Discover the More Abundant Life in Christ

New Covenant versus Old Covenant

Law Thinking Drives Us Deeper Into Ourselves and Away From God

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Law thinking drives us deeper into ourselves, relying on fleshly resources rather than the kind and infinite resources of our Heavenly Father.

For example, it is commonly taught in the church that God requires a tithe — meaning a tenth of all. Then people get into all sorts of debates about what God requires: do we tithe off gross pay or net? What if I’m unemployed? What it I can’t pay my bills?

Meanwhile, statisticians tell us that less than 10% of church-going people actually do tithe. Some recent reports put it at well below 5%* …

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Hebrews Pt 50: The Prominence & Preeminence of Christ

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[Hebrews 13:8-24]  Jesus Christ is not only prominent in the scripture, He is also preeminent. In the midst of verses that appear to be a “Christian To Do list”, Hebrews 13:8 triumphantly declares, “Jesus Christ, is the same yesterday, today and forever.” This is no accident: it is the Holy Spirit reminding us yet again of the absolute prominence and preeminence of The Lord Jesus Christ. In this final lesson we examine:

  • The center of our faith is Christ, not ourselves (law)
  • The unchangableness (immutability) of God and the stability that brings.
  • The self-existence (aseity) of God. He needs no one and is non-dependent, that’s why we depend on Him for all.
  • What it means to have the heart “established by grace”.
  • The shadows and type of the Old (Law) Covenant versus the realities of the New Covenant. Temporary measures (living under law) yield temporary results. A perfect high priest completing a perfect, finished work yields permanent results.
  • The Conclusion of the Matter: Hebrews 13:20-21

Note: this episode concludes the “Hebrews: The Glory of the New Covenant” series.

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Hebrews Pt 48: The Bondage of Law vs. The Holy Freedom of Grace

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[Gal 4:21-31]  Many Christians struggle and continue to live in bondage, because they mix together two TOTALLY DIFFERENT covenants, the Old Covenant of Law and the New Covenant of grace. In this lesson, we’ll examine yet another striking contrast between the Old Covenant (law) and the New Covenant (grace), as portrayed in Galatians 4 by a bondwoman (Hagar) and a free woman (Sarah):

  • The one, law, produces bondage. The other, grace, sets people free to enjoy God and His blessings of grace, which produces holy freedom and holy living.
  • The true purpose of the law is to provoke a sinner’s sin nature, thus increasing and strengthening sin, driving the sinner in desperation for deliverance to The Savior.
  • Why it is important for Christians to cast out law (which is living by the flesh) and decidedly live by The Spirit, by faith, according to the grace of God.

Note: while this lesson explores the powerful truth that Christians are absolutely not under law but under grace, we will get into much greater depth in our next teaching series, “You Are NOT Under Law, Because You Are Under Grace”.

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Hebrews Pt 47: The SO MUCH BETTER of The New Covenant

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[Hebrews 12:22-24] Many Christians live with a sense of condemnation and fear of God’s judgment. They believe that because they have failed to be good enough, righteousness enough or faithful enough, God is somehow displeased with them — or worse — condemning them. In this episode, will see the great news of God’s grace in the New Covenant! We’ll explore:

  • The rich meaning of Mount Zion throughout The Bible and how it expresses so many things about God’s loving heart for His people and dwelling with them.
  • How we have ALREADY COME into all the rich of the blessings of The New Covenant.
  • How we are welcomed by God.
  • Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant.

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Hebrews Pt 46: The Terror of The Law

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[Hebrews 12:18-21]  Most Christians think that God is impressed with their efforts to please Him by what they DO. In this episode, we’ll see that the focus on OUR “do for God” is actually self-righteous, contrary to faith and evokes the terror of the Lord. Also:

  • Why it is that when Israel said to God, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do” (Ex 19:8) it was one of the more arrogant, self righteous statements in all of the Bible.
  • How that law ultimately brings, death, condemnation and judgment.
  • The great scriptural difference between law and grace.
  • How that law provokes sin, bringing death and condemnation.

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Hebrews Pt 28: 100% Complete & 100% Sanctified Forever

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[Text: Hebrews 10:11-15]

Hebrews 10:14 (NASB) declares, “For by ONE offering He HAS PERFECTED for all time those who ARE sanctified.” Those are revolutionary, life changing words. In this episode we learn how Christ’s perfect, once for all time finished work makes us as perfectly complete as He is. This 100% completeness is not because of us, but because the believer is IN CHRIST. This is not what some wrongly call “positional truth” (no such concept exists in the Bible). We are not in a “position”, but a PERSON, The Lord Jesus Christ. This NOW reality is the essential key to the victorious Christian life!

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Hebrews Pt 27: Perfect!

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[Passage: Hebrews 10:1-10].

On the cross, Jesus very last word was “Tetelestai!” (John 19:30). That powerful Greek word means, “It is FINISHED” or “all is ACCOMPLISHED”. In this lesson we dive into one of the greatest chapters in all the Bible, Hebrews chapter 10. We’ll learn:

  • Just what it was that Jesus perfectly accomplished on the cross.
  • The vital principle that a perfect sacrifice never needs to be repeated and gives us perfect purification, no sin consciousness and a confidence to enjoy intimacy with Father God.
  • How Jesus’ perfect, finished work removes the law by perfectly fulfilling it, causing the New Covenant of grace to stand forever.
  • That Jesus’ offering of His body and total willingness by saying, “I will do your will, O God” sanctifies us FOREVER.

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Hebrews Pt 26: Out with the Old, in with the New!

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In this study, we take up the second half of Hebrews 9, verses 16-28. We talk about:

  • Wills, testaments and covenants: what they are, what they have to do with Jesus and what they have to do with YOU.
  • The vast difference between the Old Covenant/Testament of law, which left us in sin, defeat, incompleteness, and condemnation and the NEW Covenant/Testament, leading us to the remission of sins, completeness, victory, closeness with God and God’s blessing.
  • We also look into what the shedding of Jesus’ blood accomplished for us, how Jesus was offered ONCE to bear the sins of many.

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Hebrews Pt 25: The Eternal Difference Jesus Our Great High Priest Makes (Heb 9:1-15)

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Jesus is our Great High Priest. He served in the heavenly tabernacle, He entered the Holiest of All with His perfect blood. In this lesson we dig deep into the the eternal difference His perfect priesthood makes to throw open the way for us to enjoy closeness with God The Father.

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The Biblical Reasons Why Christians Are NOT Under Law

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A visitor to our website responded to our article, Not Under Law: What the “Struggle Verses” of Romans 7 Really Mean by writing:

The problem with this article is that you don’t understand history, which gives you a false understanding on how to interpret scripture.

The God of Israel gave the instructions (the law, the first 5 books of the bible) to Israel at Sinai setting a precedent on how to know if a prophets is of God or not.
The law is the standard to the rest of the scripture.

So to have the understanding that Paul seeming says we are “not” under law but under grace, would mean that Paul is a false prophet and should be stoned according to the God of mt Sinai.

Paul is not above God, and he has no authority to change what God said at mt Sinai.

So question really isn’t law and grace.. but:

Is Paul a false prophet?
Or
Are “you” misinterpreting Paul?

Since others may be making the same mistakes that our visiting friend has, I thought I would share my response to his concerns in this article:

Many well-meaning Christians believe they are still under law, yet are ignorant of what the law really says. Galatians 4:21 (NKJV) says: “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?”
…

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The Biblical Reasons Why Christians Are NOT Under Law Read More »