G’day and welcome to Partakers Christian Podcasts! Join us for uplifting Bible teaching, inspiring readings, heartfelt worship, powerful prayers, and fascinating church history. Whether you’re new to faith or growing deeper in your journey, we’re here to encourage and equip you. 🎧 Tune in, interact, and be inspired—wherever you are in the world.
Episodes
Tuesday Sep 21, 2010
Tuesday Sep 21, 2010
The book is now released under the title of "A Glimpse of God" and available on Amazon on this link! Come on over!
Each of the following links, to each individual chapter and podcast, opens in a new window!
Attached PDF/e-Book is a draft copy of the first 2 chapters... Ask for more if you so desire...
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The book is now released under the title of "A Glimpse of God" and available on Amazon on this link! Come on over!
Tuesday Oct 13, 2009
Tuesday Oct 13, 2009
Psalm 120
120:1 In my distress, I cried to Yahweh. He answered me.
120:2 Deliver my soul, Yahweh, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.
120:3 What will be given to you, and what will be done more to you, you deceitful tongue?
120:4 Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
120:5 Woe is me, that I live in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
120:6 My soul has had her dwelling too long with him who hates peace.
120:7 I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.
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Tuesday Aug 04, 2009
Tuesday Aug 04, 2009
Old Testament
Book of Psalms
Summarised in 1 Minute
Key Verses
Psalm 19:13-14 - Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Then I will be upright. I will be blameless and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Yahweh, my rock, and my redeemer. Psalm 145:21 - My mouth will speak the praise of Yahweh. Let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.Summary
The book of Psalms, mostly written by King David, tells of the full range of human experience in a very personal and practical way. A lot of the Psalms foretell the coming of the Messiah, not only for Israel but the world. Certainly nearly all of them contain praises to the Lord.
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Tuesday Apr 07, 2009
Tuesday Apr 07, 2009
Tuesday - Jesus' Last Teaching
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Heavenly Father, we thank you for Jesus Christ. We thank you that Jesus the Living Word is revealed in your Written Word, the Bible. Thank you that we have the very words of the Son of God for us to understand, enact and live. We thank you for His teaching ministry and as we come tonight to look at the final teaching before going to the Cross, we would listen with attentive ears and hearts to what you would teach us through the power of the Holy Spirit. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
"But now I am going back to the Father who sent me, and none of you asks me where I am going. You are very sad from hearing all of this. But I tell you that I am going to do what is best for you. That is why I am going away. The Holy Spirit cannot come to help you until I leave. But after I am gone, I will send the Spirit to you." (John 16v5-7)
In these last few chapters before He is crucified, Jesus is saying goodbye to His disciples and giving them some final teaching before He departs. Several times He has told them He is going away (John 13v33; John 14v3-4, 19, 28). Today we are going to go quickly through John 15-16 and reflect upon this section of his final teaching sessions before He is arrested, betrayed, condemned and crucified. Of course, everything Jesus did in his earthly ministry was a lesson to be learnt and there are other events such as Peter's denials and subsequent repentance, where we can also learn lessons. But this chapter is Jesus' final active session of teaching His disciples. So what does he teach them?
- Disciples must bear fruit for the kingdom! (John 15v1-16)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 15v1-2)
As usual Jesus uses Old Testament language, for in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel is often seen as a vine (Jeremiah 2v21; Psalm 80). However as a vine, Israel had not produced fruit that God had expected as explained in Isaiah 5v1-2 "I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit."
With Jesus describing Himself as the true Vine, the implication is clear that the nation of Israel was but an imperfect precursor to His perfect self. With Jesus as the vine, all believers are the branches, and all believers draw spiritual nourishment from Him. As part of this nourishment, sometimes pruning is required (John 15v2).
Cleansing is also required in order that fruit be borne from the Christian Disciple. This cleansing is through regular confession of sin and partaking of Holy Communion as explained in the foot-washing scene of John 13. To prove to others they are His followers and His disciples, Jesus tells them they are to continue loving Him and also to sacrificially love others joyfully (John 15v12-14). By doing these things, which is now their mission statement, they will bear much good fruit for God's greater glory (John 15v8). The same is true of us today, if we are Christian Disciples.
- Disciples will suffer for the kingdom (John 15v18-27)
John 15v18: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."
Having spoken of love and bearing fruit, Jesus now declares a warning and the context into which He is sending them. We learn from this passage that opposition to Jesus' message is unavoidable.
