From: April 21, 2023
“No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said. I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie: His dynasty will go on forever; his kingdom will endure as the sun” (Psalms 89:34-36 NLT).
Men may break their covenants, but God never will. He is a promise-making and a promise-keeping God. The covenant spoken of here is not the one made at Sinai, but the one made through Jesus, the Son of David, the Son of God. This is an unconditional covenant of grace, based on God’s sworn testimony by His own holiness. Therefore, not only will He not break it, He will not alter it in any way, neither adding nor subtracting, nor failing to keep even one detail of it.
We who have trusted Jesus as our Lord and Savior have entered into this new covenant. As Jesus told His disciples as the sat together at the last supper, “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28). This new covenant is based on Christ’s holiness, not ours. At the cross Christ took our sin and offers His righteousness. He took our death and offers His eternal life. He took our separation from the Father and offers His sonship.
What is our part? To trust in Jesus, the Mediator of God’s new covenant. For it is His Kingdom that will go on forever. When we trust in Him, know this: God will not ever break His covenant with us. It is based on His holiness, not ours.
PRAYER: Dear Father, centuries before our birth, You prepared a way for our salvation through Jesus. We are amazed! Thank You for this great and wonderful new covenant. We are weak and we often break our own word, but You never break Your Word. Therefore we rely on Your Word and Your new covenant in Jesus for our salvation. We rest in this promise from You, knowing that You will always keep it and us, forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: April 21, 2016
The Lord sits on His throne of “righteousness and justice,” yet He has sent Christ, so that He is able to look upon us with “steadfast love and faithfulness.” It was at the cross of Christ that both God’s justice and love were satisfied. The penalty for sin that God’s righteousness and justice demanded was meted out upon Christ. And God’s “steadfast love” (Hebrew: “chesed” – “covenantal love.” Similar to “agape” love in the NT) and “faithfulness” were expressed in that God provided a way for us to be saved through Christ’s sacrifice of love. God is seated on a throne of righteous justice, yet His faithful love has gone before His face, so that He looks upon us through Christ.
From: April 21, 2015
The Sadducees, who denied the resurrection and only accepted the five books of Moses, came to Jesus presenting a case that they thought would make the idea of the resurrection seem ridiculous. However, Christ’s response made their doubt seem ridiculous instead. After dismissing their multiple wives premise in only a few words, He used the burning bush story from the book of Exodus (one of the few books they accepted) to show them proof of the resurrection; namely, that God identified Himself as the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Jesus demolished their anti-resurrection argument and left them silent. Yet, Jesus wasn’t finished. He backed up His words with action, becoming the firstborn from among the dead and guaranteeing the resurrection of all those who believe.
From: April 21, 2014
Jesus challenged the bad theology of the Sadducees (who denied the resurrection and only affirmed the 5 books of Moses). Since they only believed Moses, He used Moses’ words to teach them about the resurrection. Be careful of strict theological systems because they can lead to error. Jesus is the only true criterion for understanding God and His doctrines. Jesus is the lens that brings God’s Word into focus. Only those who have the mind of Christ can rightly divide His Word. Jesus not only proved the resurrection from the Scriptures, He proved it in history by being raised from the dead.