Stay The Course Sermon Iv: Our Marriage Covenant With Christ Series

OUR MARRIAGE COVENANT WITH GOD IN CHRIST PRESUPPOSES STAYING THE COURSE

Before God and the company gathered for celebration of a marriage, the bride and groom affirm their commitment to forsake all others and devote themselves to each other for life. Thus, they enter into an unconditional agreement. An old-time tradition associated with marriages was stated in the form of a poem: "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" - said to represent continuity . . . hope . . . honor . . . purity.

Think of our personal relationship with God through Christ as a marriage covenant- marked by continuity--- hold onto old principles taught in the Old Testament . . . hope - take hold of that new hope in Christ presented in the New Testament . . . honor - hold dear to our hearts those saints whose pattern of behavior we have borrowed . . . purity -- hold in high regard Christian qualities that make for a sacred relationship, pure and undefiled . . .

During the reign of Israel's King Asa, when times were uncertain, God's people entered into a covenant with the LORD to seek a close relationship with Him so as to live life as an act of worship - in much the same way that two people who love each other seek to honor God by being true to their marriage vows.

From this segment of our study about Asa's spiritual reforms, we learn/our characteristics of a covenant with God and we discern that such celebrations by God's people before Christ were predictive of that new celebration to be instituted by Christ.

To better understand the context of the making of this covenant --- recall: the great victory granted to Judah after Asa reformed the nation's spiritual life . . . the stern lecture given to Asa upon his return from battle . . . the ominous warning to forget not the source of Judah's blessings . . . the wise advice to go on seeking the Lord.

As Judah's spiritual as well as sovereign leader, Asa listened to what he was told by the prophet . . . Rather than rest on his laurels, Asa continued his reforms, calling on the people to assemble for a unique worship experience - 2 Chronicles 15:10-19 . . .

Authentic worship consisted of two main elements: recognition of God's sovereignty and response to God's Word. For this purpose, three annual feasts were held, and all Jews were expected to participate via a pilgrimage to the Holy Place.

Mention of "the third month" tells us that the feast to which Asa summoned them was the Feast of Weeks - to honor God as the source of the harvest planted seven weeks earlier.

To recognize the LORD God Almighty, animals were sacrificed in large numbers to show how great God is and how grateful the people are. A great God is offered a great sacrifice!

To respond to the LORD's greatness and goodness, the people entered into a covenant in which they promised to be God's and to do God's will. To refuse to pledge one's loyalty to the LORD God Almighty was to reject Him and separate oneself from His presence - spiritual death.

To recognize the LORD as the one and only God and to respond in the affirmative to Him is to rejoice and reap God's reward of restoration which brings peace.

FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF A VALID COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND HIS PEOPLE:

(1) 'They gathered themselves together".

Coming together voluntarily, willingly, expectantly is vital to the making of any covenant if it is to be considered true and one that will last a lifetime. The covenant between Judah and the Lord was personal - an individual matter.

The covenant we entered into with Christ is personal and will endure due to its validity (heart was in it) . . . because we did so willingly (not coerced) . . . we took it seriously (with eyes wide open).

(2) "He was found by them, so the Lord gave them rest on every side."

Peace was Judah's great reward for seeking God with all their heart. Finding Him was easy once they made up their minds to do so. After all, God was not hiding as if playing a game. He was (is) there all the time, not hard to find unless the seekers are spiritually blind!

To seek the Lord daily without delay is to rest assured that God is with us - and will be with us all the way.

Our covenant with Christ gives us peace - provided our minds are focused on that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable (Philippians 4:8).

It's not that the power of positive thinking persuades God to grant anything to us but that our focus on those things that are excellent and praiseworthy brings honor and glory to God who grants us peace because we have kept our promise to be like Christ - to live a Godly life in an ungodly world.