Denver Seminary Articles Justification: God's Plan and Paul's Vision

Denver Seminary Articles Justification: God's Plan and Paul's Vision

Reign in ALL of us

Call: Who is it that you seek?

Response: I seek the Lord our God.

Call: Do you seek Him with all your heart? Do you seek Him with all your soul? Do you seek Him with all your mind? Do you seek Him with all your strength?

Response: Amen. Christ, have mercy.


Consider: Psalm 25.4-7; Matthew 22.37; 1 John 1.9

Eternal Father, we celebrate the gift of Your incarnate Son in this season of Advent. Jesus, thank you for being born into our humanness. Holy Spirit, fill us with joy this Christmas as we come to you with all that we are.
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit: one God, everlasting in glory, live and reign in our lives. Amen.

Our Hearts Are Restless

"Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ".

—1 Corinthians 1.7 (NLT)

"Everlasting God,

in whom we live and move and have our being:

You have made us for Yourself,

so that our hearts are restless

until they rest in you."

—Augustine of Hippo (Algeria/ 354-430)

As we celebrate Jesus' first advent, let us eagerly await His second coming/His next Advent. May we this Christmas season keep our eyes and our hearts desire on Jesus alone!

(Scripture and quote from the Mosaic: Holy Bible.)

Meditation on Jesus

"The more you know about Christ, the less will you be satisfied with superficial views of Him; and the more deeply you study His transactions in the eternal covenant, His engagements on your behalf as the eternal security, and the fullness of His grace that shines in all His offices, the more truly will you see the King in His beauty. Learn to look at Him this way. Long increasingly to see Jesus. Meditation and contemplation are often like windows of gold and gates of silver through which we behold the Redeemer. Meditation puts the telescope to the eye and enables us to see Jesus in a better fashion than we could have seen Him if we had lived in the days of His earthly sojourn. Our conversation ought to be more in heaven, and we should be more taken up with the person, the work, the beauty of our incarnate Lord."

—Charles Spurgeon

God Sightings (in our daily life) which Corroborate God’s Character as Revealed Scripture

Regarding hessed in Isaiah 63.7-11—"He is a God of unfailing kindness, grace, mercy, and love. Circumstances may change; our rebellions may even make Him our enemy. But the hessed of God never changes; and when we recount all that God has done in our experience, it will end up in praise for who He is. The emphasis on memory, both here and again in vs. 11, is at the heart of biblical faith. Because God had chosen to reveal Himself in the context of human experience and because He had shown Himself to be utterly consistent, the primary way to come to know Him was through reflecting on what He had said and done in the context of that experience."

—John Oswalt

Now, we have a record of that experience as Scripture. Still, God reveals Himself in the manifestations of His character into our experiences and those 'God sightings' correspond to the revealed truth of Scripture!

The Importance of Theology Proper

It is imperative that we study and meditate on the character of God. If we are to love and glorify God (Matthew 22.37-40), we have to know who He is (Ephesians 1.17). This study ought not be resigned to a passive reading or only something we look at when the church provides an opportunity—it is to be our great passion! As the Apostle Paul says, everything is a loss compared to “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3.8).

When we are at a time of great need, or moments of wonderful joy, we will lean on that which has most fervently occupied our attention. For some of us we may fall back into sinful habits, others may lean on worry, some legalists may rely on Christian works...all of which are a diversion from the life of abiding in Jesus (John 15). Studying the character of God empowers living a life of grace.

A Simple Reminder

"For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him."

—Jesus

"How fortunate I am to sacrifice all for God! But this all is nothing in comparison to what our Savior sacrificed for us, from the crib to the Cross...Oh the grandeur of infinite love! A love which is not known, a love which is unreturned by the majority of men."

