Date of message: 14 June 2003
Subject: The Divine Exchange

Shalom, Boker-tov (good morning),
I had this phrase "the Divine Exchange" in my mind for the whole of this week. I asked the Lord to show me the meaning of the phrase and He did reveal a number of things and which I would like to share with you here.
Last week, I shared how the LORD found fault with the Old Covenant and therefore He 'wasted' it (to use the modern lingo of some youngsters) and in its place He gave us a New Covenant. Now when the Lord said, "I give you a new covenant," He obviously meant that the old is now being replaced by the new.
Right now I am talking with two banks to refinance my housing loan and both sides are keen on getting my business considering the sluggish economic climate for bank loans - one bank is keen to keep my account on its books while the other is nudging to put on new loan portfolio. Obviously I need to study the terms and conditions offered by both banks before we make our decision. Likewise I want to explain to you the two covenants that God has before us. Just as I can only choose one housing loan, in life we can only enter into one covenant with the Lord.
Under the Old Covenant, or the Covenant of Law, we find the high priest going into the Inner Court of the Tabernacle with the blood of the burnt sacrifice and he does this daily. But once a year he would go into the Holy of Holies and offer up to the LORD the sin sacrifice for the whole nation and the sacrifice would be accepted based on two criteria - the righteousness of the high priest plus the righteousness of the sacrifice.
Because of the imperfections of the high priest, he can never qualify except by the blood of the burnt sacrifice which he had offered on his own and on behalf of his family at the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. The LORD reminded the Israelites that the high priest had to come before the mercy seat once a year with the blood of the sin sacrifice and He will forgive them their sins for one year and this was done on the Day of Atonement.
The work of the high priest was never complete and that is why there is no seat within the tabernacle area - whether it is the Outer Court, the Inner Court or in the Holy of Holies. He could never sit down because his work continues on.
The LORD saw the plight of the people and He remembered His covenant with Abraham. He sent His Son Jesus into this world so that He Himself would become the Sacrifice and the High Priest and because He is God Himself, His perfection is forever. No wonder the writer of the Book of Hebrews, in Hebrews 8: 7 states, "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second". And again in verse 13 of the same chapter, "In that He says, 'A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."
In the Old Covenant, man can only come to God by keeping the Law. That is why the Law gives a list of "You shall" and "You shall not" and unless one can keep all the laws, he cannot come before God. There is only one way for him to come before the LORD and that is by way of the blood of the sacrifice and that is only a proviso from God because of His great mercy.
But praise the Lord for His New Covenant, the covenant of Grace, where all that was required by the Law was paid for in full by the blood of the Son of God Himself. Indeed, if we look at the value of the Sacrifice, it was definitely an overpayment on His part. Whilst the Old Covenant emphasized on the "You shall" part of mankind, the Covenant of Grace declares to us that He will put His laws in our minds and He will write them on our hearts and that He will be our God (Hebrews 8: 10).
When the prophet Elijah had that contest on Mount Carmel with the 450 false prophets of Baal, we read in 1 Kings 18: 38 that God sent fire from heaven and consumed everything - the sacrifice, the wood, the stones stacked up to form the altar and the water in the trench. Everything was licked up by the consuming fire sent from heaven.
In John 20: 28, we read, "After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, 'I thirst!' From Luke 23: 44-45 we also read that there was total darkness in the whole world between twelve noon (sixth hour according to the way the Israelites count their day) and three o'clock in the afternoon. These were the darkest hour because God the Father poured on Jesus His Son he whole weight of the sins of the world and because He is the Righteous God, He had to turn His back on His own Son. No wonder Jesus cried out from the cross, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?"
Praise the Lord for at the end of the three hours, after Jesus had completely exhausted all the sins of the world, He cried out with a loud voice, "I thirst" and then after they had given Him a drink of vinegar mixed with water, He cried out with a triumphant voice, "It is finished!".
On Mount Carmel the Lord's judgment consumed everything in its path but on Mount Calvary, the Sacrifice consumed all the sins and was able to shout with triumph, "It is finished!" There is therefore now no more necessity to offer those sacrifices required of mankind under the Law. For by that one perfect Sacrifice, God the Father was able to reconcile us back to Himself through the precious blood of His Son, our Lord Christ Jesus. When Jesus shouted in triumph, "It is finished!" the Father was so excited and well pleased that He ripped the veil in the Temple separating the Holy of Holies from the Inner Court signifying that the way to Him is now made available through His Son. The veil was torn from the top down and it was most supernatural because the Temple records stated that the veil was approximately six inches in thickness.
There is nothing to be done on our part as everything had already been accomplished for us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ when He died for us on the cross. All that is left for our part is to simply believe on Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and to receive Him into our lives. Is it not amazing that Jesus had settled everything on our behalf with the Father (He took the curse) and we now take on His blessings? What we deserved - death and punishment - Jesus took them away on the cross and what we do not deserve - His riches and His blessings - we receive from Jesus. What a divine exchange wrought for us from heaven.
Have you placed your faith in our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus? Received Jesus into your life and He will come into your heart and give you eternal life. By believing in Jesus and receiving His Holy Spirit into our lives, God confers on us the position of sons and daughters in His Family, special positions reserved only for those whom He loves dearly (John 1: 12). Rejection of what Jesus had done for us on the cross signifies the rejection of God's gift of salvation and if one rejects the Gift, there is therefore no more hope.
The Lord cannot lie. For Him, whatever He speaks come to pass and He had promised us in the Bible that those who have put their trust in Him will not be condemned but have passed from death into life (Romans 8: 1).
Pray this simple prayer of faith and invite Him into your heart and immediately you will experience the peace of Jesus coming your way.
O God our Heavenly Father, thank you that You loved me so much that You sent Your Only Beloved Son to come and to die for us on the cross. Thank you that His death so satisfied You that Jesus became a curse for me so that I can receive all His blessings.
Lord Jesus, thank you that You loved us so much that You were willing to die for us on the cross. Thank you that You became that Sacrificial Lamb for us and because of Your death, the judicial righteousness of the Father had been satisfied. And now, because You rose from the dead, we, who believe in You as our Lord and Savior, will no longer have to die but we receive Your eternal life. Thank you for coming into my heart and making my heart Your home.
Thank you that what You have accomplished for us on the cross has qualified me to become a child of God the Father. Thank you that I am now eternally forgiven, greatly blessed, highly favored, deeply loved and completely protected in the Lord and in Your most precious Name, 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 trials 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 and there is more from where they come from.
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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