Most Believers Have Missed the New Covenant

The Gospel of the Glory of Christ

There is a very well-known verse That the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving that's in 2nd Corinthians 4 4 to the. So that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ Might not be seen.

The God of this world is Satan seeking to blind the minds of the unbelieving. Now here the gospel is called the gospel not of the gospel of forgiveness of sins. That's just the beginning the gospel of the glory of Christ.

The new covenant gospel is the gospel of the glory of Christ which is way beyond forgiveness of sins. It's not just getting out of Egypt is getting into the land of Canaan and slaying the Giants. It's not wandering in the wilderness.

That is the new covenant gospel and just like the God of this world has blinded the minds of non-christians. So that they try to work out their salvation in so many other ways get their forgiveness of sins in so many ways.

But we've received it by faith by grace in the same way. The God of this world has blinded the minds of so many Believers so that they don't see The rest of the gospel of the glory of Christ. So this is what I want to share of.

I myself was blind to it for about 16 years after I was born again. Well, I was living the normal born-again normal life of not born-again Christians. Falling into sin usually in my thoughts or words.

We are more careful with our actions after we are born again. But careless with our thoughts and words and then I'd say Lord forgive me. As long as I kept on asking for forgiveness, I thought that was it and I was sure I was on my way to heaven.

But I was so frustrated with my defeated life and it became worse and worse in my thought life, even though I was preaching. I finally got so fed up with my defeated life that I said Lord I will stop preaching if you don't make my inner life correspond with my outer life.

And I began to see God and fast and prayed myself and with others and that's when after 16 years of Defeat God opened my eyes to see the truth. He filled me with the Holy Spirit afresh and Opened my eyes to the truth of the gospel.

Loving the Truth and Being Saved from Sin

Now we read in 2nd Thessalonians. I have to go through this a bit quickly. So If you can turn with a mean reference to it I'll read it to you the in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 11 is The only verse in the Bible where it says God himself will allow some people to be deceived.

Now Satan tries to deceive us our flesh deceives less deceivers a heart deceives us Jeremiah 17. But on top of that if God himself Will send a diluting influence so that some people believe what is false.

There's no hope for them. So to whom does God send this deluding influence it says in verse 10 of 2nd Thessalonians 2 two things those who don't love the truth and Those who don't want to be saved from sin that means when they see something in Scripture, which is the truth and They don't love it because they've all their life held something else as the truth and they're not willing to change their mind.

Then they can be deceived and second if they are not interested in being saved from sin They can be deceived. So there are two qualifications to avoid deception. One is I must love the truth Which I see in the Word of God and when God shows me the truth about myself.

I must love it and say Lord, I want to be delivered from that whatever you show me and Secondly, I must want to be saved from sin. The entire Old Testament. The only promise was that people's sins could be forgiven as we read in Psalm 103.

That was 1 ,000 years before Christ. David could say bless the Lord. Oh my soul who forgives all 100 of my sins he was looking forward to the death of Christ on the cross. But as soon as you turn the pages of the New Testament We come to the first promise of the New Testament.

Which many people don't know the first promise of the New Testament is Matthew 121 which says The angel told Joseph you must call his name Jesus. Why because Jesus means what? He will save not even forgive.

He will save his people from their sins. If it was only that he would forgive their sins. That's an Old Testament message Psalm 103. But this is he will save His people from their sin. There's a lot of difference being being forgiven and being saved to be saved is to be delivered from the pit.

I've asked people this question. I Say as Jesus saved you from anger. They say no as he Jesus saved you from lusting after women. No as Jesus saved you from hypocrisy pride. No, no. No, what has he done for you then?

He forgives us every time we fall he forgives us then I say you cannot call him Savior. Say Jesus is my forgiver. That's the honest truth who can say Jesus is my Savior. The one who's been saved from these sins or who is being saved from these sins.

