Podcasts about New Covenant

This episode is one of Pastor Jack Abeelen's recent radio broadcasts. Pastor Jack's teachings are broadcast every weekday on over 400 radio stations across the country.The Growing Thru Grace radio broadcast is an outreach of Morningstar Christian Chapel in Whittier, California.To see more of Pastor Jack's Bible studies, visit our Morningstar Christian Chapel channel at https://www.youtube.com/@morningstarcc.To subscribe to our Podcast newsletter go to http://eepurl.com/iGzsP6.If you would like to support our electronic ministry, you may do so by going to our donations page at https://morningstarcc.churchcenter.com/giving/to/podcast.Visit our church website at https://morningstarcc.org.

Are you struggling to hear God's voice? Listen as Mike Pickett reveals the consistent ways God communicates, reminding us of His ever-present help in times of need.

God’s Covenants Discussion Grant and Gregg review the biblical covenants (Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Jesus' “New Covenant”) in the context of unsaved Jewish people, Messianic believers, Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism today, even in the gentile churches. Given the rancor surrounding Palestine, Anti-Semitism, Anti-Zionism, and the Replacement Theology associated with all of that, we need to dig-in to […] The post Irrevocable Covenants appeared first on newbreed.co.

Should Christians still tithe? And why do people lose their minds when a pastor wears a nice watch?In this episode, PF, Kenneth, and Esther tackle one of the most divisive topics in church culture — money, tithing, and what pastors actually deserve to earn.PF gets vulnerable about his own lifestyle, reveals he works 80 hours a week on 5 hours of sleep, and explains why he'll never apologize for owning a Rolex. The conversation digs into the theology behind tithing — Old Covenant law versus New Covenant freewill giving — and why so many Christians are confused about what the Bible actually teaches on the subject.PF breaks down why tithing was originally about food (not money), why Malachi 3:10 is the most misquoted verse in church, and what giving should actually look like for believers today.But this isn't just theology. The crew gets real about church operations — from a $50,000 emergency HVAC replacement to why pastors are among the most underpaid professionals in America. PF shares why pastoral suicide rates are alarming, and makes the case that the laborer is worthy of his wages.In this episode:• Why tithing as we know it isn't actually a New Testament command• PF's honest take on pastor compensation and lifestyle scrutiny• The $50K HVAC story: what it really costs to run a church• "Serving God is not a sentence of poverty" — why PF won't apologize• Old Covenant vs. New Covenant: what the Bible actually says about giving• Why pastors are underpaid, underloved, and burning outTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Cold Open: The Pastor's Tattoo Controversy02:00 - Introduction: Kenneth, Esther & PF04:00 - Should Christians Judge Their Pastors?07:00 - "Teachers Will Be Judged More Strictly" — James 3:110:00 - The Tithing Question: Old Covenant vs. New Covenant14:00 - Malachi 3:10: The Most Misquoted Verse in Church?18:00 - Tithing Was About Food, Not Money22:00 - New Testament Giving: Freewill, Not Mandatory26:00 - Why Do People Get Mad at What Pastors Own?30:00 - PF's Rolex: "I Work 80 Hours a Week on 5 Hours of Sleep"34:00 - "Serving God Is Not a Sentence of Poverty"37:00 - The $50,000 HVAC Story: What Running a Church Actually Costs40:00 - Why Pastors Commit Suicide: Underpaid and Underloved44:00 - The Laborer Is Worthy of His Wages47:00 - Prosperity Gospel vs. Honest Compensation50:00 - How Should Christians Give Today?53:00 - Closing Thoughts: Give Cheerfully, Not Under Compulsion

All Things New // A New Covenant // Pastor Philip Muela by Inspire Churches

Pastor David Johnson

This message places confession in its proper covenantal and historical context, showing that New Covenant believers live free—not by rehearsing sins—but by resting in what Christ already accomplished.

At Jesus' Crucifixion and Death, the “Temple Veil” Was Torn; After Jesus Easter Resurrection, You Now Pray Directly with God MESSAGE SUMMARY:  Think about the magnitude of your direct and personal access to God that your prayers give you, through Jesus, if you will only pray. Before Jesus, ordinary people did not have direct access to God, through the Throne Room of God, with a direct personal relationship with God. In Old Testament times, people would come to the priests; and the priest would offer up a sacrifice on behalf of the people. The priests, and not the people, were communing directly with God. On Good Friday and at Jesus death on the cross, the “Temple Veil” was torn from top to bottom (i.e. “Temple Vail” was a large, very thick, and very heavy barrier that divided that portion of the Temple accessible by those wishing to sacrifice for prayer and the “Holy of Holies” where the only the High Priest could meet with God and pray on behalf of the people of God.). At Jesus Resurrection, no longer was an intermediary (e.g., a Priest) required for direct prayer with God by the people in Christ (i.e. Jesus Followers).  Because Jesus created a New Covenant relationship with His followers, now your prayers are in direct communion with God, the Creator of the Universe. Everyone, who is in Christ, may have access to the Throne Room of God in the name of Jesus. What a privilege this direct access to God is for those who are in Christ. The author of Hebrews, in Hebrews 4:16, tells Jesus Followers that, because of the Gospel, you have direct access to God's “throne of Grace” for your needs: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.".   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Philippians 4:1-13; John 15:9-10; Revelation 4:1-2; Psalms 69c:25-36. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Essentials Part 5 – The Holy Spirit” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

This Sunday, we continue our study of the final days before Jesus' crucifixion. In Mark 14:12-26, Jesus and the disciples prepare to share the last Passover meal in Jerusalem. This is truly the final Passover meal because, during the feast, Jesus transforms its meaning to symbolize His sacrificial death and establish the New Covenant. As opposition grows from all sides, Judas seeks an opportunity to betray Him, and although Jesus knows the disciples will abandon Him before sunrise, He proceeds with calm authority as He reveals the New Covenant to these men. In this passage, Jesus sovereignly orchestrates every detail of the meal. No detail is too small, including the room where they will observe the Passover. Jesus then announces a traitor at the table, prompting all the disciples to examine themselves and ask, "Is it I?" Their self-examination seems to be the main point, since Jesus does not reveal the betrayer to them. He leaves them uncertain about which one of them it will be. Jesus knows the betrayer's sin, but He also understands the weakness of all the disciples. (He will foretell that all of them will abandon Him in v. 27-31.) Yet, knowing their sin and frailty, Jesus still breaks the New Covenant bread with them and promises to eat again with them in the Kingdom of God. He permanently transforms the Passover into the Lord's Supper, declaring the bread as His body and the cup as the blood of the new covenant, poured out for many. Jesus is fully aware of the depth of our sin and faithlessness, yet He still sits at the table with us, offers Himself as the perfect sacrifice, and invites unworthy sinners to the meal of redemption as our Savior. I. Jesus Is Sovereign Over Every Detail (v. 12-16) II. Jesus Knows The Depths Of Our Sin (v. 17-21) III. Jesus Is The New Covenant Sacrifice For Sinners (v. 22-25)

* You can get the sermon note sheet at: https://family-bible-church.org/2026Messages/26Feb22.pdf * We are coming toward the final sections in our study of the book of Hebrews. After considering the superiority of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant which He established, we have been examining the results of entering into this New Covenant. * Over the past couple of weeks we have consider our pursuit of Jesus Christ - the Author and Finisher of our faith! Last week, we saw the need for Team Work in this pursuit and ended with the reminder of our foundation for all of this - the establishment of the New Covenant. * The author of the book uses another analogy to contrast the Old Covenant with the New Covenant. As Paul does in his letter to the Galatians, the author of Hebrews contrasts the two covenants to Mt. Sinai and Mt. Zion (Jerusalem). We will begin by reading Paul's analogy in order to bring another layer to this contrast in Hebrews. These mountains and covenants represent, as well, two kingdoms - a kingdom of works and a kingdom of grace. * As we will see today, though God delivers us by grace through faith, and not by our works, those who enter the Kingdom of God by faith will then live as being recipients of this Kingdom recognizing the righteous judgement of the King and seek to fulfill the calls to Love and Holiness issued by the King. * This message was presented by Bob Corbin on February 22, 2026 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

Speaker: Pastor Mabio Coelho Original Broadcast Date: February 21, 2026 Bulletin | Reflection | Ten Principles YouTube video: https://youtu.be/2P4hCAI0JWw

February 22, 2026 Jeremiah 31:31-34

This sermon from Acts 3:1-10 explores the healing of a lame man by Peter and John at the temple gate. Pastor Jim establishes the context of early Jewish Christians transitioning from Old Covenant ceremonial laws to New Covenant spiritual practices. The message focuses on five foundations of ministry demonstrated through this miracle: the priority of prayer, the motive of compassion, the pursuit of connection, the message of the gospel, and the support of the church. The sermon emphasizes that while physical healing is wonderful, people's greatest need is spiritual healing through Jesus Christ. The transformed life of the healed man serves as a compelling witness that draws others to wonder about God's power.Please let us know if you are watching our stream for the first time, if you have made a decision, or need prayer – text CONNECT to (941) 260-1395 or click here: https://form.church/connectionClick here if you would like to give online: https://subsplash.com/u/-QJD4RD/giveMusic used with permission, CCLI License # 594759, Streaming Plus License # 21044022

THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT I'm reading from the discussion group session two weeks ago from Ephesians 1:11 Ephesians 1:11. In him we have obtained an inheritance (kleroo-share of possession), having been predestined according to the purpose (prothesis-set plan) of him who works all things according to the counsel (boul??- deliberate decision) of his will (thel??ma – what he delights to do). 12. So that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory, (People who live it first then share it with others, for them to also believe so that their lives too will bring glory to God, not themselves)  Paul goes on to say… 13. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,  14. who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. We had discussed earlier (in Ephesians 1:3) that the Father predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself. And here in verse 11 today we see Jesus obtaining for us another predestined blessing from the Father - his inheritance, his dominion over all things, which he shares fully with us. I have two major questions for discussion regarding today's reading. 1. What is the predestined Inheritance? 2. What are the roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our receiving the inheritance? The predestined inheritance  For those who believe, the Inheritance is sharing in the dominion over all things that Jesus has inherited from the Father, both on the personal level and the utmost level of all things in the heavens and on the earth. It is important to realise that that includes our authority over all the powers of darkness. That has huge significance and consequence for our walk of faith. Furthermore, this inheritance is a legal and binding declaration. We will come to that shortly…Now we come to the second question. The roles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit There is a pattern of the work of the Trinity in this first chapter of Ephesians in the bestowing of all of these spiritual blessings that we receive. The Father is the origin of every blessing and the one who adopted us into his family, and Jesus is the beloved Son, in and through whom the blessings are shared with us. Jesus brought us in as being as accepted as he is in God's family, and Jesus is also the one who obtains for us the Inheritance, his inheritance that we now share with him.  The Holy Spirit, is the one who stamps his seal upon all our ‘Spiritual blessings'. (Ephesians 1: 3,14). He is the one who seals God's Covenant bond with us, as the guarantee and guarantor, giving us a foretaste of the fulfillment of all that God has in store for us  As mentioned earlier, the inheritance is a legal and binding declaration. In the terms of a Covenant of agreement between two parties, there is a contractual arrangement where one person makes a promise of something of value to the other person for a certain cost or sacrifice. They agree on those terms and the transaction occurs. However, another essential ingredient to the terms of agreement is that the Covenant is sealed with a unique seal or personal signature that guarantees full possession of the promise with binding power. In the Old Testament (Covenant) the promise made by God to Israel his  Holy Nation included their deliverance from slavery to the Egyptians and ongoing deliverance and protection from any enemies that oppose them. It also included God's countless  miracle material blessings and favour, and finally, occupation of the Promised Land.  The sacrifice or cost to Israel was their obedience to the Law and Commandments and the sacrificial offerings offered by the priests.) The seal of the Old Covenant of Moses as the Sabbath rest (It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel Exodus 31). It was obeyed on a weekly basis on the seventh day but it was disobeyed totally in the failure to observe the Sabbath rest of one year in every seven years (Leviticus Ch.25), and this was the Sabbath of consequence that God judged Israel for. They disobeyed it for 490years since the reign of Saul and it had the drastic consequence of Israel being defeated in battle and taken into bondage in Babylon for seventy years (490÷7=70) Israel failed to sign off on the seal of that Sabbath rest of faith and failed to pay the Covenant cost or sacrifice of obedience to the law.  Our sabbath rest is now the rest of faith. Note that the Scriptures make it clear that the legal Covenantal sign of the Sabbath and obedience to the Law no longer apply to the terms of our new Covenant relationship with God as his Holy Nation through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel (Exodus 31). The Bible says that we are to obey the spiritual rest of faith, and enter into the rest of the finished work of Christ – Every Day - (Hebrews 4:1,8) Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it…There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his own works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience In the New Covenant the Promise is summed up in the promises of all the spiritual blessings that we see here in Ephesians and also elsewhere, as in the gift of reconciliation and mercy and forgiveness and the Law being written on our New hearts. (2Corinthians 5, Romans 5, Hebrews 8 and 10, ++).  The sacrifice or cost of those promises has been fully paid by Jesus Christ in his sinless death upon the cross and his resurrection and ascension. The sign or seal of the New Covenant is the receiving of the Holy Spirit of Promise by someone who believes, as we read in verses 13 and 14. All of this is not just as a blessing to us but also through us to glorify God. 13. In him also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14. who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Jesus said in Acts… Acts 1: 4 Wait for my Father's promised gift, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 1:8 you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The Book of Acts also tells the story of Paul arriving at Ephesus and finding people there who claimed to be disciples and believers. Something prompted Paul to `question them concerning their spirituality, and he said ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they replied No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.  Tongues is not the evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit by faith, but simply ONEsign, like prophecy, along with other faith assurances ranging from quiet serenity to joyful exuberance. In the mid-seventies I was once sharing about the Baptism of the holy Spirit and a few of us would then pray for people to receive it, and many people spoke in tongues upon receiving it as that had also been mentioned. I prayed for one man who was a strong Christian and loved God's Word, and when I prayed, he did not speak in tongues but began to joyously laugh and I felt a witness in my spirit that he had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But the deacon standing next to me said that the man had not received the Holy Spirit because he didn't speak in tongues and he was taught that tongues was the evidence. I had to disagree, saying that the Bible did not say that tongues was the evidence, but that it was just a sign (1Corinthians 14:22). There are many signs and this fellow's joyous laughter was a sure sign - and he laughed from that day on whenever we were gathered together in worship or whenever he was touched by the Holy Spirit. Some of you will remember him. Now and again someone would say I should have told him to stop laughing but I never did – it was real. The activity of the Holy Spirit of promise is a seal of the promises of the New Covenant for a believer. However Jesus taught about another prior activity of the Holy Spirit for unbelievers, which was the Holy Spirit of conviction, which works in every person who comes into the world. Jesus taught the disciples that when he left them he would send the Holy Spirit into the world (not just the church) John 16:8.But if I go, I will send The New Helper (The Holy Spirit). And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me. Conviction of sin is the truth about the sin of unbelief – guilt doesn't convict or change people, conviction does, and righteousness is about the grace to becoming aligned with God's will (righteousness), otherwise it's self-righteousness –  and the truth of Satan being judged is about having freedom from the bondage of darkness and the overcoming of Satan – as that is the other spirit that is at work in the world (Ephesians Ch.2). The Bible says that the people loved hiding and covering up in darkness more than coming into the light (who has never been there? John 3:19). However, the Bible also says that where sin abounds grace does much more abound (Romans 5:20). So no matter how darkness may abound in these days, the more we can abound in the grace and truth that the Holy Spirit works in us through the Gospel of the love and goodness of God towards. One person working in the simplicity of that grace and truth will affect everything and everyone in their sphere of the world around them. That is the Holy Spirit's work.  

Just as God used the first Passover to free His people from Egypt, Jesus used the Passover to put the New Covenant in place for our salvation Seven coordinating blogs begin here: https://lightofchristjourney.com/2026/02/22/holidays-with-a-purpose-2/ A video of the story can be viewed here:https://youtu.be/R6SXw3g9wc8

This sermon, titled "How Did You Get Here?", Pastor Chris MacDowell uses John 3:1-16 as a foundation to explore the concept of salvation and being "born again." He challenges common misconceptions about how one attains salvation, particularly those rooted in family tradition, sacraments, or personal achievements. Pastor emphasizes that salvation is not earned through good works or adherence to religious rituals, but is a gift from God, made possible through Jesus Christ. Drawing from Old Testament examples and prophecies, Pastor Chris highlights humanity's inherent inability to achieve righteousness on its own and God's initiative in offering a New Covenant. The sermon stresses the importance of recognizing one's need for a Savior, being born again through the Holy Spirit, and living a life transformed by this new relationship with God. It concludes with a call to share the gospel with others, pray for their salvation, and rely on God's power to bring people into His kingdom. #bornagain #salvation #newcovenant #gospel #faith #christianity #repentance #jesuschrist #eternallife #regeneration www.ReformedRookie.comPodcast: https://anchor.fm/reformedrookieFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReformedRookie Twitter: https://twitter.com/NYapologistSemper Reformanda!

The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022026.cfmFather Tyler Mentzer, MIC, invites us to confront this penetrating question, “What are you hungry for?” On the first Friday of Lent, this inquiry becomes a mirror for our own souls, urging us to examine the cravings that dominate our hearts.The Gospel's wedding feast imagery frames fasting, not as a punitive rite, but as a preparation for the ultimate celebration of the divine Bridegroom. Jesus asks, “Can the wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is with them?” (Mk 2:19; NABRE). When the Bridegroom remains present, the feast of love outweighs the austerity of fasting. Yet He also foretells the inevitable departure of the Bridegroom, announcing that “then they will fast” (Mk 2:20; NABRE). This duality reveals fasting as medicinal: a temporary giving up of earthly food that readies us for the future sorrow of the Passion and the ensuing joy of the Resurrection.The “Catechism” teaches that “fasting is a penance that draws us closer to Christ, the source of true nourishment” (“CCC,” 2043). By denying ourselves food, drink, or sinful habits, we create interior space for the Spirit, allowing the hunger for God's will to replace the hunger for fleeting pleasures. As Fr. Tyler notes, the Lenten season is a “time of intentional communion with the suffering Christ,” echoing the ancient Jewish practice of fasting on the Day of Atonement (see Lev 16) and its fulfillment in the New Covenant.Saints Jacinta and Francisco of Fatima exemplify this sacrificial love. Even as children, they offered their meals to the poor, endured bitter suffering, and embraced fasting as a conduit for the conversion of sinners. Their witness reminds us that fasting, when rooted in love for the Bridegroom, transforms personal deprivation into communal charity.Thus, the Lenten call is threefold:- Identify the hidden cravings that enslave us — power, pleasure, control, or even the illusion of self‑sufficiency.- Rebuke those cravings through disciplined fasting — whether by abstaining from meat on Fridays, limiting meals, or refraining from harmful thoughts and words.- Redirect the resulting emptiness toward the love of Christ, the true Bridegroom who satisfies every longing (see Jn 6:35; NABRE). ★ Support this podcast ★

Many Christians believe the New Covenant replaced God’s law—but is that what Scripture teaches? In this powerful teaching, Melissa Schilling Smith explains why Yeshua did not abolish the Torah and why God’s commandments still define sin. If the Torah were truly removed, sin would no longer exist—and neither would the need for Messiah’s sacrifice. This widespread belief has caused serious theological confusion. Watch as Melissa clearly exposes the flawed logic and equips you to respond with biblical truth, clarity, and love. Join this channel to get access to perks: / @aroodawakening Watch more on the Michael Rood TV App! https://bit.ly/2X9oN9h Join us on ANY social media platform! https://aroodawakening.tv/community/s... Your Donation keeps these videos going! Thank you! https://aroodawakening.tv/donate/ Support us by visiting our store! https://roodstore.com/ Support us with purchases on Amazon!* https://amzn.to/3pJu9cC Have Questions? Ask us Here! https://aroodawakening.tv/support/con... "PLEASE NOTE: This is an affiliate link. This means that, at zero cost to you, A Rood Awakening! International will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Messenger of the {New} Covenant {Jesus} Is Coming – Is He Coming to Purify You or to Judge You? MESSAGE SUMMARY: The people, in God's Judgment articulated in Malachi 3:5, are the people of God. These people are not the unbelievers; these are the people that say they are following God. Malachi 3:5, articulates those transgressions, including the absence of a “fear of the lord”, in which God: “will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.” To this end, Paul reminds us again in Romans 2:4-5 of a pathway to or away from God's Judgment: “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.". Additionally, in Proverbs 1:7 we find that the “fear of the Lord” provides us with “wisdom”. On the other hand and in the absence of our “fear of the Lord”, Proverbs 1:7 tells us that we are “foolish”: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”. The messenger of the Covenant is coming – He is coming to either purify you or to judge you.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, I confess that when difficulties and trials come into my life, large or small, I mostly grumble and complain. I realize the trials James talks about are not necessarily “walls,” but they are difficult to bear, nonetheless. Fill me with such a vision of a transformed life, O God, that I might actually consider it “pure joy” when you bring trials my way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 94). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I want to know Him better (Philippians 3:10). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Exodus 19:5-6; Romans 11:25-32; Mark 14:22-25; Psalms 67b:13-24. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Essentials Part 4 – One God, Not Three”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

