The Blessings of the New Covenant, Part 2

Well, today I would like to discuss part two of the blessings of being part of the New Covenant and how privileged we all are to be sanctified in the movie under the New Covenant. It's a covenant that includes a process of transformation. We're transforming our lives from just mere selfish physical beings, as we were when we were born, into a spiritual being who has character, who is willing to deny ourselves things that aren't good for us, deny ourselves things that are a violation of God's law and God's way of life. So that transformation is a big part of the New Covenant.

And eventually it leads us to eternity. And we should all again be profoundly thankful and grateful for the Father's calling. As I did last time, I think the best way to describe the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is to prepare them. So I would like to contrast them and compare them with one another. As a reminder, again, in modern terminology, I think we can call these two covenants the Old and the New Relationship that God has with people.

The Old Covenant was a physical relationship with the blood descendants of a man named Abraham, with his direct blood descendants. The New Covenant is a spiritual relationship between God and anyone whom the Father draws and calls. It doesn't matter what your blood connection is. It doesn't matter your color. It doesn't matter what language you speak. It doesn't matter what heritage you come from. You are all equal. We are all one in Christ. And that is the difference between that Old Relationship and the New Relationship that God has under the New Covenant. So I'd like to continue to highlight the differences in these relationships. But before we do that, I think for the sake of those who may not have listened to Part 1, or those of you who may have been here and were dozing in and out of levels of consciousness, Glenn was kidding me. I did a funeral this week.

And he turned around when I got back to my seat and Glenn said, you did it again!

I said, well, what was that? He said, that man over there, he fell asleep during your funeral service.

And I assured him that that's a gift. Not anyone can do that. Matter of fact, I've been contacted by one of the sleep clinics asking if they can play my sermons to people that are suffering from insomnia. So all kidding aside, we want to look at these and we want to review them. So if you heard them before, if you were here for Part 1, please bear with me. So here was the first point that we discussed last time. God works with humanity at their level of discovery and knowledge at different times. So when God worked with Abraham and Moses and David and the apostles, he worked with them in the age and with the knowledge that they had at that time.

He was under no obligation to reveal how viruses work. He didn't instruct them on DNA, gravitational pull, the third law of thermodynamics, all of the things that we call knowledge today, and we've learned the last couple of thousand years, God was under no obligation or responsibility to explain those things to the people that he worked with. For the sake of his compassion and kindness to others, he knew that humanity would slowly discover these amazing acts of his creation, like DNA and like laws that exist in the universe and on earth, gravity and the many things that we now know exist.

God allowed humankind to slowly discover those amazing surprises as part of his creative process. But when God works with someone, he works with them where they are at in their time, at their level. For example, when God gave Israel the old covenant, it was founded on principles, on laws of fairness and compassion that were unknown to the nations at that time. It was an advancement in human understanding. These laws, again, were ahead of their time in history, but God worked with them at their existing level of comprehension. And when human cultures developed dysfunctional practices like polygamy, which was not part of God's original plan, he made Adam and Eve one man, one woman.

Didn't take too long until men are acquiring more women, but God allowed those human dysfunctions even though they were contrary to his original will. Slavery is another example. God is never for human beings enslaving another human being, but it's probably been the oldest economic system that we've had on earth. It's gone back that far, and it exists today. There are actually more slaves and people under slavery in the world today than there was in 1860 during the American Civil War. So slavery is an old institution, and God is against it, but what he did, working with the people in which slavery was part of their culture, he gave them laws so that they wouldn't abuse other human beings, but he allowed them to be where they were at at that period of time.

We might take a look, for example, at the subjugation of women, which was part of that culture. The whole world was really hard on women at that time. Every human culture, males are physically larger than females. It didn't take long after the Garden of Eden that men who were biologically larger and physically stronger began to dominate and abuse females. I'm sorry, that's the history of the world. God wasn't for that. He made Eve. He took Eve out of Adam's side to be his equal partner, to be his friend through life.

And it didn't take long for man, once that happened in the Garden of Eden, and Adam and Eve were out of the garden, and they began to have children, and their children began to have children. It didn't take very long for human beings to begin to abuse God's creation.

