Hebrews 6:4-6 explained

Hebrews 6:4-6

by Paul Ellis

One of the benefits of believing the gospel of grace is that it completely changes the way you read the Bible. You realize that God is not in the bait and switch business of drawing you in with love only to hammer you with law – He is love all the way through. When you see this you will no longer get frightened when you read a passage like Hebrews 10:26  or this one:

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. (Heb 6:4-6)

If you wear the lenses of performance-based Christianity, this could be a scary scripture, for it sounds like your salvation hinges on your behavior. Do good, get good, but fall away and you’re lost forever. If that’s how this scripture appears to you, change your glasses! What you look through determines what you see. So read this scripture through the lens of Jesus and His finished work.

So who and what is this passage describing?

Some say that this scripture is referring to Christians – those who have become sharers or partakers in the Holy Spirit. If so, then the argument being made is deliberately nonsensical. If they fall away it is impossible for them to get saved again because Jesus would have to come and die again. Since Jesus isn’t going to die again, then it’s impossible for them to fall away. Instead of being a threat to your eternal salvation, this verse actually supports it. But I know not everyone will agree.

How many times can you be born again?

I have heard one reputable teacher say that if you are saved through an act of your free will, then you can get unsaved through an act of your free will. I guess the conclusion follows the premise but how true is the premise? Were you born into this world through an act of your free will? No, you had absolutely no say in the matter. So what about your spiritual birth?

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (Joh 1:12-13).

To be born again literally means to be born “from above” or, as John puts it, “born of God.” It is 100% a work of the Spirit. You may think that you came to God of your own free will, but reflect for a moment on what actually happened. Who was it that planted and watered the seed of the gospel? (Not you.) Who was it that made the seed grow? (Not you.) Who was it that lifted the veil so that you could see things as they really are? (Not you.) Do you see? You would never have called on the name of the Lord if He had not first called on you.

I don’t mean to get all zen on you, but here’s my point: When you were dead in the trespasses and uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with Christ (Col 2:13). You were dead; now you are alive – all this is because of Him.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, (2 Cor 5:17-18a)

The important thing is not how you got saved, but that you are saved. When you received the gift of salvation, you became a new creation. If you were to fall away, it would be impossible for you to be born again because you have already been born again. It would be like an adult trying to return to the womb and re-enter the world through the birth canal. Just as it can’t happen in the natural, it can’t happen in the spiritual. Once you’re born you’re born! To claim that you can lose your salvation – that you can undo what God has done – is like saying that God makes mistakes. And He doesn’t.

You may act like an old creation just as a butterfly may act like a caterpillar. But when you do, you are acting contrary to you true identity. We used to say that Christians who fell into sin were back-sliders. But a more accurate description is that they are hypocrites. They are acting contrary to their true identity in Christ.

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Heb 12:14)

“Be holy” is not an instruction for improving performance; it’s an admonition to be who you truly are. Be holy, because you are, in fact, holy. “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus once for all” (Heb 10:10).

Eat the bread of life, don’t just taste it

Others say that this scripture (Heb 6:4-6 remember?) is referring to unbelievers. It is describing those who have tasted but not eaten the heavenly gift. They have seen the light but preferred the darkness. They may have received the gospel with joy but the seed never took root and grew. When trouble came they fell away. To my mind this is a perfect description of Judas.

Along with the other disciples Judas was involved in a supernatural ministry that saw him casting out demons and healing the sick (Mk 6:13). He may have even prophesied in Jesus’ name. Judas tasted the goodness of the word of God but ultimately he rejected it. When he walked out of the first communion he walked out on Jesus. He was basically saying, “No, your blood and your body are not good enough for me.” Judas preferred a DIY religion to the grace of God.

Hebrews 6:4-6 says that it is impossible for people like Judas to be brought back to the place of repentance. Why? Because they have heard the truth and rejected it. They have followed the way of Cain, held to the teaching of Balaam, and are in danger of ending up like Korah. Those who have never heard the good news of God’s grace may yet receive it. But those who have heard and hardened their hearts toward it, are well and truly lost.