1. The problem was not the law 2. The promise of internal transformation You fight sin differently Your relationship with God becomes personal, not performative 3. Full and final forgiveness 4. Don't live like you're still at Sinai

Send a textAre Messianic Judaism and Hebrew Roots the same thing? What about Torah-observant Christians, Torah-keeping believers, or the broader “Hebraic Roots” movement?In this video, we carefully compare Messianic Judaism and Hebrew Roots, while also addressing the other labels people often hear. Where do these movements overlap? Where do they differ—especially regarding the Torah, the New Covenant, and the person and work of Jesus?If you've been confused by the terminology or unsure how to think biblically about these growing movements, this episode will help you sort it out with clarity and grace.Links Mentioned in the EpisodeUnion of Messianic Jewish CongregationsMessianic Jewish Alliance of AmericaIAMCS (International Alliance of Messianic Congregations & Synagogues)Jews for JesusChosen People MinistriesOne for IsraelFirst Fruits of Zion: A Biblical Examination (Video) Interviews on our YouTube ChannelThe Biblical Roots MinistriesOur websiteOur YouTube ChannelProf. Solberg's BlogSupport our Ministry (Thank you!)Chapters00:00 Intro06:00 Messianic Judaism09:35 Hebrew Roots12:41 On the Essentials25:13 Wrap it up, SolbergWhat if Christmas felt sacred again? Full of Grace and Truth, the new book from award-winning author R. L. Solberg, invites you to rediscover the biblical story at the heart of the season. Available now in paperback and Kindle, with all proceeds supporting The Biblical Roots Ministries. Get your copy today on Amazon.com.

As members of God's family, we need to understand who God, our Father, really is, and what He's really like. We also need to understand how He deals with believers under the New Covenant of Grace... so that we can also understand who He has made us to be, and how He has called and empowered us as believers to live. Believers were designed to receive, enjoy, and to manifest our Heavenly Father's grace. God's grace is His absolutely free lovingkindness. It's also understood to be God's unmerited favor. In other words, He delights to show us His goodness and favor just because He is good and because He loves us. We don't earn God's favor by being good; He simply chooses to favor us because of His great love for us.

What are you gazing at—and what are you only glancing at? In 2 Corinthians 3:1–18, Paul shows us how real change happens: not through self-effort, religious performance, or trying to prove ourselves, but through beholding the glory of God with an unveiled face. In Jesus, the veil is removed and we come face to face with God, and that encounter transforms us from one degree of glory to another. This message explores how the face of God gives us hope, boldness, and freedom as we live under the New Covenant of the Spirit.For more information about Integrity Church, visit our website, http://liveintegritychurch.org Connect with us on social media throughout the week to stay up to date on events and things happening at Integrity! Instagram: @integrity_church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liveintegrity/

God's redemptive plan includes only one root. Ethnic Jews and ethnic Gentiles receive the promises of the New Covenant in the same way; by being grafter in to the root, by faith. In this passage, Paul warns against pride and he warns against assuming you are part of the root because you appear to be outwardly. Salvation does not come through tradition but by grace through faith.

