(New Covenant) 3. the Foundation of the New Covenant — Miki Hardy

The Foundation of the Old Covenant: Holiness and Righteousness

We welcome you and we want to continue on the same subject we've been talking about The Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Amen. We're talking about The glory of the New Covenant.

The New Covenant Has Better Promises

We aren't we aren't going to get into that but this morning we will be preaching about the foundation of the New Covenant and As I said each time it's good to see What's happening in the New Covenant our life under this covenant.

But it's always wonderful To compare it to the Old Covenant Which is a shadow of what we are living today so sometimes it's good to go back to the Old Covenant and to understand what God has been doing under The Old Covenant so that we can discover How the New Covenant is so much better with better promises.

Amen. And it brings freedom to our hearts and lives so let us open our Bibles. This morning it's wonderful to look at Where God met with his people under the Old Covenant in the book of Psalms chapter 11 we understand Through the covenant that God made with his people that holiness and righteousness Were the foundation of their faith.

God manifested himself as a God of holiness and a God of righteousness. When we look at the Ten Commandments, what do we see? What? was the purpose of the Ten Commandments. It showed us it showed the people of Israel How holy was their God and how righteous he was.

That was if the foundation of their faith and everything they would do and Everything they would be asked to do was because God was a holy God. He was their God. He was holy and he was righteous. He was righteous and the people of God Could trust him that God would never break his covenant.

He would never break his covenant. He was a righteous God and He would keep them and he would protect them and he would provide for them and whatever God would say he would do that was How God manifested himself Even to this great man of God to Moses and When Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments, what did it show a holy God?

He wanted all Their worship and he wanted them to live a holy a righteous life. It hasn't changed Even in the new covenant. It's the same God wants us to live a holy and righteous life. Now open your Bibles with me in the book of Psalms chapter 11.

It's very interesting and here We see David expressing the foundation of his faith. He believed that God was holy. He believed that God was righteous. And he said in the Lord I put my trust. How can you say to my soul?

Flee as a bird to your mountain. In other words go and escape go and run away. How can you tell me go and run away and try to find? Everything else. Apart from God go and flee in the mountain. For look the wicked bend their bow.

The enemy is behind you. Run away go and flee. Go and try to find your protection somewhere. Go and hide yourself from the enemy and David says how can you tell me? How can you tell me? To go and run away and hide in the mountains.

When the wicked and the enemy comes and my God is a holy God and righteous God. How can you tell me that? For look the wicked bend their bow. They make ready the arrow on the string that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.

Now David was a righteous man. He had favor with God. Am I right? And those who fear God those who did not have a relationship with God. He heard you must have heard. About what they felt what they thought what was their counsel when the wicked will come and attack.

When the enemy will come with their bows and arrows. But David knew his God. He knew him and he said If the foundations are destroyed What can the righteous do? In other words, he was saying if I cannot trust God who is holy and righteous.

What else can I do? Where would I go? What would be my vision. I Will fall apart. In other words if the foundation is not strong Solid everything falls apart. Everything it falls apart. And that was the foundation of the faith of David.

God was holy. My God is holy. My God is righteous. My God Will intervene. My God will look after me. My God will do what he said He would do. My God will not break covenant with me. My God is holy. My God is righteous.

If you say if my faith is not in the holiness of God and his righteousness. Where would me as a righteous man? Well, we see the righteousness of God. Where would I go? Where without where would we go brothers and sisters what would be our life.

And he goes on and he says if the foundations are wrong destroyed. Where can the righteous go? He's lost. He's lost. He doesn't know where the north where the south where the east where the west. He would be at the mercy of the enemy at the mercy of the wicked ones.

In other words what what I'm saying here. What am I saying here if the foundation is not strong? We will perish. We will go everywhere the wind blows. Our lives would be in a mess. You see We will come to the foundation of the new covenant.

But I want to touch base with the foundation of the old covenant. In the old covenant God dwelled in the temple. He dwelt in the tabernacle built by Moses. Correct. That was his place among the people among his people.

The Ark of the Covenant the Ark of God was placed in the tabernacle of God and Even in the old before the first temple was built the temple of Solomon. Before the first temple was built that little tent that little tabernacle was called the temple of God.

