Blogs by Pastor Boggs

In the context of The Old Covenant, there was a good deal of hardships that came upon The Nation of Israel for continually breaking The Covenant that they were in with God. By their own choice, in fear, they chose to enter into a Kinship Covenant with God rather than accept the Grant Covenant that God offered them in the days of Moses.

~ Grant Covenant being the greater serving the lesser.

~ Kinship Covenant being two equal parties doing their agreed-upon part.

~ Vassal Covenant being the greater enslaving the lesser.

When Moses went up the mountain to meet with God and began receiving The Law that was engraved on tablets of stone (See Exodus 19) he was first told;

“No hand may touch the person or animal that crosses the boundary; instead, stone them or shoot them with arrows. They must be put to death.’ However, when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, then the people may go up on the mountain.” ~ Exodous 19:13

God was inviting The whole Nation of Israel that day to see His Glory and to enter into a Grant Covenant that he was offering to them all… A Covenant where he would be their God (Like a Father) and they would all be His people.

“On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled.  Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.” ~ Exodous 19:16-17

The Ram’s Horn was Blown and began to grow louder and Louder… The people were afraid though and Moses began to rebuttal…

“But Lord,” Moses protested, “the people cannot come up to Mount Sinai. You already warned us. You told me, ‘Mark off a boundary all around the mountain to set it apart as holy.’”

~ Exodous 19:23

Thus, Moses was told to go back down the mountain and to only bring Aaron back up with him… where a Kinship Covenant (The Law) was negotiated and carved in stone for the people to follow and adhere to without fail.

Great Blessing was being promised to The Jewish Nation if they would be able to accomplish perfect adherence to what (overtime) had become the 613 ratified commandments carved in stone and horrible struggle, hardships, and curses were to be upon the people of Israel (See Deuteronomy 28) if they were to break that Covenant they had now entered into (out of fear).

Instead of in Faith taking God’s original offer, The Grant Covenant he was offering them all, to go up on the mountain and for him to be their God and for them all to walk with him Like Adam and Eve did in the cool of the day before the fall.

Refusing an offer to make them His own special treasure of all the peoples on Earth and to make them a Holy Nation and a Kingdom of Priests (See Exodus 19:5-6).

The people stayed their safe distance and allowed Moses and Aaron to go up the mountain and begin the contract (The Old Covenant) that would end up being the next 1500 years of strict law and punishment on the people.

Judgment without mercy being enforced by the Levitical priesthood and the often hypocritical teachers of The Law.

Jump ahead with me now to Jesus!

“But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it.” ~ Hebrews 8:6-7

Can I get an Amen Church?

Today, instead of laws being engraved in stone as it was in The Old Covenant, we as Christians putting all of our trust and faith in Jesus, we now get to approach God on our own and experience His Love and Ways being written personally on our hearts.

Listen to this;

“I will put my laws in their minds,

and I will write them on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

And they will not need to teach their neighbors,

nor will they need to teach their relatives,

saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’

For everyone, from the least to the greatest,

will know me already.

And I will forgive their wickedness,

and I will never again remember their sins.

When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete.

~ Hebrews 8:10-13

Understand this;

“That is why he is the one (Jesus) who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.” ~ Hebrews 9:15

                                                                             Thus

He has enabled us to be ministers of his New Covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under The New Way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is The New Way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of The New Way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is The New, which remains forever!

~ 2nd Corinthians 3:6-11

This is very good news people and I really hope this helps…

                                                       Christ is for us, not against us.

Check out this oldie but goodie Jesus Culture lyric video I have linked at the bottom of this blog and lets always remember Christ’s remaining words to Thomas and Phillip;

“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works…”

~ John 14:5-12