Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001398A
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00:00 [Theme Music] It has stood the test of time,
00:12 God's book, the Bible. Still relevant 00:17 in today's complex world. It Is Written ... 00:25 sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 Thanks for joining me today. This is It Is Written. 00:39 I'm John Bradshaw. If you read very far at all 00:42 into the Bible you come across something very 00:45 interesting, something which today, throughout Christianity, 00:48 generates a fair amount of conversation. 00:51 You'll read about the Old Covenant 00:54 and the New Covenant. What in the world 00:57 were these two covenants or are these two covenants? 01:01 How can they be understood best today and what role, 01:05 if any, do they play in our lives. 01:07 My very special guest is a man who has spent more than 01:10 four decades in Christian ministry as a pastor, 01:13 as a teacher, as a published author. 01:15 We are going to discuss the covenants today. 01:18 Pastor Skip McCarty, thanks for joining me today. 01:21 SM Thank you, John. JB I'm grateful you have 01:23 taken your time and we are going to use it as well as we 01:25 can. The old and the New 01:27 Covenants. Let's talk about 01:30 the New Covenant first. I'd like for you to define 01:33 for us what biblically a covenant is and then what 01:37 the New Covenant is. SM Great place to start. 01:40 Covenant is something we don4t talk much about. 01:43 We don4t use that language very much today. 01:45 Anybody who has a mortgage is in a covenant. 01:47 They are in a contractual relationship. 01:49 Even if someone has a credit card they are in a covenant, 01:51 a contractual relationship. We are involved in covenants 01:54 even though we don4t talk about covenants. 01:56 Now when you come to the Bible, the old and New 01:58 Covenants, those terms start showing up, particularly in 02:00 the New Testament. The New Covenant, it defined 02:03 very clearly by God himself. What4s interesting is that 02:08 in much of the literature written on the covenants 02:11 and on the New Covenant specifically, the definitions 02:14 are all over the map as to what the New Covenant is. 02:17 JB Why is that? Can't we just go to "the" 02:19 definition that we find in the Bible or are there good 02:22 reasons for these very view points? 02:25 SM The Bible is very clear as to what the New Covenant is. 02:27 It is very clear. In Jeremiah 31 02:29 and in Hebrews 8, God says "This is the New 02:32 Covenant I will make with the House of Israel 02:34 and the House of Judah. The only place where the New 02:36 Covenant is defined, Jeremiah 31, Hebrews 8 02:38 and Hebrew 8 quotes Jeremiah 31. 02:41 JB Well let's read that together, Hebrews 8. 02:44 SM And the definition itself begins in verse 10. 02:50 JB For this is the covenant that I will make 02:53 with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. 02:56 I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their 03:00 hearts and I will be their God and they 03:03 shall be my people. None of them shall teach 03:06 his neighbor and none his brother, saying 03:08 "Know the Lord". For all shall know me, 03:11 from the least of them to the greatest of them, for I will 03:14 be merciful to their unrighteousness and their 03:17 sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. 03:21 There's the New Covenant defined in the New Testament. 03:25 SM And in the Old Testament, because he is just quoting 03:27 the Old Testament here. JB You said the New Covenant 03:30 is defined in Hebrews and Jeremiah. 03:33 Now hold on a minute. Jeremiah 03:35 is the Old Testament. What's the New Covenant being 03:39 explained way back there in the Book of Jeremiah. 03:42 It wasn't even the book of Malachi, which is almost over 03:45 in New Testament times but way on back to one 03:47 of the major prophets. Please explain. 03:49 SM Because God had made numerous covenants with his 03:51 people before that, the last one, the last major one being 03:55 the covenant at Sinai and then, because they broke 04:01 his covenant, as part of the covenant stipulations, 04:04 they went into exile. They continued to break 04:07 his covenants after all his appeals to them. 04:09 So they go into exile. So they have been in exile 04:11 now for 70 years and they are wondering ... well, what 04:14 does that mean now? Are we still in 04:16 the covenantal relationship with God? 04:18 Are we not in a covenant relationship with God anymore? 