Our Election in Christ (7)  (audio) David Eells – 2/15/26 I'm going to continue speaking today about election and talk about the children and the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that giveth life; … (Joh.6:63). In the Book of Romans, we found out that before Jacob and Esau were even born, Jacob was called God's elect. (Rom.9:10) And not only so; but Rebecca also having conceived by one, even by our father Isaac— (11) for [the children] being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, (12) it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. (13) Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. Well, just as I'm sure you have questions, I had some questions, too, when I got this far in my revelation about election and predestination. What about the children? What about the babies? What about the doctrine of an “age of reason” that the Church has had for so many years? They say every child goes to be with the Lord, if they die before they reach the “age of reason,” and after that age, then they become accountable. Then it becomes their responsibility to accept the Lord and walk with the Lord. And so on. To me, that doctrine seemed contrary to election, according to everything I understood. I really wanted to know for myself, so I began to do some research. I decided to seek out how all of this fits together about children and election, but I want to remind you that both Jacob and Esau went past the stage of childhood; Jacob went on to manifest as a vessel of honor, and Esau as a vessel of dishonor. Neither one of them died as a child or as a baby. Let me share with you what I discovered. We know that, according to election, there are sons of God and sons of the devil, based on what God makes out of the clay and what a person becomes in their life (Romans 9:21). But, according to nature, I'd like to show you another teaching: (Heb.12:9) Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of [our] spirits, and live? Some translations add in the word “our” to “Father of spirits” in this verse, but the word “our” is not in the ancient manuscripts of the Nestle's or Received Text, and there's no numeric pattern for that word to be there. He's the “Father of spirits,” as He's called elsewhere in the Bible. You may be questioning, “So is God the Father of our spirits or is He the Father of every spirit?” The answer can be found here: (Num.16:22) And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? And another place says in (Num.27:16) Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation. That gives us two witnesses that He's “God of the spirits of all flesh.” When God breathed into Adam the breath, or the spirit, of life, the spirit that He gave Adam was a fresh, clean human spirit (Genesis 2:7), and I believe God gives everyone a fresh, clean human spirit. Now I want you to look at something that you may find surprising. Once you understand election and God's predestination of the elect, you can see how there are sons of God and there are sons of the devil. We've seen that the “wheat” are the sons of God and the “tares” are the sons of the devil. The wheat and the tares were sown in the earth, and in the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24,36-43), the earth was the hearts of men. Universally, the hearts of men are that “earth” in which God sows His seed and in which the devil sows his seed. But what about that heart before it manifested the seed of God or the seed of the devil? When Paul preached to the pagans at the Areopagus, he told them, (Act.17:24) The God that made the world and all [things] (The word “things” is not in the original; it was added by the translators.) therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; (25) neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all [things]. Again, the word “things” is not in the original. “He giveth to all life, and breath.” The word there for “breath” is the Greek word pneuma, and it's the same word translated as “spirit” in other places in the New Testament. The words “breath” and “spirit” both come from the same word pneuma, which is where we get our word for “air.” As we read on down, we're going to see if this word “all” really means “all” because this word “all” has to be judged by its context in the rest of the Scripture. We read again this text without “things.” (Act.17:25) Neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all; (26) and he made of one every nation of men (God made all men) to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined [their] appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation (Everybody came from Adam according to (Act 17:26) and he made of one every nation of men… And, Eve is called the “mother of all living” in Genesis 3:20, so we know that everybody came from Adam and Eve, contrary to some doctrines of men.); (27) that they should seek God, if happily they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us (That shows each person on this earth is individually responsible for seeking God, but not everybody will do that and they are going to be held responsible.): (28) for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Paul is agreeing with what those pagans were saying about us receiving our being in God. He's saying that it's true. (Act.17:28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. “We are also His offspring.” You know, Christians like to correct this theology and say, “For we are all children of God.” That's not true because we are not all children of God, but we are all His offspring in a way. Then Paul goes on to say, (29) Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man. (30) The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent: (31) inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. Well, how are we all the “offspring of God”? (Joh.1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) The same was in the beginning with God. (3) All [things] were made through him (He's talking about people, not things, which is not in the numeric pattern. The Greek word there is the adjective pas, and it simply means “all, the whole, every kind of.”); and without him was not anything made that hath been made. So the Word made everything; He made Adam. We can read a confirmation of this here: (Col.1:16) For in him were all [things] created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him. Everything was created through Jesus and for Jesus. He is the first-born of the creation of God. This is talking about from the very beginning of all creation. It all came to be because it was created through Christ. (Joh.1:4) In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And over in Proverbs it says, (Pro.20:27) The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all his innermost parts. The Father created all things through Christ, and Christ was the medium through which the Father used to create all things and all men as in these texts. It was Jesus, the Son of God Who created all things and breathed into Adam. (Gen.2:7) And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Or the “spirit.” The Hebrew word there is neshamah and is translated as both “breath” and “spirit” in the Old Testament.); and man became a living soul. The Bible says that the first man, Adam, was a natural being. (1Co.15:44) It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual [body]. (45) So also it is written, The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (46) Howbeit that is not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; then that which is spiritual. (47) The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is of heaven. (48) As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. His natural man came from the earth, but his spirit came from God. God breathed into Adam, and the breath, the Spirit, came out of God and went into man. Some theologians like to argue that the “breath of life” is the “breath of lives.” I'm not sure about that, but we know that in the loins of Adam, in the seed of Adam, was all mankind (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). And God breathed into Adam a fresh, clean, pure Spirit to be the spirit of man, but it wasn't long after this that instead of following after his spirit, man followed his flesh and corrupted himself on the earth. (Gen.6:12) And God saw the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. (17) And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon this earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is in the earth shall die. Adam started out innocent before God, but in following his flesh, he got further and further away from God, and Adam's children got further and further away from God, until God had to destroy them. Truly, nothing has changed; we're in the same position today. God gives the natural child a fresh, clean spirit, which is the breath of life that He breathes into them. With this spirit, they have an opportunity to follow their spirit, and your conscience is a part of your spirit, so when you're following your conscience, you are following your spirit. We have to choose. You can follow your conscience, or you can follow your flesh, and as we know, everybody follows after their flesh. (Joh.1:5) And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not. This sounds very much like what Peter said: (2Pe.1:19) And we have the word of prophecy [made] more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp (We've learned that the “lamp” is the “spirit of man,” according to Proverbs 20:27.) shining in a dark place (The “dark place” is your soul, which is your mind, will and emotions.), until the day dawn, and the daystar arise in your hearts. In the beginning, God gave Adam a “lamp” and it shined forth into his human nature, but Adam's offspring, who all started out the same way, began to follow after their flesh more and more, which corrupted their soul and eventually corrupted their spirit. If we follow after the flesh, the soul is going to be corrupted, and then when we follow our corrupted soul, our spirit will eventually be corrupted. Everybody starts out with a fresh, clean spirit, but they also start out with the corrupt nature that was passed down to them through their parents. “The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” The last Adam, or Jesus, is the one who gives us a new spirit when we are born again and become a new creation. (2Co.5:17) Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. Jesus is the second Adam; He is the Father of a new, born-again creation because the first creation corrupted itself. Except for one thing, babies start out in the place of Adam because they are given a fresh, clean spirit from God, one that's not corrupted. However, their soul is corrupted because their parents passed on their blood. (Lev.17:11) For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life. That gives the child a lot to overcome. The Bible says of God, (Exo.34:6) And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth, (7) keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. So we see that the sins of the parents are also passed down to the children from one generation to another generation and on and on. So, live holy. (Joh.1:6) There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. (7) The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. (8) He was not the light, but [came] that he might bear witness of the light. (9) There was the true light, [even the light] which lighteth every man, coming into the world. This should be turned around because the numeric pattern proves that the sequence is wrong. What it actually says is, “The true light was, which coming into the world, lighteth every man.” Jesus is the true light that “lighteth every man.” (12) But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God. As far as the new creation, Jesus' spirit is that new spirit that comes into every man as their lamp to show them the way. It shines in the dark place of their soul in order to dispel the darkness. You can see the same pattern repeated with babies. Like Adam at the beginning of creation, Jesus breathes into them the spirit of life, and they start out innocent when they are born, but they don't stay that way long. And the Bible doesn't teach that it has anything to do with some so-called “age of reason”; theologians have come up with that doctrine. What the Bible does say is, (Isa.53:6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.... Well, in order to go astray, you had to have been with God in the first place. (Rom.3:9) What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we before laid to the charge both of Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin (Of course, the Greeks weren't under the Old Covenant. Paul is talking about the New Covenant.); (10) as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one; (11) There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God (He's talking about the Jews and the Gentiles.); (12) They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth good, no, not, so much as one. They all turned aside. Jews and Gentiles all turned aside. That means, in some way, they started out with God. In some way, babies start out with God. (Psa.58:3) The wicked are estranged from the womb: They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. This says they start going astray from the time they are born, but at birth, they are with God. They go astray because they follow their fallen nature, instead of following after their fresh, clean spirit, which was given from God. They go astray following after their flesh and become more and more corrupt. If you have a clean spirit, but you follow after the flesh, your soul will die. (Job.36:8) And if they be bound in fetters, And be taken in the cords of afflictions; (9) Then he showeth them their work, And their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly. (10) He openeth also their ear to instruction, And commandeth that they return from iniquity. (11) If they hearken and serve [him], They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. (12) But if they hearken not, they shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge. (13) But they that are godless in heart lay up anger: They cry not for help when he bindeth them. (14) They die in youth.... “Their soul dieth” is what it literally says in the original Hebrew and your Bible should have a footnote explaining this. Strong's concordance is based on the Received Text and uses noar, which is a different Hebrew word altogether. (14) They die in soul, And their life [perisheth] among the unclean. (15) He delivereth the afflicted by their affliction, And openeth their ear in oppression. (16) Yea, he would have allured thee out of distress Into a broad place, where there is no straitness; And that which is set on thy table would be full of fatness. (17) But thou art full of the judgment of the wicked: Judgment and justice take hold [on thee.] (18) For let not wrath stir thee up against chastisements; Neither let the greatness of the ransom turn thee aside. Therefore, if a person were to listen to the Lord and follow after the Lord, their soul wouldn't die, but the natural process of degeneration sets in as soon as a person is born. They begin to go astray by following after their flesh, but the point is that they don't start out that way; they start out with the Lord. I don't think responsibility has anything to do with reaching an “age of reason.” I think that responsibility has more to do with the degeneration of the spirit than it does with reason. Children who are raised up with Godly parents, parents who discipline them and teach them the truth, don't become as corrupt as quickly as other children. Their conscience doesn't become as defiled as that of other children because discipline is a motivation to do what is right. It's a motivation to obey your conscience and obey your spirit, and not obey your flesh. If a child is raised with discipline, they don't become corrupted as quickly as a child who is not raised with discipline. Little children go bad and become evil very quickly without any discipline, and that's why I don't think that there is any particular age called the “age of reason,” where God imputes responsibility. It's not an age that makes you accountable; it's truth that makes you accountable. The more truth you go against, the more your conscience is defiled. The Bible is very plain: (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. That doesn't mention any particular age. “To him it is sin,” but where there was no law or, in other words, when they didn't know that what they were doing was sin, then sin was not imputed to them. (Rom.5:13) For until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Being held responsible has to do with knowledge; knowledge determines whether God imputes iniquity to you or whether He doesn't impute iniquity to you. Yet, knowledge must be incorporated to bear fruit. I believe that whether a child is raised with discipline or whether they're not raised with discipline, they end up in the same place. Eventually, what happens is that their soul and spirit become corrupt. At that time, they need to be born again. I can't say if there's any particular age for that because the Bible doesn't teach it. But somewhere during that time, I believe that a person whose spirit becomes corrupt must be born again; their spirit must be born again. Adam was pure before God when he was in his innocence, even though he was not born again. That was the natural birth that he had. It was when Adam got away from his innocence that he fell. God gave Adam a clean spirit and He gave Adam only one law, but still Adam failed. He followed the flesh and he fell away. Now there is a place of innocence from childhood on up because of ignorance. Let me show you that in the story of Abijah, the son of Jeroboam. Jeroboam was a wicked king over the northern 10 tribes, and he led Israel into apostasy. God had prophesied to him that he was going to be King over Israel (1 Kings 11:29-37; 12:20), but he led Israel in the wrong way (1 Kings 12:26-33; 13:33,34). When Jeroboam's son was sick, he asked his wife to disguise herself and go to the prophet Ahijah to see what was going to happen to their son. God spoke to Ahijah the prophet, who was blind, and told him that Jeroboam's wife was coming, and God gave Ahijah a word of prophecy for her. (1Ki.14:7) Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, (8) and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee; and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes, (9) but hast done evil above all that were before thee, and hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back: (10) therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every man-child, him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth away dung, till it be all gone. (11) Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the birds of the heavens eat: for the Lord hath spoken it. (12) Arise thou therefore, get thee to thy house: [and] when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die. (13) And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. Here, this child's parents were some of the most wicked in all of Israel, yet there was something good in this child toward the Lord. I believe the Lord was saying that the child's spirit was still good. Do you remember what happened when the disciples wanted to know who was the greatest? (Mat.18:1) In that hour came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? (2) And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them, (3) and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. (4) Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. What was Jesus talking about? Jesus was showing the disciples how a little child is submissive. In every case in the Gospels, it says “little child” (Mark 10:15; Luke 9:47) because, as you know, some older children are not submissive and trusting of their father; they're not clean on the inside. Another place of innocence is a child who is killed by abortion or dies from miscarriage. (Ecc.6:3) If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul be not filled with good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth (In other words, speaking of a miscarriage.) is better than he. So a man can live a full life, but not live in the goodness of the Lord, and not be a vessel of honor. This is saying it's better to have been born dead. (4) For it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness; (5) moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath rest rather than the other: (6) yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet enjoy no good, do not all go to one place? He's talking about death here, not about going to the same place in Sheol, because this man went to Hades and the child went to Abraham's Bosom, but they both went to Sheol (Luke 16:22-26). This shows us that God at least considers innocency among children or babies. Abijah was a small child and God did not impute iniquity to this small child. That leads me to believe the further we get away from birth, the more dangerous it becomes because we become more responsible as we acquire knowledge. Innocency is not based on some “age of accountability” or “age of reason,” as theologians have told us, because you can't find that in the Bible. Saints, God imputes iniquity with knowledge. (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. God showed His election through Jacob, who manifested a vessel of honor, and Esau, who manifested a vessel of dishonor. This is what they were elected to do. Although every child is born with a fresh, clean spirit, they also receive the nature of their parents, and so they have a choice to make. They can choose to follow after their spirit, or they can choose to follow after the nature of their parents. As we've seen, everyone chooses to go the way of the flesh, and then their soul becomes corrupt, and eventually their spirit becomes corrupt. When the spirit becomes corrupt, that child has to be born again to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. I haven't found that there is any particular age at which the spirit becomes corrupt for all mature differently. Some children are raised with discipline and are more conscientious, while others are raised with no discipline, and they become very corrupt, very quickly, but I do believe that when the spirit dies, that person is responsible before God, and they must be born again. Yes, we are given a fresh, clean spirit from God when we are born, but that spirit dies from following after the flesh, and it becomes corrupt. This is what I'm calling “death” here. It's not a physical lack of existence but the spirit becoming corrupt. When that happens, then we are held responsible. Jesus was the one who breathed into Adam the breath of life, and