United Church of God

Remember Your Covenant

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Remember Your Covenant

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Remember Your Covenant

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Pentecost is a celebration of the anniversary of the covenant we made at baptism as well as the beginning of the Church. We must not become lax and give in to pressure to blend into the society around us. Having God's Spirit does not mean we'll be prevented from sinning. Instead, we must play a part in writing God's law in our hearts by praying for God to lead us and to make us into kings and priests for His Kingdom.

Sermon Notes

These are the notes taken live during services as captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing. This is not a word for word transcript. For the exact wording, please consult the audio recording.

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What is your most favorite memory of your childhood? Maybe something in your high school or college days? Or maybe much later as you had kids? For me, I grew up in Cincinnati. We actually had snow. It doesn’t snow any more there. We got snow from Thanksgiving to May. We had snow days. I had stomper trucks. They had a single AA battery. I interchanged the engines. I took them into the back yard and built a city of snow. Ramps. I would play with my stomper trucks. I was the only boy at home. We had 5 acres. I had to mow several times a week. I had a Walkman. I would jam to rock while mowing. I went on to AC. RaeAnn and I had some contact. She would ask how my folks were. Memories show us where we have been. Without them, we lose track of our past. African proverb: Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt will always glorify the hunters. Memories are a good thing. Deuteronomy 16:3, 9-12 Why does God tell us to remember things? Most of the commandments and the holy days follow up with “remember this.” Why does He tell us to remember things? Memory transports us back to a previous time and to relive history. We talk about wedding anniversaries. It is a great time to relive that wonderful day long ago. The tuxedo. The beautiful white dress. Friends getting together. Stories like, “I was so nervous I threw up.” You relive that day. Why did God say remember?

Exodus 13:14-16 We know from Chapter 12 that this is the story of the Israelites coming out of Egypt. God wanted the Israelites to remember so they could pass the stories down from generation to generation. When the kid asks what happened when grandpa was in Egypt? They would know. One week out, they were already forgetting. They were blocked by the Red Sea. Why did you bring us? There were graves in Egypt. Then they saw the destruction of the Egyptian Army. A month later, they grumbled. God gave them quail. God gave them water. It is believed that it was Pentecost when God gave the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. While Moses was on the mount, Aaron made an idol. Some 3000 died that day. Israel has a long history of forgetting God. A generation would be faithful, and then the next would forget. An enemy would come in, and they would turn back to God. God would send a strong leader that could remind them of the great miracles He had performed. How often do we forget the wonderful things God has done for us? The healings? The blessings? The bosses that don’t hassle us about the Sabbath? How often do we forget the wonderful God we worship? We are commanded to proclaim this feast. We are here proclaiming it. We are dressed up celebrating God. The law was given on Pentecost in Exodus 20.

The next several chapters have laws that were given to them to administer a nation. That is what the Sinai Covenant was. What a great country it would be that followed those laws. They were perfect laws. If they had followed them, they would have been great and unstoppable. Let’s review our great future we have because of our covenant with God. What is a covenant? The New Covenant Booklet: “Inherent in any covenant is the concept of a lasting commitment to a clearly defined relationship. Generally speaking, a covenant is a long-term agreement between two or more parties that formalizes a binding relationship between them. It defines their essential obligation and commitments to each other.” A covenant is something between two parties. It is long lasting. It defines the obligations and expectations on both individual’s part. If we enter a covenant with a bank to buy a house there are obligations. They give us money. We agree to pay it back so much a month. Those who are baptized have entered a relationship and a covenant with God. This feast celebrates that covenant. We are in a commitment; a relationship. Joshua 4:20-23 Israel had just crossed the Jordan on dry ground. Vs. 20 – These weren’t pebbles. They were gigantic. Vs. 21 – These stones were erected. Joshua tells them that they are to be a memorial. They were to remind them of the past stories and the power of God. We have memorials. Most are in Washington, DC. The Lincoln Memorial; the Washington Memorial. The Holocaust Museum. These are mostly reminders of what the founders did. Joshua set up such a memorial. Vs. 23 – This was to be a reminder of what God had done for them. A reminder of their commitment and covenant with God. Did they remember? Did these twelve stones work?

Joshua 24:2, 13-15 Vs. 14 – Don’t serve the other gods! Remember the stone and your commitment to God. Vs. 15 – This visionary leader reminded the Israelites to not forget God. So it is with us today. We have to remember the purpose of why we are here. Why are we looking snazzy on a Sunday morning? The great miracles God has performed in our lives we must never forget. All of them. Judges 2:7, 10 As long as the leaders lived who had seen these things, all went well. Vs. 10 – The third generation, they didn’t know God. They had forgotten God. The stories lost their importance. The fathers failed to tell them to the children. Vs. 12 – They forgot their covenant with God. They turned their backs. With tremendous stories of their forefathers, they forgot. They turned away. We have our own memorial of stones. This holy day. The feast of Pentecost. This is our memorial of stones. This is the day the New Testament church began with the powerful preaching of Peter. This holy day is for us. Have you ever thought about that? Trumpets is a great time when Christ will return. Atonement is about putting away Satan. The Feast of Tabernacles is a time of millennial rest. None of it really applies to us today. Trumpets is a great step in God’s plan, but not for us. Atonement. Tabernacles. Last Great Day. Not for us. We rehearse them every year so we don’t forget what God will do for mankind. But this is our holy day. This reminds us of our commitment to God.