So that is where the God of the world is Deceived so many people when Paul was writing his last letter to Timothy. He told him in 2nd Thessalonians in chapter says sorry 2nd Timothy in chapter 2 Paul was burdened for the truth of the gospel to continue and he told him in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 and verse 15 make us be diligent to present yourself to God as a Workman who will be approved by him and if you want to be approved by him.

You must handle the word of truth accurately. Very important to handle the Word of God. Accurately to compare Scripture with Scripture and then we can present ourselves approved to God. So coming to the truths of the new covenant.

The Word Became Flesh and Must Be Lived

I want to talk about it from a different number of passages of Scripture. To show the difference between the old covenant and the new. Turn with me. First of all the John's Gospel chapter 1 in John chapter 1 We read in the very first words that Jesus Christ the Word was God.

But this person who was God verse 14 says the Word became flesh so What do we learn from that isn't it interesting that Jesus Christ is called the Word. He preached the Word but before he preached the Word he lived the Word.

The Gospel of Luke is described by Luke in his second book, you know, Luke wrote two books in the New Testament one was the Gospel of Luke and the other is the Acts of the Apostles and in Acts chapter 1 verse 1 Luke gives a title to his first book and the title Luke gives to his gospel is What Jesus? began to do and teach.

Notice the order he did and taught. He did not teach what he had not done. He did not do after he taught. He first did and taught. He began to do and teach in the Gospel of Luke. That's what is the description of the Gospel of Luke.

So, how would Luke describe the Acts of the Apostles? What Jesus continued to do and teach through his body the church in Luke? He began to do and teach with his physical body in Acts. He continued to do and teach through his spiritual body.

So our calling is first to do and then teach and never to teach what I'm not doing or which I'm not even attempting to do. In other words, there's no place for hypocrisy in New Testament preaching. So coming back to John chapter 1 we read the Word became flesh.

Think of the written word which God had given to man in the Old Testament. It was a written word scribes studied it. You had to study it carefully. And it did not matter if you did not live it in your private life.

So long as your doctrine was right in in Israel, you were okay and the scribes studied those 613 commandments that God gave them and taught people. But the life was not important. The written word was important, you know, it says in Psalm 119 and verse 105.

Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. What was the light in under the Old Covenant the written word? Very important. Genesis to Malachi and The law for Israel that word was a lamp to my feet and a light to my path David says.

But in the New Covenant, the light is not the word. It says in about Jesus in John chapter 1 verse 4 in him was life and that Life was the light of men. That's the first thing. I want you to notice In the Old Covenant the written word was the light in the New Covenant.

It was the life That was manifested in flesh when the word became flesh not the written word. But the word become flesh the same word, but now it is not in a book. Alone it is in a life and that life John 1 4 is the light of men.

That's different from Psalm 119 where it says thy word is a light to me. Now the life of Jesus is the light in him was life and that life Was the light of men and this light can never be crushed by the darkness it says in the next verse.

If we partake of this light this life, which is light The Prince of Darkness will have no power over us. That's why the God of the world blinds people to the truth of the New Covenant in the Old Covenant.

Because the written word was the important thing the prophets would go up to meet with God and come back and say come in here. What the Lord is saying that's the Old Covenant message. Come and hear in the New Covenant the message is come and see.

What the Lord has done in my life. Through this word how he's changed my life how he's delivered me from my sinful habits. Come and see. In John chapter 1 we read about some of the disciples of John the Baptist came to him in John chapter 1 verse 38 and said teacher, where are you staying.

And Rabbi, where are you staying. And Jesus said in John 1 39 come and see. Today people are asking Lord Jesus. Where are you? You know what he's saying. Come and see in the lives of these people who have entered the New Covenant.

Whose lives have been transformed by my grace. So this is another big difference between Old Covenant and New Covenant. It is not come in here, but come and see and from there you come in here. The other thing we see in John's Gospel chapter 1.

It says here in verse 14 the word became flesh. It was not just written. It was in a life and Dwelt among us and we saw the glory of God. So the purpose of the New Covenant is not to show how wonderful Christians we are.