as the Scriptures tell us, (Joh.1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) The same was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. (4) In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (Col.1:16) For in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; (17) and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. God the Father created everything through Christ. There is nothing created that wasn't created through Christ. Jesus breathed into Adam the breath of life, but the whole race of Adam fell and became corrupt. Then Jesus, the second Adam (1Corinthians 15:47), breathed again; He breathed His spirit of life into His new creation. And, did you know that you still don't have to follow your spirit after being born again? You can, once again, choose to follow your flesh. A born-again person has the opportunity to follow their spirit and go with God, or they can follow their fallen nature and go the way of the rest of creation. We were given a fresh, clean human spirit from God, like Christ's human spirit, but we have a fallen soul because “the life of the flesh is in the blood.” That means after we are born again, we must overcome the disadvantage of the fallen nature that was passed on to us through our parents. The apostle Paul explains to us about his battle against the fallen nature that was passed on to him. He says, (Rom.7:23) I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members. (24) Wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me out of the body of this death? He wanted power over the body of death. Paul was a Christian, and he wanted to serve God. Do you know what God did to give Christians power over the body of death? He gave them the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Without the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a person doesn't have that power. I'll prove this to you: (Rom.8:7) Because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: (8) and they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (9) But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God (that's the Holy Spirit) dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ (that's your born-again spirit), he is none of his. Christ was man in that He had a human spirit, soul, and body. He was God in that the Holy Spirit dwelt in His spirit. (1:3) Concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, (4) who was declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness. This in turn affected His DNA. When we are born again, our human spirit is born again. The Holy Spirit comes to do three things. Jesus said, (Joh.16:14) He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare [it] unto you. First, the Holy Spirit comes to give us the Spirit of Christ, which is our born-again spirit, our fresh, clean spirit. Second, as we follow the Holy Spirit, our soul becomes born again. If we bear fruit in the realm of the soul, we will receive a born-again body. This is the manifestation of Christ in you, spirit, soul and body. Even if you have the Spirit of Christ, if you don't have the Holy Spirit, you don't have power over the body. (Rom.8:9) But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. If you don't have the Spirit of Christ in you, or, in other words, if you don't have a born-again human spirit, you don't belong to Him because Jesus had a born-again human spirit. (10) And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin (That's the situation Paul was in.); but the spirit is life because of righteousness. Before the disciples received the Holy Spirit, even though they had received their born-again spirit, they didn't have the greater power over the flesh. As Jesus said to them, (Mat.26:41) … The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Did they have a born-again human spirit? Yes. Jesus told His disciples, (Joh.15:3) Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. You can't be clean without a born-again spirit, and they had a reborn spirit through the Word that was spoken into them. Paul says, “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness.” So here you have a born-again person who is born-again in their spirit, but they don't have the greater power over their body, “the body of death.” Paul was crying out, “Who shall deliver me from this body of death?” Christians didn't have the greater power over their “body of death” until they received the Holy Spirit. (Rom.8:11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you (that's the Holy Spirit), he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you. People think this is talking about the resurrection of the dead, but Paul said, “shall give life also to your mortal bodies.” That's talking about this physical body. Where you had death in your mortal body and had no greater power over it, God gave you life through His Spirit that dwells in you. Paul is talking about two different spirits here. Most religions I've experienced teach that when you are born again, that's when you receive the Holy Spirit. Even the Pentecostal denominations say, “When you are born again, you receive the Holy Spirit, but when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you receive more of it.” Again, that's not what the Bible teaches. You can't find a place in the New Testament where the Christians didn't go on to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit as soon as they found out about it. It was never supposed to be optional, the way it is today. I'm not saying that a person is lost if they don't have the Holy Spirit because Paul said a person belonged to God if they had the spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9); they just didn't have the greater power without having the Holy Spirit of God. As a matter of fact, back in the Old Testament, we can find the same New Covenant promise of receiving the Holy Spirit, and one of the clearest places to see it is in Ezekiel. (Eze.36:24) For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. (25) And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean.... This is what Jesus did with His disciples. He told them, (Joh.15:3) Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. God gave them a born-again spirit through the Word. He said in (6:63) It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life. He spoke life into them. (Eze.36:25) And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. (26) A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you (Theologians put a lowercase “s” here and I believe they're right. The word “spirit” here should be a lowercase “s” because it's talking about your human spirit.); and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. (27) And I will put my Spirit (They capitalized “Spirit” here, and they're right again. This is talking about the Holy Spirit.) within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.... The Holy Spirit is power from God. (Act.1:8) But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. In other words, the Holy Spirit is the power to be a witness by walking as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). (2Co.3:2) Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men; (3) being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh. You see, it's how you live your life, not just what you say, that makes you a witness. (Eze.36:27) And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them. (28) And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. As soon as the Church started, the baptism of the Holy Spirit came right along with baptism in water. How did the Church go so far astray as to think that people can live the Christian life without everything that God provided? It was never meant to be that way. We are commanded to be full of the spirit of God. (Eph.5:15) Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise; (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (17) Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (18) And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit; (19) speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord. If you obey the corrupt nature that's been passed on to you genetically through your parents, you will begin to fall into corruption: first flesh, then soul, then spirit. The “death” is continually taking place because the more corrupt you become, the more dead you become. It's a spiritual death, not a physical death, but it ends in physical death because our spirit is our connection with the Holy Spirit. When our spirit is given to us at birth, it's clean and pure. In Hebrews (10:22,26,27; 11:15-17), the Bible talks about “defiling” your conscience. Your conscience is a part of your spirit, and it tells you right from wrong, but the more you disobey and ignore your conscience, it will become more and more quiet. Eventually, if we don't listen to our spirit, we come to the place where we don't hear it anymore, and that means we come to the place where we aren't led by it anymore. As a child grows up, they become more and more corrupt because they follow their flesh. I believe that the corruption process may be slower if you raise up a child in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6; 23:13,14), but still they are going to fall into corruption. They will need to be born again because they don't have the Holy Spirit to empower them to follow their human spirit. The devil wants to take possession of our soul, which is our mind, will, and emotions, and he does this through our flesh. God wants to take possession of our souls, but the way He takes possession is through our spirit. So here we are with our soul, or in other words, our natural life, our nature, in the middle. We've been given a spirit, and we've been given flesh. As a born-again Christian, we have a decision to make: Are we going to follow the flesh and die, or are we going to follow the Spirit and live? If we follow the Spirit, we're following God. If we follow the flesh, we're following the devil. When a child is born, they don't have the spirit of God, so they don't have the ability to make a choice. They always follow the flesh, and they always die in their soul but less so with good parenting. When I say “die,” I'm talking about spiritual death while you are alive because you are held accountable when you know to do good. (Jas.4:17) To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Sin is imputed when you know what's right and what's wrong. (Rom.5:13) For until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. The older a child gets, the quieter their conscience becomes because they get more and more used to disobeying and rebelling against it. And so they come to the place where they must be born again. Jesus is not saying that a little child must be born again. A little child doesn't have to be born again to enter the Kingdom because their spirit is not dead yet, but the older they become, the more corrupt their soul becomes, and then the more corrupt their spirit becomes until they must be born again in order to see the Kingdom of Heaven. A little child is very open to God. Their spirit is still alive. You can talk to them about God, and they understand, and they easily receive what you teach them, but if you don't teach them anything, they don't have that strength. We have to train our spirit to take the sword of the Spirit. (Eph.6:13) Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one]. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The Word of God is our sword, Saints. Without the Word of God, your spirit is defenseless. You need to educate your spirit by putting the Word of God in there. When I was a little child in the Catholic Church, they told me certain things were wrong that weren't wrong, and so if I did them, my conscience smote me. Even when I was a little child, my conscience told me when I was doing wrong. The Bible tells us that this is true, and we are never supposed to go against our conscience but rather educate it. (Rom.13:5) Wherefore [ye] must needs be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience' sake. And here's another example: (1Co.10:25) Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, eat, asking no question for conscience' sake, (26) for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. (27) If one of them that believe not biddeth you [to a feast,] and ye are disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience' sake. (28) But if any man say unto you, This hath been offered in sacrifice, eat not, for his sake that showed it, and for conscience' sake: (29) conscience, I say, not thine own, but the other's; for why is my liberty judged by another conscience? (30) If I partake with thankfulness, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? (31) Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (32) Give no occasion of stumbling, either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the church of God: (33) even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the [profit] of the many, that they may be saved. When I became born again, I had to re-educate my conscience according to the Word of God in order to have the sword of the Spirit. The sword belongs to the Spirit; it doesn't belong to the flesh. The Word of God empowers your spirit to win the battle against your flesh and the devil. (Eph.6:12) For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood (This is referring to fighting with physical weapons against physical enemies.), but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. Did you know that it's possible to have the baptism of the Holy Spirit but still not obey the Holy Spirit? Just because you have the Holy Spirit doesn't profit you. What matters is that you are walking in faith and obeying the Holy Spirit because, if you are not walking in faith, you're not going to get anywhere. People who are filled with the Holy Spirit walk closer to God. They have more faith, and they have power over the flesh. Jesus said, (Act.1:8) But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. But you can offend the Holy Spirit and become reprobate, or rejected, by the Holy Spirit. (Eph.4:30) And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption. How do you “grieve” the Holy Spirit? (Heb.6:4) For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, (5) and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, (6) and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (7) For the land which hath drunk the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God: (8) but if it beareth thorns and thistles, it is rejected (This is the Greek word adokimos and it means “failing to pass the test; unapproved; counterfeit”; or, in other words, “reprobated.”) and nigh unto a curse; whose end is to be burned. You grieve the Holy Spirit by not doing His works and therefore you don't bear any fruit. The ultimate end of this is reprobation. (Tit.1:15) To the pure all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. (16) They profess that they know God; but by their works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Did you know that just because you are filled with the Holy Spirit doesn't mean you are going to stay filled with the Holy Spirit? I know this is contrary to what many Pentecostal denominations teach, but if you look in the Book of Acts, you'll see that the same people who were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost were later filled again with the Holy Spirit. (Act.2:4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. So they were filled with the Holy Spirit and then after Peter and John were released from prison, they prayed, (4:31) And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, (30) while thy stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus. (31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness. The same people were refilled with the Holy Spirit. You ask, “David, why would somebody need to be filled with the Spirit more than once?” Jesus gives us the answer. He said, (Joh.7:38) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water. (39) But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive. The power of the Holy Spirit flows out and is used up as we minister according to the command of Jesus. Notice, it's a river, not a pond. (Mat.10:7) And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. (8) Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give. I'm not saying that the Holy Spirit ever leaves you completely; I'm saying that it takes staying in fellowship with God to stay filled with the Holy Spirit. It's not just a one-time thing, like some Pentecostals believe. We just read, (Act.4:31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. How can you be filled twice, unless you've been emptied once? If Jesus taught that out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of the Spirit,” then this power is imparted to the need around you. It has to come out, and then it has to be replenished. The point is that we have to maintain our relationship with God because, if we don't, we won't stay filled with the Holy Spirit. Even so, the gifts of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29). He won't take the gifts back. For instance, He won't necessarily take speaking in tongues back, but you may speak in tongues and yet not be filled with the Holy Spirit. A person has to stay filled with the Holy Spirit, as the Bible clearly teaches in Acts. The people who were preaching in Acts 2 were the same people who were filled with the Holy Spirit again in Acts 4. Personally, I believe you have the capacity to receive more of the Spirit when you are full of the Word of God. Jesus said, (Joh.6:63) It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life. Therefore, if you receive more of His Word, you will receive more of His Spirit. That's why Jesus breathed on the disciples and in (20:22) … saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit, even though it wasn't manifested until Pentecost, when the rushing mighty wind came.” Most Pentecostal denominations believe that having the Holy Spirit makes you a shoo-in for the Kingdom of Heaven, but having the Holy Spirit doesn't make you immune to sin. Having the Holy Spirit is not what saves you. Some have the Spirit but don't serve Him.  Obeying the Holy Spirit is what saves you from sin. (Rom.8:11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Life came out of Jesus. Life came out of His Words when He spoke. Life came out of Him when He laid hands on people. Life came out of His garment and healed the woman who touched Him. Life was in Him and that life was imparted to others, but that's not the case with a person who's not filled with the Holy Spirit. It's more difficult to walk with God, without being filled with the Holy Spirit. From the Book of Acts, you can see that the very foundation of Christianity is to repent, receive a born-again spirit, and then be filled with the Holy Spirit. The typology of the Temple in the Old Covenant makes this very clear. We are supposed to be temples “not made with hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1; Acts 7:47-49) or, in other words, without the works of man. (1Co.6:19) Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own; (20) for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body. When Solomon built the Temple, it represented the house “made without hands,” so there couldn't be the sound of tools, symbolizing man's works, while they were building it (1 Kings 6:7). After the Temple was built and they had sanctified it (1 Kings 8:1-9; 2 Chronicles 5:1-10), it still didn't have the Spirit of God in it. But when they had the dedication of the Temple, the Spirit of God came in the form of the Glory Cloud and dwelt in the Temple (1 Kings 8:10,11; 2 Chronicles 5:13,14). You see, the Temple was designed for the Holy Spirit to dwell in. What good was the Temple without the Spirit? I think in this regard, a lot of people are going to fall away because they will not obey the Scriptures and receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the power to do what you have to do. There were times when I just didn't think the Holy Spirit was there, but right when it was necessary, the power showed up and completely awed me. And no matter what situation we find ourselves in, the Holy Spirit can manifest Himself in us and enable us to walk as Jesus walked. The Lord also pointed out to me that it was Judah who dwelt in Zion. The name Judah means “praise,” and so Judah identifies the Spirit-filled people, the full-Gospel people. The name Judah separates us from the rest of Christianity, who haven't received the Holy Spirit. The northern 10 tribes of Israel went further astray and “missed the boat” many more times than the tribe of Judah. The northern 10 tribes worshipped the false “Christ,” the two golden calves which they set up. I believe that the Lord showed me this is a type for our day. The northern 10 tribes represent the non-Spirit-filled groups, and Judah represents the Spirit-filled groups, the ones who inhabit Zion. Zion was the city that escaped when Babylon conquered the people of God. A modern-day example of this is the Armenian genocide. The word “genocide” was first coined by historian Raphael Lemkin in 1943 to describe the systematic murder of the Armenians by the Ottomans. Only the Spirit-filled Christians escaped. They fled when they were warned because they believed in prophecy and they believed the prophets God sent to them, but many, many non-Spirit-filled Christians were killed. Some estimates are that as many as 1.5 million lost their lives in that holocaust. The Happiest People on Earth by Demos Shakarian, and John and Elizabeth Sherrill, published by Guideposts Magazine in 1975, tells the story of Demos Shakarian. His grandfather left Armenia for America when the Russian prophet Klubniken foretold that an “unspeakable tragedy” was coming to Armenia. Well, people, now the same thing is getting ready to happen in America, where most of the people who call themselves “Christian” have not yet been filled with the Spirit of God, and they're not giving any heed to all the prophetic warnings that another holocaust is coming. The Spirit of God makes you respect prophets and prophecies. The Spirit of God opens your eyes to dreams, visions, revelations, and the deeper things of the Spirit. We've seen that when the disciples needed more power from God to stand up to and endure the persecution they were receiving, they came together and prayed, and God filled them again with the Holy Spirit. Not only does every Christian need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, but we also need to be continually baptized in the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Main Point: 2 Corinthians 3:6-11 identifies three defining qualities of the new covenant and shows how its surpassing glory brings transformation to our lives. 