A hard heart is a deadly thing. It will keep you from repenting, it will keep you restless and in bondage to works:

So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert.” (Heb 3:7-8)

Judas heard the voice of the Living Word but hardened his heart. He became restless to the point of suicide. He never came to the place of repentance. He never entered that rest which comes only through faith in Christ.

Righteous rain

In Hebrews 5 and 6 we learn that Jesus has been designated by God as a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. To a Hebrew reader raised on the covenant of law, this would have been an astonishing announcement: “Jesus, the eternal high priest, will forever mediate a new and superior covenant of grace underwritten by the unshakeable oath of God.” There are only two possible responses to such an announcement:

Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (Heb 6:7-8)

We can either receive the blessing of God that comes down from heaven like rain and, by so doing, become fruitful and useful, or we can reject what God offers us and be worthless and in danger of being cursed. The righteousness that God gives comes to us is like rain:

You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the Lord, have created it. (Isa 45:8)

God sends His rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. All we can do is respond. We can either put up umbrellas of religious works and say, like Judas, “No thanks, I don’t need it.” Or we can say, “Rain on this filthy sinner and make me clean.” The bad news of the old covenant is that no one will be declared righteous by observing the law (Rom 3:20). The good news of the new is that the righteousness gifted by God comes through faith in Jesus to all who believe (Rom 3:21).
___

Three Covenants

Three Covenants

by Andre van der Merwe 

There are many covenants in the Bible, but here we will only focus on three, the first two being covenants which God had made with man and the third one which was made within the Trinity itself. If we comprehend these three covenants it will make the Bible much clearer and simpler to understand. Firstly however we must understand the difference between a covenant and a promise:

When God makes a promise, we have to put our faith in that promise for it to come to pass:

...but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Heb 6:12 NKJV, emphasis added) ...who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. (Heb 11:33 NKJV, emphasis added)

However, when God makes a covenant it will come to pass, whether we believe it or not. God can not lie and when He takes an oath, He always does what He says. Let’s look at those three covenants:

First Covenant

God appears to Abraham and makes a covenant to be Abraham’s God and to multiply and bless him.

Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. (Gen 17:3-7 NKJV)

There were no strings attached. Abraham also didn’t do anything to deserve any of this; he didn’t keep any laws or live unusually holy. As a matter of fact, some theological scholars believe Abraham was an Iraqi who worshipped pagan Gods! He disobeyed God by sleeping with his wife’s servant (Hagar) and through this single act of disobedience gave birth to Ishmael, who became the father of all the Arab nations as we know them today. His wife Sarah later gave birth to Isaac, the son who was born according to the promise and who became the father of the Israelites. And we know that up to this day there exists a continuous conflict between these nations.

Abraham also lied twice about his wife Sarah (once to the Pharaoh in Genesis 12 and once to Abimelech the king of Gerar, in Genesis 20) and alleged that she was his sister. Abraham was afraid that they would kill him due to the fact that she was a very beautiful woman.

Now even though Abraham was clearly in the wrong here, God didn’t rebuke him for it but instead rebuked the pharaoh!

But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. (Gen 12:17 NKJV)

And later again God rebuked the king of Gerar and not Abraham: But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, "Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife". (Gen 20:3 NKJV)

Who was in the wrong here? Abraham! Who did God rebuke? The king! This was because God had established a covenant with Abraham and neither with the pharaoh nor the king. And because God always keeps His part of the bargain, Abraham was favored by God because of this covenant.

We just saw that Abraham had lied about his wife, but because of God’s blessing on his life he came out of Egypt (and later also out of Gerar) laden with slaves and cattle and wealth! Now by this we are not saying that people should go out and lie to other people and deceive them in order for God to bless them! We are by no means endorsing immoral living, but this just serves to illustrate that God blessed Abraham regardless of his level of obedience. God blessed Abraham even though he lied!

There was no moral standard to live up to, since the Law of Moses which included the 10 Commandments was only introduced 430 years later, which brings us to the second covenant.

Second Covenant

This is described in the Bible as the “Old Covenant”, where God gave the law and the 10 Commandments to Moses.

