should: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples.” Our hearts are full of joy, gratitude, praise, and thanks to You, in the holy/mighty name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I am led to begin a new segment of “Our Covenant” called “Unbreakable Commitment,” which deals with practical application of the covenant relationship we have with God. Our Lord Jesus wants us to understand the principles given to us in the Scriptures about the Covenant of Grace, and He wants us to know how we must apply it to our own lives. This is a major commitment in our lives, but one that gives us and those around us great blessings when applied as God would have us do it. One of the problems with the Covenant of Law is the trend of observant traditionally Jewish people toward legalism-the emphasis on form over content. That is why God replaced it with the Covenant of Grace. Those traditional Jews in my life’s experience lack humility and real understanding of God’s intent. They are not unrighteous, but they don’t realize they are sinners just like the rest of us. Many of them see things through the biased lens of their rabbis without taking the time to really read directly and understand the written Torah [the 39 books of the OT-the Tenach]. They reject Christ as Messiah and the entire NT. They deny His deity, seeing only His humanity. Without faith in Him and with their prejudiced legalism, they deny themselves the chance to have eternal life [JN 14: 6]. Some of them don’t even believe in a life after physical death! These are not evil people; they are simply misguided ones. We, as saved believers in the Lord Jesus, need to reach out to the traditional Jews with sensitivity, love, and with the truth that they can become “completed” Jews, Messianic Jews. One way to show love and bear fruit, as the Lord Jesus has commanded us to do, is to witness to one’s faith with gentleness and sensitivity to where any non-believer is in his spiritual journey. Think about it, and meditate on the embarrassment of spiritual riches our God has given us who believe in the true Messiah. Consider sharing that wealth with others who don’t have it. Our God is with us and will guide us. Praise and thanks be to our God forever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15