—Teresa of the Andes (Chile/1900)

Perceiving According to the Spirit

In a discussion of Jesus’ ministry and mission from Isaiah 61.1-3 and Luke 4.14-21, Consider the parallels with the prophecy of Jesus in Isaiah 11.1-5 and how He perceived things/judged according to the Holy Spirit. Consider also this great 15th Century prayer by Thomas a Kempis.Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know,

to love what I ought to love,

to praise what delights Thee most,

to value what is precious in Thy sight,

to hate what is offensive to Thee.

Do not suffer me to judge according to the sight of my eyes,

nor to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men;

but to discern with a true judgment between things visible and spiritual,

and above all things always to inquire what is the good pleasure of Thy will.

—Thomas a Kempis (Germany, 15th century)

Knowing Jesus

"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord."
Philippians 3:8

Spiritual knowledge of Christ will be a personal knowledge. I cannot know Jesus through another person's acquaintance with Him. No, I must know Him myself; I must know Him on my own account. It will be an intelligent knowledge--I must know Him, not as the visionary dreams of Him, but as the Word reveals Him. I must know His natures, divine and human. I must know His offices--His attributes--His works--His shame--His glory. I must meditate upon Him until I "comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." It will be an affectionate knowledge of Him; indeed, if I know Him at all, I must love Him. An ounce of heart knowledge is worth a ton of head learning. Our knowledge of Him will be a satisfying knowledge. When I know my Savior, my mind will be full to the brim--I shall feel that I have that which my spirit panted after. "This is that bread whereof if a man eat he shall never hunger." At the same time it will be an exciting knowledge; the more I know of my Beloved, the more I shall want to know. The higher I climb the loftier will be the summits which invite my eager footsteps. I shall want the more as I get the more. Like the miser's treasure, my gold will make me covet more. To conclude; this knowledge of Christ Jesus will be a most happy one; in fact, so elevating, that sometimes it will completely bear me up above all trials, and doubts, and sorrows; and it will, while I enjoy it, make me something more than "Man that is born of woman, who is of few days, and full of trouble"; for it will fling about me the immortality of the ever living
Savior, and gird me with the golden girdle of His eternal joy. Come, my soul, sit at Jesus' feet and learn of Him all this day.

From Spurgeon's Daily Devotional in PC Study Bible

Hiding in the Shelter of God's Presence

"In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues." Psalm 31:20

"Christian believers have another privilege. We have seen that we have a moral right to come to God—into His presence. We are accepted by Him because of Christ Jesus. But we also have the right to hide in God and be safe. That, too, is our privilege because Jesus, our great High Priest, perfectly represents us at God’s right hand. When we are united to Christ, no one can take this right and privilege away from us. We are safe! We are safe!

What we are hiding from is not life. We are hiding from a sinful world, from a sinister devil, from vicious temptation. We are hiding in the only place there is to hide—in God. It is our right and our privilege to know the perfect safety He has promised."
--AW Tozer

Jesus is the Armor of God!

When we put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6.10-17), in reality we are putting on Christ. Nothing we do can be done without His life flowing in us (John 15.5). We are IN Him (*). Consider how each elements of the armor is attributed to Jesus:

Truth—John 14.6

Righteousness—1 Corinthians 1.30,31

Gospel of peace—Galatians 1.6,7; Isaiah 9.6!

Faith—Hebrews 12.1,2

Salvation—Acts 4.10-12; Romans 10.9

Spirit, Word of God**—John 1.1

*Romans 6.11; 8.1; 12.5; 1 Corinthians 1.30…this is a fascinating study all on its own…look it up!

** see the connection of the Trinity especially in the connection of Jesus being glorified and now the Holy Spirit has come down to us John 7.37-39; Acts 2.31-36; Romans 8.9-11

Waiting for Strength

There are those sermons that wipe you out. Last week's message on Isaiah 56.9—57.21 (addressing some of the issues and sins in our town) was such a sermon. It's Thursday and I still do not feel like I have recovered! So a few thoughts (more for my own processing because I don't know if anybody reads this anymore) loosely strung together regarding prayer…

