God's Covenant

Genesis 6

18. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.

I was reading this and God showed me something. He said but with thee I establish my covenant. God has established His covenant with His people. God has said that if we confess the Lord Jesus Christ and believe that God has raised Him from the dead we shall be saved.

And thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. Here we see that God said our wives and our sons shall be in the ark with us. That means husbands too ladies and daughters. They may resist and fight but if we only hold on to Jesus they will be with us.

To God I give glory honor and praise for He alone is worthy.

Why does God choose to redeem people from their sins?

First, redemption brings glory to God. By virtue of God being the Creator, we belong to Him. However, we have become slaves of Satan as the result of our sin. For God to receive the glory due Him as the Creator and Ruler of all things, He must repossess the prize of His creation-human beings. When we allow Him to redeem us, we again become His possession, bringing glory to His name.

Second , redemption magnifies Christ. Even before Adam and Eve took their first breath, God had formulated the plan of redemption. It would take the death of Gods one and only Son to pay the price of redeeming humanity. When we turn to Christ and confess our sins, acknowledging that He is the Way of salvation, we magnify His name. We affirm the truth that Jesus is the Son of God, who was crucified, buried, and resurrected.

Third, redemption gives people everlasting life. Love was the underlying motive for God paying our redemption price-His love for lost humanity. Unless Christ had died in our place, every human being in history would have been separated from God in this life and for eternity. But it was God's will for us to live with Him forever, so He has done everything necessary to make that happen. Now it's up to us to receive redemption.

Psalms 107

1. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

2. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

3. And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.

The redeemed of the Lord have something to say! We should give thanks to God for His goodness and mercy because they are without end.

Goodness is not simply as attribute of God that is somehow detached from him. That "God is good" stands in the same way as "God is love". It is a statement concerning God's very being.

God's mercy is a favor we do not merit. Mercy is an opportunity to right a wrong, demonstrate a change of heart, show repentance , or try again.

Through God's goodness and mercy, we have been redeemed from the hand of the enemy (v. 2Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;). As believers we have been freed from the great enemy, Satan, and we must praise God for that deliverance.

Verse 3 (And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.) says; God's deliverance is worldwide. He is gathering from around the world a people who belong to Christ and worship Him in spirit and truth.

1Thessalonians

3. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

4. That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

5. Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

6. That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

To live in God's will means to live a life of Sanctification. Sanctification is the process of wholly consecrating ourselves so that we can take on more of the image of God in our lives. It requires both divine power (John 17:17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.), and human cooperation (1Peter 3:15. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:).

Sanctification begins at salvation when God deals with the guilt and presence of sin. Following that, there is a moment at some point in our lives when we decide to consecrate ourselves to God wholly and completely and allow Him to deal with the "root" of sin. It then becomes a daily event whereby we die out to carnality and are renewed afresh in the likeness of God.

Paul is clear that this includes sexual immorality (v.3-5). Those who live in a lifestyle of holiness are to "abstain from sexual immorality" (v.3). The term behind "sexual immorality" (porniea, from which the word pornography comes) is a broad term which includes adultery, sexual behavior outside of marriage, incest and prostitution. In brief, it is any extramarital, unlawful, unnatural or illicit sexual behavior. The nature of our society demands that we monitor carefully what we read, see, watch, hear and dwell upon. The values of the world say consent is all that is necessary. The ethics of the Kingdom say we must choose to avoid behavior that reflects poorly upon the King and His creation.

Verse 4 can be interpreted in two different ways. First it can mean that we need to keep our bodies ("vessel") under subjection, so that we do not yield to immoral behavior. This way we remain in a sanctified life that brings "honor" both to God and to our reputation and witness (2Timothy 2:21. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.). Second, it can be a reference to the value of marriage in helping a person overcome sexual temptation. The term for vessel can be translated "wife" (1Peter 3: 7. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.). Thus a sanctified and honorable marital relationship can help believers live free from immoral behavior (1Corinthians 7: 1. Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.).

Illicit sexual behavior affects more than just the two people involved. If they are married, it affects their spouses, children, and any other family members. Even if others are never aware of the adultery, they have still been taken advantage of and defrauded of that which is legally, morally and spiritually theirs. If the sinning persons are not married, their actions still affect them, their relatives, and any future spouse or children.