Israel had kept on murmuring and complaining ever since God had led them out of Egypt with mighty signs and wonders. They also didn’t want to have a personal relationship with God, but instead always asked Moses to speak to God on their behalf. They were uncomfortable with having to “deal” with God personally and preferred to remain at a distance. Despite of all the goodness that God had shown them they always kept on murmuring and complaining, even saying that God and Moses wanted to kill them!

And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. (Ex 16:3 NKJV)

The tragedy of this is that in Exodus 15 (the previous chapter) Israel had just sung a song about the goodness of God and about how He had delivered them from the Egyptians when the waters of the Red Sea closed over them. And here in the very next chapter they accuse Him of wanting to kill them!

This happened again and again, time after time. Eventually, because Israel refused to believe that God was on their side, He gave them the law and all the other commandments to keep, something that didn’t require any faith from their side (faith in God’s goodness):

Then he [Moses] took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they [Israel] said, “All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.” And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words”. (Ex 24:7-8 NKJV, annotations added)

The Sin of Unbelief

In Galatians 3 we read more about why the law was given to Israel: What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made. (Gal 3:19 NKJV)

Israel’s transgression was their persistent unbelief in the goodness of God. They blindly refused to acknowledge that God wanted to bless them, love them, care for them and be their God. So the law was given unto them, but only for a certain period. God already had a master plan to restore mankind back into unbroken fellowship with Himself and He knew that the Old Law Covenant would only be in power until the Seed should come. This Seed, of course, was Jesus Christ.

For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He [God] angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He [God] swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (Heb 3:16-19 NKJV, annotations added)

Note in the previous verses it talks about “those who sinned” and “they could not enter because of unbelief” (still talking about the same people, namely Israel). 17

Israel should never have agreed to living under the law! God would have accepted and loved them regardless of how holy (or unholy) they lived, because they were Abraham’s descendants and we just read about God’s amazing covenant with Abraham. God declared Abraham to be righteous simply because he believed God: And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and He [the Lord] accounted it to him for righteousness. (Gen 15:6 NKJV, annotations added)

But instead, Israel in their pride said: "All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient." (Exo 24:7b ESV)

Cursed is he who does not rise to all the Words of this Law, to do them! And all the people shall say, Amen! (Deut 27:26 LITV)

They agreed to something they would never be able to do! This must rank right up there with the Garden of Eden in the list of all time dumb things said or done. Even God said about them: And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! (Ex 32:9 NKJV)

God never originally meant for us to try to relate to Him in this way. Just after God’s commands were written on stone and He set the choice of curse (for disobedience) or blessing (for obedience) before Israel, He said the following to Moses: And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. (Deut 31:16 NKJV)

Does this look like God’s best plan for mankind? If even God Himself said that He knew Israel would break the Old Covenant Law, does it really seem logical that He would still want people to base their relationship with Him on the basis of how well they are able to obey a set of rules?

The Characteristics of a Covenant

One of the characteristics of a covenant is that it cannot be withdrawn from by either of the parties that made it, since a covenant is a life-long contract or agreement. For a covenant to end, either one of the parties that entered into it literally has to die. Since Israel was never able to fully keep up their side of the covenant and remain 100% obedient to all its stipulations, they were in breach of its requirements which meant that God had to keep up His side of the covenant and punish them for their disobedience.

All the horrible curses that would strike Israel for disobedience can be found in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. If God hadn’t punished them for their sins, He would have been in breach of His side of the covenant, thereby making Him a liar and of course we know that God can not lie.

There was also another problem: Since God has an indestructible life, He could not bring an end to this covenant by dying Himself. He therefore had His Spirit conceive a child through a human woman and the man Jesus Christ was born into this world. Jesus Christ lived a 100% perfectly obedient life, thereby fulfilling all the requirements of the Old Covenant Law, which brings us to the third Covenant:

Third Covenant

This is the most amazing New Covenant under which we now live! This covenant was cut within the Trinity with no human influence or intervention, but purely out of God’s heart of love towards us.

God took away the laws He gave to Moses, canceling the written code that stood opposed to us:

...having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Col 2:14 NKJV)

He made Jew, Greek and Gentile equal - God’s church has now become spiritual Israel. 18

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly... (Rom 2:28-29a NKJV)

God’s relationship with Israel before the introduction of the Old Covenant was a type and shadow of what He wants to have with the whole world today.

