Date of message: 07 December
2003 Issue
121
Subject: The Benefits Of The New Covenant
Shalom, Boker-tov (good morning),
In the Bible we read of the various covenants that God made with the children
of Israel and what amazed me is that the word 'contract' is never found
in the scriptures to describe the unfailing promises of God.
In legal parlance, a contract is a legally binding relationship between
two parties whereby either one party can take legal action (usually to
claim damages enforceable by law) against the party that had defaulted
under the terms of the contract. To seal the contract, there must be an
offer of value and an acceptance with consideration given by the acceptor
to the party making the offer. An example of a contract would be when
you buy a house and places a deposit for the purchase price and then fulfill
the full contract when you pay the full purchase price. Usually the contract
ceases once the full price is paid.
However, in the scriptures, we find a different arrangement given by the
Lord. In the Bible, we read of promises given unconditionally by the Lord
to Man whereby the Lord would perform certain actions and Man would reap
the benefits of those actions of the Lord. An example would be the covenant
given to Noah after the Flood. The Lord promised that He will not flood
the whole earth again and He sealed the covenant by giving the sign of
the rainbow such that He would be reminded of His covenant every time
the rainbow appears in the sky after the rain.
Covenants, because of its nature, last forever and the terms of the covenant
are passed down the generations. Hence there are tribal covenants made
between the chiefs of the tribes for mutual protection. Should one tribe
be invaded by another third tribe, then the tribe that had the covenant
relationship must come to the rescue of the tribe that had been invaded
and to provide for its subsequent rehabilitation.
In Exodus 20, God cut a covenant with the children of Israel through Moses
and if they were to obey and keep the terms of that covenant, they would
be blessed and they would not suffer lack nor any form of disease. Today
we know that covenant is called the Mosaic Covenant or the Covenant of
Law. The Law was given, as the apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 3:24, to
be our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Know therefore that we, who are of faith in Christ, are no longer under
the condemnation of the Law for Christ became a curse for us so that the
blessing of Abraham might come upon us, that we might receive the promise
of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3: 13-14). Now, if Christ became
a curse for us when He took our place and died on the cross for us, it
then behooves us to know what the blessing of Abraham is that we now stand
to gain when we put our faith in Christ.
Deuteronomy chapter 28 lays out for us all the blessings that God the
Father would shower on the children of Israel when they obeyed the Lord
and kept His commandments but thanks be to the Lord, Jesus, being the
Perfect One, kept all the commandments on our behalf and because of the
faith of righteousness, we can now enjoy all those benefits.
Now what are these benefits? If under the Law, all men have sin and fall
short of the glory of God and the just wages for sin is death, then under
grace, all those who have the faith of righteousness will be able to enjoy
divine healing, divine health and divine life.
If Jesus, during His three-year ministry on the earth, healed every one
who was sick and who came to Him for healing, how much more will He heal
those who believe in Him and who receive Him into their lives. The Holy
Spirit comes into his life and where the Spirit is, there will be no sicknesses
nor diseases because the two cannot co-exist.
The Believer will now be living his life of perfect health being in constant
contact with the source of life. Recently I read the book, "The John
G. Lake Sermons (on Dominion over Demons, Disease and Death)" edited
by Gordon Lindsay and in one of the sermons, Dr Lake shared how he and
a fellow missionary friend were involved in burying thousands of people
who died during the bubonic plaque in Africa in the 1930s and even though
they came into contact with the deadly foaming viruses of the dead, both
of them did not die but the viruses actually died when they came into
contact with their bodies.
Psalms 91: 9-10 promises us,
9. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High,
your dwelling place,
10. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plaque come near your dwelling;
Don't let the devil pull wool over our eyes to blind us. Our inheritance
in the Lord is divine health and divine healing. The devil would simply
love to short-change us if he can but our part is to declare aloud the
promise in Psalms 91:9-10. It would be even better when we can read aloud
the whole of that Psalm every day because when we declare all the promises
over our lives, the supernatural will happen. All the forces of darkness
will leave and we will enjoy all the blessings of Abraham.
Finally, the last blessing we have is divine life; a life that is deeply
rooted in the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself promised
that those who confessed Him with their lips and believed in their hearts
that He is the Messiah (Promised One) will not perish but will have eternal
life. Divine life does not start after we die a physical death; it starts
right at the moment we believe in our hearts and receive Him into our
lives. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
who do not walk according to the flesh (works of the law) but according
to the Spirit (Romans 8:1).
Do you want to enjoy the benefits of the New Covenant? It is a very simple
thing to do - all that is required is to believe in what Jesus did for
us on the cross; that He died in our place and thus satisfied all the
requirements of the Law of God and as a result, we can become His children.
My friends, one day, after all the Christians have been taken home to
be with the Lord, and should you by any chance be reading this article,
be assured that Jesus loves you so much that He already demonstrated His
love for you on the cross. The price had already been paid by Jesus Himself
and therefore there will be no condemnation for you once you put your
faith in Him. The Lord cannot lie. For Him, whatever He speaks will come
to pass.
Pray this simple prayer to invite Jesus into your heart and immediately
you will experience His peace coming your way.
Thank you Heavenly Father that You love us so much that while we were
still far off You sent Your only Beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to
die for all our sin and because of His death and resurrection, I have
been forgiven of all my sin and now I am set free.
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming into my heart and for giving me the Holy
Spirit to remind me of my very special position as a child of God the
Father. Thank you that as Your child, I can now start enjoying all Your
blessings for my life. Thank you that I can now enjoy Divine Healing,
Divine Health and Divine Life in You. Thank you also for the wonderful
gifts that the Holy Spirit brings along with Him and for imparting those
gifts into my life.
Thank you because of what You had accomplished for us on the cross and
having risen from the dead for our justification, I am now eternally forgiven
of all my sin, greatly blessed among all men, a highly favored child of
God, deeply loved by the Father and completely protected in the Lord and
in the most precious name of Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha' Mashiah, I pray.
Amen.
If you have prayed this prayer for the first time, welcome to the Family
of the Father (and it is a very large universal family). It is important
that you are not alone facing your personal challenges but that you can
obtain good help wherever you are. Why not take the time to find your
own local Christian family (local church) and worship the Father together?
You will be greatly encouraged when you meet together to worship the Father,
for fellowship and for the study of the Word of Christ.
Start receiving the blessings of the Father as you walk with Him in faith.
It is your inheritance in Christ and He wants you to start enjoying these
blessings right now; you do not need to wait until you reach heaven and
there is more from where they come from.
And, my friend, continue to exercise the gift of praying in tongues and
with the usage, more gifts of the Holy Spirit will be imparted to you.
The Lord blesses you and keeps you,
The Lord makes His face shine upon you and be gracious to you and all
your loved ones,
The Lord lifts up His countenance upon you and gives you His shalom peace.
Numbers 6: 24-26
Have a blessed week ahead, Shavrou-tov
Shalom,
Andrew L W Lee
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