I must simply wait on the Lord. He is my "refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46.1). I must remember that it is His battle; He is with me as the Lord Almighty (vs. 7): for He is the Lord of Host, the Commander of Heaven's Armies and my Warrior God! I must listen and accept His invitation to "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

As I wait for His strength, I'll be OK that I do not feel like I have any word from the Lord about what to DO about being salt and light in our city. I said it on Sunday (I've said it before and will say it again), 'we need to stop acting like prayer is our last line of defense and start operating like prayer is our first line of offence.' It is interesting that in Isaiah 59.17 there is this cool foreshadowing of the armor of God, which I think goes toward my argument that the armor of God IS JESUS! Anyway, I hope there are those who will pray the reality of Jesus into our city, circumstances and situations.

Faith in Difficulties

God does not ask us to have more faith, He simply asks that we acknowledge Jesus as the object of our faith. "There is no more basic attitude of the spiritual life than to walk with God in trust, which means recognizing what God is capable of doing while accepting what he delivers" (Darrell Bock). In Luke 17.5,6 when the apostles ask for Jesus to increase their faith, Jesus does not tell them how, give them a twelve step program or give them some action steps to find purpose in their lives. He tells them that the issue is not the amount of the faith (because faith as small as a mustard seed is quite sufficient), rather, He simply asks that they place their trust squarely on Him.

There may be situations where we want to ask for more faith to get through. Check your motive. CH Spurgeon said, "remember, that we have no more faith at any time than we have in the hour of trial. All that will not bear to be tested is mere carnal confidence. Fair-weather faith is no faith". When asking for more faith are we really asking for our situation to change? Do we want more confidence in our own flesh because we are not living in the reality that Jesus is enough? Is Jesus not the author and perfecter and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12.1,2)? We may want more faith but God wants us to want more of Him!

Romans 8:23 (New Living Translation)

"And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us."

Praying God’s Will in Confusion

It can be difficult to pray for God's will to be done (Matthew 6.9-13), especially when we are filled with confusion because the unknown is all we see dominating the path in front of us. That is why we must follow the encouragement of Colossians 3.1 and "set our hearts on things above". This is not just a spiritual platitude but a concrete manifestation of our position in Jesus! As the verse continues, this is "where Christ is seated at the right hand of God". Jesus is walking through the unknown with us, interceding for us.

And do not forget the ministry of the Holy Spirit. When we can only groan, because our circumstances are too difficult for us to even pray, the Holy Spirit groan Himself to the Father—identifying with our frustrations (Romans 8.26,27). NOTE: it is through this work of the Spirit that "God works for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8.28). May we yield control to the Holy Spirit as He leads us in the Father's will (Romans 8. 27)!

Kingdom Living in Difficulties

Regardless of our circumstances we are to be worshipers. It has been said by Barry Webb that our "life together is to be a visible sign that the kingdom of God—His reign of perfect justice and righteousness—is just around the corner, breaking in and already making its presence felt". As we pray through whatever is on our, or another's, plate consider how God might manifest His kingdom reign in each situation and into each person. Read through Jesus' sermon on the mount in Matthew chapters 5 through 7, especially the beatitudes in 5.3-12: "Blessed are...for they will…". Even when we are at the bottom of our rope, Jesus still wants to work in our lives.

Allowing the Holy Spirit to Control Us

Ephesians 3:16-21 (New Living Translation)
16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Tenacious Faith

Tenacious faith I know and yet begrudge.
I'd like a faith of ecstasy and cheer,
Or even faith of penitence and fear
Of God, the omnipresent Father-Judge.
Easy faith, happy faith—a call,
A gift? Why not mine? My walk is fretful
Fumble-feeling, wander-wondering, wishful
Stumble-striving for that plane where Paul
(And others) seem to live ebulliently.
He (and they) feel sure that neither life,
Nor death, nor angels, no, not this world rife
With powers may undo capriciously.

Increase my faith, my Lord (I do believe).

Send rain to this dry land: revive, relieve!