...that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Cor 5:19 NKJV, emphasis added)

It is required that when making a covenant it has to be sealed with blood. God had also confirmed His covenant with Abraham with blood (Genesis 15:9-18) and had Israel do the same: Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. (Heb 9:18-22 NKJV, emphasis added)

In the Old Covenant Israel slaughtered animals to appease the wrath of God. In essence they were only postponing the punishment for their sins for another year, because the blood of animals could never fully serve as payment for the sins of mankind: For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. (Heb 10:4 NKJV)

So God sent His only Son, allowed Him to be crucified by the very people He came to save and accepted His blood as the full, perfect and complete payment for all the past, present and future sins of all mankind. The Father then entered into a New Covenant with His Son Jesus, stipulating that the righteousness and all the blessings that Jesus had earned through His perfect obedience were to be given as a free gift to mankind on one condition: They had to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Every person that accepted Jesus’ sacrifice as a full and complete payment for their sins would be imputed with the perfect righteousness of God Himself: I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. (Isa 61:10a NKJV)

God would also wipe out their sinfulness through the perfect offering of the cross, imparting His perfection unto all who believe in Him:

For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Heb 10:14 KJV)

Many people call this the “divine exchange” - our sinfulness was laid on Jesus and His righteousness was given to us as a free gift. Actually He was MADE to BE sin. Righteousness therefore wasn’t just given to us: we BECAME righteousness!

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor 5:21 NKJV)

In fact the Bible is so full of references to the reality that the Old Covenant has passed away and that it has been replaced by the New Covenant, that it is very hard to miss it! The following verses clearly tell us that the Old Covenant (referring to the Law of Moses), which was only a type and a shadow of the New Covenant, has passed away: For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah [remember how we spoke a little earlier about all believers being “Jews”?] - 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 did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts [this means God will give us the desire to please Him and have fellowship with Him, to seek His heart for us]; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. [This means gone are the days where we need a priest or someone else to constantly tell us about God, now we can know Him personally and intimately!] For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” [Do you really need any more proof that God won’t ever punish you again?] In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. (Heb 8:7-13 NKJV, annotations and emphasis added)

Beneficiaries of Two Covenants!

Now, when a person becomes born again through simply putting their faith in Jesus, they are grafted into “spiritual Israel” and God plants His own Seed inside them: For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:26-29 NKJV)

Here is verse 29 again, read it slowly: And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

We not only become partakers of the New Covenant, inheriting all its wonderful benefits, but through our faith in Jesus we also become heirs of the promises that God made to Abraham! Talk about a double portion, shabba! Here are some more verses: ...just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. (Gal 3:6- 9 NKJV)

You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Acts 3:25 NKJV)

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Gal 3:13-14 NKJV)

God will never again refrain from doing good to us and even when He chastens us (Hebrews 12) it is an affectionate reproach from His heart of love.

Old Testament Prophesies

Some of the Old Testament prophets were given visions of the New Covenant and they painted an amazingly clear picture of the unconditional love of God towards His children; of a God that has chosen to blot out their sins and relate to them on the basis of the perfect obedience of His Son, Jesus Christ: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. (Jer 32:40 NKJV)

And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the LORD ...when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord GOD’”. (Eze 16:62-63b NKJV)

The blood of Jesus was the atonement: For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matt 26:28 NKJV)

Probably the most well known prophesy that an Old Testament prophet made about the coming New Covenant is found in Isaiah 54: 20 “For a mere moment I have forsaken you [when people were still under the law], But with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment [God had to serve punishment for man’s disobedience to the Old Law Covenant]; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” Says the LORD, your Redeemer. [What part of “everlasting kindness” is so hard to understand?] “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you [There goes a whole heap of “angry God” theories and doctrines right out the door]. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you. (Isaiah 54:7-10 NKJV, annotations added)

Under which covenant will we choose to live?