04:20 And God says, I'm making a new covenant with you and so 04:22 he says here is the covenant I am making with you. 04:25 And then he identifies that as we've just read here that 04:27 could not be clearer, John. It couldn't be clearer than 04:30 what you have just read. God says, 04:32 here is the New Covenant I am making with you 04:34 and then he explicitly states what that covenant is. 04:36 Four promises. JB Now we just read it. 04:38 Can you break it down and put it in laymen's terms for us. 04:40 SMFour promises, very clearly from God. 04:43 I am going to write my law in your heart. 04:45 JB One SMI'll be your God, you'll be my people. 04:48 JBTwo SMThe time is going to come when you are not going 04:50 to need to teach anybody about me anymore. 04:52 Everybody is going to know me. 04:54 JB Three SM I'll forgive your sins. 04:56 That's it. That's the New Covenant. 04:57 And when you look at it carefully, that's the gospel, 04:59 the whole gospel is included there. 05:02 I'll write my law in your hearts ... 05:03 that's sanctification. I'll be your God, 05:04 you'll be my people ... that's reconciliation. 05:06 Everyone is going to know me ... that's revelation. 05:08 And in fact, that's the mission that was given to 05:10 the church and given to Israel to teach people about God. 05:13 And finally justification, I'll forgive your sins. 05:16 The whole go in the New Covenant. 05:18 JB So the New Covenant is found here in Hebrews 8. 05:21 It's found back in Jeremiah 31. 05:24 SM Right. JB What's the big deal about 05:26 the New Covenant? Why did we need it? 05:28 Why did God have to come along and say, alright, 05:31 here it is. Here is the contractual 05:34 agreement that we are going to have? 05:36 SM Okay. This covenant here 05:38 is not a contractual agreement in the same sense 05:40 of like a mortgage or a credit card. 05:42 And like when you buy a car, you're negotiating. 05:44 You want to get the least investment that you have 05:46 to make for the most benefit you get back in return. 05:49 This is more like a will and in fact, the Greeks 05:51 had two different words for these kind of covenants. 05:53 Suntheke was a negotiated covenant, like a mortgage 05:56 and a car loan. But Diathéké was a will 05:59 and that's the term that's used here. 06:01 That's a term that is used consistently throught 06:03 for God's covenants with us. So the big deal is God 06:06 is saying in order for you to be saved you need 06:10 what I can do for you. JB So this is a non negotiable. 06:13 This is an essential part of our salvation experience. 06:15 SM Absolutely. For any human being who has 06:18 ever lived, God must write his law in their hearts. 06:21 God must forgive them. They must be reconciled 06:24 to God again and they must participate in his mission 06:27 here on this earth. JB I am going to ask you 06:29 a question then I think we are going to have to back off 06:32 and get some explanation here because you have mentioned 06:34 this two or three times and God mentioned it right here. 06:38 This is the covenant that I will make with the House 06:40 of Israel after those days, says the Lord. 06:42 I will put my laws in their mind and write them 06:45 on their hearts. Now I am going to ask you 06:47 for a one word answer. SM Okay 06:49 JB God writing his laws in people's hearts. 06:51 That's essential. Yes, or no? 06:53 SM Absolutely. Absolutely. 06:55 JB Okay. What laws? 06:57 SM The law that is given the most prominence 06:59 in the Old Testament is the Ten Commandments. 07:02 The only place in the Bible where God actually writes 07:05 himself and he spoke audibly to the people. 07:08 It's very clear from the Old Testament. 07:10 So they stand out and in fact, most theologians would 07:13 acknowledge that the Ten Commandments were written on 07:16 the heart of Adam and Eve at their creation. 07:18 The principles of the Ten Commandments, the moral 07:20 principles there are timeless, they are eternal. 07:23 They are cross-generational and that is the law that God 07:26 is writing here in their hearts because in fact, 07:29 just the very next chapter of Hebrews in Chapter 9:4, 07:33 God talks about the temple furniture of the Old Testament 07:35 and he refers to the Ark of the Covenant that had 07:37 the tables of the covenant which was the Ten Commandments 07:39 inside of it. He is linking here his law 07:42 to the Ten Commandments. JB Now we have got some 07:44 people pretty excited because you have said in the New 07:46 Covenant God wants to put his 10 Commandment law 07:48 in people's heart but many people believe and are being 07:51 taught very genuinely that Ten Commandments 07:54 is Old Covenant. New Covenant 07:58 is something else. Let's pick that up 08:00 in a moment. We'll be back with more, 08:02 straight ahead. 