—Jeffrey Arthurs

God Never Changes. Therefore…

The character of God is the foundation for our lives. In Isaiah 57.15 we see that God is both beyond us and with us through our life journey. Consider Christ, the nearness of God. Andrew Murray articulated this idea very well:

"It has been said that the holiness of God is the union of God's infinite distance from sinful man with God's infinite nearness in His redeeming grace. Faith must ever seek to realize both the distance and the nearness."

We see this distance and nearness as manifested in Jesus. Paul in 2 Corinthians 5.21 reminds us that Jesus is completely holy, unlike us, like us yet He provides for our salvation and comes close to us, in that "He who knew no sin became sin for us". Also consider that John 1.14 tells us Jesus "came (to us) from the Father, full of grace and truth".

Finally, contemplate the ministry of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.33 now that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father (transcendent and away from us) yet He is interceding our prayers (immanent and with us).

Thanks be to the Father for the revelation of His Son, Jesus Christ, through whom we can come near to God as we experience the Holy Spirit!

Oh how He loves you and me

by John Eldredge

The Scriptures employ a wide scale of metaphors to capture the many facets of our relationship with God. If you consider them in a sort of ascending order, there is a noticeable and breathtaking progression. Down near the bottom of the totem pole we are the clay and he is the Potter. Moving up a notch, we are the sheep and he is the Shepherd, which is a little better position on the food chain but hardly flattering; sheep don't have a reputation as the most graceful and intelligent creatures in the world. Moving upward, we are the servants of the Master, which at least lets us into the house, even if we have to wipe our feet, watch our manners, and not talk too much.

Most Christians never get past this point, but the ladder of metaphors is about to make a swift ascent. God also calls us his children and himself our heavenly Father, which brings us into the possibility of real intimacy— love is not one of the things a vase and its craftsman share together, nor does a sheep truly know the heart of the shepherd, though it may enjoy the fruits of his kindness. Still, there is something missing even in the best parent-child relationship. Friendship levels the playing field in a way family never can, at least not until the kids have grown and left the house. Friendship opens a level of communion that a five-year-old doesn't know with his mother and father. And "friends" are what he calls us.

But there is still a higher and deeper level of intimacy and partnership awaiting us at the top of this metaphorical ascent. We are lovers. The courtship that began with a honeymoon in the Garden culminates in the wedding feast of the Lamb. "I will take delight in you," he says to us, "as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will I rejoice over you," so that we might say in return, "I am my beloved's and his desire is for me."

(The Sacred Romance , 96)

A Joyful Reason to Obey Jesus!

John 15.10,11 "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

"We should, to begin with, think that God leads a very interesting life, and that he is full of joy. Undoubtedly he is the most joyous being in the universe. The abundance of his love and generosity is inseparable from his infinite joy. All of the good and beautiful things from which we occasionally drink tiny droplets of soul-exhilarating joy, God continuously experiences in all their breadth and depth and richness."

—Dallas Willard

National Day of Prayer

"In praying, we are often occupied with ourselves, with our needs, and our own efforts in presentation of them. In waiting upon God, the first thought is that of the God upon whom we wait. We enter His presence, and feel we need just to be quite, so that He, as God, can overshadow us with Himself. Waiting on God gives Him time in His own way and divine power to come to us."

—Andrew Murray

On this National Day of prayer, I pray that you will, above all listen Jesus. It is so easy to pray programs that actually can distract us from being in His presence, please wait in the Lord. And as you adore Him and then cooperate with hoe He leads.

One way to listen is to pray back Scripture to Him. Roger Benz but together this list of Scriptures, I hope it will be helpful in praying today and in the future:

Pray for what the Bible commands

• Matthew 5.44 (enemies)
  
• Matthew 26.41 (temptations)
  
• Colossians 4.3 (ministers)
  
• 1 Timothy 2.1-3 (authorities)
  
• James 5.13 (when in affliction)
  
• James 5.15 (other believers)
  
• Luke 10.2 (missionaries)
  

Follow the example of Godly characters

• Paul—Romans 10.1
  
• David—Psalm 51.1,2
  
• Early Church leaders—Acts 4.29
  

Pray for the right motivation

• James 4.3
  
• Matthew 6.5,6
  
• Proverbs 28.9
  
  

Have forgiveness towards others

• Mark 11.25
  
• Matthew 5.23,24
  
  

Give thanks (praise the Lord)

• Colossians 4.2
  
• Philippians 4.6,7
  

Pray with Perseverance

• Luke 18.1
  
• 1 Thessalonians 5.17
  

Reply on God's Spirit!

