Partakers Christian Podcasts

Bible Thought - Covenant - Exploring Words In Scripture

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.

Bible Reading - Psalm 114

Psalm 114

As read by Heather aged 8

1 When Israel came out of Egypt,

the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,

2 Judah became God's sanctuary,

Israel his dominion.

3 The sea looked and fled,

the Jordan turned back;

4 the mountains skipped like rams,

the hills like lambs.

5 Why was it, O sea, that you fled,

O Jordan, that you turned back,

6 you mountains, that you skipped like rams,

you hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8 who turned the rock into a pool,

the hard rock into springs of water.

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Bible Thought - Forgiveness

 

Christian Disciple and Forgiveness

 

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G!day! The Apostle James wrote: 'When all kinds of trials and tribulations crowd into your lives my brethren, do not resent them as intruders but welcome them as friends. Realise that they come to test your faith and produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until your endurance is fully developed and you will find you have become men of mature character, with the right sort of independence. ' James 1:2-4

 

It is often said by psychiatrists that 90% of people with emotional related psychiatric problems would be cured, if only they knew forgiveness. Forgiveness of course is a major part of Christianity, both in the way that God forgives us when we come to Him in penitence and repentance, but also in the way Christian disciples forgive others and themselves! Does that surprise you that people may need to forgive themselves? How does that work?

The two major causes of emotional problems, involve forgiveness.

• Failure to receive forgiveness. Many people try to pay for their sin or to atone somehow for their sin or as AW Tozer out it: "The perpetual penance of regret." Some people even try to punish themselves for they're past sins.
• Failure to give forgiveness. There are always people who hurt us by what they say and do. If forgiveness is not offered, a root of bitterness resentment and anger may spring up in our lives. There are 'significant others' - parents who hurt us, siblings who fail us or tease us, and friends who betray who reject us.

Now you may well be asking yourself, why does God allow these irritations and offences to take place?

 

We need to understand that God's ultimate purpose for allowing irritations and offences to occur in our lives is to give us an opportunity to become more like Jesus Christ His Son (Romans 8;28:29). There are some irritations we can control and we are responsible to see us take sensible steps to do so. There is no point in complaining we are overweight if we are not prepared to diet.

 

There are many sources of irritations and offences we can't control.

 

• People. Personality traits, inconsistencies, rejection etc.
• Environment. Inconveniences, natural elements, pressures.
• Ourselves. Frustrations with our deficiencies, limited abilities, failures, illnesses etc.

God uses these circumstances, experiences and irritations to shape us and mould us like a gem cutter, cutting and polishing a stone to make it valuable. However, whether God requires 'sandpaper' or a 'sledgehammer' sometimes depends on our willingness to be involved in the process. God is concerned not just about what is happening to us, but also what we are learning and how we are responding in His workshop of life.

 

How do we respond to irritations and offences?

a. Wrong Responses (Human way)

• Defend yourself.
• Accuse somebody else and pass the blame.
• Hold anger in instead of dealing with the problem.

b. Right Responses (God's way)

• Be honest with yourself - Am I in the wrong?
• Be willing to admit when you are wrong - Ask forgiveness.
• Be willing to forgive.

Asking for forgiveness can be one of the hardest things we need to do. This is particularly so when we have been betrayed by a friend or someone who has been unfaithful. We need to stop and consider Christ and the enormity of His forgiveness.

 

Failing to co-operate with God's purposes, has two frequent results

• Insensitivity: Ignore, shut off, withdraw and avoid.
• Oversensitivity: Resentment, bitterness, hatred, anger and revenge.

Remember!! Forgiveness deals with our emotional response/s toward an offender. Pardon deals with the consequences of the offence; we may not be in a position to offer pardon. Forgiveness enables us to have the same openness toward the person after they offend us, as before. Lastly, when we forgive the offender, the hurt and the wound will start to diminish. This is helped when we realise Christ understands and can use these experiences for our eternal advantage.

For more to think about please do read for yourself James 2v1-4… Give yourself the following tests, and see how you respond or react to them. Why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so you can pray over any issues together.

Tests to see if there is someone I need to forgive

• Resentment test - Is there anyone you resent?
• Responsibility test - Do you find yourself thinking, "If only they (parents, friends, colleagues, God) had done this, things would have been different!" and therefore blaming others?
• Reminder/reaction test - Do you find yourself reacting against a person because they remind you of someone else?