08:05 [music] World history has taught us 08:10 to associate the word surrender with thoughts of defeat, 08:13 shame and loss, But what if it were the road 08:16 to ultimate victory? What if surrender meant 08:19 letting go of your sin or your dysfunction in exchange 08:22 for freedom and integrity? If you would like 08:25 to understand more, request our FREE booklet, 08:27 "The War is Over" Simply call (800) 253-3000 08:32 and ask for your free copy of "The War is Over." 08:36 If the line's busy, please try again, 08:38 or write to: It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, 08:41 Chattanooga, TN 37401. We'll mail a free copy to your 08:46 address in North America. Again, you can call toll free, 08:49 (800) 253-3000, or visit our website, 08:53 ItIsWritten.com. This is It Is Written. 08:59 I'm John Bradshaw. My guest today is Skip 09:02 McCarty and today our discussion is centering 09:05 on the question of the covenants, 09:07 the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and just a few moments 09:10 ago we discovered that the Bible plainly says 09:12 that in the New Covenant God would write his laws 09:16 in peoples' hearts and minds. Now Skip, that alarms some 09:20 people because some people equate Ten Commandments 09:24 with the Old Covenant and the New Covenant 09:28 as being without the Ten Commandments. 09:31 Now let's explain, if we can, why the Ten Commandments 09:36 are a valid part of the New Covenant when so many people 09:41 thought they went out of style when the Old Covenant 09:43 went out of style. SM God himself said the first 09:47 promise of the New Covenant is I will write my law 09:49 in your heart. Now Jeremiah was the first 09:52 one to give us that. In Jeremiah's time everyone 09:54 thought of the law as primarily 09:57 the Ten Commandments. What God had written with his 09:59 own finger and spoke and what was inside of the Ark 10:02 of the Covenant. The only part of the law 10:04 that was actually inside the Ark of the Covenant was so 10:07 treasured it was inside the Ark of the Covenant. 10:09 And the Ten Commandments, in fact, are identified 10:11 as the Covenant of Sinai. Now there was more to it 10:14 than that. In Deuteronomy 4:13, 10:16 it identifies the Ten Commandments as the covenant. 10:20 JB So, therefore, because people understand that the Sinai 10:23 Covenant perhaps isn't in effect anymore, maybe the Ten 10:26 Commandments are gone. You can see this could 10:28 be confusing in some minds. SM I can. 10:30 Here's one fascinating thing about the study of the covenants 10:34 in the Bible. Once you identify 10:36 what the New Covenant is, those four premises: 10:38 I write my law in your hearts; be your God you be my people; 10:42 everyone is going to eventually know me 10:44 (that's when Jesus comes again). 10:46 The New Covenant eschatological is looking 10:48 forward to the future, ultimately, 10:50 for its final fulfillment; I'll forgive your sins. 10:52 These promises show up big time in the Sinai covenant. 10:56 In fact, one of the major results of this study is that 10:59 these four New Covenant promises are saturated. 11:03 The Old Testament is saturated with them. 11:05 They show up individually but they show up in clusters 11:08 in major places every covenant God made with his people 11:11 in the Old Testament, it has these promises imbedded 11:14 in them. It has the gospel. 11:16 It has the four promises in it. 11:18 It is a gospel-bearing covenant just like 11:20 the other covenants. JB Very interesting. 11:22 The New Covenant talks about what God is going 11:25 to do in a person's life so it seems here that 11:30 the New Covenant emphasizes surrender to God and allowing 11:34 God to go ahead and be God in our lives. 11:37 SM Yes. JB The New Covenant doesn't 11:39 emphasize "OK, here's what you have got to do 11:42 in order to be saved." SM That's right. 11:44 JB Did the Old Covenant emphasize that? 11:46 Because I have heard it explained that under the Old 11:48 Covenant, "do this and you live, don't do this and you 11:53 die," in other words, and a lot of people right now 11:56 are going to agree with me, they've heard it said the Old 12:00 Covenant obey the commandments of God and be saved, 12:04 New Covenant, trust in Jesus and be saved. 12:07 Perhaps we should talk about what the Old Covenant was. 12:09 SM Just as the New Testament is trust in Jesus to be saved, 12:13 the Old Testament was trust in Yaweh to be saved. 