Episode Notes Many Christians struggle, living in the New Covenant yet still trying to obey the commands of the Old. Time to latch onto some powerful realities of what's ours under the New Covenant! Find out more NOW! For all the Hank's Place video blogs, click:
https://www.comealive.org/index.php/category/hanks-place/ Hank's Place is an outreach of Come Alive Ministries, www.comealive.org This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Read OnlineJesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” Matthew 5:17–18For many, the Old Testament can be confusing, filled with laws, rituals, and prophecies that seem difficult to connect with the New Testament. Yet, Jesus' words remind us that the Old Testament is not merely a relic of the past but an essential part of God's divine plan. Furthermore, every law, prophecy, and detail, down to “the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter,” finds its deepest meaning and completion in Christ.In a simplified way, the “Law and the Prophets” in the Old Testament can be summarized as moral laws, ceremonial laws, and prophetic teaching. The moral laws reflect God's eternal truths of right and wrong, the ceremonial laws govern Israel's worship and rituals, and the prophetic teaching calls the people to repentance, pointing to the coming Messiah. Together, these form the foundation of the Old Covenant, which is fulfilled in Christ, Who established the New and Eternal Covenant. Additionally, the Psalms and Wisdom literature enrich the Law and the Prophets, offering inspired prayers, meditations on God's faithfulness, and practical guidance for virtuous living.Though it might be an arduous task to read through the entire Old Testament, those who do so with understanding discover the truth that everything finds its fulfillment in Christ. “Fulfillment” does not mean that Jesus altered or discarded the Old Testament; rather, He revealed its true and hidden meaning, bringing it to perfection. What the Old Testament could only foreshadow, Jesus accomplished, achieving the fullness of God's plan.By analogy, consider an artist's sketch that depicts a beautiful mountain range and sunset. The Old Testament is like that sketch—it provides the framework, details, and foreshadowing of something greater. In Christ, the sketch is brought to life, becoming reality through God's creative act. While the sketch and the actual mountain range are the same scene, the reality is the perfect and complete expression of what the sketch anticipated. God, as the Divine Artist, first “sketched” what would come to be through the Law, Prophets, and Wisdom literature, and then brought it to fulfillment through Jesus' Incarnation, Life, Death, and Resurrection.In today's Gospel, after declaring that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, Jesus provided three examples of how He brings the Old Testament moral law to its fulfillment. The commandment “You shall not kill” is deepened to include the interior sin of anger; “You shall not commit adultery” is expanded to include lust in the heart; and “Do not take a false oath” is elevated to a call for sincerity, honesty, and integrity in all one says and does. The Messiah then pours forth His grace, enabling the faithful to live in accord with this high calling.Though not included in today's Gospel, Jesus also brings the ceremonial laws to fulfillment by becoming the Lamb of God, offering Himself as the definitive High Priest on the new altar of the Cross. Furthermore, our Lord fulfills the prophets by establishing the New Covenant in His blood, as seen in Isaiah's vision of the Suffering Servant Who bears the sins of many (Isaiah 53), Jeremiah's promise of the new covenant written on hearts (Jeremiah 31:31–34), and Micah's prophecy of a ruler born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).Reflect today on God's Eternal Law, established before the foundation of the world and brought to fulfillment in Christ. The human life of the Son of God is the center of time and eternity. Everything converges on Him, and new life flows from Him. Just as our Lord fulfills the Old Testament, He also is the only source of true fulfillment in our lives. Ponder His mission and renew your choice to accept His New Covenant, written on your heart by grace. Doing so is an exercise in Divine Wisdom, giving you a share in the new life of grace, made possible by His blood.Glorious Lawgiver and Messiah, Your Wisdom is perfect, eternal, and transforming. All things came to be through You and find their fulfillment in You. I thank You for the gift of Your Eternal Law and pray for the grace to live it to perfection, with the aid of Your saving grace. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT, via Wikimedia CommonsSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Exploring the Connection Between Matthew 16 and Nehemiah For BibleInTen.com - By DH, 14th February 2026 Welcome back to Bible in Ten! Today, we have another bonus episode as our daily commentary from CG at the Superior Word rounds off Matthew Chapter 16. Matthew's Gospel contains 28 chapters, and remarkably, it mirrors the first 28 books of the Old Testament as arranged in the Christian Bible. So in this episode, having considered Matthew 16, we'll now look at its fascinating counterpart: Book 16 of the Old Testament-Nehemiah. Nehemiah (נְחֶמְיָה / Nechemyah) means “Yah comforts.” That is appropriate because the whole book is comfort through restoration after judgment. Nehemiah functions as a historical “control text,” showing an established covenant pattern that Matthew 16 then re-presents prophetically (while still being literal history in Jesus' life, confirmed by the other Gospel writers).  Isn't the Word of God Amazing?! Let us now take a look at 12 connections which which support the summary of the chapter as detailed in the previous episode.     Unlike pairings between Matthew 14 with 2 Chronicles—where the correspondence spans a wider sweep of history across multiple dispensational stages—the Matthew 16 / Nehemiah pairing is compressed into a narrower prophetic frame (the tribulation-period restoration conflict) and does not proceed step by step.  The lack of a perfectly locked step-by-step sequence is itself instructive.   In Matthew 14 the picture maps a long, ordered panorama where chronology matters as it spans events across Israel's history from the dispensation of law to and prophetic future carries a clearer, more sequential structure. .. But in the Matthew 16 / Nehemiah pairing—focused on the tribulation—Scripture is not chiefly giving a detailed internal timetable; it is giving the shape of the period.   So lets turn to that shape now with these 12 steps. A Demand for a Sign and the First Opposition Matthew 16 opens with the Pharisees and Sadducees coming together to test Jesus, demanding a “sign from heaven.” It is leadership pressure-religious power trying to control the terms. Nehemiah opens with the same kind of pressure appearing as soon as restoration is announced. When Nehemiah arrives with authorization to rebuild, opposition rises immediately: Sanballat and Tobiah are “grieved” that someone came to seek Israel's good (Nehemiah 2:10). They then laugh and scorn: “What is this thing that ye do?” (2:19) The pattern is consistent: when God moves to restore, the entrenched powers demand proof, challenge legitimacy, and attempt to intimidate the work before it begins. “You Can Read the Sky… But Not the Times” Jesus says they can interpret the sky, but they cannot discern “the signs of the times.” The irony is that the very men claiming insight are the ones blind to what God is doing. Nehemiah carries that same irony in restoration form. The enemies act as if they understand the situation and control the outcome—mocking, threatening, and plotting as though the work will collapse on their schedule. But they do not know what's really happening. Their blindness shows in this: they only learn after the fact that their plan has been uncovered. In Nehemiah —“when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought…” (Nehemiah 4:15). They thought they were the ones reading the moment, but they were misreading it completely. The builders knew; the enemies did not. And once the plot was exposed, the intimidation lost its power and the work continued. The Sign of Judgment Remembered With the coming of the end times, the leaders of Israel would be expected to understand the situation they are in—but in Matthew 16 they are shown as unable to read it. Jesus calls them “wicked and adulterous” and says no sign will be given except “the sign of the prophet Jonah.” In the previous episode we learned that, Jonah's “Yet forty days” becomes a prophetic template—forty as judgment time—fulfilled in the temple's destruction about forty years after Christ, and then the long exile that followed. The end-times petition is therefore not, “wait for a new sign,” but: look back, read your history through Scripture, and believe. Nehemiah begins with that same mechanism already in place. The “sign” is not in the sky; it is in the city. Jerusalem stands as a covenant witness—broken, burned, and shamed: “the wall of Jerusalem… broken down, and the gates… burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3). And crucially, Nehemiah interprets that ruin as meaning—he does not treat it as mere geopolitics. He confesses, “We have dealt very corruptly… and have not kept the commandments” (1:7), and he appeals to what God had already spoken in the Scriptures about scattering for unfaithfulness and gathering upon repentance (1:8-9). Matthew 16 points Israel to a coming historical sign—temple judgment—meant to force a right reading of Scripture and history. Nehemiah opens with an earlier historical sign—Jerusalem in ruins—meant to do the same. In both cases, the issue is not that God failed to leave evidence. The issue is whether the people will stop being “clueless,” read the sign correctly, internalize what it says about their covenant state, and then return to the Lord in true faith. Crossing Over: From Exile-Space to Covenant-Space The movement across the sea of Galilee (and thus the Jordan-line running through it) pictured a spiritual boundary-those “on the other side” needing to come through Christ. Nehemiah is structured around a grand “crossing” of its own: movement from Persia and the regions “beyond the river” into the land where God's name was set. The restoration work begins when Nehemiah leaves the place of worldly security and goes to the place of covenant accountability. Beware the Leaven: Corrupt Influence Inside the People In Matthew 16, Jesus warns of the “leaven” of the Pharisees and Sadducees—doctrine and influence that works invisibly, spreading through the whole lump until everything is affected. The disciples first think He is speaking about bread, but Jesus corrects them: the danger is not what you eat, but what you absorb. Nehemiah gives a historical picture of that same leaven-principle. The enemy does not remain at the gate. He aims for infiltration—to become familiar, acceptable, even respected within the restored community. During the rebuilding, Nehemiah notes that the nobles were already entangled: “For many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.” (Nehemiah 6:18). The leaven isn't merely threat from outside; it is sympathy and alliance forming inside—compromise that feels normal because it comes through “our own people.” And when that leaven is left unchecked, it advances from relationships to residence. In Nehemiah 13, Tobiah is not simply corresponding with leaders—he is granted an actual chamber in the temple precincts (Nehemiah 13:4-9). The unclean influence in its mature form, so that what begins as tolerated association ends as sanctioned presence. This is exactly the warning Matthew 16 carries forward. Don't misread the matter as “bread,” as though the issue were external details. The real danger is the teaching, the partnerships, the slow drift—leavened thinking that spreads through the body while everyone tells themselves nothing serious is happening, until the holy space itself is compromised. Power, Pride, and the Military Temptation Caesarea Philippi was highlighted as a picture-space: Caesar as deified man; Philippi as leaning on the “horse” principle-military pride. Nehemiah's rebuilding occurs under constant threat. The people must be armed while they build.  They work with one hand and hold a weapon with the other (Nehemiah 4:17-18). But Nehemiah carefully frames this: the sword is not their salvation. Their security is God, and vigilance is obedience. Necessary defense exists, but pride in defense is a snare. The people are restored, yet always at risk of trusting the wall more than the Lord. “Who Do You Say That I Am?” and the Community's Confession In Matthew 16, we have the God assisted confession: “You are the Christ.” Nehemiah contains an extended sequence where Israel is restored not merely by masonry but by identity-confession through God's Word: “So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.” (Nehemiah 8:8). This leads into confession of sin and confession of God's faithfulness (Nehemiah 9). In the Matthew framework: end-times Jews become true “hearers”- not merely readers of signs, but confessors of what the signs meant. 8. Kingdom-Order, and Covenant Enrollment In Matthew 16, everything turns on identity and confession. Israel can offer many assessments of Jesus—prophet, teacher, threat—but the end-times remnant is identified as those who follow Peter's confession: “You are the Christ.” After this, Jesus blesses Peter with a name that ties back to the only sign granted—Bar-Jonah, “son of Jonah.” In other words, Peter typifies the Jews who have heard the sign of Jonah, interpreted their own history rightly, and therefore confess the Messiah they once missed. That confession marks them out as the out-called, and it is on that proclamation that Christ speaks of kingdom entry—the granting of the keys. Nehemiah provides an Old Covenant “control text” for that same movement: a remnant comes to understanding, confession, and then formalized belonging. After the Scriptures are read and the national confession is made (Nehemiah 8-9), the people do not remain in mere emotion or general agreement. They move into enrollment—a defined act of covenant identity: “And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it” (Nehemiah 9:38; detailed in chapter 10). Names are written. Allegiance is publicly owned. Commitments and boundaries are stated. And the Hebrew meaning of these written names themselves bear connection to tribulation period events described in Revelation. In typology terms, Nehemiah shows a keys-of-the-kingdom counterpart in historical form, a concrete act of authorized inclusion into a defined covenant community. As Bar-Jonah represents those who finally hear and identify the true Messiah, the sealed covenant in Nehemiah represents those who finally own and enter the restored order. 9. A Messiah Who Must Suffer: The Offense of God's Way In Matthew 16, Peter stumbles over the suffering plan. The moment Jesus speaks openly about rejection, suffering, and death, Peter tries to correct Him—and Jesus rebukes him sharply. The warning is against demanding a triumphant, expectation-shaped messiah while rejecting the true Messiah as God presents Him—first crucified, then glorified. Nehemiah provides the historical control picture of that same offense. Restoration there advances through obedience under scorn. The workers are mocked (Nehemiah 4:1-3), threatened (4:7-8), and worn down by discouragement (4:10). Yet the work moves forward because they refuse the “easy” path of retreat, silence, or compromise. That is the typological connection: Peter's impulse—“this shall not happen to You”—is the human instinct to reject a deliverance that comes through suffering. Nehemiah's remnant models the opposite posture: they accept that God often brings vindication after humiliation.   10. Deny Yourself: The Cost of Faithfulness Under Pressure In Matthew 16, Jesus' call to deny yourself is not abstract spirituality—it is a demand for costly allegiance. In the end-times picture drawn, it means refusing the survival-instinct that compromises truth, and choosing fidelity to Christ even when it carries temporary loss. Nehemiah provides a clear historical control of that same principle. He refuses the governor's allowance—he will not enrich himself at the people's expense: “I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor” (Nehemiah 5:14-19).  In both cases the work of God is advanced by those willing to serve faithfully even when they could have claimed their rights. Vindication: God's Work Revealed Before Enemies Matthew 16 ends with the thought of the Son of Man coming in glory with His messengers-a public unveiling of reality. Nehemiah contains a miniature version of that unveiling: The wall is finished, and the enemies “perceived that this work was wrought of our God” (Nehemiah 6:15-16). The point is the pattern: endurance, completion, public recognition that God did it, not man. What is done in faith is later shown to have been of God. A Remnant Standing at the End Some will make it through the tribulation without tasting death when they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. In Nehemiah, the “standing remnant” idea is stated in the narrative milestones that mark survival through the entire pressure campaign to the realized outcome. They survive to completion: “So the wall was finished…” (Nehemiah 6:15). They survive the intimidation campaign and remain in place: after the plot is exposed and collapses, the work continues and the enemies are put to shame (Nehemiah 6:16). They transition from building under threat to ordered life in the city: once the wall is finished, “the doors were set up,” gatekeepers and Levites are appointed, and watch is established (Nehemiah 7:1-3). They are still there as a gathered people at the end of the building phase: “all Israel dwelt in their cities… and all the people gathered themselves together as one man” (Nehemiah 7:73-8:1). They move from completion to public dedication: “at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem…” (Nehemiah 12:27), culminating in corporate worship and rejoicing (Nehemiah 12:43). Nehemiah doesn't just end with “a wall.” It ends with a preserved community—still present, still assembled, moving from survival under pressure (6:15-16) into established order (7:1-3), unified gathering (7:73-8:1), and dedication/worship (12:27, 43). So the narrative picture of a remnant standing is explicit: some make it through, and they stand in what God established. CONCLUSION: Why This is Controlled Typology In Nehemiah, the question is: Will the returned people truly become God's people again-by truth, separation, and covenant fidelity-rather than by mere structure? In Matthew 16, the question becomes sharper and final: Will Israel discern what their own history meant, reject leavened leadership, confess the true Messiah, accept the suffering plan, and endure to the kingdom? Nehemiah gives the Old Covenant restoration pattern in history. Matthew 16 gives the New Covenant restoration petition in prophecy-picture-centered entirely on Jesus: who He is, what He must do, and what His people must endure in the tribulation period. Nehemiah rebuilds a wall around a city.  Matthew 16 reveals the confession upon which Christ builds His out-calling. Lord God, we thank You for Your word-holy, faithful, and true. Give us discernment for the times we live in. Guard us from leaven-quiet compromise, false teaching, and fear-driven counsel that sounds spiritual but serves another master.  Strengthen us to bear reproach, to deny ourselves, and to endure faithfully until Your purposes are complete.  And may all our confidence rest not in walls, not in strength, not in man-but in the name of the Lord our God. Amen.

