(Heb 8:12 KJV) For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing to look at The Law given under Moses vs. the Grace provided by Jesus. Yesterday we looked at the shift that took place from Grace (which is how God dealt with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and all those prior to the Law) to human effort (which is how God dealt with everyone under the Old Covenant). The more I study God’s grace the more my love for God grows.
I will be honest with you, growing up I did not understand the God I was taught about in church. When I heard Old Testament stories of the wrath of God being poured out on people I was afraid. I developed a fear of God. Not a reverential fear that drew me to God in worship, but an actual fear that pushed me away from God’s presence. I did not know anything about the purpose of the Law. No one had ever explained to me the difference between the Old and New Covenants. I was never told that Jesus came to fulfill the Law. I was never taught that we were now under Grace and that God’s Grace could change my life. And even after I was Born-Again, I served God for several years out of a fear of losing my salvation and going to hell. I did not serve God because I loved Him, I served Him because I was afraid of going to hell. I tried my best to do everything right and I did not even know that I was living under human effort.
The writer of Hebrews said, “If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it” (Hebrews 8:7). Notice that the Bible does not say the second covenant was “added: to the first. No, it makes it clear that the first covenant was not faultless and the second one replaces it. The writer went on to say, “When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear” (v.13). The Old Covenant (the Law of Moses) is obsolete. It has been superseded. Under the Old Covenant God wrote His Law on tablets of stone. Under the New Covenant God said, “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” (v.10). Now we have God’s Law in our hearts and minds. Not only that, but under this new Covenant God said, “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (v.12).
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. The Old Covenant served it’s purpose, showing people their sin and highlighting a need for a Savior.
2. With the establishment of the New Covenant, the Old Covenant is obsolete.
3. In the Old Covenant the Lord wrote His Law on tablets of stone. In the New Covenant He writes His Law on our hearts and in our minds.
4. The Old Covenant focused on human effort, on what man could do for God, and the spotlight was on man. The New Covenant focuses on God, on what He does for us, and the spotlight is on Him!
5. While the Old Covenant sought to highlight sin and man’s needs to be saved from it, under the New Covenant God has vowed to be merciful to our unrighteous. Our sins and iniquities He will remember no more!
6. Embracing Grace has changed my life and ministry. No longer to do focus on me and whether or not I am good enough for God or His assignment for my life. Now I simply serve God because I love Him and I embrace His assignment by faith. Not because I am so good, but because He is. Grace has set me free from human effort and I pray it does the same for you!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for helping me to understand Your Grace. Before the Law was given You freely blessed Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses by Grace. They did not earn anything and You blessed them richly. Not because they were good, but because You are good. Under the Law there was shift to human effort. Under the Law You dealt with mankind according to how good we were. Under the Law you required us to live by a certain set of rules and regulations. The Law was designed to get man to the end of himself and to show mankind we need a Savior. You sent that Savior and His name is Jesus. Through Jesus a New Covenant was established, making the Old Covenant obsolete. I am no longer under the Law, but under Your Grace. No longer do I live my life focused on me, on human effort, or on whether or not I am good enough. I now live my life focused on You, on Your love for me, and on what You assigned me to do before the foundations of the world. I accept Your assignment, because You gave it to me by Grace. I now seek to accomplish it by faith. Not because I am so good, but because You are. Not because I can do it, but because You can do it through me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