12:15 Trust in God to be saved. JB Was there ever a time 12:18 when people were saved by their works? 12:20 SM Never. Impossible to be saved 12:22 by works. From Adam's children 12:24 until this very day and the Bible never teaches 12:28 that anyone was saved by works. 12:30 JB So under the Old Covenant it wasn't, well if you obey 12:32 these things, then you can be saved. 12:34 SM It was salvation by grace through faith. 12:36 JB How did that work in Old Covenant times? 12:38 By grace through faith? Because many people today 12:40 don't associate grace with the Old Covenant. 12:43 It's like that was the covenant of works and the New Covenant 12:46 is a covenant of grace. That is not true? 12:48 SM Where grace first shows up actually in the Old Testament 12:52 is where Noah finds grace in the eyes of the Lord and just 12:55 after the giving of the Ten Commandments, Moses says 12:58 "Lord, show me your glory" and God says "I am a God 13:02 whose is gracious and compassionate." He actually 13:05 reveals himself as a God of grace there. 13:07 He reveals himself for the first time in the Bible 13:09 as a forgiving God, it was at Sinai. 13:11 Sinai is a powerful grace covenant all the way through. 13:15 It emphasizes love because the formula in the Sinai 13:19 covenant was "love God and keep his commandments". 13:22 We can't love him unless he circumcises our hearts 13:24 and God acknowledges that and says "I will do this 13:26 for you." He says in Deuteronomy 30 13:28 "I put my commandments, my word in your heart" 13:33 and the Psalmist said "Your word is in my heart." 13:36 It was always God's initiative all the way through 13:39 by grace through faith. JB Salvation has always 13:41 been a matter of grace. SM Always. 13:43 JB I would believe that and I teach that but I am 13:45 fascinated to hear you emphasize this that all the way 13:47 back, Old Covenant was not works; 13:49 New Covenant grace. That's a misunderstanding. 13:51 SM Oh, terribly so. JB Okay. 13:53 Explain to me. Let's drill down on this 13:55 just a little bit. Explain how the Old Covenant 13:57 was a covenant of grace. This is a revelation 13:59 for lots of people. How was the Old Covenant 14:01 a Covenant of Grace. I know you've touched on it, 14:03 but let's zero-in. SM Let's start back 14:05 with Adam. When Adam fell, the first 14:08 promise given was what? JB I will put enmity between 14:12 you and so forth. SM Exactly. 14:15 Spoken to the serpent but was meant for Adam and Eve. 14:17 I'll put enmity between you and the woman and between her 14:20 seed and your seed. He, the seed of the woman, 14:22 will crush the head of the serpent. 14:24 The serpent will bruise the heal of the seed. 14:27 Theologians refer to that as the Protoevangelion, 14:30 which simply means the first pronouncement of the gospel. 14:33 So the gospel shows up there in a little kernel, 14:35 right there. IT has to be that way, 14:38 because once Adam fell, he was giving to his children 14:41 sinful natures and we could not pull ourselves out 14:44 of the pit. God has to take 14:46 the initiative and he announces that right to Adam. 14:49 He actually announces it to the serpent but it was 14:51 for Adams's sake and for humanity's sake. 14:53 Every covenant God gave his people from then on just 14:55 amplified it. It showed a little bit more 14:58 of the gracious character of God and the terms 15:00 of the covenant and so forth, all the way through. 15:02 So when you come to the New Testament and you have these 15:05 statements like we've saved by grace through faith and so 15:08 forth, in Paul's writings, he simply is continuing 15:11 to progressively reveal what has always been true all the way 15:14 along. Every covenant God made 15:16 with his people, John, incorporated the truths 15:18 revealed in the previous covenants and added a little 15:21 bit more information, added a little bit more of our 15:23 understanding to it all the way through 15:25 to the New Testament. When Jesus said you 15:27 must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God, that didn't 15:30 start when Jesus made those words. 15:32 That was true for Abel. That was true for every single 15:34 believer in the Old Testament period. 15:36 They had to be born again. Otherwise, they were lost. 15:38 JB How were you born again back then before Jesus 15:40 had come along? SM Well, how could you 15:42 be saved if you weren't born again? 15:44 We are born with sinful natures. 