Yeah. The Bible says in one Samuel that he lay Eli. Eli Laid down at the door of the temple. There was no temple. There was a tabernacle very sure that God dwelt in the temple among his people. Samuel laid down in the temple when God spoke to him and When Solomon was told to build the temple God gave him very strict prescriptions.

Solomon’s Temple and the Strength of Its Foundation

How to build this temple? Yeah, and I want to tell you that when God ordered Solomon to build the temple. He asked him to build a very wide and big foundation. Huge one a huge foundation for the temple of God.

Strong solid. Am I right? The temple of Solomon was built about 950 years before Christ now open our Bibles in 1 Kings chapter 5. 1 Kings chapter 5. My point this morning is if the foundation is not strong.

Everything will fall apart. That's my point. We read verse 17 and the king commanded them and the king commanded them to quarry large stones. Costly stones and huge stones to lay the foundation of the temple.

That was the order from the king. Now you go in the quarry there. You take the stones. You cut them. But when you bring them to build in the temple, you don't touch them. You don't put the hammer. You don't put the sizzle on these stones where you are going to build it now.

We'll come to that later, but this is also a shadow of what would come in the new covenant. That's what God says. Go in the quarry. Pick up stones cut them to shape. The way I order you to do it then bring them to be the temple.

But you won't cut these stones on there on the site. You won't touch them. You won't put your hand into that. And in 2 Chronicles chapter 3. We read that 2 Chronicles chapter 3 verse 1. Now Solomon began to build the house the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah.

Where the Lord had appeared to his father David at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Oman the Jebusite. And he began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

This is the foundation which Solomon laid for building the house of God. The length was 60 cubits. By cubits according to the former measure and the width 20 cubits in other words about 35 meters. The width of that foundation would be about 35 meters longer than this building here.

Longer greater than the size of this building. That was the size of the foundation that God Spoke to Solomon and Solomon ordered to build the temple on the foundation had to be strong. The foundation had to be solid.

The foundation had to be big. Now remember. The new covenant is a shadow of the old covenant or the old covenant the shadow of what was to come of the new? covenant. Remember that all the time we are going to share with you.

Remember that we're talking about the foundation. We're talking about something absolutely important. For our lives today God would be in the temple. God would meet with his people in the temple and you know that that temple Was destroyed at the time of the deportation of the people of God.

That temple was destroyed Completely in about 70 years. After that God spoke to a pagan and told him To tell his people to go and build the temple again Again and when he ordered to be to build the temple it was amazing.

Ezra and the Joy of Rebuilding the Temple

What happened now. Open your Bibles with me in the book of Ezra. Ezra chapter 3 chapter 3 verse 10. You read with me. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord the priest stood in their apparel with trumpets and the Levites the sons Of Azaz with symbols to praise the Lord according to the ordinance of David king of Israel and they sang Responsively praising and giving thanks to the Lord.

Then all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord. Because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. Now because the foundation of the new house was being laid. The people of God shouted with joy.

They rejoiced and praised the Lord. Because when they saw that the foundation was being laid they knew That the temple was going to be rebuilt again and God would come in the midst of his people again and they rejoiced.

But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the father's houses old men who had seen the first temple. Now remember the they must have been old. It's 70 years after. Now the temple of Solomon is being rebuilt.

When they saw the first What seen the first temple wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Many shouted aloud for joy. Amen. It's amazing how the foundation has a great importance on the lives of people.

Here we see that the foundation had a great importance in the life of the people of the old cabinet. It would hold the temple of God. The foundation would hold the temple of God where God would come and dwell Among his people and meet with them and talk to them.

The foundation built that was that that where the temple was going to be built would be solid would be strong. Would be big. It had to be it had to be so we are looking at The foundation Which is absolutely Important in our lives.

They rejoiced. It's amazing how these old men these old priests these old Levites. Old men who had lost hope they had lost hope completely. There was no more temple. There was no nothing was completely destroyed and when they saw that the foundation was Being built being laid down under the earth So that the temple would Stand on it.