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Bible Thought - Spiritual Armour

 

25. The Christian Disciple and the Armour of God

Paul writing in Ephesians 6v13-17: “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armour of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery darts of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

We have learnt previously something of satan’s strategy. Satan wants you, as a Christian disciple, to compromise your faith. He wants you to be fearful. He wants you to have doubts and blasphemous thoughts. He wants you to be a hedonist that only thinks of themselves and living a materialistic life. He wants you to put off till tomorrow what you can do today. He wants you to be an individual, instead of being involved in your local Christian community. At times we feel like giving up being a Christian disciple with the pressure applied on us by sin & temptation. The thoughts that satan implants in our minds like “Did God really say that?” or in the insatiable thoughts of lust, revenge or pride. Doubts set in. Guilt appears constant.

To help His people, God has designed spiritual armour for us to wear during our constant battle with sin & temptation. This armour is what God wears according to Isaiah 59v17, when He goes out to battle! What are the hallmarks of this spiritual armour? Cast all thoughts of a Roman soldier out of your mind!

• · Truth - know, understand and live truth. Our lives are to be controlled by truth as revealed in Scripture. When we know truth so well, we can recognize the lies that we are told!

• · Righteousness - live a righteous life. Live the truth! When we started as a Christian disciple, before God we were given the righteousness of Jesus! But that righteousness needs to be lived out in the lives of Christian disciples. If it isn’t, then satan will attack!

• · Gospel - be ready to share it and rely upon it. Because we have peace with God, we are able to withstand without fear the attacks of the enemy! We have peace with God, but we are also to exhibit peace with others. Where peace is, the discord of our enemy cannot prevail!

• · Faith – show total trust in God for your life. The faith we have is a defensive weapon against the mistruths that come into our head: lies, blasphemy, lust, greed, selfishness are all little darts thrown at us by satan. By maintaining our trust in God’s promises and God’s power, these little darts are extinguished.

• · Salvation - assurance of salvation. Be assured! Let your mind be controlled by the Holy Spirit, so that you are not led astray. Your salvation rests in nothing apart from God’s promises and Jesus’ righteousness!

• · Bible - read and study God’s Word. The Word of God, the Bible, is our attack weapon! That is why we are to study it and learn from it, trusting in the Holy Spirit to lead and reveal it to us! We are to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus according to 2 Peter 3v18 and that is only achieved through studying the Scriptures! Then when we hear that nagging little voice that says “God didn’t say that”, we can say “Oh yes, He did!!”

• · Prayer – talk to God. This is how we are energized! Fighting in our own power is useless! When we talk to God, we strengthen our relationship with Him! When we ask other Christian disciples to pray for us, the Church unity is strengthened! A solo Christian is an anomaly. Except in extreme circumstances, there is always a way to ask for prayer and help.

How do we put on the armour? It is not through some mystical, deep and secret process that the spiritual armour is put on. If it were, not many of us would be wearing it! It is revealed, whenever we resist the works of satan, and don’t listen to the lies he tells us in our head. When our marriages, reflect the sacrificial love that Jesus has for the church, our spiritual armour is displayed. When children are taught the Gospel and instructed in the Lord, our spiritual armour is being worn. When we are diligent in the workplace, our spiritual armour is exhibited. When God is glorified in your life, you are wearing the spiritual armour! When are living fruitful lives for God, and giving all glory and honour to Him without compromise, we show we are wearing our spiritual armour! We can stand up for Jesus and say with honesty and integrity that He is our Lord and our master. When we meditate on God’s word, we nourish our minds with the truth of salvation! When we tell others of this message of peace with God, our enemies flee!

 

When we ask others to pray for us, as Paul did, we show we are part of the Church, the beautiful bride of Jesus! All these and more, reflect that as Christian disciples, we are clothed in spiritual armour. It is our own responsibility to wear it and use it with confidence. We are to be alert to the prowling of our enemies and relying solely on God’s power to overcome sin and temptation. In our own strength we will surely fail, but by using God’s strength and clothed in His armour, we will prevail and overcome. The Christian disciple prevails and is an overcomer when reliant solely upon the God they seek to serve wholeheartedly.