15:46 When Paul writes about the war between the flesh and the spirit 15:49 in Romans 8, that was going on inside of Abel, it was going on 15:51 inside of Cain. Every single human being 15:53 has had that spiritual war going on inside their hearts. 15:56 JB How was that reconciled back then? 15:58 Toda we recognize the spiritual war. 16:00 We go to the cross, we go to God in heaven. 16:03 We accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. 16:05 We ask him to change our hearts. 16:07 Jesus hadn't come back there when Cain and Abel 16:09 and Methusalen, whoever it might have been. 16:12 So how did that work practically? 16:14 SM Well right from the very start they had sacrifices. 16:16 Abel had a lamb sacrificed that was indicating that some 16:19 innocent sufferer would die for his sins, that salvation 16:24 would come through that one. That becomes clearer then 16:26 as you go throughout in the Old Testament and into the New 16:28 Testament and it just becomes clearer and clearer until 16:30 finally they find out it is Jesus. 16:31 He's the one. He's the Lamb of God 16:33 that takes away the sin of the world. 16:34 So it is by putting their faith in the provision God had 16:36 made symbolically through the sacrifices of the Old 16:39 Testament that they were saved by faith through grace. 16:43 JB Magnificent. We've got a lot to talk about 16:44 and I think this is going to take us a little while. 16:46 Wait right there. We'll be back with more, 16:49 in just a moment. 16:52 Every Word is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional 16:55 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially 16:58 for busy people like you. Look for Every Word on selected 17:02 networks or watch it on-line everyday on our website, 17:05 itiswritten.com. [music] 17:16 Some people struggle along as Christians until they come 17:19 to the point of saying, Why bother? 17:21 But the Bible tells us where the power for Christian living 17:24 comes from. Philippians 1:6 says, 17:27 "He who has begun a good work in you is faithful to perform it 17:30 until the day of Jesus Christ." This verse doesn't say that 17:34 God will do everything for you while you sit there doing 17:36 nothing. Ours is to surrender, to make our will available 17:40 to Jesus. Then look at what Jesus does! 17:43 He who has begun a good work in you - Jesus 17:45 - is faithful to perform it. He'll do what needs to be done! 17:49 And He'll do it until the day of Jesus Christ. He has promised. 17:53 Today, ask Him to do the work that only He can do - 17:56 that you can't do. Tell Jesus you're expecting Him 17:59 to live His life in you. And He will. 18:03 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 18:05 Let's live today by Every Word. 18:09 This is It Is Written. Thanks for joining me today. 18:11 My good fortune is to have with me Dr. Skip McCarty. 18:15 We're discussing the covenants, the Old Covenant 18:19 and the New Covenant and Skip, a few moments ago, 18:22 you mentioned a term very interesting. 18:25 You talked about progressive revelation. 18:28 You said the covenant was really revealed in a kernel 18:30 form back in Genesis 3:15. I will put enmity between you 18:34 and the woman, her seed and your seed. 18:37 And you said that as the Bible went 18:39 on, the covenant was revealed progressively. 18:42 Would explain please this progressive revelation. 18:45 SM Let me give you an illustration. 18:47 When did God begin to forgive people? 18:49 JB Now there's a good question. It seems to me that God began 18:52 to forgive people as soon as they were sinners. 18:54 As soon as there was something to forgive. 18:56 SM It would have to, wouldn't it? 18:58 As soon as his Spirit was able to draw repentance 19:00 out of their hearts, he would be a forgiving God. 19:02 But it doesn't mention that he is a forgiving God 19:04 until the second of the Ten Commandments. 19:06 Before the second commandment, the Bible never says God 19:08 loves anybody. It first shows up there. 19:10 But then you read back and say, Oh, well, that's been 19:13 true from the beginning. Of course it was true 19:15 from the beginning. And so when some of the New 19:17 Testament language shows up, such as new birth and so forth, 19:19 that we talked about before, it's talking about things 19:21 that have always been true but God just revealing 19:23 a little bit more, give us more language, give us more depth 19:25 of understanding, of what has always been happening. 