The first opposition is that of the old nature attacking the new nature. Christian Disciples, Jesus said, were called out from the world (John 15v19). Christian Disciples upon conversion belong to a different place and are heading for a different place.
Secondly, opposition is to be expected simply because of who Jesus is (John 15v21). Christian Disciples share in the life of Jesus and the way the world treats Jesus is the way the world treats all His disciples (John 15v20-21). Thirdly, opposition comes through revealing evil. Jesus, as the Light of the World, exposed evil and sin through His words (John 15v22) and works (John 15v24).
At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus commanded all those who follow Him, to also be "lights of the world" (Matthew 5v14-16). This is done by consistently ensuring that our works and words match our lifestyle and that no hypocrisy will be found. Opposition brings persecution, and regularly throughout history, Christian believers have been persecuted for their faith in Jesus.
In our own time, perhaps the most persecuted century of all. Being a Christian is not an easy decision, but it is worth it. It is also endurable because of three things: God still remains Lord God despite all; .we share in Jesus' own sufferings and therefore have fellowship with Him (Philippians 3v10) and by being persecuted, it shows we belong to Him (John 15v19). The main reason all opposition can be endured is because the Christian Disciple is not alone. God the Holy Spirit witnesses with the Christian Disciple (John 15v26). Not as a supplementary person filling a perfunctory role, but rather as the pioneer going out to testify about Jesus ahead (John 15v26) of the Christian Disciple (John 15v27).
- Disciples will have resources in the Kingdom (John 16)
a. The first resource that Christian Disciples have is, as we have already seen, the Holy Spirit. After all, He is the real evangelist. In conjunction with Him, the Christian Disciple has three resources to use: proclaiming, counselling and discipling.
Proclaiming (John 16v1-7): this is the proclaiming and elucidating work about Jesus that the Spirit performs. The Holy Spirit testifies about Jesus' death on the cross and subsequent resurrection (John 16v14). If Jesus did not go back to glory, and the Holy Spirit was not sent, then the pioneering work of the Holy Spirit would be missing from evangelism and mission. Not only does the Holy Spirit direct people to Jesus, but take them to Him.
Counselling (John 16v8-11): As well as proclaiming about Jesus, the Holy Spirit speaks to people's hearts personally - one to one. This signifies the intimacy between the holy God and the believer. The Holy Spirit, convinces people hearing of God's Word of three things: their own sin (John 16v8); their separation from a holy & righteous God (John 16v10) and also in regards to the judgement of Satan and all who follow him (John 16v11). In these three things, a person is led to the Cross of Christ, in order to confess their sin and their need of Jesus Christ and the salvation only He can and is able to provide.
Discipling (John 16v12-16): Once bought to faith, the Holy Spirit performs several tasks for the Twelve Disciples: He will guide them into all truth and develop what is coming in the future (John 16v13). The New Testament is the product of this work and that through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For the Christian Disciple today, the Holy Spirit helps them to apply the Bible to their life in order that Jesus Christ be glorified (John 16v14). b. The second resource available to the Christian Disciple is Jesus Himself! Jesus presence, provision and position.
Presence (John 16v16-33):Yes, His very presence! The twelve disciples will experience sorrow and loss when Jesus is crucified and dead. But after the resurrection, their sorrow will turn to great joy - similar to the exceeding joy after the pains of childbirth! Christian Disciples today also have Jesus' presence with them, particularly when engaged in doing the work of an evangelist!
Provision: Not only His presence, but also His provision! Through answered prayer, joy abounds (John 16v24)! Prayer is going to be of prime importance for the twelve disciples as it is a way to ensure unabated joy - joy even amidst suffering and trouble!
Position: Finally, not only His presence, His provision but also look at His position! Jesus has overcome the world (John 16v33) and nothing can prevail against Him! If you are with Jesus, nothing will prevail against Him and He will protect you, provide for you and be with you in all you do, as you submit yourself to Him. Whether in the bad times or the good times, Jesus will be with you - but you need to ask Him to be with you and rely on Him fully. If you are going through bad times now, and don't know this Jesus yet, then ask Him to be with you - what have you got to lose? Thank you.
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Monday Apr 06, 2009
Monday Apr 06, 2009
Monday - Jesus' Mission and Identity
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At the time of recording, this is Easter 2009 and it is Monday. We start a week of looking at Jesus Christ. Together, every night this week, we are going to look at different aspects of Jesus' final week.
