The Renewed Covenant Has Provision From The Most High!!!

1 John 3

We are walking in today:  The Renewed Covenant Has Provision From The Most High!!!

Witness prepared throughout the Bible:  H3559 kuwn--to prepare, be ready to be prepared, be arranged, be settled; to establish, set up, accomplish, do, make firm

Eze 38:7 Be thou prepared, H3559 and prepare H3559 for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

The Torah testifies...............
 Exo 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. H3559

The prophets proclaim..................
 Ezr 7:10 For Ezra had prepared H3559 his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

The writings bear witness...........................
 Psa 9:7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared H3559 his throne for judgment.

2 Ch 35:10 So the service was prepared, H3559 and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment.

The New Covenant: Its Provisions

As we look into the identity of those who are partakers of The Most High’s Covenant, we see another covenant problem coming into view, which we must address. Let’s recall a Scripture from above:

“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:” (Jeremiah 31:32)

Israel was redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, and then was ‘water Baptised.’ They were brought out of Bondage of Egypt, all by The Most High’s Grace. However, in the above passage, we see that Israel broke The Most High’s Marriage Covenant, due to their disobedience, which we saw previously.

So we see by Israel’s example, that the first New Covenant provision of Blood has been made to bring out The Most High’s people, out of Bondage to Sin. But what New Covenant provisions are there that can bring in The Most High’s people, by obedience, in our day? Again, we saw the answer, in part, in the above Jeremiah 31 passage:

“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.” (Jeremiah 31:33)

The first part of this provision is seen above, where The Most High will change where He writes His Law [Torah]. In Israel’s case, it was external, on tables of stone. In our case today, it is internal, on tables of the heart. But does The Most High write His Laws within everyone who simply claims to be a partaker of His Covenant? Let’s look at another passage to get further light:

“Bind up the testimony, seal the law<08451> [Torah] among my disciples.” (Isaiah 8:16)

Here we see that The Most High’s testimony, which is being a ‘DO-er’ of the Law (James 1:23, 25). It is the performing of the Law [Torah] by Messiah living within you, just as Messiah did 2,000 years ago when He lived within His own body, that is His seal; and this seal is only to be found among Yahushua’s Disciples.

Now, let’s notice Yahushua’s own requirements for anyone who would be called His Disciple:

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)

“And whosoever doth not bear his stake, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27)

“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33)

“If ye continue<3306> in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed…” (John 8:31)

The above requirements will exclude those with mere claims, or even those with a half-hearted commitment to follow Messiah — so we are hereby warned against becoming nominal churchgoers.

Notice in the John 8:31 passage above, that the Greek word <3306> is the same word translated elsewhere as abide. We are told in the above passage that only those who continue, who abide, are Yahushua’s Disciples. So let’s look at a some of the many conditions that describe those who abide:

“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide<3306> [abide; dwell; continue; remain] in my love…” (John 15:10)

“And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth<3306> [abide; dwell; continue; remain] in him…” (1 John 3:24)

“He that saith he abideth <3306> [abide; dwell; continue; remain] in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” (1 John 2:6)

“Whosoever abideth<3306> [abide; dwell; continue; remain] in him sinneth not…” (1 John 3:6)

“…sin is the transgression of the law.” (1 John 3:4)

By the above passages, we see the New Testament provisions for obedience. When a Believer becomes Born-Again, the spirit of Messiah becomes ‘birthed’ within. As Messiah grows, and matures within the Believer, it is Messiah-in-you who desires to be obedient. He desires that the Believer would choose to be obedient to His Father.

As the Believer learns to walk in Righteousness, and becomes obedient, Messiah writes Father’s Law [Torah], His statutes, commandments, precepts, and judgments on the hearts of those who are His Disciples. He also provides the Grace — His enablement from within — to keep His commandments. Thus we see the final result of the Redeemed Saints, when all is said and done, as we saw above:

“Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” (Psalms 50:5)

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua.” (Revelation 14:12)

Again, we will state that The Most High’s saints are those who are part of The Most High’s Covenant, because Yahushua has become their Sacrifice. We then see these same overcoming saints as “they that keep the commandments of The Most High, [even; which is] the Faith of Yahushua.”