Whenever a person truly desires to obey God, the Holy Ghost supplies him with the ability to fulfill God's commands. That is the blessed provision of the New Covenant.Subscribe to daily devotions e-mails: https://wcm.link/ddsub

Today's speaker is Dr. Dan Estes, Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Cedarville University. Dr. Estes teaches from Exodus 24 that God's ancient covenant with Israel is a pattern for the New Covenant with Christians today.

In this episode of The Gospel of John, we step into the moment where Jesus' growing ministry overlaps with John the Baptist's ongoing work. Centered on John 3:22–24, this passage highlights a unique season where both ministries are active at the same time, setting the stage for deeper reflection on calling, purpose, and God's unfolding plan. Join us as we explore how this powerful transition points to the introduction of the New Covenant and the shifting focus from preparation to fulfillment in Christ.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DONATE: https://evidence4faith.org/give/WEBSITE: https://evidence4faith.org/NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/hpazV5BOOKINGS: https://evidence4faith.org/bookings/CONTACT: Evidence 4 Faith, 349 Knights Ave Kewaskum WI 53040 , info@evidence4faith.orgMy goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. - Colossians 2:2-3CREDITS: Developed & Hosted by Michael Lane. Produced & Edited by Isabel Kolste. Graphics & Publication by Isabel Kolste. Additional Art, Film, & Photography Credits: Stock media “Memories” provided by mv_production / Pond5 | Logo Stinger: Unsplash.com: Leinstravelier, Logan Moreno Gutierrez, Meggyn Pomerieau, Jaredd Craig, NASA, NOASS, USGS, Sam Carter, Junior REIS, Luka Vovk, Calvin Craig, Mario La Pergola, Timothy Eberly, Priscilla Du Preez, Ismael Paramo, Tingey Injury Law Firm, Dan Cristian Pădureț, Jakob Owens | Wikimedia: Darmouth University Public Domain, Kelvinsong CC0 | Stock media “A stately Story (Stiner02)” provided by lynnepublishing / Pond5

On Today's episode, listen as Pastor Bob continues our series entitled Consecrated. We will discover how Jesus ushered in a whole new way of walking out our devotion to God. 