They rejoiced. Now, this is what's happening in the new covenant the foundation of our faith. The foundation of the new covenant. There's a new building being built. There's a new temple being built. The church his body.

His people we are his temple the Bible says and I believe that if the foundation of this temple is Not strong and solid what would happen to the righteous? What would happen to us? We would go astray.

We won't be able to walk a holy life. We won't be able to please God we won't be able to live a righteous life. If the foundation is not right if the foundation on which our lives are built upon is not strong and Solid and big we will fall apart and that's what's happening in the body of Christ today.

Thousands and thousands of Christians are not living a holy life. They are walking in sin. Then they are being defeated in their Christian walk and yet Jesus has accomplished everything so that we could walk a holy and righteous life.

So that we could accomplish the requirements of the law in other words walk a righteous life, but Unfortunately, if the foundation is not right, we cannot walk a victorious life. We cannot our victory upon our flesh.

We cannot our victory of a sin. We will walk a defeated life. That's why our foundation needs to be strong and solid. It's a spiritual temple now. It's not a physical temple. Even in the old covenant the foundation of this physical temple had to be strong.

We understand that the foundation of this holy spiritual temple church body of Christ needs to be strong. It's spiritual now. It's no more physical. It's spiritual and it's got to be a spiritual foundation.

Not physical we can gather here in this house and we can have very strong foundation. Holding out this building, but that's not the point under the new covenant. Under the new covenant. It's a spiritual foundation that our lives need to be built upon a strong foundation.

That will hold our lives together. That will allow us to walk a righteous life and we need to understand the foundation. The spiritual foundation that was laid by the early apostles and prophets in the church we need to understand that we need to see that and So that we can know on which road to walk upon.

Belief in Christ and the Need for a Victorious Christian Life

It's not enough to believe in Christ. It's not enough. If you want a victorious life believing in Christ is not enough. How many of you that have you know that even my own life is a testimony. I Believed in Christ from the from the age of 27 years old.

I Got born again. I've never Denied Christ as my Savior and Lord never. Like you you got born again, and you still believe in Christ. Thousands and millions of Christians in the world they got born again, and they still believe in Christ and yet the church Is going through a hard time because millions of Christians have left the church.

Discouraged why. Because their lives could not be a victorious life. They were discouraged. Why. Because the foundation was not right. Was not right. Even the Apostle Peter when God gave him the revelation that Jesus was a son of God.

The son of the Living God his life was still in a mess after he denied Christ his life was a flake a car life. Everything that he felt he did. You see he didn't walk with his heart he walked with according to circumstances of life.

Because the foundation was not strong in his life. There are things that he did not understand. There are things that was not yet revealed to his heart. There are things that he didn't know how to handle.

Because he was still blind spiritually to many things. He was blind. He thought that because he declared that Jesus you are the son you are the Christ the son of the Living God. That everything would be okay.

No. That's why a foundation has got to be laid in the church a Strong one a solid one that would hold the spiritual temple. Hold our lives. For many years as a Christian. I believed in Christ, but my life was in a mess.

In a mess and so Has been your lives? Yeah. In a mess. I was preaching the gospel and my life was still in a mess. Until my eyes was opened and I understood what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 Verse 10 and he said by the grace of God.

By the grace of God. I laid the foundation. As a wise architect. I laid the foundation he said as an apostle. I laid the foundation as a wise architect. Now it's open your Bibles in just and read these verses.

Paul’s Apostolic Foundation and Spiritual Understanding

1 Corinthians chapter 3. Now we need to understand my brothers and sisters. We are spiritual people. We are a spiritual people. Amen, our lives are spiritual. The church is spiritual. That's why we need a spiritual foundation.

Amen. We must stop and trying to understand things in our mind our hearts need to grasp in the spirit. What is the plan of God for every Christian? It's not enough to believe in Christ. That's the first phase.

We enter in the kingdom. But now there's a life that has been designed by God. That's why the Apostle Paul brought a message to all churches. Where every Christian would know what God was asked of his life.

Can you understand that you come to church and you need to know what God is asking of your life if you come to church and you bless God and You only seek for Material things and you don't know what God is asking.

From you we're not talking about material things. We're not talking about things that you can touch or see with your physical eyes. We're talking about things that happen deep down in your heart. We're talking about a foundation.