The Blessed Man Versus The Cursed Man

Sermon@TCC, Tablon, P5,CDO

Jeremiah 17:5-8 

 5Nag-ingon ang GINOO, “Silotan ko ang tawo nga motalikod kanako ug mosalig hinuon sa mga tawo ug sa kusog sa tawo. 6 Sama siya sa usa ka sampinit sa diserto nga nagtubo sa ugang yuta, o sa yuta nga parat diin walay laing tanom nga moturok; wala gayoy maayo nga maangkon niya.

7 “Apan panalanginan ko ang tawo nga mosalig kanako. 8 Mahisama siya sa kahoy duol sa tubig; mokuyanap ang mga gamot niini ngadto sa sapa. Dili siya mabalaka kon ting-init na kay dili malawos ang iyang mga dahon. Kon dili moulan dili gihapon siya mabalaka ug magsigi siyag pamunga.

5Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

6For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

7Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

8For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

The Cursed Man:

5Thus saith the LORD[Yĕhovah]; Cursed be the man [geber]  that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart [leb – lav] departeth [cuwr] from the LORD.

The Causes:

1.    Self-confidence- self-effort – ability, intellegince

“that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm”

-ability, intellegince

I can make life without God

2.    Self-righteousness – thinks he can earn God’s favor by his good deeds

“whose heart departeth from the LORD.”

God rewards me because of what I have done to Him (prayer, alms, charity, piety, etc)

Man [geber - gheh'·ver] man, strong man, warrior (emphasising strength or ability to fight)

            Heart [leb – lav] inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding

a) inner part, midst

1) midst (of things)

2) heart (of man)

3) soul, heart (of man)

4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory

5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will)

6) conscience

7) heart (of moral character)

8) as seat of appetites

9) as seat of emotions and passions

10) as seat of courage

            Depart [cuwr – sur] to turn aside, depart

a) (Qal)

1) to turn aside, turn in unto

2) to depart, depart from way, avoid

3) to be removed

4) to come to an end

Results:

6For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

1.    Lifeless: no true joy

“like the heath in the desert”

2.    Dissatisfaction – unappreciative

“shall not see when good cometh”

Good comes but he can’t see it!

This means that man’s effort can produce good (e.t. profit, gain, wealth) but he can never be satisfied with it.

He keeps blaming others

He is pessimistic

3.    Hopelessness and unfriendly

“in a salt land and not inhabited.”

The blessed Man:

7Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

The Reason of his blessedness:

1.    His trust is in God

He believes that everything comes from God

2.    His hope is in God

-Hope means a joyful and confident expectation of good

-It is Christ righteousness that makes him rightful to receive God’s favor and blessings!

  

Results:

8For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

1.    He is lively and vibrant – full of life

“he shall be as a tree planted by the waters”

2.    He is secured

“spreadeth out her roots by the river”

3.    He is hopeful

“shall not see when heat cometh”

this means that the blessed person may have experience drought (financial constraint, problem, sickness, etc.) but he is not affected by it!

4.    Remains fruitful

“neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”

He is going to be fruitful!

He is going to influence others!

He is going to rule in life!


UNSTOPPABLE!

WHAT MAKES A PERSON BLESSED

Jeremiah 17:7

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

Romans 4:7-8

7 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

         In the passages above, we can have a conclusion that a person that is blessed before God is he who puts his trust and hope in God alone. This means that all his sins are no longer counted by God against him.

Conclusion:

Roma 8:31

31 Karon, unsa may atong ikasulti mahitungod niini? Kon dapig kanato ang Dios, kinsay makigbatok kanato?

         Why fear or worry when we know that our God is always on our side?

32 Kon wala magdumili ang Dios sa pagtugyan sa iyang Anak ngadto sa kamatayon alang kanatong tanan, dili ba hatagan usab kita niya sa tanang butang nga atong pangayoon kaniya?

         Why doubting God to provide our material needs when He already gave up His best for us – the life of His dear Son.

33 Kinsay mangahas sa pagsumbong sa mga piniling katawhan sa Dios? Ang Dios mismo nag-ila kanila nga walay sala.

         Ang Dios mismo nag-ila kanimo nga walay sala!

         Why always think of your sin, when you are made righteous before God!