- Tuesday Last Prayers
- Wednesday Last Teaching
- Thursday Last Night
- Friday Dead
- Sunday Risen
Luke 9:51 tells us that Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem. He knew that was where he was going to die. He knew that is where his mission would be accomplished and that his true identity would finally be revealed. But what was Jesus' mission and what was his identity, apart from being the son of a carpenter from Nazareth. So tonight, we start our Easter series by looking back and seeing together what his mission and identity are.
Mission
Luke writes in Luke 4v42-44: "At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea." This is the beginning of Jesus' public ministry on earth! These verses at the end of Luke 4 tell us that His mission is to preach God's Kingdom. A reluctant John the Baptist baptized him and the crowds heard God the Father speaking to Him. He underwent temptations by the arch-seducer, satan and emerged victorious from that ordeal. Now Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, has returned home to Galilee (Luke 4v14).
- Jesus at home (Luke 4v14-30)
Jesus is back in home territory and because of the power of His teaching, He is becoming known as a great teacher (Luke 4v15). Jesus spent some time in Galilee, become known and is arousing the interest, curiosity and excitement of people.
- Worshipping (Luke 4v14-18) - It was Jesus' habit to attend public worship wherever he was. He would have worshipped as any Jewish man would have.
A typical synagogue service
- Opened with a prayer for God's blessing
- Traditional Hebrew confession of faith (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21)
- Prayer and readings from the Law and the Prophets
- Brief talk given by one of the men or a visiting rabbi (Acts 13:14-16)
- Benediction or prayer
Because of His growing renown as a teacher, it is no surprise that he should be asked to read the Scripture and give a short teaching session regarding it. Here in Nazareth, Jesus declared that the day for demonstrating God's salvation had arrived and the day the prophets looked forward to, was going to be fulfilled in Jesus Himself (Luke 4v20). He was the Servant Isaiah had talked about long ago (Isaiah 61v1-2). His ministry was divinely directed; it was a ministry of hope for all people and a ministry to free the spiritually oppressed (Luke 4v18). Acceptable Year of the Lord (Luke 4:19) When Jesus said in Luke 4v19 "to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour", Jesus was referring to the "Year of Jubilee" (Leviticus 25). Every fiftieth year, this special year was the balancing of the economic system.
- Slaves were set free and returned to their families
- Property that was sold back to the original owners
- All debts were cancelled
- Lands lay bare to rest and rejoice in the Lord
The local reaction was at first one of astonishment (Luke 4v22) and telling each other he was the son of Joseph! But Jesus was not the son of Joseph, but rather the Son of God, the new Adam and the founder of a new humanity as he goes on to explain.
- Rejected (Luke 4:20-30)
They saw Him as the son of Joseph. Admiration turned to anger, because Jesus began to remind them of God's goodness to the Gentiles.
- The prophet Elijah bypassed all the Jewish widows and helped a Gentile widow in Sidon (1 Kings 17:8-16)
- Elisha healed a Gentile leper from Syria (2 Kings 5:1-15)
Whilst those in Nazareth could only see Jesus in the local setting, He told them His mission was for all Israel! And if Israel rejected this message of Good News, then the Gentiles would be blessed by it (Luke 4v25-27). Upon hearing this, the astonished admiration turned to furious anger (Luke 4v28-30)! Salvation is no longer restricted to Israel but for every child of Adam - every human. Jesus' mission was not to be Israel's saviour but the world's saviour. When Jesus quoted the proverb "no prophet is accepted in his hometown", he revealed his knowledge of Old Testament history. He knew that God's messengers often were rejected, and even as God's Son, he was rejected as well. Jesus' mission was to be the saviour of the world as God's Son (John 3v16) and the Servant of the Lord. His mission was to give a message of hope for the spiritually poor and spiritually oppressed people. Not only people in his hometown, nor only in Israel, but rather for the whole world. People have two choices when faced with this fact: accept or reject. There is no other option. Identity And what of his identity? In Mark 8v27-33: Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say I am?" This section of the Bible contains the verse, when Peter calls Jesus the Christ or Messiah or Saviour (Mark 8v29), this divulges Jesus' true identity, In the preceding few verses Jesus and the disciples were in Bethsaida and there is the incident where Jesus healed the blind man. When the man is healed, Jesus instructs the man not to tell anybody! Why did Jesus stipulate taht? Because Jesus didn't want to be seen as only a healer and miracle worker.