It's got to be laid. We've got to see we've got to know we've got to grasp. Our eyes must See in the spirit we cannot continue to come to church and don't know what God is asking of my life and just blessing him and just asking him of things many things and Keeping my eyes on material blessings keeping my eyes on things that I can touch and see.

Now there are greater things in the spirit that we are called to live to live to Experience with God and I want to to share with you this morning about that foundation. That the Apostles laid in all the churches.

But said I sent you Timothy. He will tell you how I preach in all churches. He will tell you What I preach in all churches, that's how he speaks of Timothy. Timothy was his son in the gospel. He caught.

Timothy caught what Paul has received from Christ the revelation that Christ gave to him to lay the foundation in all the churches. Hmm and Timothy who walked with him who heard him. That revelation was Transmitted to him he caught it.

He was prepared to live it. He received the challenge and That's why the Apostle Paul was ready to send this man everywhere. So that the church would continue to be encouraged that their lives would be on that strong Solid foundation and that they will not depart from it.

They won't depart from that foundation. The church had to be reminded all the time. The church has always lived. Among false teachings false prophets false doctors. Hello. Even in the time of Paul in even the time of the church the early church even now.

We are living in a time where everyone comes with his own doctrine. He invents something. You know as we are talking about a holy God. You know that in the Old Covenant. When Moses was ordered to build that tabernacle God told him you set Aaron and his sons apart.

They were going to be the priest. Yeah, they were the ones who are going to do the service in the tabernacle. And you know what God did. You know what he did. He told the guys to prepare. An anointing oil.

Prepared with specific spices and God would call that oil an anointing oil special oil. That he would anoint Aaron and the priests a holy oil. That's what he would do that. How serious God saw the ministers that would do the service in the tabernacle you see.

Come again to the fact that The Old Covenant is a shadow of what would come. You see an Aaron and all his sons. Anointing oil was poured upon them. They had to be consecrated set apart their clothes. Everything had to be anointed because it represented the holiness of God.

The righteous God that they would serve. Hmm and You remember when when when David understood that the tabernacle that the Ark of the Covenant had to come back to Jerusalem. You know what happened when when when they loaded the Ark of the Covenant on a chariot, right?

And they were walking next to it and you can you can see that. You know this this this chariot was moving like that and when and as they were walking The Ark of the Covenant was nearly going to fall and a man called Uzzah Put his hand on the on the Ark of the Covenant and he fell dead.

He wasn't anointed to do that. He didn't have the right to touch that. Hey, and it's only about seven months after David couldn't understand what had happened and He didn't want to carry on and bring the Ark of the Covenant right up to the city called the city of David.

He said, okay let's let's let's take the Ark of the Covenant in the city of Obed-Adam and while the Ark of the Covenant was there God blessed the people of Obed-Adam and then some light came to David and he said now I understand why now we understand why this the Uzzah died.

I Said okay guys We are going to to carry on take the Ark of the Covenant from Obed-Adam and bring it in Jerusalem in the city of David. This is now the Levites have got to handle that situation because they are anointed to do that and They did and when the Ark of the Covenant entered the city of David, you know the rejoicement and you know the joy and you know how they they I mean they dance before the Lord and they shouted and they praised him and they sang hymns and They played music and everything was happening.

The glory of God the presence of God was back in the city of David. And you know what's happening today? Today now you see the Old Covenant is a shadow of the things to come. Can you understand that when the thing comes.

You stop dealing with the old when you look around today and you see people trying to buy holy oil. Special anointed oil. Where did they get that from? Where did they get that from? Where'd you get that from holy oil?

They dig it. They dig it from the Old Covenant. Because you don't understand that when Christ came. When Christ came and Gave his life on that cross and died and rose again from the dead a new covenant started a New era a new time a new life a new reformation.

Started and if we don't understand that in Christ we have everything we will start digging in the old again. Can you understand when we do not see that Christ is the beginning and the end of everything?

That we have all in him that we do not need to dig in the old covenant principles. As long as our life is built on a strong foundation. That when we are. You know Push here push on the right push backwards push forward and our lives is not a Stable Christian life walking in victory.