For more to think about please do read for yourself Psalm 1. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together.

 

Q1. What are the contrasts between the ways of the godly and the ways of the ungodly?

Q2. In what ways am I bearing fruit in my life for God and showing I meditate on His word?

Q3. What can I do this week, to stop somebody walking down the path that leads to destruction?

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Bible Reading - Psalm 27

Psalm 27

By David.
27:1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation.
Whom shall I fear?
Yahweh is the strength of my life.
Of whom shall I be afraid?

27:2 When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh,
even my adversaries and my foes,
they stumbled and fell.

27:3 Though an army should encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear.
Though war should rise against me,
even then I will be confident.

27:4 One thing I have asked of Yahweh,
that I will seek after,
that I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life,
to see Yahweh’s beauty, and to inquire in his temple.

27:5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me secretly in his pavilion.
In the covert of his tabernacle he will hide me.
He will lift me up on a rock.

27:6 Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me.
I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent.
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.

27:7 Hear, Yahweh, when I cry with my voice.
 Have mercy also on me,
and answer me.

27:8 When you said, “Seek my face,”
my heart said to you,
“I will seek your face, Yahweh.”

27:9 Don’t hide your face from me.
Don’t put your servant away in anger.
You have been my help.
Don’t abandon me, neither forsake me,
God of my salvation.

27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me,
then Yahweh will take me up.

27:11 Teach me your way, Yahweh.
Lead me in a straight path, because of my enemies.

27:12 Don’t deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen up against me,
such as breathe out cruelty.

27:13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living.

27:14 Wait for Yahweh.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage.
Yes, wait for Yahweh.

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Bible Thought - Leviticus 18 & 19 Joy Get Its Hands Dirty

 

Joy Gets Its Hands Dirty

Leviticus 18 & 19 & Mark 12:28-34

Introduction

Leviticus 18 & 19 is where the rubber hits the road. Leviticus moves on to the matter of wholeness of life and personal holiness. God gives to His people, Israel, some laws of how they were to live. Laws for such things as: food & diet, foreign nationals, justice, the poor, sex, social etiquette and tattoos. Sounds very relevant for us today in Boscombe, doesn’t it?

 

Let’s briefly take 2 examples. Firstly, concerning the laws regarding sexual activity. The other nations engaged in all these sexual activities as given in Leviticus 18, often as part of their religious devotion and worship but also as an abusive power. But Israel was not to be like that! Sexual activity was to be between one man and one woman within marriage. Tattoos. Look in Leviticus 19:28. Why are tattoos mentioned? Primarily because the other nations tattooed and cut themselves as signs of their devotion, worship and allegiance to their gods. That was their manner of “outward holiness” as it were. Hence their prohibition for Israel who were to be very different from the surrounding nations.

 

Israel were not to be like these other nations in any way, shape or form. Other cultures were not to be allowed to infiltrate them. Israel was to stand out as God’s light to the other nations. These laws were for Israel and also for all immigrants, foreign nationals and aliens who lived among them (Leviticus 18:26). In our second reading from Mark 12, we see that Jesus said that the whole of the Law, including these in our 2 chapters in Leviticus today, is summarised as “Love God and love all other people”.

From Mark 12, we see that Jesus said that the whole of the Law, including these verses from Leviticus 18-19, is summarised as “Love God and love all other people”.

The Lord said to Moses, 2 ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: “I am the Lord your God. 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. 5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.(Leviticus 18:1-5)

 

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 ‘Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
3 ‘“Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.
4 ‘“Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
5 ‘“When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 6 It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned. 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. 8 Whoever eats it will be held responsible because they have desecrated what is holy to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.
9 ‘“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:1-10)

 

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’
29 ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” 31 The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.’
32 ‘Well said, teacher,’ the man replied. ‘You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:28-34)

 

Repeatedly in this book, God has said “Be holy, for I am holy”. But what is holiness? As we have glimpsed in the last 2 weeks, holiness is what separates God from all His creation. For God alone is holy and full of glory. Remember what Aaron had to do when entering the holy of holies on the day of Atonement? He had to create a wall of smoky incense, so that he wouldn’t glimpse God’s glory and holiness and be struck down dead, like his sons Nadab and Abihu. Holiness is in fact the sum of all God’s attributes. God is holiness and holiness is God.