Do you remember the commitment you made at baptism? The baptism ceremony: “Have you repented of your sins? (Yes) Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? (Yes) Since you, (person’s full name) have repented of your sins, which are contrary to and against God’s holy, righteous and perfect law, and since you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, your Lord and Master, your High Priest and soon-coming King, I now baptize you, not into any sect or denomination of this world, but into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. I do this in, by and through the name and authority of Jesus Christ for the remission of all your sins. Amen.” What is your baptism story? You realized God was working with you. You sent for booklets. You visited a minister. Some of you are first generation. Some are not. My boys are fifth generation on my wife’s side. Review your baptism story. What were the triggers that sparked light bulbs in your head? What trials were you facing when you realized you needed to make this commitment to God. I know you have had miracles. Talk about them at lunch. We are under a new covenant. Does that mean that the old covenant was flawed? Was it just a draft? Was it a work in progress? Some think Christ had to come to abolish the old covenant and the clean up the mess. Let’s let the Bible answer the question: Was the old covenant bad? Was it flawed?

Hebrews 8:7-12 Vs. 7 – So, there was some problem with the first covenant. Vs. 8 – There was a weakness with the old covenant. The New Covenant Booklet: “The primary weakness was not in the laws, but in the people’s lack of a willing heart to obey them. Because they were not given the HS, Israel’s citizens were incapable of understanding and performing the full intent and purpose of God’s teachings.” Israel couldn’t grasp the full value of the spiritual teachings God gave to Moses. Does that make the covenant bad? Where was the fault? It was in the people themselves. Why did God want the kings to write the laws for themselves? How many remember their school days and having to write “I will not do…” hundreds of time? 500 times later, you turn it in and she says don’t do it again. A month later you do it again, and you get 500 more. Writing it out is a great study technique. Write out the scriptures you study. Something about connecting the hand to the brain that ingrains the principle. It makes you think twice about what you are studying. 1 Corinthians 2:14 We have the spirit in us that allows us to understand the holy days, the Sabbaths, and God’s plan. How many of your coworkers understand God’s plan? They even question keeping the Sabbath. To us it is plain as day. Society reads it and thinks it means Sunday. I can do what I want. We don’t understand why they can’t see it. We assume that since we have access to the new covenant that we will always remember God.

Luke 22:33-34, 54-69 Vs. 58 – I am not. It was my twin brother. It was not me! Vs. 60 – How many times do we rehearse this? Someone asks us a question and we try to blend into society. God says you won’t remember. Do we assume that because we have the Holy Spirit we will always remember? Peter didn’t have the spirit yet, but he had spent years with Christ. Even he turned away and said he didn’t know Him. We can’t just assume that because we have God’s spirit and the new covenant we will always remember. Acts 3:2-10, 12, 19-21 Vs. 12 – He goes into this rehearsal. You have forgotten about our past. Peter reminded them of what God wanted for them as a people. We are here on Pentecost. We have God’s spirit. We are able to have a relationship with God that is far deeper than those at Sinai, or those with Joshua. Ezekiel 11:19-20 The new covenant is about us being God’s people. He wants us to be His people. He wants us in His eternal family. He wants us as God beings. He wants us to overcome sins. Israel rejected God. So God went to the gentiles. Without God’s spirit we couldn’t have a relationship with God. But because of Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension, we can have a relationship with God. These two chapters are filled with blessings for obedience and cursing for disobedience: Deuteronomy 30:1-20 Leviticus 26:3-46 There is one thing missing from these lists. Not once is there a promise of eternal life. We do have that promise.

Acts 4:12 This is after Peter healed that man. Peter and John were arrested. This promise of eternal life is available to us. We have access to it. God wants to give it to us. In Old Testament times, the Messiah had not come. There was no option of eternal life. But not, He had come. He lived. He died. He was resurrected. He made it possible for us to live and rule and reign with Him. Hebrews 9:11-15 This is the awesome part of the new covenant. The addition of the chance to live forever. To be in God’s family. To serve each other in a most perfect way. That is the glorious part of the new covenant. This is our promise. If we hold up our end of the deal, this is our reward. Our part is overcoming sin, building godliness. If we hold up our end, God wants to give it to us. Romans 8:12-17 Vs. 14 – Do you trust God? We probably say, yes. Who wouldn’t? But do you truly trust God? Can you be led by Him? Those that are willing to be led by God are the sons of God. Leading is the complete opposite of independence. Independence is the freedom from others; self governing. God’s spirit leads us. It doesn’t push us around. It won’t prevent us from sinning. It just encourages us to do what is right. There has to be that spirit of being willing to be led.

Galatians 5:18 Romans 8:17 Vs. 17 – It is an awesome future we have. We hold up our bargain; there is tremendous payoff in the future. This feast celebrates that momentous occasion. Without the Holy Spirit, none of it would be possible. Some 60% of the laws in the old covenant protect the family unit. God is building a family. It makes sense that 60% of His laws protect the family. God sent Jesus Christ to open the door to His family. God is excited about all of His family. Faithful members who have died; faithful members who will come after us. Revelation 5:8-10 This is the prayer of the saints. Our job in the future will be kings and priests. We will reign on earth. Sometimes we think if God will just let me in the kingdom, I’ll be the designated toilet scrubbers. We will not be doorkeepers and chair setter-uppers. God wants us to be kings and priests to live and reign with Christ. That is what we will become. We won’t be some lackey that carries the briefcase or runs off copies. We are to be kings and priests. What a fabulous covenant we are under. We are going to help billions of people in the ultimate humanitarian effort. We need to keep our focus on this goal? Will trials come? Yes. Will Satan try to mess it up? Yes. If you aren’t suffering trials, you are doing something wrong. We are told to count the cost. We are under the new covenant. We have the spirit – the power and essence of God Himself. It helps us to this goal in vs. 10. That help was given on the day of Pentecost thousands of years ago. Happy anniversary on our holy day. This day celebrates the faithful firstfruits. Have a great feast of firstfruits. Keep the light of God burning bright. And don’t let anything take your crown.