34 May makahukom ba kanila nga sila sad-an? Wala! Si Cristo Jesus mao ang nagpakamatay ug gibanhaw ug atua siya sa tuo sa Dios ug nangaliyupo alang kanato!

         Don’t let anybody to put you down!

Don’t let anybody to disqualify you!

Don’t allow anybody to condemn you!

We have an advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us! Huh…

35 Busa, kinsay makapahimulag kanato gikan sa gugma ni Cristo? Ang kasakit ba, ang kalisdanan, ang mga paglutos, ang gutom, ang kakabos, ang katalagman, o ang kamatayon? 36 Sumala sa giingon sa Kasulatan, “Tungod kanimo, namiligro kami sa tanang panahon; nahisama kami sa ihawonon nga mga karnero.”

37 Dili! Hinuon, taliwala niining tanan, may hingpit kitang kadaogan pinaagi kaniya nga nahigugma kanato! 38 Kay nakasiguro ako nga walay bisan unsa nga makapahimulag kanato gikan sa iyang gugma: bisan ang kamatayon o kinabuhi, o mga anghel, o ang mga langitnong pamunoan o mga gahom, o ang mga butang karon ug sa umaabot nga kapanahonan, 39 bisan ang kalibotan sa itaas o sa ilalom–wala gayoy bisan unsa sa mga binuhat nga makapahimulag kanato gikan sa gugma sa Dios nga naato pinaagi kang Cristo Jesus nga atong Ginoo.

Who can separate us from the love of God. This means that no any thing, evil or anything that can stop God from loving me.

OUR PART IN THE NEW COVENANT OF GRACE

SERMON@TCC, Tablon, CDO

March 11, 2012

THE TERMS OF THE NEW COVENANT

Hebrews 8:10-13

10Mao kini ang kasabotan nga himoon ko tali sa katawhan sa Israel

human niadtong mga adlawa, nag-ingon ang Ginoo. Ibutang ko ang akong mga balaod diha sa ilang mga hunahuna, ug isulat ko kini sa ilang mga kasingkasing. Mahimo ako nga ilang Dios ug mahimo sila nga akong katawhan. 11 Ug dili kinahanglan nga magtudlo pa sila sa ilang isigkalumulupyo O magsulti sa ilang isigkalungsoranon, ‘Ilha ang Ginoo!’ Kay makaila silang tanan kanako, gikan sa labing ubos hangtod sa labing halangdon kanila. 12 Pasayloon ko sila sa ilang mga kalapasan

ug dili ko na hinumdoman ang ilang mga sala.”

"For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

"None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds [fn] I will remember no more."

What are the laws that God will put in you?

·      John 13:34 – it is the royal law of love

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

·      Romans 3:27 – It is the royal law of faith

Where [is] boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.

Karon, unsa na may angay tang ipanghambog? Wala! Ngano man? Tungod ba kay ang tawo nagtuman sa Balaod? Dili, kondili tungod sa iyang pagtuo.

What is our part in the New Covenant of Grace?

·      It is simply to BELIEVE!

What should we believe?

·      We are to believe in Jesus!

 What it means to believe in Jesus?

·      To believe and receive Him as your personal Lord and Savior who died on the cross for all your sins.

·      To believe that Jesus is the only way to salvation and that once you receive Him, you receive the gift of eternal life.

·      To believe beyond the shadow of doubt that all your sins—past, present and future—were all punished on the cross and today all your sins and lawless deeds He remembers NO MORE!

“…I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE?

·      If you don’t believe this, it will be impossible for you to depend on and expect God to protect, provide and prosper you.

·      If you don’t believe this, it will rob you of the ability to receive His goodness, His blessings, His unmerited favor and His success in your life.

THE POWER OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS

        

·      Jesus is the Son of God and His blood is untainted by any sin. That is why the shedding of His pure and innocent blood is able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

·      His blood does not cover sins temporarily like the blood of bulls and goats in the old covenant.

·      His blood blots out and completely erases all our sins!

YOUR FORGIVENESS IS BASED ON HIS PERFECT SACRIFICE

You are forgiven not according to the riches of your good works, but according to the riches of God’s grace (unmerited favor).

         ALL YOUR SINS—PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE—HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN!