19:27 The New Covenant did not start over. 19:29 It incorporated the truths that had been revealed 19:31 previously and incorporated God's law, his moral law, 19:35 that was eternal. He reiterates what had been 19:38 true in the Old Testament too. He wants to put that 19:41 on our hearts. JB Let's talk about the New 19:43 Covenant here in the time we have left. 19:45 I want to ask you two questions. 19:47 I think they are both fundamental and important. 19:49 One is how does participating in the New Covenant actually 19:54 look in my life. What is that going to do? 19:56 That's one question. And the other question 19:59 I really believe we need to address is are we promoting 20:04 legalism when we say part of the New Covenant is keeping 20:09 the commandments of God? Have we just put people under 20:12 a burden that they should not be put under. 20:14 So you can take those in any order you like. 20:17 SM Okay, the New Covenant lifts whatever burden may 20:21 be there, completely lifts it off, because in the New 20:25 Covenant, God is not saying "you must do this." 20:28 God is saying "I will do this for you." 20:30 JB Do you think that is a problem that some people 20:32 have, who are afraid of legalism? 20:34 They say well, if once you start talking about the Ten 20:36 Commandments, if I've got to do this, then you are putting 20:40 me under a burden. When perhaps what we really 20:42 need to do a better job of is teaching people 20:44 that when it comes to obedience, this is really the work 20:48 of God in our lives. SM It is the work of God 20:50 in our lives. We can't make God be our God. 20:52 God says "I will be your God. You'll be my people." 20:54 We can't make any of these things happen. 20:56 God says "I will put my law in your hearts. 20:59 I will do this for you." The New Covenant, John, 21:01 is God's embrace of a sinner who cannot dig himself out 21:05 of the hole he is born into. Where sin abounds, 21:09 grace much more abounds. The deeper the hole, 21:11 the longer the rope. And Jesus himself is on 21:14 the end of that rope to grab a hold of you and bring you up 21:17 out of that. This is New Covenant. 21:20 New Covenant is the grace of God. 21:22 New Covenant is saying everything you cannot do 21:24 for yourself, which is everything in terms 21:26 of salvation, I will do for you. And what is interesting about 21:29 the Ten Commandments -- the actual Hebrew is not 21:32 commandments, it's words. That's why scholars talk 21:36 about the ten words because the Hebrew term davar 21:40 is word. Translators come to that. 21:42 They have to decide, should we translate that word? 21:44 Do we translate it command? Do we translate it promise? 21:47 JB So instead of talking about the Ten Commandments, 21:50 we could be talking about the ten promises. 21:52 SM Exactly. Once conversion comes, 21:54 it's ten promises. That's the whole point 21:57 of the New Covenant. It's God saying I'm going 21:59 to write this on your ... I promise you'll be this kind 22:01 of person. It lifts the burden off 22:04 of a believer. The way we become 22:06 New Covenant is to throw ourselves wholly upon God 22:09 and his grace because there are going to be many times 22:12 in the best, in the most devout spiritual life on this earth, 22:15 there is going to be times of discouragement, spiritual 22:17 discouragement. Where we wonder, 22:19 "Am I doing right? Am I on the right track? 22:22 Am I really sincere in what I am doing?" God says, 22:24 forget all that. Trust me. 22:26 Just keep coming back to me. Spend time with my Word. 22:29 Open your heart to me in prayer and I will do 22:32 everything for you. I'll write my law 22:34 in your hearts. You'll be my people. 22:36 I'll be your God. I will forgive you and I am 22:38 going to invite you into sharing who I am until the day 22:42 when we are not going to need to do this anymore. 22:44 That is what the New Covenant is. 22:46 JB Interesting, isn't it, how over time the covenants 22:50 have been explained as works and grace, 22:53 or do vs. believe. SM Total misunderstanding. 22:57 Total misunderstanding. Total misunderstanding. 23:00 The Bible teaches that no where. 23:03 JB How hopeful, then, isn't it, that when someone 23:05 says what's the New Covenant, and we go to Hebrews and read 23:07 that passage, this is the covenant that I will make 23:10 with the House of Israel after those days, says the Lord, 23:13 I will put my laws in their mind and I add these words .. 23:17 I will write them on their hearts and I will be their God 23:22 and they shall be my people. Isn't this a matter of infinite 23:27 possibilities opening up? What God wants to do 23:33 in the heart and mind of someone who comes to him by faith. 