Holiness is also a moral attribute of God, of His purity, and His freedom from the stain of ALL sin. There is an innate moral goodness about God – an absolute perfection which always seeks creation’s welfare. The goodness of God has several key aspects within His moral attributes. These include the following but they are not an exhaustive listing: Grace, holiness, patience, love, mercy, righteousness and truth. They are part of our God’s moral framework. Have you seen evidence of these in your own life?

 

Let’s keep having a look at our God. God says, for example, in Leviticus 19:2 “I…” That indicates that God is personal. This God is personal and there is an intimacy to be had with a personal God like this. No god of rock or wood like the surrounding polytheistic nations for Israel! Their God is one! God is a God who is personal, and must therefore be capable of having and sustaining relationships. A God who sustains relationships will also want to be known! We know that God is spirit, yet also a personal and infinite being (John 4:24). He is one in substance or nature and incapable of being divided. Even more, as we saw last week, God is love. Love is one of His key attributes. If God was only a single person, then how could love possibly be shown? Love requires more than one Person for Love to be active. If it is not active, then it cannot be love. How can we answer this seeming paradox?

 

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Bible Thought - Leviticus 16 A God of Joy and His people

 

A God of Joy and His people

Introduction

Book of Leviticus

We look again in the book of Leviticus 16. Some of the words and phrases we commonly use come straight from the book of Leviticus. Words such as jubilee and scapegoat are commonly used today. And what husband hasn't offered a form of guilt offering to his wife!Leviticus does have important things to tell us about sin, obedience and holiness. Perhaps most importantly it tells of God dwelling with His people. So today we delve into Leviticus 16, which is the centre and pinnacle of the book.  

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Bible Thought - Leviticus 9-10 Obedient Service of God

 

Obedient Service of God

Introduction

How to read Leviticus today? What is the best way for us in the 21^st century to read these ancient laws of Leviticus? Is it just to simply ignore them or are we to slavishly follow them? Perhaps the best way is to simply let Scripture interpret Scripture and see what the New Testament says about the Leviticus laws.

Take for instance the food laws. We know in the New Testament that all food is now permissible, whereas under the Old Testament, certain foods were not permitted to be eaten. In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter had a dream in which all food was declared clean!It is also wise, not to see them as merely a list of "not do" statements, but also as "do statements".

Rather, we should see them as a love letter from a God who wants to save His people from distress and anxiety in order to give them a life of peace, unity, health and a joyful life in all its fullness.All these laws were to lead ancient Israel to be a holy nation. Holiness was about being set apart for a purpose and making wise, conscious decisions about what was right or wrong. It involved being obedient to God and keeping His decrees and regulations.

Being holy, involved having a lifestyle, which was contrary to the cultures surrounding them. To be holy was a lifestyle choice of worship, to reflect their holy God.They were called to be loyal! Called to be distinct! Called to worship! What has all this got to do with us? Where does the Day of Atonement and these laws fit into the life of a Christian in the 21^st century? We will take a look in the third part in al little while!

Outline:

Introduction

1. Great joy Leviticus 9:22-24
2. Great tragedy Leviticus 10:1-11
3. A God of Judgement
4. A God of Wrath
5. So what’s all this got to do with us today?
6. New Covenant?
7. Called to service
8. Judged for our service

Conclusion

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Bible Reading- Psalm 129

Psalm 129

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

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From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me.
Let all Israel repeat this:
From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me,
but they have never defeated me.
My back is covered with cuts, as if a farmer had plowed long furrows.
But the Lord is good; he has cut me free from the ropes of the ungodly.
May all who hate Jerusalem be turned back in shameful defeat.
May they be as useless as grass on a rooftop,
turning yellow when only half grown,
ignored by the harvester, despised by the binder.
And may those who pass by refuse to give them this blessing:
"The Lord bless you; we bless you in the Lord's name."

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Bible Reading - Psalm 148

Psalm 148

¹ Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise him from the skies!

² Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven!

³ Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars!

⁴ Praise him, skies above! Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!

⁵ Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being.

⁶ He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths,

⁸ fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him,

⁹ mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,

¹⁰ wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds,

¹¹ kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth,

¹² young men and young women, old men and children.

¹³ Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven!

¹⁴ He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones- the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord!

 

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