Living Out Sonship Under the New Covenant
Imagine… story of living in a broken down home driving a broken down car – offered luxury and you turn it down… it’s too good to be true
Why would anyone go with the old when there’s something new available?
This is how so many believers are living in the Kingdom of God.
There is a completely NEW arrangement that God has made that is so beyond belief and people reject it because they…”I don’t know… I just don’t feel worthy…”
There is such a BIG difference between the old and the new…. they are not anything alike.
Hebrews 8:13
“When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.”
The old one is out of date and obsolete and has been put aside forever.
The way God dealt with people is completely done, gone forever, and a NEW way is available.
The only reason someone is still living in the old is because they don’t understand the new or they don’t believe.
Because the only thing you have to do to receive the new is to understand and believe it.
If this… then that… Thou shalt, thou shalt not…. – OLD COVENANT
There’s whole belief systems and prophecies built on the old covenant – based on how bad you are… God’s about to judge you! OLD COVENANT!
Hebrews 8:7-8 (the old agreement didn’t even work!)
“For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. For finding fault with them, He says, ‘Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will effect a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the House of Judah…”
In other words… EVERYONE (House of Israel and Judah) Romans 11:17 – we were grafted into Jesus
God’s the one who found fault with the law…
What was the fault? US – We couldn’t keep the law
So God sent Jesus to fulfill the law
God’s old covenant was with man.
God’s NEW COVENANT is with Jesus – so we can’t screw it up!
We’re grafted into Jesus as believers and this NEW COVENANT is ours
ONE LINERS BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE NEW:
John 1:17
“For the law was given through Moses; Grace and truth were given through Jesus Christ”
The law was given through a servant – Grace and truth were given through a Son
The law talks about how man ought to be… Grace revealed Who God IS
The first miracle of Moses, he turned water into blood – representing death
The first miracle of Grace, Jesus turned water into wine – representing a life of celebration
The letter of the law kills…. the spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:16)
Under the law, God demands righteousness from a sinfully bankrupt man – Under Grace, God provides righteousness as a gift
The law requires, Grace enables
The Law says… I will by no means clear the guilty but will visit their sins to the 3rd and 4th generation (Deut., Exodus, Psalms)
Grace says… I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins a lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 8:12)
If you trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior – YOU ARE UNDER THE NEW COVENANT
2 Laws under the New Covenant:
Law of Faith – Romans 3:27 (I believe You are who You said You are)
Law of Love – Matthew 22:35-40
Anyone who’s preaching or teaching that there’s Grace but you better be on your best behavior is teaching the New Old Covenant – a Mixture
Paul warned about mixture…
Galatians 1:6
“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, let him be damned…”
What was the gospel Paul was referring to? That Jesus wasn’t enough….
That you’d better be on your best behavior… – It’s Mixture…
When you’re experiencing the grace of God…. You’ll be on better behavior than you could in your own strength… You’ll do better on accident than you ever could trying to do it in your own efforts!!!
The woman caught in adultery received grace and THEN He told her to go sin no more…
We have to receive GRACE before we can clean ourselves up – in FACT, it’s the GRACE that cleans us!!!
The old is based on man’s performance…. the NEW is based on Jesus’ performance
There’s still people believing today: If I obey God, God will bless me. If I disobey God, God will curse me
That’s MIXTURE
The law is man-centered: what man must do
Grace is Jesus centered: it’s about what He’s already DONE
The law focuses on what you must accomplish – Grace focuses on what Jesus accomplished
Under the law, you are disqualified by disobedience – Under grace you are qualified by Jesus’ obedience
Under the law, you are made righteous when you do right – Under grace you are made righteous when you believe right
Under the law, even the best failed – Under grace, even the worst are saved
Abraham, Moses, David – couldn’t hold the law – all of them failed
When you begin to think about what YOU must do to get God’s attention or for Him to bless you – you are under the law and under deception
When you think you have to do something – you’re under self-righteousness
Self-righteousness: I’m my own savior
Galatians 5:4
“You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. “It’s as if the Cross is of no effect to you… (KJV)
Most of Paul’s letters were written about self-righteousness
In the Old Testament – touching a leper would make you unclean
In the New Testament – Jesus touched a leper and they became healed and whole and clean again
Under the law, sin is contagious – under grace, healing and goodness are contagious
Read Hebrews 8:7-12
8:12 – The thing that holds it all together
SIN IS NOT A PROBLEM UNDER THE NEW COVENANT — BOMBSHELL!!!!
Story of how I grew up under old covenant thinking…. sin conscious every week
Hebrews 8:12
“no more” – original Greek – strong negative: meaning NEVER AGAIN – STRONG, HARD NO
For God to remember your sins, He’d have to forget what Jesus did
SIN IS NOT A PROBLEM UNDER THE NEW COVENANT – SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS – SIN HAS BEEN DEALT WITH
NOT ADVOCATING SIN – BUT… you become what you focus on
Prompted Questions———-
God has reconciled the entire world unto Himself – Does that mean everyone’s saved? No. We’re saved BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH
If sin stopped people from receiving from God – There’s a serious problem with the earthly ministry of Jesus – Everyone who was healed, who received, was a sinner
SIN IS NOT A PROBLEM UNDER THE NEW COVENANT – SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THE PROBLEM
Sinners, who knew they were sinners, received Jesus and His grace faster and more abundantly than those who were self-righteous
LAST PICTURE:
The law says… I will carry my end and I will bless you if you carry your end. If you don’t carry your end, I will curse you
GRACE says… I will carry my end and then come and carry your end and treat you as if you carried your end yourself
God IS Love (1 John 4) – for Him to stop loving you, He’d have to cease to exist – the whole universe would unravel
God remembers your sin no more because He remembered them in Jesus.
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