Reflections, from a man obsessed with
the truth...
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 WHY GOD GAVE MANKIND THE NEW COVENANT IT'S MORE HIM, THAN US... It is surprising to learn just "why" God gave mankind the New Covenant... I say this only because most Christians, and the lost for that matter think it was pure altruism or sympathy on God's part as the basis for "why" we now live under a New Covenant, or a New Testament as it may also be called. Yes, John 3:16 reminds all of us that it is God's love for us that sent Jesus to die for our sins - that is a fact. Ah, but that is only part of the narrative of this beautiful love song of our God. We find that while it was love that sent Jesus to die for all of us, it was something else that moved God to commission what we now call the: NEW COVENANT. This may come as a surprise to many people today, Christians and non -Christians alike. The New Covenant was really not centered on us (though we've been led to think that); but rather it's God's way of ensuring that His name would be honored and glorified in all of heaven and earth. By stopping the vicious power of evil through sin, Jesus Christ secured the right, the privilege, and ability for all of us to truly "honor" God's name. HALLOWED BE THE NAME... Matthew 6:9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. As we shall see, this being first and foremost in Jesus instructions on how we are to pray, is not to be taken lightly... it is the key to understanding why we were given the New Covenant. It's worth noting that Jesus our Lord began this prayer with clear instructions to: Reverence and honor our Heavenly Father's name! That dear friends, was intentional, and by design for us to take note of... as we dig deeper and deeper into God's holy word; we find that "honoring God's name" is at the heart of all Jesus did, and all we are to do as well. hal·lowed adj \ˈha-(ˌ)lōd, ˈha-ləd, in the Lord's Prayer often ˈha-lə-wəd\ Definition of HALLOWED 1: holy, consecrated <the church stands on hallowed ground> 2: sacred, revered <the university's hallowed halls> <hallowed customs> See hallowed defined for English-language learners » GOD'S NAME IS PROFANED... If you are impatient or in a hurry this is not for you... but if you really want to understand why you and I were given this wonderful New Covenant/Testament by God - take a few precious minutes, and discover how important God views "honoring" His' name. IT IS A BIG DEAL! Ezekiel 36:16-21 (NKJV) 16 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. 18 Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. 19 So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. 20 When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ 21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. (my emphasis)  A "NEW HEART & A NEW SPIRIT" Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. We find that God states emphatically, 3 times - that He is going to put an end to this trampling of His' holy name by His' people among the nations where they were scattered... and the solution will be drastic and thorough - from the inside out: A NEW COVENANT! And here is the kicker: IT WON'T BE FOR OUR SAKES, IT WILL BE FOR HIS' HOLY NAME SAKE!! I repeat, God gave us the New Covenant so His' holy name would be HONORED/HALLOWED. The Lord is quick to point out that it is not for "our sakes", but for His holy name's sake - that He has given a New Covenant to His people... read it for yourself. Ezekiel 36:22-27 Amplified Bible (AMP) 22. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations to which you went. (emphasis mine) 23And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name and separate it for its holy purpose from all that defiles it--My name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them--and the nations will know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service], when I shall be set apart by you and My holiness vindicated in you before their eyes and yours. 24. For I will [a]take you from among the nations and gather you out of all countries and bring you into your own land. 25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness; and from all your idols will I cleanse you. 26.A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. A "HEAVENLY ASSIST" What the law/Old Covenant could not do, never do - was enable us to consistently honor and glorify God's name in the earth. That dear friends was all about to end. Jesus was coming to establish a better covenant, based upon "better promises"... Now we would all be rendered "excuse less" - we now have been given everything we need to "do the will of God" - to walk in holiness and revere and honor God's holy name as He intended from the beginning. Let us realize that while it was love that sent Jesus to the cross to die for our sins, it was anger, yes I said anger that moved God to initiate and establish what we now call: THE NEW COVENANT. God does not take lightly those who claim to be His' people and then live unholy and ungodly lives before others... NO SMALL MATTER FRIENDS. It was God's holy fury that drove Him to expel the people of Israel throughout the nations - and it was God' righteous anger that drove Him to provide the "heavenly assist" they would need if they were to truly live holy lives... Thank God this was for us as well. 2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” The Lord knows those who "honor" His' holy name by godly lives, and those who are mere pretenders or hypocrites... we show we are Christians truly when our lives and conduct bring honor to God's holy name... Let us all honor Jesus by living holy lives that show forth His' love and holy character... Final Thoughts... yes God so loved the world that He gave Jesus for all of us, to die for us. But, as the scriptures declare "honoring His' name" is at the very heart of "why" we have been given the New Covenant. Without it we would be trampling God's holy name in the mud, and taking ourselves to hell in the process. You see, by saving us, God not only "saves His' name from being disgraced and dishonored; but God also allows us to honor His' name through what Christ has done for us. Now we can glorify God's name in all the earth and "hallow" God's name as Jesus taught us... Let us live to bring "honor" to God, to His' holy name, and to the name of His' son, Jesus Christ. A man obsessed with the truth, scribe4god p.s. This short article is part of THE CHRISTIAN FAITH/Now & Then - which can be found on our website to read/download for free: https://www.lightinthedarkministries.com/the-christian-faith.html You may find my books at most online bookstores... just click the links. OUT OF THE DARKNESS - https://books2read.com/u/br9oLz PEARLS of WISDOM - https://books2read.com/u/bw9odv THE CHRISTIAN FAITH - https://books2read.com/u/mdYMZR
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