Let’s again notice why the doing of the Commandments describes these saints:

“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” (Revelation 22:14)

Beloved, this is a warning given to all who desire to enter in.

Throughout the New Testament we are given many warnings. Some of these warnings tell us exactly why Israel failed to enter in, and how their failure is an example for our admonition and our warning. These warnings are given so that we might be properly instructed, and that we might choose wisely to keep Messiah’s Commandments [all of Torah] — so that we might have right to the Tree of Life, and might ‘enter in’ through the gates into the City.

We will now turn our attention to a few examples of the New Covenant, as contrasted to the Old.

Two Covenants: The Bondwoman and the Free

Much of our misunderstanding of the New Covenant stems from twisting of Scripture, concerning the New Covenant Truths of the Law, as discussed in The Law: According to Scripture. We saw that much of today’s understanding of what Paul wrote of the Law is seen in Peter’s words:

“As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest [twist; pervert], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16)

Without getting too far into details of the Law, we will on occasion refer to what Scripture calls lawful and unlawful uses of the Law in the New Covenant. Misunderstanding of legitimate New Covenant purposes of the Law carries over into misunderstanding of the New Covenant itself.

The Allegory of the two Covenants, written by Paul, is no exception. This is an allegory of the two covenants, seen as two mountains, which in turn represent two women, who bring forth two offspring.

Keep in mind that the main focus of Paul’s teaching here is on the two kinds of offspring, and on the source that brings forth each kind of offspring. We will begin a few verses prior to where most teachings on this allegory begin, for here is where the main point of the Allegory can be seen:

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until HaMaschiach be formed in you…” (Galatians 4:19)

In this Galatians 4:19 passage above, we see the main focus of the allegory is the offspring about which The Most High is concerned, and which He desires — it is that Messiah is to become ‘formed’ within the Believer. This means not only is the baby to be conceived and born, but that it should grow and mature, and not remain an immature ‘baby’ all its life. Not only should the Life of Messiah become birthed within us, but we should allow His Life living in us to mature, and begin to walk in obedience, and eventually become just like the Father. There is only one offspring that can achieve this goal, but the other is unable to do so — and it is this contrast that is the focus of Paul’s allegory.

All of the subsequent verses in Paul’s allegory show how the intended offspring falls far short, if it is not engendered [brought forth] by the proper woman. We now continue in the next verse:

I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you. Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? (Galatians 4:20-21)

Here we see Paul addressing those Galatians who understand neither the Old Covenant nor the New. It is here that Paul begins to reveal both Covenants, as each being a Husband having dominion over a wife. Paul is addressing those who consider it important to be under the constraint of the Law [Torah] but who are not able to obey it.

Now let us proceed with Paul’s example:

22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after [according to] the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to[brings forth] bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is [physical or natural city], and is in bondage with her children. (Galatians 4:22-25)

Up to this point in the narrative, Paul has pictured the ‘Old’ Covenant as the bondwoman, as a woman who gives birth to that which is according to the flesh, in attempting to bring forth obedience by self-effort — just as we see in Hagar, who brought forth Ishmael as a result of Abraham’s unbelief.

Here also, in verse 24 we see the ‘Old’ Covenant is pictured as Mount Sinai, representing the stone tablets, and the self-effort to obey the Law, reminding us of the Israelites who failed to enter in, and who illustrate the children or offspring of that ‘Old’ Covenant.

As New Covenant Believers, we now understand that the Law [Torah] is like a looking-glass, or mirror. The mirror can show us the imperfections, but it lacks the power to cleanse. The Israelites in that day were under the constraint of the Law, but they lacked the heart, and more importantly, lacked the Grace and faith necessary to obey the Law.