• Romans 8.26,27
  

from Faith to Faith

Referring to Romans 4.1-5, & 17 Andrew Murray says the following:

Justification comes at the commencement full and complete, as the eye of faith is fixed upon Christ. But that is only the beginning. Gradually the believer begins to understand that he was at the same time born again, that he has Christ in him, and that his calling is now to abide in Christ, and let Christ abide and live and work in him.

Most Christians strive by holding fast their faith in justification to stir and strengthen themselves for a life for a life of gratitude and obedience. But they fail sadly because they do not know, do not in full faith yield themselves to Christ, to maintain His life in them. They have learned from Abraham the first lesson, to believe in God Who justifies the ungodly. But they have not gone on to the second great lesson, to believe in God Who quickeneth the dead, and daily renews that life through Christ, who believes in them, and in Whose life alone there is strength and fullness of blessing. The Christian life must be "from faith to faith." The grace of pardon is but the beginning; growing in grace leads on to the fuller insight and experience of what it is to be in Christ, to live in Him, and to grow up in Him in all things as the Head.

Lent Week 7 April 5-11, Matthew 26.26-29 & Luke 22.14-20

This week we come to the culmination of our Praying Scripture Through Lent 2009 study. While Jesus is in the upper room with His disciples He speaks these words that we find in Matthew 26.26-29 and Luke 22.14-20. In these passages Jesus lets us know that the completion of the new covenant comes through Himself. With His shed blood, remembered in the Last Supper and our times of communion, Jesus revels Himself as our only savior. As you listen to Jesus words, meditate on the price He paid for your redemption. Adore Jesus as your all consuming focus and thank Him for His amazing grace. Consider how you might cooperate with what the Holy Spirit wants to do in your life to make you more like Jesus.

Lent Week 6, March 29-April 4, Hebrews 9.11-15

A prayer exercise for Hebrews 9.13,14 from the Spiritual Formation Bible:

"Making a good impression is important. Yet we may become so preoccupied with our outward appearance that we neglect our inner heart and conscience. Jesus comes to cleanse all aspects of our lives. His Spirit begins by renewing our hearts and his work radiates through our attitudes and actions. You may already be conscious of your faults. Are you as familiar with Jesus' cleansing? You might picture your faults as trash cluttering the floor of a room that represents your conscience. Let the Spirit pour through your inner room like a flood—cleansing, purifying and renewing. Envision the room transformed into a chapel where God is worshiped and glorified. You may want to conclude by slowly and reflectively repeating the Lord's Prayer."

Lent Week 5, March 22-28 Isaiah 43.11-13 & Acts 1.7,8

If you are following along with our. Here are a few bullet points to aid your listening (studying of the passage), adoring (worship of Jesus) and cooperating (recognizing His grace and following what He is doing) as you pray through the passage.

• Note how the Lord gives us information about salvation through His revealed word (Isaiah 43.12). How well are you listening to our God who has "revealed and saved and proclaimed" His provision for us?
  
• As the witness for the Lord, account for what He has done, to which you can testify. "No one can deliver out of my hand" (Isaiah 43.13) declares the Lord; how are you experiencing His deliverance?
  
• Note that when the disciples receive the Holy Spirit, then they are equipped to be Jesus' witness! How have you cooperated with your filling of the Holy Spirit to take the gospel of Jesus "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1.8)? Note, this is not an option but a command.
  
