"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." --Psalm 34:8
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| Wild berries in our woods |
Question 1: If someone asked you to explain the new covenant in your own words, what would you say it's all about?
I have never been comfortable explaining the Gospel to others. There is too much "Christian jargon" that is understandable to us, but not necessarily to someone new to the message. Now that I've been reading and listening to Dr. Farley's messages for several years, this is how I would explain the new covenant......The old covenant was all about keeping the laws spelled out in the old testament. Because Jesus paid the price of my sins my guilt was not only removed, but my conscience was cleansed. When he rose from the grave and ascended into heaven, his Holy Spirit entered into every believer. Now we have God's strength, power, comfort and resources to help us meet life's challenges. He will never leave us. We will live with God forever.
Dr. Farley writes about a guy named Steve who told him he was having trouble hearing God's will for his life. He had a choice of three jobs in different cities and wasn't getting an answer about which one to take. Dr. Farley told him, "God's will is that we have relationship with him, talk to him, and bear his fruit (which we can do anywhere)....He just wants to be life to us. That's his will." Steve decided to choose the job offer that excited him the most.
Farley explains...
We will never 'taste and see that the LORD is good' as long as we are afraid that he might punish us with a hopeless future (or a future with less hope!) because we failed to choose what he had secretly planned for us as the 'God option.'
The bible tells us God's will is that:
- we bear much fruit (John 15:8)
- we pray without ceasing and give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)
- the Gospel be extended to the Gentiles, not just the Jews (Ephesians 2:11-13)
- the Gospel be proclaimed throughout all the earth (Colossians 1:23; 2 Peter 3:9)
Whether we realize it or not, this perpetual pursuit of God's perfect will is ultimately about us trying to stay right with God.....Our righteousness comes from the death and resurrection of Christ, nowhere else...Once we take hold of [this], and are awakened to its sufficiency, we no longer need to be trapped in the bottomless pit of 'finding God's will for our life."....God is behind every door in life....This helps us awaken to God's grace in every circumstance and taste the goodness of our Lord....Expressing [Jesus] is your one and only ministry.
Question 2: How does heaven's new way change the way you look at yourself? Your sins? Your relationship with God?
An expert in spotting counterfeit documents learns to identify them by studying the authentic document. This is why Dr. Farley's only message is God's grace. He believes Christians aren't being taught the truth about what grace looks like in your life. We need to know the real Jesus in order to spot the lies and misinformation thrown around. The message he wants to get out there is:
The results of God's new [covenant]....inspires us to act from a heavenly, heartfelt motive rather than from an earthly guilt or sense of obligation.
The new way means: we don't need to focus on our sins because we are forgiven; we don't need to focus on our performance because his grace accepts us unconditionally; we no longer need to pursue religious righteousness because we are new creations; and we no longer need to plead or beg for more of his presence because we are united with Christ....."We are fixed firmly to heaven. And we can finally taste the goodness of the Lord."
Question 3: In what ways have you been awakened to the wonders of God's grace? In what ways might you need to be further awakened to his goodness?
God's grace provides:
- freedom from the law
- a new identity, making us clean and close to God
- our new covenant forgiveness
- his divine life
....if we haven't yet awakened to heaven's new way of grace, it's very difficult to pass off Christianity as the best thing going. we simply can't taste the goodness of the Lord today apart from the new covenant. Instead, we are left to wallow in our own thoughts and feelings about God to determine if he is good and to what degree. We have been freed from the impossible standard of the law.
Father, your grace has taken on a whole new meaning for me. It's not just for salvation, but for living my life as well! May this be in the forefront of my thoughts without fail.
Link to scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9
Take action: A Brand New Perspective
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