So when you look at the Old Covenant, God has particular marriage laws. He has particular inheritance laws to at least a certain degree protect women from being abused. Again, I want to emphasize that God works with humanity at their level of discovery and knowledge at different times.

So number two, that was number one. Number two is the Old Covenant reward was based on physical promises. And you can go back and you look from the promises to Abraham through the promises given through Moses, including even in the Ten Commandments, where it says in Exodus chapter 20 verse 12, Honor your father and mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

So the promises were physical. The promises weren't eternal life. The promise was physical blessings, plenty of food, rain and dew season, protection from your enemies, healing from sickness, living to old age. All of those are physical things. The promises were not spiritual. In contrast, the New Covenant minimizes physical blessings. Jesus talked about giving away everything you have to the poor to follow Him.

It's a totally different covenant with a different concept. The New Covenant is an emphasis on personal relationships with God. The New Covenant is a spiritual agreement. It's about reconciliation and having a personal relationship with God. It's based on faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and obedience to the Father's will. Number three, we talked about last time the male head of the family was representative of the values and cultures of the entire family. And if you go through much of the law of Moses, you'll see phrases that sound like this.

Every male shall or each male shall. That's a very common refrain in the law of Moses in the Old Covenant. This was because it was primarily based on the covenant on the male head of the household who represented the values in the culture of the entire family. We saw a situation we read the scripture were achon when he had stolen something from a city that had been defeated and hid it in his tent, something referred to as the accursed thing, stole it from Jericho, that he and his entire family were stoned.

Why? Because the male represented the values and the culture of the entire family. But unlike the Old Covenant, the New Covenant is a personal one-on-one relationship with every single individual who the father calls. All cultural and physical distinctions that we have as physical human beings, even though we continue to have them as we're physical, but in God's eyes those distinctions are dissolved. They are removed. Under the Old Covenant, it was ratified by what? For each family, the circumcision of the male. Right?

But as Paul said in Romans chapter 2 and verse 29, but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, Paul says here in Romans 2.39, in the spirit, not in the letter whose praise is not from men, but from God. So the idea of circumcision, that's why that was so important to Paul. And he was in constant battles in his ministry in various areas and churches that he worked in with people who were coming back into the church, insisting on circumcision, insisting that you needed to be circumcised to be saved. And Paul knew the truth, and he knew that what God wants is he wants us to be circumcised in our heart. He wants us humble. He wants us to repent. He wants us to look to him for everything in our lives, to lead and guide our lives and have a childlike attitude. That's what the New Covenant is built on, not a cutting off of a piece of flesh. So having said that, let's take a look at number of point number four, if you're keeping the points that I've been given. This is brand new. We'll start here in number four, and that has been on my mind a lot the last couple weeks. The resurrection of the dead.

The resurrection of the dead. Let's go to Acts chapter 23, and we'll begin in verse one. The law of Moses did not mention or promise an afterlife. The law of Moses did not mention or promise an afterlife.

Acts chapter 23 verse one. Paul is in the temple, and he brings Gentiles with him into the temple, and it creates a tumult. Some people accuse him of violating Jewish law by having Gentiles there. There's a, you could call it a mini riot going on. The Romans are called. They intervene, and Paul eventually ends up looking at the Jewish council, and here's what he says, beginning in verse one. Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. So he's saying, I didn't do anything wrong in the temple. This is an unjust accusation, is what Paul is saying.