We will start digging. We'll start digging again. Now we'll go now. We are like Aaron and the priest now. We have to go and hope and anoint oil. Where is that found in the New Covenant? Where is that found in the New Covenant?

Become a business a business in the Christian world. We dig. Let's go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 3 Verse 10 you see we can have good intentions, but that's not enough. Good intentions are not enough.

God killed Uzzah. Right there and then he had a good intention. He wanted to protect The Ark of the Covenant from falling. It's as if God can't do it himself. And that's what's happening in the church today.

Many people are acting like Uzzah. They believe that God cannot do it himself and now they want to introduce types. Shadows they want to replica. Imitate. It's not enough. It's not good enough to have good intentions.

That's why truth remains truth and good intentions might not be truth. We need to have a strong foundation so that we can stay in pure doctrine so that we can remain in a holy doctrine pure the doctrine of Christ.

Okay, so read. According to the grace of God which was given to me as a wise architect a wise master builder I have laid the foundation and another built on it. I Have laid the foundation and another built on it now.

Can you understand? That there is a clear responsibility Between laying a foundation and building on it. Correct or not? He says I have laid the foundation and somebody else comes and build on it. So you've got to have people.

You have you've got to have men. You've got to have anointed men. Who are called of God? To lay the foundation. Yeah, you see it's a question of anointing. It's not a question of trying to Imitate someone and preach what he preached.

It's not a question of words. That's why the five the fivefold ministry it's not Just a different objective. It's not just a different responsibility. It's a different anointing and We've got to understand that and the church needs to understand that you can't pick up what what this prophet has said you can't pick up what this brother has said and Register it in here and go and try to do it here.

You can't do that. Because if you don't carry the same anointing The words that you say are not going to bear the same fruit and there is strong Chances that you destroy instead of building. Because it's the anointing that builds it's the anointing that creates.

Christ and Him Crucified as Paul’s Foundation

Now the Apostle Paul says here. I have laid the foundation. I Have brought something. Now how many of you know that the Apostle Paul is an is an Apostle. Can you understand that's it. Paul was an Apostle.

Now no one can deny that in the body of Christ. He's an Apostle and the revelation that this man carried and that received from Christ was special. How many of you know that? Special he didn't only preach Christ.

He preached Christ and him crucified he laid the foundation and When the Apostle Paul walked out of the church every single Christian knew that his life was not his anymore. That's very clear for me, and I hope for you, too when this man walked out of the church and had preached and Had laid the foundation.

Every Christian knew that his life was lost Finished that his life was not belonging to him anymore anymore. It's amazing. It's amazing and if every if a Christian doesn't catch hold of that very truth He'll mess up his life.

Because he will hold on to his life. He will keep his life and when you keep his your life. What do you what do you do with it? You lose it. That's what Jesus says if you keep your life you lose it, but if you give your life you'll gain it.

Correct or not is that scripture so it's more that than Christ being the Son of God. It's Christ crucified and our identification with him our Identification with his sufferings and with his death so that we can partake to resurrection life.

And if Christians do not understand what they need to do with their lives and pastors continue to preach about winning material things and Drawing the hearts of people to material things. They will never know what they need to do with their lives in the spirit never.

They don't understand the foundation of Christianity the foundation of their faith. We're talking about the same thing we're talking about holiness and righteousness. If you don't know what you need to do with your life in the spirit, you will not walk a holy life and in righteous life.

You won't because you are keeping your life for yourself. And when you keep your life for yourself, you know, what takes over the flesh. But when you give it God deals with it. Yeah, when you give your life God deals with that thing that is called flesh.

Christian Identity with Christ’s Sufferings

That's why when you when you when you give your life when you know That your life rests on a solid foundation you as a Christian cannot get divorced. No, no, no, we're talking. No, no, no, what is he saying this guy?

Yeah. Yeah, I won't tell you my experience because it's not nice. My experience is not nice before My eyes were opened To what God called me as a husband. I'm telling you the truth. My wife and I were talking divorce now, maybe not many of you don't know that.