- Confess who Jesus is
Now we come back to that climactic part of the Gospels when Jesus asked His disciples: "Who do people say that I am? Some say John the Baptist
- Jesus and John had been seen together in public and they were different in personality and ministry
- John came ‘in the spirit and power of Elijah' (Luke 1v17), in a ministry of judgement, whereas Jesus came in a spirit of meekness and service.
- John performed no miracles (John 10v41), but Jesus was a miracle worker.
- John even dressed like the Prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1v8; Mark 1v6)
Others say Jeremiah (Matthew 16v14)
- Jeremiah was the ‘weeping prophet', and Jesus was the ‘man of sorrows'
- Jeremiah called the people to true repentance from the heart, and so did Jesus.
- Both men were misunderstood and rejected by their own people.
- Both men condemned the false religious leaders and the hypocritical worship in the temple.
- Those in authority persecuted both men.
In both His works and words, Jesus gave evidence to the people that He was the Son of God, the Messiah, and yet they did not get the message. The disciples had much to learn about Him and what it meant to follow Him. The Jews were expecting a victorious Messiah (Isaiah 11v1-5). But they had forgotten that the Messiah must also suffer and die (Isaiah 53v1-12; Luke 24v26). The Jewish people thought that the Messiah would set up an earthly political kingdom, but Jesus came to set up a spiritual kingdom that would last forever (Isaiah 9v7; Daniel 7v13-14; Luke 1v33; Revelation 11v15)
What was the purpose of the Messiah? (Mk10v45) Jesus' mission was to be the Servant of the Lord, and therefore, the saviour of the world as God's Son (John 3v16). His purpose as the Messiah was neither that He be served nor that He will lead a political overthrow of the Roman government as some had hoped. Rather, His purpose as the Messiah was to be God's servant and give a message of hope for the spiritually poor and spiritually oppressed people.
Follow who Jesus is When Jesus rebuked Peter, he was also telling off the other disciples (Mark 8v33). Remember that they did not yet understand the relationship between suffering and glory. By the time Peter had written his epistle 1 Peter, he did (1 Peter1v6-8, 1 Peter 4v13-5v10). Some Jewish leaders taught of 2 Messiahs - one to suffer and one who would reign (1Peter 1v10-12) There is a price to pay for true followers:
- Surrender completely to Him.
- Identify with Him in His suffering and death.
- Follow Him obediently, wherever He leads.
What is the reward for the true disciple of Jesus?
- Satan promises glory now, but in the end suffering comes.
- God promises suffering now, but the suffering turns to glory.
Spiritually, at this time, the disciples were still blind to who Jesus was, just as the man who was physically blind. Our confession of Jesus is a matter of life and death (John 8v21;1 John 4v1-3). Confession of Jesus as Lord is necessary for salvation (1 Corinthians 12v1-3), when that confession is from the heart (Romans 10v9-10). Christians are called to follow Jesus, to take up their cross and this could mean nothing less than being ready to suffer and die for Jesus. If we are ashamed of Him on earth, He will be ashamed of us when the end of the world has come. He will reward those deserving the reward, and deny those who deny Him. Finally, who do you say this Jesus is? What have you done with this Jesus - accepted or rejected Him? Thank you
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Tuesday Jul 15, 2008
Tuesday Jul 15, 2008
As part of this blog, I am now hoping to produce POD: Psalms On Demand, for people to download and listen to, at a time convenient for them... They will also be given to a friend of mine who is going overseas on mission to a country where Christianity is severely restricted due to government legislation... Knowing my church, they may even be given to the housebound members on CD... Now I could do it myself, but that would get very boring very quickly for anybody listening! Just ask my wife how tedious it is to listen to me reading aloud for more than 10 minutes!! LOL So, I am endeavouring to recruit other people into this project as well... Why am I doing it? Good question and glad you asked!!
- Most of the Psalm MP3 series, I hear are of one persons voice only! I would like to change that.
- I have people across the globe contributing, including my own local church. So hopefully not only building bridges between continents, but also between the virtual and the local churches, because it will also involve some people I know, who have very little interest in, or knowledge of, virtual church and the internet in general...
- To reflect the universality of the Psalms across nations, age and gender.
- You can use any standard translation of the Bible, just tell me what version you will use so I can check the audio against the translation...
