Have You Made A Righteous New Covenant With God?
Good Morning Friends,
Deals with the Devil abound, but God has made us an offer that is not based on what we can do but upon what Jesus did. By forgiving our sins God gives us a new heart and His Spirit that enables us to draw near in an intimate fellowship. The image is of a wedding. But we must say “Yes!” to the proposal or are we are trying to do this on your own? Have You Made A Righteous New Covenant With God?
Scripture: Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:15-4:6 (NRSV)
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So, when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
Matthew 5:20-26 (NRSV)
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
Psalm 25:14 (NRSV)
Message: A covenant is a serious agreement two parties enter that must not be taken lightly, especially the covenant we have with God. The old covenant did an amazing job of revealing our sins and now the New Covenant is offered to us if we but just accept the proposal to be at peace. Perhaps you have blown something off as if it is no big deal and not important. Well, the covenant that God made with Abraham that was fulfilled in Jesus and has been extended to us by God’s grace through faith is a big deal. It is the New Covenant of Christ of which our text this morning is all about. Join me in contemplating the importance of this New Covenant for our lives today as the only way to make lasting social change. First consider the confidence it gives us to have a Kingdom mindset. Second consider how our affirmation of the New Covenant acknowledges in us a usefulness to be as servants for each other and for God as a witness to the Glory of God. And third reflect on the reality that entering a relational covenant with God gives us the hope that we can stand before God and before the world to boldly proclaim that God keeps promises. What Jesus explains in today’s text is that there are sins of commission but also sins of omission and of our disposition. He brings us to the reality that we cannot legislate love. Friends, if we have love good things will come to life. If we do not accept the offer of love our lives will be miserable.
Pray we realize that our sinfulness and the law’s inability to save us leaves us with only one option for salvation. Pray we clean up our anger and realize that the New Covenant is an offer we are not to refuse, for it is the one that God offers. Pray we realize that the New Covenant is the Gospel and only truly Good News. Pray we realize that saying yes to the New Covenant is like saying yes to a marriage that reveals the heart of those making the promise. Pray we realize that the New Covenant has greater glory than the old covenant for it transforms lives through love.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 