And the high priest, Anias, commanded that those who stood by him strike him on the mouth. And Paul said to him, God will strike you, you whitewashed wall. For you to sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law? No judgment had been made that Paul was guilty of anything. It was not according to the law that you just arbitrarily slap someone in the mouth because the big wig said slap him in the mouth. That's contrary to Jewish law, and Paul certainly, of all people, knew Jewish law. Verse four, and those who stood by said, Do you revile God's high priest? Then Paul said, I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest, for it is written, you shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people. But when Paul perceived, Paul is very smart, so how am I going to get out of there? About ready to condemn me. This council is about ready to condemn me. They've already popped me in the mouth, and I only said eight words. So how am I going to divide them? And how am I going to get out of this and get back into the protection of the Romans? Let's continue here. And Paul said, I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest, for it is written, you shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people. But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other part Pharisees, and remember he was a former Pharisee, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead. Am I being judged? And when he said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. So if they start going at each other, they're not so worried about this guy named Paul. They start arguing back and forth because the Pharisees believe that there is a resurrection, the Sadducees, because they only accept the law of Moses, the first five books of the Bible. They don't accept Psalms. They don't accept the minor prophets, the major prophets. Their theology is based on the law of Moses. And just so you know, the law of Moses does not teach or promote an afterlife. They knew that. They also were very smart people. Paul creates this division between them. Verse, pick it up here in verse 7. When he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection and no angel or spirit, but the Pharisees confess both. And by him wisely doing this, they went after each other, and he ends up in the protection of the Romans, and he sent to see Governor Felix. So the Sadducees correctly understood that nowhere in the law of Moses is the resurrection of the dead specifically mentioned or promised. It's not until many years after the Pentateuch is written and done, and the nation of Israel exists, and then the nation of Israel goes into captivity, and then eventually Judah goes into captivity. And it isn't until those writings of the prophets begin that we begin to understand that there is life after death as revealed by those prophets, revealed and at least implied in the book of Psalms.

But if we read closely the first five books of the law of Moses, the promises are physical, and there's no talk of an afterlife. Now, if we look at one incident closely that actually happened before the law of Moses was given, we can get an indication that some of the patriarchs believed in the resurrection of the dead. There's one incident that I would like to look at. If you go to Genesis chapter 37 and verse 5, one of Joseph's dreams. So I want to look at this incident closely because there's a hint that Joseph may have believed in the resurrection of the dead. And this before even the law of Moses is given, but it's just an interesting scripture that when you read closely and read between the lines implies that Joseph believed in an afterlife. So let's pick it up here. Genesis chapter 37 verse 5. Now Joseph had a dream and he told it to his brothers and they hated him even more. So he said to them, please hear this dream which I have dreamed. There we were, binding sheaves in the field, and behold my sheaf arose and also stood upright. And indeed, your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf. You can imagine how well this is going over with his brothers, right? And his brothers said to him, shall you indeed reign over us, or shall you indeed have dominion over us? So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Now you think he might have learned a lesson there, right? Maybe, just maybe, I should keep my dreams to myself. Oh no! This is Joseph we're talking about. So in verse 9, then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers and said, look, I have dreamed another dream.

And this time the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me. So he told it to his father and his brothers and his father rebuked him, saying, what is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come and bow down to the earth before you? And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind. So what does that mean? What happens if we just kind of read between the lines? Well, many people think that this was a prophecy that was fulfilled when the eleven brothers, eventually after Joseph becomes the vajir, or prime minister of Egypt, the eleven brothers show up and they do bow down, and he does have dominion over them. However, I want you to notice who had said in this second dream, notice that his mother is mentioned by his father. He said, and at this time the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars, and his father said to him after he rebuked him, shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come and bow down to the earth before you? So what's so interesting about that scripture as we talk about the possibility of some believing in the afterlife? Well, if you go back a couple of chapters, you will find in chapter 36 verse 16 in their journeys. This is before the event that we just read about. Then they journeyed from Bethel, and when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had a hard labor. Verse 17. And so it came to pass when she, Rachel, was in hard labor that the midwife said to her, do not fear, you will have this son also. And so it was as her soul was departing, for she died, that she called his name Ben Awni, but his father called him Benjamin. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath, that is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is a pillar of Rachel's grave to this day. Now Rachel, Rachel was also Joseph's mother. So at the time he has this dream, and the time that he questions, he's questioned by his father about his dream, Rachel is dead.

So in order for the moon, the father, the moon, and the eleven brothers to bow down to him, that can't happen during that physical lifetime. And again, that may be an indication that he personally believed in an afterlife and believed in a resurrection. But I want to emphasize again that the law of Moses does not promise an afterlife or talk about a resurrection.