23:37 SM Precisely. God is saying everything 23:39 that is necessary for your salvation and for you to have 23:41 a fulfilled life on this planet, I'm going to do for you. 23:44 JB I will even turn you into the type of person who loves 23:47 to do the sorts of things I want you to do. 23:49 SM Precisely. JB The Ten Commandments 23:51 become ten promises and we walk in the footsteps of Jesus. 23:55 SM That is New Covenant. JB Skip McCarty. 23:57 Thank you. Thank you 23:59 for taking the time today. I have been blessed, 24:01 as have others. I appreciate you being here. 24:03 SM Thank you for the opportunity. 24:06 [soft piano music] What if surrender meant letting 24:11 go of your sin or your dysfunction in exchange 24:14 for freedom and integrity? If you would like to understand 24:17 more, request our FREE booklet, "The War is Over" 24:21 Simply call (800) 253-3000 and ask for your free copy of 24:26 "The War is Over." If the line's busy, 24:28 please try again, or write to: 24:31 It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401. 24:37 We'll mail a free copy to your address in North America. 24:40 It Is Written is a faith based ministry 24:43 and your support makes it possible for us to share 24:46 God's good news with the world. Your tax-deductible gift 24:50 can be sent to the address on your screen. 24:51 Or through our website at ItIsWritten.com. 24:55 Thank you, for your continued, prayerful support. 24:58 Again, our toll free number is (800) 253-3000 and our 25:02 web address is ItIsWritten.com. 25:09 I've got just a couple of minutes with our guest 25:10 for today, Skip McCarty. Skip, as we look over what we 25:13 have talked about, the New Covenant experience, 25:16 what's the impact of that in the life of someone who is, 25:19 you know, your average administrator or gardener 25:22 or bus driver, how does this help that person? 25:25 SM First of all, John, I think it has to say to them 25:29 "you're not just the gardener, you're not just 25:32 the business executive, you're not just, whatever, 25:34 a waitress, or whatever. You are a child of God." 25:37 Before I was a minister, I did other odd jobs working my 25:40 way through school, different kinds of work. 25:42 But when I went to the factory, I did not just think of myself 25:44 as a just a factory worker. I thought of myself 25:46 as a child of God. There was somebody that day 25:49 in the factory that just by me doing good work, or maybe 25:51 my countenance, or something I could say to them, could 25:54 make a difference in their life for the Kingdom of God. 25:56 That transforms life. That is all part 25:58 of New Covenant. And so God wants to take 26:01 the everyday life and transform it. 26:03 That's all part of New Covenant. 26:05 That's God's commitment. I will do this for you 26:07 hear and now, as well provide for you in the eternal future. 26:09 JB So the New Covenant vs. the Old Covenant is not 26:11 a series of or rules of engagement. 26:14 SM No. JB It's an experience we 26:16 enter into with God. SM It is. 26:18 JB And thank God for that experience. 26:20 SM Precisely. JB I want everybody to have 26:22 that experience. Let's pray together. 26:24 SM Amen. JB Let's pray together 26:26 and ask that we can have that experience that God 26:28 wants us to have. Our Father in heaven, 26:31 how thankful we are that you have made provision 26:33 for us to be true Christians, connected to you, 26:37 rejoicing, healthy, happy and holy, because you 26:41 have said you would be our God. 26:44 You have said you will accept us. 26:46 You have said you will write your law in our minds 26:50 and in our hearts. You will do everything needed 26:53 for us to be saved and to be your children eternally. 26:57 Lord, I thank you for that and I pray that that 26:59 experience would be ours. My friend, as we pray 27:01 together and you are wanting that experience, will you 27:04 lift up your heart to God now and say in your mind or say 27:08 out loud, Lord, I want that experience where you are my 27:11 God and I am your person, and as Skip has said, I can just 27:17 trust in you and focus on you and let you be my God. 27:21 Let whatever be have be all yours so that you can be all 27:25 ours. We pray this in Jesus' name, 27:28 Amen. SM Amen. 27:34 [Music] 27:46 Thanks for joining me today. I think, Skip, we are going to 27:49 get together again and do this some more because we've 27:51 got much more to talk about. Until then, remember, 27:54 It is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by every 28:00 word that proceeds from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2016-05-29