But to manifest the glory of God in us and It says here about Jesus. We saw the glory of God in Jesus full of grace and truth. That's a new word. For the New Covenant grace is never found in the Old Covenant.

Even the word grace translated in some King James versions in the Old Covenant is the word favored. It's not New Testament grace. Because it says here in verse 17 of John 1 The law was given through Moses grace and truth came only through Jesus Christ.

There was no grace in the world. Until Jesus came very important to understand. There was no grace under the Old Covenant. There was the law replaced by grace and truth. Truth is another word which is Misunderstood.

The word truth means here reality. The opposite of truth is a lie. The opposite of reality is hypocrisy. So when it says here about truth He's saying that we can live a life of Reality, in other words a life free from hypocrisy, which was impossible under the Old Covenant.

Nobody could keep for example in the Old Covenant. Nobody could keep the 10th commandment. You read through the 10 Commandments nine of them people could keep and even when Jesus told the rich young ruler About keeping the commandments.

He only went up to commandment number nine. He never mentioned number 10. The number 10 commandment was you shall not lust you shall not covet your neighbor's wife for your neighbors. Anything that your neighbors that woman walking down the road is your neighbor's daughter.

You're not supposed to Lust after her that is the 10th commandment. Nobody could keep it. The Apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 7 I Could keep all the law. But when it came to the 10th commandment Romans chapter 7 he says I found all types of lusting in my heart and That which was meant to be good brought death for me Romans chapter 7.

The sin taking an opportunity through the commandment killed me. Romans chapter 7 when it came to the 10th commandment verse 7 It killed me. I could not keep it. But he goes on in chapter 8 to say now that the Holy Spirit has come and I walk according to the Spirit.

I can fulfill the law Romans 8 for So that's just in a sort of introduction. That's why I say there was no reality in the Old Testament. All the people who preached they were lusting inside. They were getting angry with their wives at home.

But the high priest and all the prophets they could not Preach from a life they could preach what God had spoken to them even John the Baptist the greatest of all the prophets. Jesus said the least person who enters into the New Covenant the kingdom of heaven is Greater than him in what way that we can experience truth in the inward part.

Which they could never experience in the Old Covenant. You remember when David sinned and He wrote that wonderful Psalm Psalm 51. It's one verse in that Psalm where he says Oh Lord Psalm 51 verse 6 you desire truth in the inward parts.

I Just don't have it. That's exactly what Paul says in Romans chapter 7 When it came to the last commandment where you shall not desire anything, that's your neighbors. I Found he says all types of lusts in my heart as an honest man but He was delivered because he sought God and he was filled with the Holy Spirit and as he walked in the spirit he overcame.

Grace, Salvation, and Victory over Sin

So that's the second thing I want you to turn to Ephesians chapter 2 now to see something about this word. Grace means a much misunderstood word. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 6 We're safe by grace you have been saved through faith that not of yourself it is the gift of God.

All our works can never forgive our sin. We know that There are three tenses to salvation. There's salvation from the penalty of sin Which is taken care by the blood of Christ and their salvation from the power of sin Which is through the power of the Holy Spirit and then the salvation from the presence of sin in the future when Christ comes again.

So here it says about the past. Our past salvation is by faith not of works. But the purpose why are we safe? It says here in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10. We are created in Christ Jesus To fulfill certain good works that God planned beforehand to live the life of Christ.

That is the purpose of this grace. So there are two things we read in John 1 14 grace and reality. Grace and reality. Freedom from total freedom from hypocrisy and strength. To live an overcoming life.

Turn with me to Romans chapter 6 and verse 14, which is one of the fundamental words of the New Covenant. Which explains grace very clearly. You could even ask a little child a question from this verse.

Romans 6 14. Sin shall not have dominion or mastery over you. Because you are not under law, but under grace. So if I were to ask even a 10 year old boy, can you read that verse and tell me one simple answer to one question?

How do you know you're under grace. Well, there it is. Sin cannot rule over me. How do you know you're under law? Sin rules over you. Make it more practical. Anger rules your life. You are under law whether you knew it or not.