In 1991, there was an interview by a Jewish professor, Yeshe, Yahu Lebovitz. He was an Orthodox public Jewish, intellectually taught at the Hebrew University, a number of classes. And again, he was an Orthodox Jew. Here's what he said in this interview, and I'll quote him, quote, death has no significance, only life matters. In the entire Torah, there is not the slightest suggestion that anything happens after death. All the ideas and theories articulated in the subject of a world to come and the resurrection of the dead have no relationship to religious faith. It's a sheer folklore. When you die, you simply do not exist, end of quote. And though I don't agree with his theology, I do agree with the fact that he's technically correct about what the law of Moses says. So let's contrast this to the hard and core of the New Covenant, because obviously Jesus believed in the resurrection of the dead. He boldly and profoundly taught the resurrection of the dead, as did Paul. Let's go to John 11 and verse 21. John 11 and verse 21. I think we're familiar with this story. Jesus receives word that Lazarus was sick, and he lingers a couple of more days in that city before he actually leaves to take care of the needs of Lazarus and his sisters, and Lazarus has died. By the time Jesus arrives, Lazarus has died. So let's pick it up here in John chapter 11. We'll begin in verse 21. Then Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. Martha said to him, Oh, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Verse 25. And Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. And he who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? He said to Martha. By this time of Jesus, there are Jews who believe that there's no resurrection.

There are Jews who believe that there is a resurrection. As a matter of fact, Josephus claimed in his writings, I don't know how accurate he was, but he was a Pharisee. And he claimed that most Jews at his time believed in the immortal soul, which certainly is not taught in the Bible, let alone the old covenant. But Christ here, he wanted to make it very clear to Martha and anyone who was in earshot of what he's saying. Obviously John was, he recorded it, so his disciple John is there. And he hears what Jesus is saying. He wanted them to know and understand that this new covenant means that there is absolutely a resurrection from the dead. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 42. Something Paul wrote here, 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 42. It's one, it's part of our traditional funeral service. Paul wrote to the Corinthian congregation, so also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. And again, he had used an analogy of a shriveled up grain or wheat seed. And you've all had home gardens, or you all know that you take a seed and it's this mummified shriveled up little thing and it certainly appears to be dead. Right? And you take it and you plant it in the ground, and if the environment is right, there's some rain and some sun or warm or whatever it's going to take, an entirely new life form comes out of the ground that doesn't look anything like that mummified seed does. And that's the exact analogy that Paul, up to this point, has been using about the resurrection of the dead. You die physical, corruptible, and you come out of it spiritual and incorruptible. You come out of it a new being. You have a new level of existence because of the resurrection. Verse 43, it's sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory, it's sown in weakness, it's raised in power, it is sown a natural physical carnal body, it is raised a spiritual body.

There is a natural body and there's a spiritual body, and so it is written, the first man Adam became a living being, physical, living, animated. The last Adam, you'll notice, I don't know what translation you see in the screen, but they usually have Adam capitalized here because the last Adam is not just a name but it's referring to Jesus Christ, became a life-giving spirit. Since he's the first of the spirit world, Adam was the first of the physical world, this last Adam, because of his own resurrection, because he's the first of the first fruits, becomes a spiritual Adam, a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural and afterward the spiritual. So we all have to be born and live lives physically first, that's the plan, and then we are resurrected into something totally different. So again, Paul's been using this analogy of planting a seed in the ground and a new form of existence appears, breaking forth from the earth, and that's exactly what we will see in the resurrections. So again, that was point number four, and that is the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant is the resurrection of the dead, contrary to the law of Moses that did not promise or mention an afterlife at all. All right, here's the fifth point. The fifth point is forgiveness and payment for sin. Forgiveness and payment for sin. Now in the old covenant, there were perpetual, repeated sacrifices going on all the time in order to fulfill the commandments of the law of the old covenant because sacrifices were instructed for many, many things. And we'll just take a brief look at that. Leviticus chapter four, beginning in verse one. Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, speak to the children of Israel if a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them. If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord his sin, which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering. He shall bring the bull to the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, lay his hand in the bull's head, and kill the bull before the Lord.