• From Pentecost (Acts 2) unto our filling at salvation (Ephesians 1.11-14) the Holy Spirit is the one moving in our lives enabling us to experience the new covenant. Prayerfully worship our amazing God who fills us with His Spirit.

Jeremiah Background

It occurred to me that a bit of background for the book of Jeremiah and its application for us today might aide our praying through this week's Lent passage. So here goes:

Jeremiah's Historical Context: Jeremiah ministers 120 years after Isaiah, which means that approximately 40 years into Jeremiah's ministry Jerusalem falls and the Israelites are carried into captivity.

Context of Chapter 31 in the Book of Jeremiah: God uses Jeremiah to condemn the king's and the people's sins. He foretells of the Babylonian exile and THEN this passage of the new covenant is spoken to give the people comfort: God is sovereign (in charge) and He is promising restoration. Think of the hope that Jesus gives; for as Paul says in Ephesians 2.1-10 (especially vs.4, 5) it was when we were dead in our sin that Christ revealed Himself to us.

Context of verses 31.-34 within Jeremiah 31: In God's provision He is returning His people from exile. Even in the midst of pain (vs. 15) the Lord is still working. This parallel could not be more clear and applicable to us today: Jesus is working and always calling us into deeper relationship with Himself, no matter where we are in our circumstances.

Context of Our Lent Study: Remember that Ezekiel 36 mentions that the Holy Spirit is doing the work, Hebrews 10 centers the work, very clearly, on Jesus and here we see the label of the "new convent" put on that work of God!

Blessed Praying!

Lent Week4 March 15-21 Jeremiah 31.31-34

During week 4 of our praying through Scripture for Lent study, we come to Jeremiah 31.31-34. This is an Old Testament passage that specifically mentions the “new covenant”. As you pray through this passage consider other passages that mention our new convent through Jesus!

2 Corinthians 3.4-6 “We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 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.”

Lent Week 3, March 8-14 Hebrews 10.19-25

This week in our study of the Holy Spirit's ministry to us for our Lent focus, we are praying through Hebrews 10.19-25. This is a fabulous passage that connects us, through the blood of Jesus, to the new covenant. Consider how Hebrews quotes many of the lines from last week's passage of Ezekiel 36.22-36. (Hint of where we are going: next week's passage sounds similar themes to both of these passages and specifically mentions that these principles are the "new covenant" that God is making with His people!) Pray through how wonderfully these themes are all connected by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, making His grace experienable for us today!

Lent Week 2, March 1-7 Ezekiel 36.22-36

If you are following along with our Lent Bookmark, this is week 2—Ezekiel 36.22-36. Here are a few bullet points to aid your listening (studying of the passage), adoring (worship of Jesus) and cooperating (recognizing His grace and following what He is doing) as you pray through the passage.

• Note why the Lord is doing this work (the work of the New Covenant).
• Note also the contrasts (stated and implied), especially in verses 25-28.
• The blessings of land and descendants parallels Abraham's covenant. As receivers of the new covenant, how does this impact us?
• In light of Jesus' blessings, we ought to be humbled by His forgiveness of our sin—He truly has amazing grace!
• Finally, as per our main theme with this Lent study, note the role of the Holy Spirit in this passage.

Praying Scripture through Lent 2009

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and the beginning on Lent. We, at Windborn, have a bookmark (not a full devotional guide this year, just a bookmark) of Scriptural passages to pray through relating to some of the themes we are looking at in Isaiah. During this first week of Lent we are praying through Isaiah 42.1-9 & 44.3,4. The following is the introductory remarks on the bookmark:

We are beginning to see, in the second half of the book of Isaiah, the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. These passages serve as a literary forerunner of the new covenant. The old covenant was the agreement that God made to Abraham and affirmed to David and comes to Israel through the law. In the new covenant there is room for the nations (us Gentiles) to become part of the people of God through the blood of Jesus. It is important to note that in both covenants God's people are saved by grace through faith. In the old covenant they awaited the savior. In the new covenant the Father reveals Jesus as our savior. People under the old covenant were not saved through their obedience to the law. The law simply pointed out that obedience without God's help was impossible for humanity. In the passages that foretell of the new covenant, listen to how the Holy Spirit is the change agent to enable our obedience or cooperation with what God wants to do in our lives.

