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Spiritual Intimacy:
Into-Me-You-See
Intimacy with the Covenant
Lesson #3
Lesson
Text: Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days
come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I
made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them
out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an
husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33 But this shall be the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD,
I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and
will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach
no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the
LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest
of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember
their sin no more.
We
previously discussed the intimacy between the Christian and the Shepard,
Christian and the Cross, and now the Christian and the Covenant. Because of the
intimacy of Christ and His open suffering on the cross, men and women can
develop and intimate relationship with the New Testament Covenant of Christ.
Like many of
us today, Israel had a fickle relationship with God. They engaged in intimate
talk during peace, yet screams of spiritual defiance during persecution. As
prophet Moses returned from Midian to Egypt to rescue his people, his
convincing speech of his prophetic status caused them to bow in worship (Exodus
4:31). However, just a few events later the people were reminding Moses of
their previous comments, “Is not
this the word that we did tell the in Egypt saying, let us alone” (Exodus
14:12). Israel had difficulty with intimacy maintenance with God
Almighty.
The law the
Israelites were under was considered the Ten Commandment Law, Mosaic Law, or
Old Testament Law. Although this Old law was spiritual (Romans 7:14) it
was kept by physical practice, retaliation, and restitution. The old covenant
laws differ from new covenant laws, for where the old law focused on physical
obedience, the new the spiritual, psychological, and physical obedience.
Where Old
Covenant Law says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14), the
New Covenant Law says, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time,
Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a
woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”
(Matthew 5:27-28).
Under the
Old Covenant God commanded a tenth of all prosperity to be given in support the
Levitical priesthood. "And all
the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the
tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD” (Leviticus 27:30). The New
Covenant says, "Every man
according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of
necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). On the
issue of divorce Mosaic Law said, "When a man hath taken a wife, and
married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because
he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of
divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house”
(Deuteronomy 24:1). However the New Covenant of Christ says, "Wherefore
they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6).
The Old
Covenant Laws were far from the intimate New Covenant Laws of Christ..
Contained in the concept of intimacy are faith, confidence, honesty, and trust.
However, Israel did not have the spiritual luxury of being on their own. This
type of trust and faith had not been established on a personal level yet.
Therefore the Mosaic Law was considered the schoolmaster of Israel. In Greek
terminology it was their paidagogos. The paidagogos was a boy
leader/tutor whose office it was to walk the children to school.
Ø Galatians 3:23 But before faith
came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith, which should
afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to
bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that
faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
The Old
Covenant flowed into the New Covenant, providing faith freedom. In our text God promised Israel, then under
the less intimate covenant, He would establish a new, better, and more intimate
covenant.
Ø Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days
come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made
with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of
the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto
them, saith the LORD: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law
in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and
they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his
neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all
know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for
I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Pay close
attention to the intimate language of the New Covenant spoken of in Old
Testament scripture. This restored intimate relationship is:
1.
New
& all inclusive: I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and
with the house of Judah:
2.
Placed
in their inward parts: I will put my law in their inward parts
3.
Placed
in their minds (Hebrews 8:10): I will put my laws into their mind
4.
Written
in their hearts: "...And write it in their hearts..."
5.
Family
connection: and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
6.
Experiential:
Know the LORD
God expects
for all of His children to maintain intimacy with Him through obedience and
intimacy with His Covenant. He has created a new covenant that is more than for
just Israel. He created a covenant that makes all baptized believers a type of
new Israel.
Ø Ephesians 2:12 That at that time ye
were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and
hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having
abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in
ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you
which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
So true
covenant intimacy could commence, Christ broke down the middle wall that
separated races religiously, creating one church for all baptized believers to
be added to. In addition to that, He has placed His laws on the hearts and
minds of Christians. God has given to the Christian His Word that is to be
believed from the heart like the Ethiopian Eunuch and Christians in Rome (Romans
6:17). "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou
mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God” (Acts 8:37).
Through the
acceptation and obedience to this dynamic new covenant, God indwells the
believer in the person of the Holy Spirit, and His Word is cemented in the
minds of His truly spiritual children. In this relationship the law is both put
and written in and on the hearts of God's children. Because of this action,
intimacy is developed. Therefore it is imperative that because of what God has
done, that Christians have an intimate relationship with His covenant.
The
Christian must know Gods will as well as obey it. Those we are intimate with we
listen to. Therefore intimacy with the covenant requires intimate obedience and
listening. Simon the sorcery knew that just as soon as he had entered into an
intimate relationship with the Shepard, he was violating intimate covenant laws
because of personal greed. He knew that to be restored to intimacy repentance
was required (Acts 8:18-22).
Under the
Old Covenant God was the husband of Israel and they still walked as infidels
and adulterers. Under the New Covenant God expresses further intimacy.
Ø Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I
will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be
to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
God
maintains His covenant intimacy and expects the same from us. Through this
process all of His children can experience Him (Ginosko). Those who have an
intimate relationship with the covenant, keep the covenant as detailed into the
following scriptures:
Ø John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my
commandments.
Ø John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye
do whatsoever I command you.
Ø John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those
Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples
indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free.
Covenant
intimacy also requires an understanding between the two covenants. Spousal
intimacy requires spousal understanding. As mentioned in our text, God was the
husband of Israel under the first covenant just as Christ is the husband of the
church in the second covenant (Ephesians 5:23). Under New Testament Law
God has prescribed one wife for one husband and the reciprocal (1
Corinthians 7:1-2). God follows this same principle in His intimate
relationships with His people. Thusly, to mix the mandates of old and new
covenant laws or to consider them both as binding, is considered spiritual
adultery, the opposite of true intimacy.
God is not
the husband of the old and new covenants simultaneously. One had to be put to
death. The apostle Paul painted a clear picture for the Jewish Christians in
Rome, illustrating that the death of Christ emancipated them from Mosaic Law.
In the death of Christ also died the Law of Moses, which allowed Jews and
Gentiles to freely marry Christ without being adulterous (Romans 7:1-4:
Colossians 2:13-14). Intimacy with the laws of the first covenant is
sinful. Contact the blood of Christ and become intimate with God today under
His New Testament Covenant.
Ø
Hebrews
12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of
sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
God
is seeking spiritual intimacy through obedience to His New Covenant System.