I will stop here in verse four. This is an introduction, but I just want to give you a flavor of the next two chapters as they list a number of different sins, all that had to be atoned for. And everybody, since they were all carnal, they were all human. This required sacrifices every day, all the time, over and over again. Verse 13, now, if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally. Verse 22, when a ruler has sinned and done something unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord is God. Verse 27, if any one of the common people sins unintentionally. Chapter five, verse one, if a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath. Chapter five, verse two, if a person touches any unclean thing. Verse four, or if a person swears, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good. Verse 15, if a person commits trespass and sins unintentionally in regard to the holy things of the Lord. Verse 17, if a person sins and commits any of those things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord, though he does not know it. Chapter six, verse two, if a person sins and commits a trespass against the Lord by lying to his neighbor about what was delivered him for safekeeping, it goes on and on throughout the Old Covenant. Almost to the point of exhaustion, because people are human and people sinned constantly. The Old Covenant required a never-ending cycle of animal sacrifices to pay the penalty for sin. The effect of the sacrifices was only ever temporary, and as soon as another sin occurred, intentional or unintentional, yet another sacrifice was required under that Old Covenant. So I want to emphasize that these sacrifices could never take away sins. These Old Covenant sacrifices simply covered over or canceled out the sins to keep that Old Covenant relationship possible. So that was the Old Covenant. Lots of activity, lots of continual sacrifices daily in the temple. Let's contrast this to the New Covenant, Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 19.

Now I happen to believe that Hebrews is written by Paul, and for me the major reason I do is because the author of Hebrews, like Paul, writes in paragraph. Sometimes you've got to read four sentences to get to the end of what the thought began. So that's very Paul-like in the writing. So let's take a look here. Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 19.

He is going to contrast the difference between the covenants.

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, this is when it was ratified, he took the blood of calves and goats with water, scarlet wool and hyssop. Scarlet wool was just something to dip it in, as was the hyssop plant, something to dip the blood in, and that's what's used to sprinkle the books and the various articles of the tabernacle, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, verse 20, 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, verse 22, and according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. What he's saying here is that the animal sacrifices, all of this activity, only looked forward. It was all symbolic. Yes, it taught a very valuable lesson.

Something has to shed its blood to atone for sin, but it wasn't those animals. They only looked forward to the time when Jesus Christ would come to earth and be the literal Lamb of God and shed his blood so that all mankind could have those who accept God and accept Christ could have remission of sin. Verse 23, Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. So when you look at, for example, the Ark of the Covenant in the tabernacle, it was simply a replica of the literal presence of God in the heavens. And down here on earth we had physical sacrifices, but up there in heaven there is something far more superior than animal sacrifices and the shedding of animal blood. That is the risen Jesus Christ who gave his life for humanity going up to heaven as a great high priest. Verse 24, For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, like the tabernacle was, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. So he gave up his life voluntarily so that you and I could have our sins removed, so that we could have a personal loving relationship with the Father.

Verse 25, Not that he, speaking of Jesus, should offer himself often as a high priest, enters the most holy place every year with the blood of another. Now this is an analogy to what we read about on the Day of Atonement. What happened on the Day of Atonement? A physical priest with the blood of animals would go into the Holy of Holies and articles around the temple, around the tabernacle at that time, and he would sprinkle the blood of animals in order once again to fulfill the requirements of the old covenant so that relationship could be maintained.

But he did this with the blood of another. Jesus Christ approached heaven with his own blood. Let's pick it up here in verse 26. He then would have had to suffer, speaking of Christ, often since the foundation of the world, because sin's been going on ever since Adam and Eve existed.

But now, once at the end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Not an animal sacrifice, not carrying something else but his own blood. Verse 27, and as it is appointed, for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time, that's referring to his second coming, apart from sin, for salvation.

So Paul here in the book of Hebrews is contrasting the never-ending animal blood sacrifices required under the old covenant. But with Jesus Christ, one complete sacrifice was enough. His shed blood alone can bear all of the sins that have ever been committed because, as God himself, his one life was of greater value than all possible sins.

The righteousness that dwells with him, as God, is of greater value and greater worth than the totality of all human sin. Some verses here in Hebrews chapter 10. For the law, as the law of Moses, having a shadow of the good things to come, a shadow of the time when, instead of using animal sacrifices, once forever the Lamb of God would be sacrificed.

That's what it means, a shadow of the good things to come. And not the very image of the things which can never, with these same sacrifices, speaking of the animal sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered if the sacrifices could make us righteous?

Then after a hundred thousand sacrifices, wouldn't people be righteous? Is what he's saying rhetorically here? No, because people continue to commit sin. For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. Verse 3. But in those sacrifices, there's a reminder of sins every year. For, again, that's talking about the Day of Atonement, for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

All they did was cover over. All they did was to cancel out and allow that Old Covenant relationship to continue between God and ancient Israel. Verse 5. Therefore, when he came into the world, he said, sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me. Again, he came and walked on earth in the flesh as God, as the Son of God, living a perfect life, and willing because of that to give his life up voluntarily for you and I. Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me, and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, you had no pleasure.

