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594. The Lord’s Prayer Part 2: Our Father In Heaven

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Continuing with our series on The Lord’s Prayer and why Jesus provided it for Jews to pray; we look at the opening to the prayer, which acknowledges the Father in heaven.  Some have believed the Jewish people under the law would not have understood the concept of God as Father, but there are a number of Old Testament passages that reveal otherwise.  The prayer intro was not a new revelation to His disciples, they understood God as Father, in heaven, and that His name was holy.  However, they didn’t have the concept that we now have in the New Covenant…That is, Christ in you.  A better covenant has revealed to us that God doesn’t abide just in heaven, but has relocated by His Spirit to abide in us.  Another clue this was a guide to be prayed only for those under the Old Covenant - Jesus did not instruct them to pray “in His name” as he would later tell the disciples to do under the New Covenant.



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593. Context Leading up to The Lord’s Prayer

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This is the first in a series of programs we’ll be doing on the subject of what is referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer.” What was it that led to Jesus telling the Jewish people under the law to pray in this way? Is it something that was meant to be repeated by people for generations to come? Right before Jesus encourages His disciples to pray in this manner during the Sermon on the Mount, He had given them a message of hopelessness and despair. He told them that by the standard of the law and commandments, they were required to be perfect. This meant right-standing with God was out of their reach, which is why they (the Jews) would need “to pray in this way.” But before the prayer is spoken, Jesus makes it quite clear it was not meant for us (non-Jewish) Gentiles who weren’t a part of that first covenant under the law.



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593. Context Leading up to The Lord’s Prayer

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This is the first in a series of programs we’ll be doing on the subject of what is referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer.” What was it that led to Jesus telling the Jewish people under the law to pray in this way? Is it something that was meant to be repeated by people for generations to come? Right before Jesus encourages His disciples to pray in this manner during the Sermon on the Mount, He had given them a message of hopelessness and despair. He told them that by the standard of the law and commandments, they were required to be perfect. This meant right-standing with God was out of their reach, which is why they (the Jews) would need “to pray in this way.” But before the prayer is spoken, Jesus makes it quite clear it was not meant for us (non-Jewish) Gentiles who weren’t a part of that first covenant under the law.



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When did the Old Covenant End?

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The Bible is made up of two documents: the Old Testament and the New Testament. These documents roughly equate to two covenants: the old covenant and the new covenant. I say roughly because the old covenant did not begin in Genesis 1 and the new covenant did not begin in Matthew 1. A covenant is a binding agreement between two parties characterized by promises and obligations. In a biblical context, a covenant describes how God relates to people. The old covenant, which was based on law, was how God related to the nation of Israel. The new covenant, which is based on grace, is how God relates to everybody, including the Jews. The old covenant came into effect at Mt. Sinai through Moses, Israel’s representative, while the new covenant came into effect at Mt. Calvary through Christ, humanity’s representative. On the night before his death the Son of God announced a “new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). He was literally declaring his last will and testament, a new covenant that would come into effect when he died (Hebrews 9:16-17). The new covenant was new In every way, the new covenant is superior to the old. – The old covenant [...]

571. The Old Commands Were Weak, Useless and Now Obsolete

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When it comes to Christianity, religious institutions seem to be unable to resist the temptation to mix Jewish law with the good news message of the gospel. The combination of law and grace embedded in church doctrine has caused many believers to wallow around in sin and guilt. Jesus came to deliver us from the ministry of the letter with its commandments that brought death and condemnation, and He transferred us into the New Covenant ministry of the Spirit.



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565. Not Revised and Improved – It’s a Brand New Covenant

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This week we look further into the differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The first one was established between God and Israel. It was an arrangement that never included Gentiles (non-Jews), not before the cross and certainly not after. The Old would become obsolete and be replace by the New, as a result of the superiority of the ministry of Jesus Christ. This covenant would bring Jew and Gentile together.



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564. New Covenant 101: It’s Better Than the Old

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After the death of Jesus, we find that the first covenant made with Israel came to an end and was replaced with a New Covenant that would be unlike the old one. It's not an amendment or continuation of the Old Covenant. The writer of Hebrews stated the law from the first covenant was weak and useless and could make nothing perfect. The New would be a better covenant established upon better promises. Why? Because this time God wasn't going to make the covenant with us (the people), but rather with Himself so that it could not fail. Our participation in this new way is to simply believe.



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Just for kicks - Something we mentioned during the podcast:

557. Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants (Part 14): Carry Your Cross & Try to Save Yourself

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Many Christians will look at the teachings of Jesus as though He were speaking directly to believers of today, when much of the time He was speaking to Jews under the law. By looking through the lens of the Old Covenant, we can begin to see quite often where Jesus said some things that were never meant to be a life application for us in the New Covenant. In fact, we'll discover Jesus was attempting to show His Jewish followers how they simply could not live up to the requirements that it would take to truly be His disciple and inherit eternal life. One of these examples is when Jesus referred to them carrying their own cross. It has become a modern-day religious talking point, but it's clear Jesus never meant for us to carry our own cross when He said, "Whoever tries to save their life will lose it."



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542. Repeated Repentance vs. Forever Forgiveness

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Continuing from last week's discussion about 2 Chronicles 7:14, a passage that was directed at Israelites who were under the law... In that first covenant, they repeatedly found themselves in a position of needing to turn from sin whenever a command was broken. They were continuously seeking the face of God, praying, and offering sacrifices so they could be forgiven again and again, over and over. Contrast that with Christ, who obtained a ministry that is much more excellent than the old way that came through Moses. In this new ministry, forgiveness, justification and sanctification came through what He did by the shedding of His blood, once and for all.



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541. “If My People…”

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A popular verse in the Bible that is often used in the church world is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

On this week's program, we'll take a look at why this was pointed at the people of Israel in the first covenant and wasn't meant to be applied to those of us under the covenant of Christ. It's even better news than what Israel possessed!



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528. Born of a Woman, Born Under the Law

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Our discussion this week leads us to the birth of Christ and a look at some things that seem to rarely be a part of the conversation. Galatians 4:4-5 states..."God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." All of the ceremonial requirements from the Mosaic law had to be followed and applied after the birth of Jesus in order for his ministry to be valid under the Old Covenant. And what about the traditional view of those wise men from the manger scene? Merry Christmas!



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519. Old Testament Vs. The New: What Changed?

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Some may conclude the Bible seems to have a split personality between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Some of the differences can seem somewhat confusing, especially when portions of both are mixed into various Christian doctrines. So what changed? Was it God? No, he doesn't change. But there was a change to a different covenant, which resulted in a change of law and a change of priesthood. Our discussion this week revolves around these changes and what it means for us today in Christ.



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