Covenants #9: The Blessings of A Beginning

The Lord says to His people, “Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is Mine, you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…” (Ex. 19:5-6).

Throughout the Bible we learn that God wants to bless individuals who faithfully follow Him. In fact 2 Corinthians 1:20 teaches that all the promises of God are yes and Amen in Christ. Whatever He promises us, He will do.  However, the blessings of God are often associated with obedience.

Last month we began considering the covenant that God made with Moses and the Israelites on Mt. Sinai. At the heart of this covenant is the Ten Commandments. Each commandment is given out of love seeking to protect us from the dangerous consequences that can result from disobedience. Yet at the same time, there are great blessings through obeying God’s covenant of love.

Pastor John Piper points out five blessings, Divine promises within the Mosaic Covenant.  First, Israel will be God’s prized possession. God mentions that all the earth is His to show that when he calls Israel His "own possession" (Ex. 19:5), He means more than the general care and authority He has over the world. He will be Israel's God and they will be His possession in a special way. According to 1 Peter 2:9 this blessing applies to all spiritual descendants of Abraham, implying us as Christians today (see http://eugenechristianchurch.blogspot.com/2017/10/covenants-6-battle-for-israelisaac-vs.html)

Second, Israel will be a kingdom of royal priests (Ex. 19:6). The most striking privilege of the priests was intimate access to God. According to 1 Peter 2:9, every Christian is a priest, and we have been granted the amazing privilege of being able to draw near to God on account of Jesus (Heb. 10:19-22). God blessed OT believers with a physical Promised Land (Josh. 21:43), and He promises all believers a place prepared for them in heaven (John 14:3).  Even so, our greatest inheritance is the Lord Himself (Ps. 16:5). This privilege is heightened when God calls us a royal priesthood or priests in the service of the King. There is no greater privilege than to have intimate access to the King of the universe.

Third, Israel will be a holy nation (Ex. 19:6). Israel would be holy in two senses: one, they would be set apart and distinguished from all the other peoples; two, she would be granted a moral likeness to God. She would share God's character. "Be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 19:2). This is true of spiritual Israel as well (Heb. 8:10; 1 Peter 1:16). Thus if we, as the spiritual Israel, keep His covenant we will have the all-satisfying privilege of likeness to God as a holy nation

The fourth blessing of obedience, God will defend Israel from all her enemies. In Exodus 23:22, “If you listen carefully to what He says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.” The Lord is faithful and He will strengthen and protect us (2 Thess. 3:2-3).

And fifth, God will be merciful, gracious and forgiving (Ex. 34:6–7). To understand that God’s mercy, grace, and forgiveness originate at Mt. Sinai when God gave the Ten Commandments are some of the sweetest words in the Bible. For God understood that we would fail to keep His commands, yet even still there is grace. In this we also see a harmonious message of grace throughout the Bible. When the Lord passed in front of Moses, revealing His glory, Moses proclaimed, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness, maintain love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin…” (Ex. 34:6-7) So the fifth great promise of the Mosaic covenant is that God will treat His people with mercy and grace and will forgive our sins—as we keep His covenants.

Upon the cross of Calvary, the Mosaic Covenant ended (Col. 2:16-17; Heb. 7:12; 8:13-9:4). However, the Mosaic covenantal blessings still remain as can be seen in the references listed! We as faithful followers of Christ are God's special possession, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a divinely protected people, and a people blessed beyond measure as a result of God’s amazing grace! Therefore, may we seek to obey what our loving God commands for He knows best.

In His service,

        Matt

Elder’s Corner: “Doc, I'm Getting Ready”

For several years I've had an annual physical scheduled for mid-January. It's a horrible time to have to go the doctor—right after all the goodies at Christmas and Thanksgiving. I think it’s not unlike everyone when they get ready to vacation at the beach. They start tanning, dieting to get ready for the swimsuits. So I jump on the treadmill and start running and then do some exercises each day to try to get the blood pressure down, the pounds shed, and the lung capacity built back up. It amazes me how fast January comes each year! (I think someone is stealing a couple of months somewhere.) One thing I know is that the closer I get to the appointment the better I take care of myself (no midnight ice cream—in fact no midnight staying up late.).

The point is the closer we get to an appointment—the better prepared we want to be. I think we should feel that way in our Christian walk as well. The closer we get to our destiny with God, the more we should want to be like Him. Two things are clear–we are all getting closer to that day when God calls us home. Time truly doesn't stop for anyone. And secondly, we want to prepare to share eternity with Him. That may mean some different uses of our time and money. I should want to be a better (more mature—not just older!), Christian in 2018 than I was in 2017. I should give more, spend more time in His “love letter” to us—the Bible, spend more time with other Christians and help them stay strong. (“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual; restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” Gal. 6:1-2 NASB). Also Hebrews 10:24-25 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Which reminds me of a comment I heard: “They wouldn't come to church on Sunday night even if the Lord Jesus Christ Himself was preaching.”

I believe Jesus came to earth to share His life with others (Luke 19:10) and He wants us to do the same—not just live for ourselves (which is what we want). In fact there isn't much room for interpretation of Luke 14:26-27 NLT these are the words of Jesus “If you want to be My follower you must love Me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple.” So we need to get ready to meet Him by living for Him first in 2018. 

Have a Great New Year!  

Alan 

The Christian Atheist #6: In Money We Trust

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33).

The beginning of a New Year tends to be the time when a lot of us reflect over the past year and make resolutions for the New Year. One of the most common resolutions people tend to make pertains to money: whether getting out of debt, making better financial decisions, or just seeking to make more money. Did you know that the Bible has a lot to say about financial matters? In fact, the Bible talks more about money and possessions than heaven and hell combined. Now, by this point in time, some of you are probably thinking, “Yup, all the church wants is your money.” However, this is not the case at all!  The Bible emphasizes it so much simply because the Lord knows that nothing will lead us away from Him more than what we do with our money, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).

Therefore, where is your heart? Do you sincerely trust God? Or do you trust the money God has entrusted you with (Ps. 24:1)? God promises to take care of our needs when we trust in Him, seeking His kingdom and righteousness before we concern ourselves with our needs. When a person receives Christ as their personal Lord and Savior they are trusting Him with their eternal destiny. Yet herein lies the oxymoron: for many who claim to be Christians do not trust God with what is temporary - the money that God has entrusted them with. Thus, there are a lot of people who claim to trust in God but, in reality, they trust their money instead.

So how does one know if this is the case in their own life or not? Chris Galanos shares 5 clues that a person is trusting in money instead of God. First, you consistently argue with your spouse about money. Second, you consistently neglect your family to get more money. Third, you have trouble giving it away. So when you see a need, and feel God prompting you to give—you struggle to do it. Why? Because it means less for you. Fourth, you consistently spend more than you make. The Bible commands us to owe nothing to anyone except your obligation to love one another (Rom. 13:8). And fifth, when you lose it, you panic. The Lord commands us not to worry about our financial needs, for He promises to take care of you (Matt. 6:31-34; Phil. 4:19).

John Ortberg said, “A wallet looks like a piece of leather but it’s really the temple of the 21st century...We give this little piece of leather the power to make us feel secure, successful, and valuable. It is very hard for us to surrender control of this little piece of leather. The real issue: who’s in charge? Are you holding it or is it holding you?” (When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box, p. 197).

Therefore, if you have committed your life to Christ, trusting in God, put your money where your mouth is. Trust that God will take care of you. Spend less than you make, be generous, and rest in His promises of provision to those who seek first His kingdom and righteousness.

In God we trust,

      Matt