Sunday, August 10, 2014

THE COVENANT

The Covenant Between God and Man

“I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. Genesis 9:13

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

It is true that Jesus came to earth as a poor man and was born in a stable. But it’s also true after His death He, as a rich man, was buried in a rich man’s tomb and upon His resurrection He sat at the right hand of the Father. But the best truth is that after the Cross Jesus literally is no longer poor, powerless or helpless in any sense because He took back all that was literally His. All power, riches, and authority in heaven in earth have been given back to Him.

As a result because of what Jesus Christ had done on the cross God is now using all of His riches and resources and power on our behalf, for the good of those who really trust and follow Him and give Him their all.  God’s true ones don’t have to be poor anymore, in any sense of the word, in any area of their lives: spiritual, emotional, physical and financial.

For through the cross of Christ God has remembered His covenant with His people that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to grant that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. For the words of Jesus are true for ever more:

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; Luke 4:18

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Our God was not and could not be defeated by the worst that demons, circumstances or people could do to Him. He is an overcomer! As a result of Jesus’ real victories on the Cross, we don’t need to be defeated by anything and we can be overcomers. Because by Faith we are already overcomers, especially as we mix the Word of God with our faith and not with unbelief.

Now God’s  word has much to say about overcomers:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ‘ Revelations 2:7

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ‘ Revelations 2:17

“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Revelations 3:5

“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. Revelations 3:12

“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. Revelations 21:7

In Christ Jesus and because of the power of the Holy Spirit all the riches and resources in heaven are now ours. For God has made provision in Christ Jesus for His chosen and called ones to overcome and be overcomers.  As God gives His All to those who give their All to Him; To those who sell everything to buy the pearl of great price which is Jesus Christ.

Hence, a result of the finished work at the Cross, God’s word is true:

‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. (Luke 15:31)

“I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.  “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.  “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelations  3:18-22

We need the power and the help of the Holy Spirit to make the victories of the Cross and the riches of God’s word to be a total reality in our hearts and lives. For the American Heritage Dictionary defines sal·va·tion:

(s²l-v³“sh…n) n. 1.a. Preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or evil. b. A source, means, or cause of such preservation or deliverance. 2. Theology. a. Deliverance from the power or penalty of sin; redemption. b. The agent or means that brings about such deliverance.

In Christ, we now have the possibility of present and future salvation in our difficulties, troubles, circumstances and needs. For God’s word is true:

“Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Revelation 12:10-12)

“Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” (Isaiah 35:4)

As a result of the victories of the Cross and the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit, we now have an exceeding greatness of God’s power available towards us who believe. For the God’s word is true:

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,  the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

“What is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power  which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:17-23)

You and I are the real Church, and not the building somewhere on a street, and we now have by faith the exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe, because of what the Father-God did for Jesus at the Cross. Now Jesus is not poor anymore, we can talk, preach and participate in “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” (Ephesians 3:8)  He is our friend, brother, husband, wife, provider, savior, Lord and the Source of our total supply.

We, as believers and disciples of Jesus, can now add to our lives the exceeding greatness of His mighty power, the exceeding riches of His grace and the exceeding abundance of His abilities to do above all that we ask or think, according to that power now lives and works in us, and to become literally filled with the fullness of God.

The question that we must ask ourselves is what is the dimension of the fullness of God and his exceeding power, riches and abundance? The answer is that it’s our limited by our faith and what we believe! For God’s word is unchanging:

Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” John 20:26

For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Romans 3:3

Abraham, the Father of the children of faith, contrary to what it looked like, believed that what God had promised, He was able to perform. Faith is of grace and not of works therefore God’s honors faith.  For Abraham believed-God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things, which do not exist as though they did. Contrary to hope, in hope he believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

Not being weak in faith, Abraham did not consider his own body, already dead nor and the deadness of Sarah’s womb, He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.  And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.  The bible records for our profit and instruction:

Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all  (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed-God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;  who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.  He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,  and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.  And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Romans 4:16-22

In the kingdom of God there is a principle that men only get what they believe for. Jesus expressed this principle in His words according to your faith so be it to you. So it’s very important what you believe and know about God and about His covenant with His trusting ones.

WALTER KAMBULOW
FACEBOOK: WALT KAM
EXTRACT FROM Be Filled With All The Fullness Of God 

 http://walthope.tripod.com/befilled.htm

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