1Thessalonians 4

1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

These two verses serve as an introduction to the remaining two chapters of the epistle, as well as the verse that follow. Paul often dealt with doctrinal matters in the first part of his smaller epistles, then explained how doctrine related to life in the last section. He again reminded the Thessalonians that they were a spiritual family. Interestingly he used a petition or request in verse 1 rather than a command. Maturity develops when we do "right" because we choose to respond to God's will, not because we are compelled to do so.

He made it clear that the authority was "in the Lord Jesus," not the apostle Paul. This was not to diminish his role, but to remind them of their proper priorities; pleasing God first. When we do this, it will please those who are over us in the Lord also.

They received and obeyed the "training" of the apostle; now it was time to apply it to their lifestyle in a way that would abound. As they were obedient to this petition and "the commandments'' (v.2)- instructions in life- they would please God and the overflow would bless and affect others. The goal was to live a lifestyle that continually conformed to the expectations of God through the teaching of the apostle by the authority of the Lord. Such a lifestyle seeks to live in complete fellowship with God.

Faith is a major theme in both the Old and New Testaments. Despite the fact that Israel as a nation was called to be God's chosen people, only those who trusted God were covered by that covenant. Outward obedience to the law did not displace devotion, love, and faith in God. Every Old Testament king, prophet, priest, judge and so on, who pleased God did so by faith.

Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This verse gives the most basic definition of Biblical faith, yet it is not a definition at all, but rather a description of how faith works. Faith is not a positive feeling or optimism. It is confident trust in what God said-no matter what the circumstance.

When looking through the eyes of faith, we see that God sees as already happening or completed. Biblical faith is not wishful thinking, but rather an inner conviction that is based on the Word of God and the Holy Ghost working in us. Can we have faith for something that is against God's will for us? Certainly we can but it won't come to pass. True faith is exercised in harmony with the Spirit to accomplish God's will.

2. For by it the elders obtained a good report.

3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

The great heroes of faith from the Old Testament talked about in this chapter were not heroes because they lived up to a certain code of ethics, nor because they were members of God's chosen people, nor because they always acted wisely. They were who they were because they chose to live by faith. God considered them righteous because they were perfect in their obedience of the Law. They all held to unwavering confidence in who God is.

6. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

If we refuse to act by faith, then we are incapable of seeing beyond the temporal circumstances around us. We are blinded spiritually to what God is doing. Jesus said to the woman at the well, John 4:24. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Spirit cannot be seen, and often cannot be felt either-but it is real. There is no possible substitute for faith.

There are two elements that make up faith; first we must believe God is real; second we must believe God responds to those who earnestly seek Him. Even the devils in hell believe in God's existence (James 2:19. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.)

John 11:40. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Jesus had told the disciples upon receiving the message of Lazarus' illness that this entire episode would reveal the glory of God (John 11:4. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.) He meant death was not the final result. Christ's delay was to show that he meets our needs perfectly, but according to His schedule and purpose. His delay builds patience and patience builds trust.

43. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

44. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Jesus said in (John 5:28. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,). It has been said that if Jesus had made a general command that all the dead would have from the past would have come back to life. That is the power and authority He has at His disposal! However, to the scoffers who were there even a greater demonstration of power would not have changed their hearts. This was demonstrated with the Israelites coming out of Egypt. At Mt. Sinai, God showed Himself mightily to them, but that never turned their hearts toward Him. Miracles of themselves do not produce Godly faith and worship. As Jesus told Thomas later, (John 20:29. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.) Faith is believing without first having to see.

Heavenly Father, we believe your Holy Word and all that you have spoken as being truth. We trust you and worship you in spirit and in truth. We ask Lord that you help our faith to grow and increase. We have been weak and less faithful many many times Lord. Let us not let go of your salvation. For it is a free gift that you have given to us. Let us praise you and glorify you Lord Jesus in Jesus mighty name. Draw us closer to you lord Jesus Christ. Help us to remain steadfast in our faith in you, in Jesus precious and mighty name, Amen.