The Messianic Covenant (part 8)

There is a three-way contrast in connection with the idea of obedience between the Adamic Covenant and the Messianic Covenant. You remember the Adamic Covenant was also called the covenant of works, whereas the Messianic Covenant was called the covenant of grace. Now to the three differences;

First, the design of the two covenants is entirely different. Under the covenant of works man was obligated to be obedient to the command of God in order for his justification; but not so under the covenant of grace, for there the believer is justified on the ground of Jesus’ obedience being imputed to him, and the obedience of the Christian is necessary only as a matter of response and gratitude to God for the work of Jesus.

Second, enablement  to it. Under the new covenant God works to both will and to do His will in the sinner, but under the covenant of works man was left to his own natural strength. Under the one, God gave the bare command; under the other, He provided His grace and Spirit so that we are empowered to be obedient. When God calls us to come to Him, He enables us by drawing us to Himself.

Third, in the acceptance of it. Under the covenant of works no provision was made for failure, because there was neither sacrifice nor mediator. As a result, the only obedience God would accept was perfect obedience. While God requires the same under the new covenant, there has been provided a provision for man’s failure and God accepts imperfect obedience from us because the defects in our behavior are compensated for by the perfect obedience and the merits of Jesus. This imputed perfection is available to us when we show that we are willing to be subject to God.

Maybe you never considered the question of what time the new covenant became operational. We cannot say that it began at a particular moment in time. The first indication of it had to be the appearance of John the Baptist, who was sent to prepare the way for the Messiah. Mark 1:1 called this the “beginning of the Gospel”. Up until this time the Jews were bound by the Sinaitic covenant. John’s purpose was to prepare the people and cause them to anticipate the coming of the Messiah.

The second step was the incarnation and personal ministry of Jesus Himself. The old covenant continued even for Jesus who was “made under the Law”, meaning that He was subject to the Mosaic Law. However, His birth certainly announced the beginning of the new covenant. His public ministry gave credence to the idea that He was truly the Messiah.

Third, the covenant was confirmed by His death and the sacrifice of Himself that He offered up to God established the covenant. At this point the “promise” became a “testament”.

· Heb 9:15-17 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. 16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.

The cross, then, was the point at which all the promises of grace would meet. The old covenant, Sinai, no longer was the binding force that it had been until then. That is not to say that it was not part of God’s plan because the Ten Commandments continue to be a guide for believers as a life style, even though non-believers are still “under the law”.

Fourth, God did not make the old covenant, Sinai, for it to exist for a period, then die and be arbitrarily removed. The law had a special purpose to be accomplished and would remain until God decreed otherwise.

Fifth, the first formal presentation of the new covenant was on the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after the resurrection of Jesus. It is remarkable that this is the same length of time that elapsed between the deliverance of the people from Egypt and the law being presented at Sinai. I don’t know how well your imagination works but let’s give it a try.

Judas had died and hundreds had gathered to select a successor. Peter seemed to be in charge of the assembly in Jerusalem. They chose Matthais to replace Judas. Then the Day of Pentecost came and they were all in one place and they suddenly heard a violent wind from heaven. They were amazed when they saw what looked like tongues of fire and these strange tongues of fire came to rest on each of the apostles and they were each one filled with the Holy Spirit!

There were many God-fearing Jews from distant lands staying in Jerusalem at that time and they spoke many different languages. The strange thing was that they heard the apostles speaking in their own language. Now there is confusion as to what the scripture means when it says in:

· Acts 2:5-8 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?

· Acts 2:12, Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

Now a question for you: Was the miracle on the Day of Pentecost that the apostles were speaking in a strange language? Or was the miracle that the God-fearing men from other nations were hearing in their own language, what the apostles were saying in the apostles own language?

Logic would lead us to believe that the miracle that the Spirit did was to enable the hearers to understand in their own language. Otherwise, how could the apostles have been speaking in multiple languages at one time?

But Peter speaks up and quotes from:

· Joel 2:28 And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

So this strange event was when God chose to demonstrate the manifestation of His Spirit and suddenly all history was changing, especially for the Jews. So Peter makes one of the most profound announcements in all history.

· Acts 2:29-41 "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." 36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call." 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

When Peter said in verse 39, “The promise is to you and your children and all who are far off”, he was announcing the new covenant. And when he said in verse 40, “Save yourself from this corrupt generation”, he was suggesting that the old covenant (Sinai) was about to vanish and that God was revealing the final step in His everlasting covenant.

This historic day called the Day of Pentecost deserved the kind of attention that the events of 9-11 received. Had it happened today every TV network, news service and wire services in the world would have had this on the six-o’clock news. Of course there would have been those who would find some way to explain away the miracle God had performed. But the events of that day were truly one of the most important and historic of all times. Subsequent events have proved that to be the case.