Lusting after women rules your life. You're under law not under grace, it's very clear sin shall not Rule over you. Sin shall not be your master when you're under grace. Most Christians, let me use the Old Testament example have come out of deep Egypt by the blood of the Lamb.

Baptized like they were baptized in the Red Sea the pillar of cloud symbolizing the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Also, they have received but They never enter the life of victory the land of Canaan they wander and wander and wander in the wilderness.

That is life under the law. Are they redeemed by the blood of the Lamb? Yes, and they come out of Egypt out of Pharaoh's power Satan's power. Yes, but there's no victory in their life. Wandering wandering wandering all their life till they perish in the wilderness.

That is the life of many many believers. They not understood the new covenant because the God of the world has blinded their eyes. So here is something that we need to think about. What is it? That Has made us blind the Holy Spirit has Come to open our eyes to see the truth.

So we see here. We saw John chapter 1. Let me show you one more thing in John chapter 1. We saw that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. But we also see here another thing in John chapter 1 and that is John chapter 1 verse 18, I Told you three things number one The word becoming flesh as opposed to the word being written in the Old Covenant.

John 1 14 the second grace and truth John 1 14 as opposed to Mercy in the Old Testament mercy means forgiveness. Now we have grace unreality unable to be free from inner sin, but reality freedom from hypocrisy possible in the New Covenant and the third John 1 18 Knowing God is a father.

In the Old Covenant, they never knew God as father. No, no person not even John the Baptist could look up to heaven and say father. The first person who could look up to heaven and say father was Jesus Christ and On the day of his resurrection He told Mary Magdalene in John chapter 20 Go and tell my brothers.

That's the first time Jesus called his disciples his brothers in John 15 the three Three three days earlier at the Last Supper. He told them I've called you servants and now I call you friends. But after the resurrection he calls them my brothers.

And he says tell them I ascend to my father and your father. That's the first time he combined that phrase my father and your father. Till then it was my father or separately your father sometimes, but now he says my father and your father now they had become had the possibility to become Children of God who could look look up to God and say father in the Old Testament.

They were servants not sons and a believer who still Experiencing only God's mercy and not his grace. Is really under the Old Covenant still let me turn to Galatians in chapter 4 and verse 1 a Child He may be born again is no different from a slave if he's still a child but we Are called to be sons we read in Galatians 4 5.

There's a difference between a child and a son. A child is a picture of a believer Who's under the Old Covenant? His sins are forgiven. Psalm 103 bless the Lord of my soul who forgives all your sins, but he has not become a son.

Because he's still a slave to sin. Galatians 4 1 the child is no different from a slave from the Old Covenant people. Even though he claims to own All of God's promises, but he hasn't experienced them.

But God has sent the Spirit into us so that we might be sons. This is very very important to understand. Let me share with you one more thing that Jesus said about the father. When he was talking to the Samaritan woman, he said something else about the new covenant in John chapter 4 the Samaritan woman spoke about the Jews worshipping in that mountain and we Samaritans worshipping here and Jesus replied to him and said in John's to fight to her and said in John 4 23 the true worshipers Will worship the father?

They worship God in the Old Testament. Now. We worship our father in spirit and it says in verse 24 God is spirit and Those who worship him must worship in spirit. That's the other wonderful thing about the New Covenant in the Old Covenant.

Worship in Spirit and Truth

They could only worship in body and soul. I Have to rush through this but you can look at these references later. 1 Thessalonians 5 23 says man is spirit soul and body. It's a Trinity and in the Old Testament the tabernacle Which had three parts outer court holy place most holy place symbolized body soul and spirit and The most holy place was blocked off by a curtain called the veil symbolizing that God could not dwell in man's spirit.

God dwelt there and nobody could go into that place. But when Jesus died that veil was rent that was the opening of the New Covenant and now God can enter man's spirit and We can enter into God's presence and We can worship God in spirit.

What's the difference between worshiping God in body and soul in the Old Testament? There you read the Psalms. It's the the soul is our mind and our emotions. So when a person praises God with his mind and his emotions and claps and raises his hands.