The offspring are further described in verse 25 as the “Jerusalem that now is,” which corresponds to its inhabitants referred to as the ‘Circumcision’ elsewhere in the New Testament. These represent all those who would try to be justified by self-effort to keep or obey the works of the Law, but who have not been Born-again, and justified by the Blood of Yahushua.

Now let us notice now the contrast of the two different offspring:

26 But Jerusalem which is above [the New Jerusalem] is free [not in bondage], which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh [physical, natural descendants] persecuted him that was born after the Spirit [spiritual descendants], even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. (Galatians 4:26-31)

In the above passages, we see the result of the ‘Old’ Covenant which [in this allegory] pictures self-effort, simply because there is the absence of the New Covenant provisions — Redemption by Blood, Righteousness by Faith, and the Holy Spirit living within, to supply Grace to empower and enable.

Here we see also in verse 28 and 29, that there is no inheritance to those offspring engendered by the flesh, by self-effort, but only to children of the free woman — the children of Promise, just as Isaac was a child of Promise. Paul tells us (Romans 4:14; Galatians 3:29) that it is not through our effort of being obedient to the Law, but only through Messiah that we become heirs according to the promise.

We must caution, however, that many years of tradition based on misunderstanding of Paul’s writings still clings to us as baggage. Because of this tradition, we can miss many important truths of how the various parts of the Law [the Torah, or Father’s House Rules] are to be considered, and how they are to be obeyed by His redeemed children. We will now look at one major highlight of the New Covenant — the concept of Bondage.

The New Covenant and Yokes of Bondage

As New Covenant Believers, much of our understanding of the ‘Yoke’ of Bondage has been from Paul’s epistles. In all of Scripture, the word yoke speaks of bondage. But have we realized there are two ‘Yokes’ of Bondage, one as part of the ‘Old’ Covenant, and one as part of the ‘New’ Covenant? One of these yokes leads to death; the other leads to Life.

One of our main tasks as Believers, then, is to understand them both, so that we might come out from, and avoid, the one that leads to death, and enter in to the one that leads to Life. Let us notice the following passages:

“I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.” (Hosea 11:4)

Here we see that the yoke is taken off, and removed by The Most High. As the context shows, this removing of the yoke is how The Most High describes Israel’s coming out from Egypt, elsewhere called the Bondage of Egypt. This bondage is the bondage of sin, and is explained by Paul partly in Romans 7:2-3, in which the obligation to obey the Law [Torah] is likened to a wife who is bound to a husband by the covenant of marriage, for as long as that husband is alive.

As Paul goes on to explain in Romans 7:3-6, if the Believer [as the wife] has become ‘dead’ to the Law [no longer under its dominion of sin] by identifying with the death of Messiah, then the Believer is said to be ‘dead to the Law by the body of Messiah.’ According to the Law [Torah], the wife is no longer in a covenant with [in bondage to] the [dead] husband, but is now free to marry [enter into a new marriage covenant with] Messiah.

That is, once a person is set free from bondage, that one is now free to choose a new Master, and a new marriage Covenant [a new yoke], which we will further discuss below. Let us first notice the contrast to the above passage in Hosea 11:4, as we look at the following passages:

“And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant…” (Ezekiel 20:37)

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light…” (Matthew 11:29-30)

In the Ezekiel 20:37 passage above, we see that The Most High promised to bring Israel into the bond of the Covenant, the bondage or prison of the Covenant, as the Hebrew reads — which is describing the ‘yoke’ of bondage of the New Covenant, as the context further reveals.

Then in the Matthew 11:29-30 passage above, we see the New Covenant fulfillment of this ‘yoke’ of Bondage. Here we see Yahushua invites His Disciples into the yoke of [bondage] of the marriage covenant. This appeal by Yahushua is a window into the mystery of (Ephesians 5:32) together with (Colossians 1:27), and is the New Covenant Bondservant appeal seen in Exodus:

“And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.” (Exodus 21:5-6)

Shema Selah  we must have the Most High's understanding of His word!!