A king sends his humble son to teach the people the heart behind the law — love, forgiveness, restoration, and compassion. Some welcome him. Others think they already understand everything. In Matthew 9, Yeshua calls a tax collector, eats with sinners, and challenges the religious: “Go and learn what this means — I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Messiah comes not to affirm what we know, but to teach us what we've missed. He calls the outsiders, confronts the insiders, and invites all of us to follow, to unlearn if necessary, and to become teachable again. Because the kingdom of God isn't built on experts — it's built on learners. Check out our latest sermon from Rabbi David, “Go and Learn” based on the New Covenant parsha.     #besorah #podcast #tikvatisrael #RVA #messianic #synagogue #judaism #yeshua #Matthew #parasha #parsha

Is the Holy Spirit a "stranger" in your daily walk with Christ? In this powerful message from our Familiar Stranger series, Pastor Jason shares how the Holy Spirit is not just an accessory or an "add-on" to your faith—He is the power that makes faith possible. Using a vivid illustration of a sailor catching the wind, we explore what it means to stay in step with the Spirit and move from "God dwelling with us" to "God residing in us." Whether you are looking for a spiritual breakthrough or a new beginning in Christ, this service will challenge you to stop asking God to bless your plans and start setting your sails to catch His wind. ✨ In this video, you will: • Discover the difference between Old Testament "tasks" and New Testament "residency" of the Spirit. • Understand why the Holy Spirit is the ultimate "advantage" for every believer. • Learn how to stop "quenching" the Spirit and start living from a place of spiritual empowerment. Join the Conversation: Where are you watching from today? Let us know in the comments! If you need prayer or want to take your next step with Jesus, text CHRIST to 97000.

Why do bad things happen to good people? Because refinement is part of the calling. This week, in Episode 1 of a new 4-part series called "If You Love Me", former college professor and mega-church pastor’s wife Melissa Schilling Smith delivers a bold, truth-filled teaching that challenges tradition and restores biblical clarity. Drawing from Scripture and the story of the fiery furnace, Melissa explains why trials are not signs of failure — they are proof of purpose. When the fire is hottest, the Fourth Man still walks among the flames. Discover why the New Covenant does not cancel the Torah, how obedience brings freedom (not bondage), and how to explain these truths to family and friends with love and confidence. Join this channel to get access to perks: / @aroodawakening Watch more on the Michael Rood TV App! https://bit.ly/2X9oN9h Join us on ANY social media platform! https://aroodawakening.tv/community/s... Your Donation keeps these videos going! Thank you! https://aroodawakening.tv/donate/ Support us by visiting our store! https://roodstore.com/ Support us with purchases on Amazon!* https://amzn.to/3pJu9cC Have Questions? Ask us Here! https://aroodawakening.tv/support/con... "PLEASE NOTE: This is an affiliate link. This means that, at zero cost to you, A Rood Awakening! International will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does your worldview give you a solid, biblical theology of the Sabbath? Is it Saturday or Sunday... or something else? Recently I met a young men from the "United Church of God," a Sabbatarian group that believes Christians must keep the seventh-day Sabbath + the Old Covenant festivals. In this video will explain what the Bible really requires of Christians in the New Covenant, under the Law of Christ. ==============================♱ SUBSTACK: Read weekly articles to help you learn and grow: https://thethinkinstitute.substack.com/♱ CHURCH TRAINING: Bring an IMPACTFUL weekend training event to your church or ministry ➡️ https://thethink.institute/forchurches♱ MEETUP: Check out an IN-PERSON theology discussion. Join the MeetUp group and get all the updates: ➡️ https://meetup.com/thethinkinstitute.♱ Download your free apologetics guide here: https://thethink.institute/store/p/transcendental-argument-for-god-tag-cheat-sheet-downloadable-pdf The easiest method for teaching your kids the faith we can help you learn (catechism): https://thethink.institute/catakids Men: Want to become the worldview leader your family and church need? We provide in-depth education and community for Christian men: https://thethink.institute/societyMy name is Joel Settecase. I'm the president of The Think Institute, NFP. To every Christian man trying to live a Christian life: God will give you what you need for your journey (Eph. 2:10). I am living proof of that. And now my job is to help you build a worldview legacy, where you, your kids, and your wife will be able to confidently answer the world's questions with confidence, and see Jesus change lives as you share your faith.The world needs you. Get equipped. Welcome to The Think Institute.===========================================================Join the Hammer & Anvil SocioetyThe Think Institute relies on the generous support of our Ministry Partners to pursue our mission. Your financial contributions help equip Christian fathers and their families with the education, resources and community needed to stand firm on God's word in today's challenging climate. Thank you for your help in preparing thousands of regular believers to explain, share and defend the Christian message all over the world.The Think Institute, NFP is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 88-3225438). Donations to The Think Institute are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.Donate now: https://thethink.institute/partner

The Old Covenant and New Covenant are the two foundational covenants of the Bible. In this episode, we now introduce the first of these two covenants, namely God's covenant with Israel, and explain how, when, and why God entered into covenant with Israel to encourage the listener in the knowledge God and understanding of His truth. Scripture referenced: Genesis 12:1-7, Genesis 15:1-14, Exodus 12:1-51, Exodus 14:1-31, Exodus 19:1-25, Exodus 20:1-21, Exodus 24:1-18, Matthew 6:25, John 18:36, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 1:3

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NLT) Every now and then, it seems that my GPS has a mind of its own. I’ll be driving on the freeway, going to a destination where I’ve never been before, when suddenly my device tells me to turn right at the next off-ramp. It doesn’t make sense, but I turn right. Then it tells me to turn left, so I turn left. Then it takes me back to the freeway. What was that all about? It makes no sense at all. The Lord gave the Israelites an amazing GPS system: a fire by night and a cloud by day. It was very simple. When the cloud moved, they moved. When the cloud stopped, they stopped. At night, when the fire moved, they moved. When the fire stopped, they stopped. We might be tempted to think, “I wish I could have that kind of obvious guidance, because a lot of times I don’t know what I should do or where I should go.” But as believers under the New Covenant, we have something better than a cloud or a fire. We have Christ Himself living in our hearts. Every one of us who believes in Jesus Christ has God residing within us. We don’t need a fire in the sky. We have the fire of the Holy Spirit in our life, giving us the power to do what God has called us to do. As believers, we are not masters of our fate. We do not control our spiritual journey. The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NLT). The Lord will lead us in the way that He wants us to go. Sometimes His will won’t make sense to us. Sometimes it may seem as though God is trying to ruin all our fun. But in time we will realize that God knew what He was doing all along. Unlike the GPS maps on our devices, we can’t plug in our destination coordinates for this life. That’s because we have no idea where it will take us. That doesn’t stop us from trying, of course. We may try to plug in where we would like to end up. Or where we’re planning to end up. But as the old Yiddish expression goes, “Man plans, and God laughs.” Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) puts it this way: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” GPS devices aren’t always right, but God is. God’s way is always the right way. Reflection question: How can you trust God’s way even when it doesn’t make sense to you? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've been studying Exodus for the last few months and we've seen the institution of a covenant- the Mosaic Covenant, the Covenant of Law, or the Old Covenant as the writer of Hebrews calls it. Hebrews tells us that this Old Covenant was not faultless and that it's now obsolete, replaced by the New Covenant. This week we'll look at the New Covenant and see what's so new about it.

This message reveals the New Covenant reality that the anointing is not a special experience or office, but Christ in you, the indwelling Spirit given in full measure to every believer. Church offices exist to serve, not to exercise lordship, and spiritual gifts are diverse expressions of the same Spirit working in all, not evidence of different anointings. When we rest in Christ and commit to loving God and people, fruit is borne naturally through abiding, not striving.

WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO BECOME HUMAN? (CHRISTOLOGY 2)Last week, we began our journey through Hebrews by focusing on Christ's divine nature. In just four verses, we saw that Jesus is the agent, purpose, sustainer, and ruler of creation. He is fully God—uncreated, eternal, and the exact expression of God's nature. That was a lot of theology packed into a small space.Today we slow down and move to Christology part two: Jesus' human nature. This raises a crucial question for Christians then and now: Why did Jesus have to become human?The theological term for this is the incarnation—the central Christian belief that the eternal Son of God took on human nature in the person of Jesus Christ. Importantly, Jesus did not stop being God when He came to earth. He retained His divine nature and added a fully human nature. This means Jesus is one person with two distinct natures: fully God and fully man. No other being in the universe exists like this.While on earth, Jesus didn't “turn off” His divine power. Instead, He chose not to exercise His divine attributes independently. He lived in complete dependence on the Holy Spirit. The early church called this mystery the hypostatic union. It's deep theology, but the book of Hebrews doesn't present it as abstract theory. It presents it as good news.Let's slow down and read our passage for the day:Hebrews 2:14–18 (NLT)Because God's children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying…From this passage, Hebrews gives us seven reasons Jesus had to become human.First, Jesus became human because we are human. Since God's children are flesh and blood, the Son also became flesh and blood. Only a human could represent the human race before God. To save humanity, the Savior had to belong to humanity. In God's courtroom of justice, Jesus stands as our representative—one who truly understands our condition.Second, Jesus became human so He could die. Death is the penalty for sin, established by God from the beginning. This is the great paradox of the gospel: the Author of life became mortal. If Jesus had remained only divine, He could not have died—and if He could not die, we could not overcome death. Hebrews later reminds us that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.Third, Jesus became human so He could break the power of the devil. Hebrews says that through death, Jesus destroyed the one who had the power of death. Satan once held the authority to accuse humanity and hold eternal separation over our heads. Notice the tense—had the power of death. Through the cross, that authority was broken.Fourth, Jesus became human to set us free from the fear of death. Death is still inevitable, but it no longer has the final word. In the ancient world, death was a constant companion, and fear of it shaped daily life. The Christian hope of resurrection transformed everything. As Paul later declared, “O death, where is your victory?” Christians don't have to live as slaves to fear anymore.Fifth, Jesus became human so He could be our high priest. A priest bridges the gap between a holy God and broken people. Jesus had to be made like us in every respect to fulfill this role. He is merciful toward our weakness and faithful toward God's holiness. Hebrews will return to this theme again and again.Sixth, Jesus became human so He could be our sacrifice. In the Old Testament, priests offered animals. In the New Covenant, the Priest is the sacrifice. This is the ultimate power move of grace: Jesus offered Himself to take away the...

Today we finished up our “New Thing” series. We looked at one of the most profound “New Things” from the Old Testament that is mirrored in the New Testament. We also looked at Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8 and at what the New Covenant means for us today!

By Roc Corbett - On the night of His final Passover, Jesus gave His disciples a gift they would desperately need—not relief from trouble, but His own peace. This message explores what Christ meant when He said, “My peace I give to you,” and why that promise still matters deeply in our lives today. It shows how peace