- At the beginning, say what number the Psalm is, such as "Psalm One Hundred"...
- No need to say the verse numbers... No music in the background, because people with hearing problems probably wont be able to hear you speak...
- The best free programme to use is Audacity, and it is found here
- Record it and save the file at the highest possible quality in MP3 format...
Tuesday Apr 22, 2008
Tuesday Apr 22, 2008
Sacrifice
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In the Old Testament, the people of Israel were to make sacrificial offerings to God, in order to worship and have fellowship with Him. For without sacrifice, nobody could enter God’s presence! But what does all this have to do with us in the 21st century.
In the book of Leviticus, God commanded that the cleansing of a defiled house required sprinkling with a mixture of blood and ‘living’ water, the bird having been slain over the water (Leviticus 14v51). Elsewhere we read of the ‘water of cleansing’ (Numbers 19), which is also called ‘living water’. This was water that had been sprinkled with the ashes of a young cow, and was kept aside for purification by sprinkling those who had touched a dead body. In both cases, this water had been cleansed by the shedding of blood and sacrifice. The cleansing was to be through the blood of sacrifice, applied through the sprinkled water. For there is no cleansing without the shedding of blood.
At the time of Ezekiel, Israel was in exile due to their sin and idolatry. They needed to be cleansed before being allowed back into their own country. Ezekiel 36v24-25 tell us that “God will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols.” This pointed forward to One, the Messiah, who would be slain as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
This One, was Jesus Christ who died for sin, the just for the unjust (1 Peter 3v18). That is how God is both the Just and the Justifier of sinners. That is why if Jesus was not simultaneously fully God and fully human, His death on the cross would not be the full substitutionary sacrifice that was necessary to deal with the permanent consequences of sin! This substitution was the sin offering sacrifice, required so that Jesus as the Lamb of God could take away the sins of the world (John 1v29). Jesus became sin for people (2 Corinthians 5v21) and it was His blood as the lamb without spot or blemish (1Peter 1:18-19) that permanently fulfils God’s righteous requirements.
If you are a follower of Jesus, you are no longer defiled and you have no need to make sacrifices to God, in order to enter His presence, worship Him or have fellowship with Him. Jesus, who is your living water and your sacrificial lamb, gives you permanent access to God. You may no longer be called to make sacrifices, but you are called to be a sacrifice. You are to be a living sacrifice that continually offers sacrifices of praise to God! You do this, through a whole life totally devoted to God, doing good and sharing (Hebrews 13v15-16)! By doing this, you help Jesus’ church revolutionise the world! May it be so. Thank you.
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Monday Apr 21, 2008
Monday Apr 21, 2008
Faith
People always say that faith is blind! However the Bible says that faith is a total confidence in God’s faithfulness, which leads to reliance, trust and total obedience to Him (Hebrews 11v6). We see this faith in the Godly obedience of those around us and from the Bible and church history.
Faith in Salvation
For salvation, faith is a voluntary change of mind and heart in the sinner in which the person turns to God, relying on and accepting His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.
- Mind - recognition of your need of salvation. Acknowledging Christ’s death on your behalf and your need of forgiveness.
- Emotional (Heart) – your personal assent to the gospel. You ask yourself, “What must I do to be saved?” and then you agree to make salvation a part of your life.
- Will - Personal trust in Jesus Christ.
Now as a follower of Jesus, you are to continue having faith in Him. Four things at least you are to have faith in Him for:
By faith - He is praying for you
Jesus Christ is making intercessions for His followers (Romans 8:34). He knew the disciples troubles (Mark 6:48), just as He knows your troubles now. He feels your cares and knows what you are going through (Hebrews 4:14-16).
By faith - He will come to you
Ever felt like God is far away? Well you aren’t alone! King David often felt God was far away and unconcerned. However he also knew God would ultimately rescue him. Jesus always comes to you through difficult times, although He may not come in the time you think He should come, because He knows when you need Him most.
By faith - He will help you grow
When the disciples were in the storm and Jesus came to them walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33), the purpose of this incident was to show that Jesus would be leaving them soon, so they had to learn to trust in Him when He wasn’t physically present. Peter wrote later on in his life, “for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers” (1 Peter 3v12).
By faith, He will see you through
At the same event, Jesus said “Come” and Peter went with Him. This must have encouraged the other disciples, for upon seeing Jesus’ power they worshipped him. Whatever troubles you are undergoing are temporary, and Jesus will see you through.