  

Colossians 2:13

Kaniadto patay kamo sa espiritu tungod sa inyong mga sala ug tungod kay dili man kamo mga Judio busa wala mahisakop sa Balaod. Apan karon gibanhaw na kamo sa Dios uban ni Cristo! Gipasaylo na kita sa Dios sa tanan tang mga sala.

 Hebrews 7:27

Lahi siya sa ubang mga pangulong pari kay dili man siya kinahanglan nga maghimog mga halad sa tanang adlaw, una alang sa iyang kaugalingong mga sala ug unya sa mga sala sa katawhan. Gihimo niya ang iyang halad sa makausa lamang ug alang sa tanang panahon sa dihang gihalad niya ang iyang kaugalingon!

WHY A REVELATION OF YOUR FORGIVENESS IS SO IMPORTANT

1.    If your have no confidence that all your sins have been forgiven, then your eternal security and salvation will always hang in the balance.

2.    If you think that your sins were not fully dealt with at the cross, then you can never have the confidence to enjoy the Lord’s presence because you can never be sure if He is on your side, or if He is waiting to punish you for your failures.

3.    If you do not believe that Jesus has already forgiven all your sins, it means that when you fail, you will believe that you are not “right” with God and that fellowship with Him has been cut off.

My friend, God does not evaluate you based on your behavior. He sees only Jesus’ perfect work.

The cross of Jesus qualified you, but unbelief in the main clause of the new covenant disqualifies you.

         The new covenant is based entirely on His unmerited favor. There is nothing for you to do, nothing for you to perform, nothing for you to accomplish.

The Difference Between The Old Covenant of Law and The New Covenant of Grace

Under the old covenant of law	Under the new covenant of grace
God demanded righteousness from man	God imparts righteousness to man through the finished work of Jesus (Romans 4:5-7)
God will visit your sins to the third and fourth generations (Exodus 20:5)	God will by no means remember your sins (Hebrews 8:12; 10:17).
The children of Israel were blessed only if they obeyed God’s commandments perfectly—inwardly and outwardly (Deuteronomy 28:13-14).	Believers don’t have to depend on their self-efforts to receive God’s blessings, because Jesus fulfilled every one of the requirements of the law on their behalf (Colossians 2:14).
The children of Israel were cursed if they did not obey God’s commandments perfectly (Deuteronomy 28:15-16, 18, 20).	Believers can enjoy God’s blessings and undeserved favor because Christ became a curse for them on the cross (Galatians 3:13).
Depending on self-effort produces behavior modification without heart transformation.	Beholding the loveliness of Jesus and His finished work brings about inner transformation, which produces good works that are motivated by God’s love (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The blood sacrifices of animals covered the ins of the children of Israel for only one year, and the process had to be repeated every year (Hebrews 10:3).	The blood of Jesus has removed the sins—past, present and future—of believers, completely and perfectly, once for all (Hebrews 10:11-12).
Having the law could not and did not give the children of Israel the power to stop their sin in their lives. The law has no power to make anyone holy, just and good.	Sin has no dominion over believers (Romans 6:14), as the power of Jesus to overcome temptation kicks in when they are conscious that they are righteous in Christ apart from their works (Romans 4:6).
The children of Israel were robbed of their confidence in the goodness of God because they were always looking at themselves to see how well or poorly they performed (i.e. self-conscious)	Believers can have a tremendous sense of confidence and security in Christ because they are now looking to Jesus and not themselves (i.e. Christ-conscious).
The children of Israel could not have an intimate relationship with God because their unrighteousness put distance between them and God.	Believers can enjoy a close, intimate relationship with God as their Father because they are made righteous by faith in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 5:7-9; Hebrews 10:10).
The children of Israel could not enter the holy of holies (where the presence of God was). Only the high priest could, and that only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2, 14).	Not only can believers enter God’s holy presence, they can also come boldly to His throne of grace to find mercy and grace in their time of need because of Jesus’ perfect atonement (Hebrews 4:16).
The children of Israel were under the ministry of death (2 Corinthians 3:7).	Believers are under the ministry of Jesus’ abundant life (2 Corinthians 3:6; John  10:10).