Then I said, behold, I have come. In the volume of the book, that is in the Old Testament, it is written of me, to do your will, O God, that comes from the book of Psalms, previously saying, sacrifice and offerings, burnt offerings and offerings for sin, you did not desire, nor had pleasure in them, which were offered according to the law. So, God had no pleasure in all of the offerings of the Old Covenant, but the law demanded, as a penalty, to be paid for sin, that that occur.

Verse 9, then he said, behold, I have come to do your will, O God. He takes away the first, that's the first sacrificial system that required constantly and repeatedly animals to be sacrificed and blood to be shed over and over again. He takes away the first, that he may establish the second, that is the one sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Verse 10, by that we will have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

And every priest, this is a physical Levite, every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But this man, capital M, this man, referring to Jesus Christ, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down in the right hand of God, and from that time, waiting till his enemies are made his footstool.

Verse 14, for by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. That's you that Paul is talking about there in verse 14. I'm going to read it again from the New Century version. For one sacrifice he made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

When God's Spirit resides in you, the righteousness of Christ resides in you.

And God works with us through the process of overcoming our sins. We're certainly still struggling with our carnality. We're not righteous because of anything that we do. We still struggle with sin, and we struggle with our same weaknesses and problems sometimes for years. But in essence, the repetitive sacrifices of the Old Covenant could never really take away sins. They could never make an individual righteous or perfect.

But in the New Covenant, the single offering of the blood of Jesus Christ forgives all sins forever upon confession and acceptance of discipleship, agreeing to walk in God's way of life. And when we do that, we receive the gift of God's Holy Spirit upon baptism and the laying on of hands. So when the Holy Spirit of Christ dwells in us, He becomes our righteousness. That's Jesus Christ dwelling in us because we share the same Spirit that He and the Father have. As we sin and we fall short of God's glory, its repentance and faith in Jesus Christ is our Savior. That maintains our New Covenant relationship with the Father. Here's our last scripture for today. Let's see what John wrote to the converted believers in his day, because the same is true for each and every one of us, because we are part of the New Covenant. The righteousness of Jesus Christ dwells in us, and that's what binds us together with our Father in spite of our flaws and weaknesses and challenges. But here's an important part in maintaining our relationship in that New Covenant. First John chapter 1 and verse 9, if we confess our sins, He, that is God, is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So when we do something that's really stupid, do something that harms us or harms someone else, we need to go to God and confess our sins. And if we do that with sincerity and with the determination to use the Spirit of God to develop more the fruit of the Spirit, God is faithful in His promises to forgive us. He is a just God, and He is willing to forgive us of our sins and, as this verse says, to cleanse us from that unrighteousness so we can continue to grow and continue that process of becoming a child of God.

Well, what we've hopefully seen during these past two sermons are a number of things, and that is there's a vast difference between the Old Covenant or the old relationship that God had with the physical descendants of Abraham and the New Covenant. There are many other instances and many other examples I could give, but I just simply don't have time. I could have covered the difference between the Old Covenant priesthood and the New Covenant ministry.

There actually is nothing that they have in common. They are totally different, but I could have covered that if I would have had time and shown the difference between the Levites and the New Covenant ministry. We could have looked at a lot of different other areas of those differences, but I tried with these five points in these two sermons to cover the things that I think are most important for us to understand so that we can perhaps stop being confused. Some of us, perhaps, can stop trying to live in the Old Covenant because God wants us to live in the New Covenant and not live in the Old Covenant. There's, as I hope you've come to see, a vast difference between the two. What should be clear is that all of us are incredibly blessed to be part of God's New Covenant. Let's make sure we don't blur the two together. Let's make sure we don't try to live in the wrong covenant. Let's make sure we personally have the right relationship with God and are grateful to be His forgiven child. Let's remember we have a great high priest in heaven, Jesus Christ, who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the prime of his life and did it once for all to eliminate sin so that he could be our advocate and our Savior. Have a wonderful Sabbath.