Many of you know because my life was not on the right foundation. I didn't know I was Called to lose my life. All I knew is that I was a preacher. That's all I knew. Praise God. I was a preacher. Yeah, I was a preacher.

That's all I knew. I Knew the Bible. I could quote verses. Like I can't quote now I'm telling you the truth. I Was in a mess. There was a time in my life as a preacher I was communicating with my wife by letters, would you believe that.

Would you believe that? I'm talking about long ago long long ago as a preacher born again for eight years. Eight years born again a preacher a pastor. Eight years. Come on now. Eight years as a preacher.

I was a mess. I was a dictator as a husband. I wanted my life to be what I wanted her to be. I was like who's up. Trying to put order where only God can yeah. But anyway, that's any long story very very very long.

I had good intentions, but that were not good enough. Because my life was not laid on the right foundation. I didn't know what I needed to do with my life. Can you understand. I Didn't know that my life did not belong to me anymore.

I didn't know that I was not supposed to be in control anymore. I Didn't know I didn't know that my life was supposed to be lost. I didn't know that I had nothing to claim. I didn't know. Like millions of Christians today are still claiming.

Claiming something Because they are Christians is totally contrary to this gospel totally Contrary to the foundation that needs to be laid in our lives. It's got to be strong. It's got to be solid. I've laid the foundation the Apostle Paul says.

And others come and build on it. In 1 Corinthians chapter 2 the Apostle Paul says I come to you and I don't know anything else. But I need to come to preach to you that Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Jesus Christ and him crucified. Don't you know that when you got born again that Jesus was crucified. Of course, you know it come on now. For ten years of my life as a Christian, I knew it. I knew it.

That Jesus was crucified. That's not enough. Jesus Christ and him crucified. How can I dissociate my life From what Christ did. How can I from far only believe in it? But not. Introduce my life and come into fellowship with the sufferings of Christ.

Paul says I know him. I want to know him. Christ in the power of his resurrection and in the fellowship of his sufferings. How can you? Separate your life With the cross. The cross means death. The cross means suffering.

The cross means everything. That Jesus went through. How can you? How can Christianity departs itself? How from the sufferings of Christ. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 20 verse 19 now. Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners.

No longer but fellow citizens. With the Saints and members of the household of God. How? How? Having being built our lives. Having being built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ himself being the cornerstone.

Jesus Christ himself. Jesus Christ and him crucified. The Bible talks about a son a son of Paul called Timothy. He had many sons the Apostle Paul. He had many sons who carried the same revelation of the gospel.

Who are ready to give their life and lose their lives. Who are ready to identify their lives to the sufferings of Christ and the death of Christ? They were spiritual men. They had become spiritual men not from what they believed.

But from what. From how they identified their lives with him. You can be a Christian who believes but you can be a carnal Christian who believes and live in sin. But you can be a Christian who walks a holy life.

You might fall yes. But you will experience true repentance and God will take you by the hand and say my son. Because you repented my blood washes you clean and you start again. We're talking about the revelation of the gospel.

Enlightenment, Suffering, and the Cost of Discipleship

We're talking about the foundation in our lives under the new covenant. We're talking about the foundation that the Apostle Paul laid in every church. Now look in the book of Acts. Look in the book of Hebrews how it is being mentioned how these Christians who were enlightened.

They were enlightened. What does that mean? What do you mean when you are enlightened? You know, you know, you know what you got to do. Am I right you are enlightened. You know where you got to walk. You know on what path and what road you need to walk.

They were enlightened and because they were enlightened. They were ready to identify themselves to those that were suffering for Christ. They were not looking from far. They were not like the disciples before the cross.

They were all there, but they were all far. There were no one would it identify with Christ in the garden in the courtyard no one. The challenge. Peter and Peter said no, I don't know him and yet Peter got the revelation that Jesus Christ was the son of the Living God and Yet at that very time he was in the flesh.

He was not ready to give his life. He was not ready. You can be a Christian, but your life not laid on the right foundation. You can be. You can be a millionaire Christian and yet your life not on this plate on the right foundation.

You can be a poor Christian and yet your life not laid on the right foundation. It's not a question of being poor or rich. It's a question of walking in victory. That's what it's all about. Christianity is all about walking in holiness.