I heard a story about a train traveling through the night in a very violent rainstorm. The lightning flashes were almost blinding, the rain hitting the windows was deafening and the strong gust winds rocked the train from side to side. When the lightening flashed and lighted up the darkness, the passengers could see the rising water along the tracks. This created terror in the minds of the passengers. Several passengers noted that through all the noise, lightening and wind, one of the passengers, a little girl, seemed to be at perfect peace. The adult passengers couldn’t figure out why the little girl was so calm during all this excitement. Finally, one passenger asked her, “How is that you can be so calm when all the rest of us are so worried about what might or could happen?” The little passenger smiled and said, “My father is the engineer.”...
Hebrews 8: 6-12
Hebrews 8:6 & 12:24 “Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant”
Covenant: “a binding agreement between two or more parties expressly for the performance of some action.”
A covenant cannot be held by just one person
V. 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
A covenant between two…. Like when you go down to the bank….
Notice who broke their end of the agreement?
God cannot fail. Psalms 18: 30 “As for God, His way is perfect.”
Psalms 145:17 “The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works.”
The Church sign said: Are you feeling away from God? Who moved?
God is right where you left Him.
In a covenant relationship it takes both sides living up to their end of the bargain!
In a covenant relationship with God, I want to tell you, If you will do your part, He will do His part. Amen
First of all, I want to look at some of the covenants found in the Scripture.
Turn to Genesis 6 :18-22 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
We find a covenant between God and a man named Noah
Noah did his part and God did His.
Over to Genesis 9: 8-17 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
Here we find a covenant between God and not only Noah, but also the earth and every living creature upon the earth.
Still to this day after a good rain, and the sun starts to break thru, and often times if you look, you’ll see the evidence of this covenant .
There isn’t a time when I see a rainbow I don’t think of God and His goodness to us. How many knows what I’m talking about?
Genesis 17:1-5 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect#. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many# nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham#; for a father of many nations have I made thee. #
God’s covenant with Abraham. 99 years old God cuts a deal with Abraham.
His wife was well aged as well. Well passed child bearing years…
And to this day, the Jewish people talk about father Abraham. Why? Because it’s that covenant between God and Abraham, that the reason they even exist.
But, as you read on thou out the Old Testament, we find that God had made many covenants with the Hebrew people. But it seemed like God would do miraculous, free them from slavery or help win the battle. Then they would turned right around and forget God.
God said go in and get the land. And they wandered around in the desert for 40 years. Why? They had lost faith in a God that cannot fail.
They did not keep their end of the covenant. That’s why they went through all the things they went through.
It wasn’t that God wasn’t there, He was there all the time. But the people had left God.
All this in the Old Testament. Someone may ask the question: What’s all that have to do with us today?
I’m you asked!! Turn back Hebrews ch. 8
V. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
How many knows that God can take something old and make it new?
How many realize that we can take the wisdom and consequences of the Old Testament house of Israel and apply them New Testament Church of God?
V. 9-10 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put# my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Here, now, we have a new covenant between God and Believers in Him. Amen
Some may be wondering what the terms of this new covenant are.
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
This is the covenant:
18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
If you haven’t come into a covenant relationship with God, you can today.
Confess your sins, ask for forgiveness and that Jesus would wash you clean, accept His gift of Salvation, then honor the Lord by living the rest of your life for Him.
God’s already done his part, are you willing to do your part?
PRAYER