He is praising God in body and soul. But he's not coming to the realm of the spirit in our communication with God there are four steps. The first is prayer When we ask God for what we need. The second is Thanksgiving Where we thank him for answer prayer.

The third is praise. Where we praise him for who he is not for what he's done, that's Thanksgiving and Worship and worship is the one thing which most people don't even know what it is. What most people call praise and worship in all of our churches is not praise and worship.

It is praise and Thanksgiving. You say what does it matter if we call? That's one thing if you call praise worship or The phrase doesn't matter. Let me use an illustration. Supposing a man says to a friend of his I bought a gift for you a Cadillac car and This poor man does not know what a Cadillac car is.

He doesn't even know what a car is. He says go to the store and Ask for it and that storekeeper cheats him By giving him giving him a bicycle with the word Cadillac car written on it. And he goes around thinking he's got a Cadillac car.

He didn't get it. He just doesn't know. It's a bicycle. That's the difference between Just calling praise worship when it is not worship at all. Does it make a difference? It said there's a lot of difference between a bicycle and a Cadillac car and there's a as great a difference between praise and worship.

Praises. Praising God for who he is. Let me show you what the New Testament says about worship. In Romans in chapter 12 It says with such a wonderful gospel that he has described in the previous 11 chapters.

What should you do in return. I Beseech you brethren by the mercies of God, which I've just described in 11 chapters present your body a living and a holy sacrifice. Just like in the Old Testament on the altar.

They offered bulls and goats now. He says present your body a living and a holy sacrifice to God. That is your spiritual service of worship. I saw the NASB translates it which is the accurate translation your worship in the spirit.

But Jesus spoke about to the Samaritan woman. He told the Samaritan woman that time is coming When the true worshipers will worship God in spirit that was on the day of Pentecost. That's when that time came before that nobody could worship in the spirit and here it says worship in the spirit is when you present your body as a living sacrifice to God in the Old Testament there to cut up the Bullock or goat into pieces and so when we present our body, we don't just say Lord take my body.

No. We have to fulfill that Old Testament symbolism of cutting up our body Lord. Here is my tongue. I Never want to say what I want to say from now on with this tongue. I never want to get angry with this tongue.

This tongue is for to be used to speak words that glorify you. And now the next piece of my body I cut it up and give it to you Lord my eyes. I never want to look or read it anything that you would not want me to look at or read and my hands.

I'm cutting up my body Lord. My hands are yours. I offer it to you as an act of worship. I never want to do or write anything with his hand, which will dishonor you. Present your body's a living sacrifice.

That is your worship in the spirit and not only that. Then allow your mind Romans 12 to to be changed into the mind of God. Renewing of your mind so that you know what the perfect will of God is. So this is true worship where I've offered my body and my mind to the Lord for him to control.

The Threefold Work of the New Covenant

Now I want to turn you to another passage of scripture. We looked at John chapter 1. And that is in Hebrews chapter 8 with it new covenant is again described. In Hebrews 8 we read that in verse 7 if the first covenant Hebrews 8 7 Was faultless.

There was no need for a second covenant. Let me explain that if the old covenant was faultless There was no need for a new covenant. Now that doesn't mean God made a mistake in giving the old covenant.

No. That means the old covenant could not bring man to the place God wanted him to come which is to have the life of God. It could only make man obey certain things and externally the Ten Commandments nine of them.

Don't kill don't steal don't commit adultery, etc. But That was that was not God's plan. God's plan was much more than that that his life should come inside and man's heart Would obey that from the innermost being.

He would be pleasing to God because the Bible says 1 Samuel. Sorry. In 1 Samuel 16. Yes, man looks on the outward appearance but God looks at the heart and The old covenant could only make people good in the outward appearance and a Christian who is good in his outward appearance, but not in his heart is an old covenant Christian.

A Christian who's pure in his outward appearance, but not pure in his heart is an old covenant Christian. I'm not saying his sins are not forgiven. But he has not understood the new covenant at all and he's not experienced it because the new covenant is in the heart.