By faith, you have salvation. By faith Jesus is praying, will come to you, grow you and help you through troubles. By being obedient to God, you are showing others your salvation and showing that faith, is not blind, but active!
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Sunday Apr 20, 2008
Sunday Apr 20, 2008
Justification
I wonder if you have come across this word in your reading of the Bible and wondered what it was all about!! Justification means, that God looks as you as if you have never sinned against Him. That means you are declared free from the penalty of sin. Justification is only a reality to you, if you have taken up the offer and are a follower of Jesus Christ. The basis of this justification is that God the Son, Jesus Christ, is both the Just and the Justifier of sinners (Romans 3:21-26). God is holy; therefore, sin must be dealt with. He cannot arbitrarily forgive sin. The judgment and penalty of sin, which is death, was poured out on Jesus Christ who is the substitute. Therefore justice has been done, because God is just. By faith in Jesus Christ we are declared righteous as a free gift, and Christian Disciples are therefore justified. Nothing we can do could make us justified before Almighty God. It is only through His free grace.
Substitution Jesus died for your sin, the just for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18). That is how God is both just and the Justifier of sinners. That is why Jesus needed to be both fully God and fully human, so as to be the full substitutionary sacrifice that was required to deal permanently with sin! For while you were yet a sinner, Jesus Christ died for you, (Romans 5:6-8), willingly giving His life as a ransom for you (Mark 10:45) and when He died in your place on the cross, He bore the consequences of all your sin – past, present and future.
Sacrifice This substitution was the sacrifice required in order that Jesus Christ could take away the sins of the world, which includes yours (John 1:29)! He therefore became sin for you (2 Corinthians 5:21) and it was His blood as the sacrificial lamb without spot or blemish (1Peter 1:18-19) that fulfils God’s requirements permanently. We are justified before God, because Jesus is our substitute! Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, justification means
- Your sins were nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14)
- You are clothed in a robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10)
- You have the righteousness of Christ (Ephesians 1:7; Acts 13:38-39)
- You have received the gift of righteousness. (Romans 5:17)
- You have been declared righteousness by God through faith in Christ (Philippians 3:9)
So I challenge you with this: if He who was without sin, became sin, for you, you are to live a life worthy of Him and your status of freedom from sin in Jesus Christ.
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Saturday Apr 19, 2008
Saturday Apr 19, 2008
Partake – Words In Scripture Explored – Covenant
Gday and welcome to Words In Scripture Explored! The word for today is Covenant.
Look at your money! On British money are the words "I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of five [ten/twenty/fifty] pounds. In fact you can even take old British banknotes to the Bank and cash them in for modern money! Promises!! That’s what a covenant is – a promise between two parties.
Covenants in the Bible
Covenants were common in all kinds of life, and not just between God and humanity. For instance where a powerful nation had taken over a weaker nation, a covenant was in place to give benefits from the powerful nation to the weaker nation, such as protection as well as sanctions if the weaker nation rebelled.
About God’s Covenants
Each covenant between God and humanity showed God promising to do something and commands for mankind to follow! When an Old Testament covenant ended in failure, it was always due to mankind’s inability to obey God! Such as when Adam & Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thereby breaking the covenant made with God. The Edenic Covenant was therefore terminated and now God needed to make another covenant with Adam (Genesis 3v14-21). In the Old Testament we have six covenants between God and humanity: Edenic, Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and the Davidic. They all had several things about them:
- God always took the initiative.
- God always gave His solemn promise to fulfil His promise.
- God always waited for a free response from humanity, without coercion or force.
New Covenant
As a Christian Disciple today, you are living under the the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31v31-34)
Four features of this covenant are: God transforming you; God being your God and you being His; God living inside you and leading you; your sins are forgiven and removed
This new covenant is sealed only through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. His blood ensures the truth of this New Covenant. There is no other way for this New Covenant to be sealed except through Jesus’ blood alone. This New Covenant finalizes what the Mosaic Covenant could only point to: the follower of God living in a righteous life conforming to God's holy character.
Whenever you celebrate Communion or the Lord’s Supper, you celebrate this New Covenant between God and yourself, for it symbolizes this New Covenant, which guarantees salvation! So go tell somebody else today about how God will make them new, forgive them, live inside them, and transform them, if only they come to Him in repentance.