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River Church Sermons


Oct 25, 2020

Renewal – Life Lessons From Nehemiah, #7

Covenant– Neh. 9-10

By Louie Marsh, 10-25-2020

 

5 Pics as Intro.

 

When the wall was finished Israel renewed their COVENANT WITH GOD.

 

32“Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day…38 “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.” (Nehemiah 9:32, 38, ESV)

 

WHAT IS A COVENANT?

 

COVENANT (Heb. berît, “cutting”). The term applied to various transactions between God and man, and man and his fellowman. In Obadiah it is rendered “allied.” In the NT the word diatheke, “disposition” or “will” respecting a person or thing, is used; sometimes it is translated “Testament”, at other times “covenant.”

 

Application of the Term. Properly used of a compact between man and man; either between tribes or nations or between individuals in which each party bound himself to fulfill certain conditions and was promised certain advantages.

- The New Unger's Bible Dictionary.

 

In The New Covenant God Has Promised…

 

1) A new HEART AND SOUL – Regeneration.

 

This would involve the giving of a new heart (a new inner control center where the issues and direction of life are determined) and the new nature (a new favorable disposition toward God consisting of the law of God in the heart).

 

33For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33, ESV)

 

26And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26, ESV)

 

2) FORGIVENESS of sin.

 

34And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”” (Jeremiah 31:34, ESV)

 

25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.” (Ezekiel 36:25, ESV)

 

3) The indwelling of the HOLY SPIRIT.

 

27And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:27, ESV)

 

4) The Spirit POWER.

 

13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13, ESV)

 

5) Jesus will never  LEAVE ME.

 

19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:19–20, ESV)

 

6) Freedom From THE LAW

 

1For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you…4You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:1-2, 4–6, ESV)

 

7) Every SPIRITUAL BLESSING in Christ!

 

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer. Ephesians 1:3 (GW)

 

HOW CAN I ENTER THIS COVENANT?

B = Believe Jesus died on the Cross for me and showed He was God by coming back to life again.

By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:2-4)

A = Accept Christ as Lord of My life and His free forgiveness of my sins.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- (John 1:12)

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (Eph. 1:7)

S = Switch to God’s Plan for my life.

"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15)

I = Inform others of your decision.

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

S = Submerge yourself in Christ.

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:26-27)