So that's why the first covenant was faulty. And he goes on to say in Hebrews 8. I will make a new covenant. And The three parts of that new covenant are described in verses 10 to 12. So I want to start from the bottom verse 12.

First of all All your past sins forgiven and blotted out not only forgiven. Hebrews 8 12 God says I will not remember. That's the foundation of the new covenant. My past is blotted out and God says I will not even remember that we have to begin there.

Then we go to the next thing all will know me as father. They don't have to teach one another. I Will give the Holy Spirit to each person. In the Old Testament the Prophet had to come and teach people about God not now.

When John chapter 2 all says you have an anointing that teaches you all things and here also all will know me personally. You don't have to know about God from any other person. Why does God appoint teachers then to teach the Bible.

There's a lot of difference in knowing the Bible and knowing God. A Child can know his father even though he may not know literature or mathematics or any such thing that takes time but he can know his father from a very young age and In the new covenant, the important thing is knowing God not just knowing the Bible.

We must begin our day not just by reading the Bible but talking to the father. Talking to Jesus all shall know me. They don't have to teach everyone his neighbor saying know the Lord. So the Bible teacher is called to teach the Bible which God appoints teachers in the church to do that.

Like I'm doing right now, but knowing God. I don't have to help you to know God. You can know God yourself. You need the Holy Spirit for that. You don't need Zach Poonen or any other teacher for that the Holy Spirit.

Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit and you'll know God. And the third part of the new covenant is in verse verse 10 I Will put my law in their Mind and write them on their heart. In the Old Testament when Moses went up to the mountain God gave him two tablets of stone.

One contained The first four commandments and the other contained the remaining six commandments. It was written on two tablets of stone made of rock. Almost as if to say to Mankind that your hearts are harder than this rock.

I can write on the rock, but I can't write it in your heart. But then the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and God could write his law on these two inner tablets. What are the two inner tablets?

It says here in Hebrews 8 and verse 10 the mind and the heart. What does it mean when it says God writes his law in our mind? That means he gives us a desire To do the will of God. But he then he writes it in our heart.

Which is giving us the ability to do God's will. So there are two things we need. First of all a desire to do God's will and if you have that desire dear brother sister, don't think you got it by yourself.

It's the Holy Spirit who worked in you to write God's law in your mind so that You desire to do God's will but that doesn't complete the new covenant he has to write it in your heart and The heart is the place where we read in Hebrews 13 and verse 8 that the heart should be strengthened by grace.

We saw when grace rules over us when we are under grace sin cannot rule over us. It's like if you're standing under a roof the rain cannot fall on you. In the same way when I'm under grace sin cannot touch me cannot rule me.

I can be tempted, but I can't sin. It's when I move out of grace that I sin. It's good for the heart to be strengthened by grace. So when God writes his law in our heart, it means he gives us strength to Fulfill his will.

There are two things we need. Like it says in Philippians 2 God is at work in us. Philippians 2 13 To will and to do is good pleasure. To will means he writes it in our mind to do his will means he writes it in our heart.

That is the new covenant. So what did we see in Hebrews 8 the three parts of the new covenant our past sins completely blotted out. So that God doesn't even Says he won't even remember it. Secondly knowing God as a father through the Holy Spirit said I don't need to Go to anybody else to help me to know God.

You can know God yourself and Third where God gives me the desire and the ability To do the will of God, this is wonderfully pictured in Hebrews chapter 10 where in Hebrews chapter 10 We read a quotation Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 7.

We read a quotation from Psalm 40 verse 7 and 8 where David says in Psalm 40 Behold, I've come in the volume of the book is written of me. I delight to do your will. Oh God. That's Psalm 40 verse 7 and 8 I delight to do your will.

Oh God, that's the law written in the mind. But Jesus says here in Hebrews 10 said I come to do your will. Oh God, which is the law written in the heart. You see the difference between the way Psalm 40 is quoted in Hebrews 10.