This bookmark provides passages of Scripture pointing us to the reality of the Holy Spirit's work to receive His new covenant. Purposefully, there are only one or two passages for each week. Please take the time to pray the principles of the passages back to the Lord. To help facilitate your prayers consider how you could listen, adore and cooperate with Jesus in each passage. In listening you will study the passage, meditate on key truths and possibly memorize a verse or two. By adoring Jesus in our prayers we acknowledge He is our all consuming focus and praise and thank Him for His grace as revealed in these texts. Cooperation is our reminder that He is the one at work in our lives; note in these passages that the Holy Spirit is the one who enables us to follow the Father's Word and live in Jesus' grace.

Consistency

There are times in our lives that we feel the words of Jesus in John 15.5, "we can do nothing without Him". In those times it is good to recognize our dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ for everything.

There are other times when we are experiencing the blessing of 2 Peter 1.3, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His glory and goodness". In those times it is, also good to recognize our dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ for everything.

Keep in mind that both passages speak to our reality in Jesus at all times regardless of our circumstances. How we feel will change, how we experience God will fluctuate, BUT HE ALWAYS STAYS THE SAME!

Intercession

Excerpts from Psalm 33 from The Message

vs. 4-5 "For God's Word is solid to the core; everything he makes is sound inside and out. He loves it when everything fits, when his world is in plumb-line true. Earth is drenched in God's affectionate Satisfaction.

vs. 18-22 Watch this: God's eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He's ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together. We're depending on God; he's everything we need. What's more, our hearts brim with joy since we've taken for our own his holy name. Love us, God, with all you've got—that's what we're depending on."

"In His life on earth Christ began His work as Intercessor….Now that He is seated at the right hand, He continues, as our great High Priest, the work of intercession, without ceasing. But with this difference, that He gives His people power to take part in it."

—Andrew Murray

May we, through the Holy Spirit's guidance know and pray for the Father's will as we seek Jesus' face in our circumstances. (See John 16.24, 26; Ephesians 6.18; Hebrews 7.23-28ff and Matthew 6.10 just to suggest a few!)

Entrusting Groans

Our identity in Jesus is the starting point for discovering comfort in contentment, for it is in those truths that we beginning to understand how eternal life starts with abundant life now. Romans 8.26-27 continues to speak to us of the Holy Spirit's ministry in our lives. In real life when our circumstances are so intense all we can do is groan out a prayer, the Holy Spirit groans Himself in the court of Heaven. Verse 27 explains the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Father by indicating that the Father "searches our hearts" and (because of the unity of the Trinity) the Father "knows" the Holy Spirit because they are only going to act in accordance with their own oneness. As we understand who we are as co-heirs with Jesus (vs. 17) we can start to entrust our groans to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is a starting point not a destination. We will spend the rest of our life entrusting and then receiving Jesus' abundant life as we allow the Holy Spirit to work the Father's will in our lives. Hence abundant life now is the beginning of our heavenly eternal life!

Does this make any sense? If anyone is still reading this, I could use a theological critic.

Trinitarian Ministry of the Holy Spirit from Romans 8

Our dear Holy Spirit ministers in our lives by vibrantly pointing us to all that God is. Romans 8.15-17 speaks of how the Holy Spirit is the one that enables us with the ability to cry "abba, Father". Without the Holy Spirit's work we would not fully understand the openness of the Father to allow us to crawl into His loving arms and receive His blessings.

It is also the Holy Spirit who "testifies with our Spirit" regarding our being the children, heirs and co-heirs with Jesus Christ! Without the Holy Spirit's work we would not fully be able to comprehend our identity in Jesus' glory.

However, because of the Holy Spirit's ministry to us, we can experience the fullness of the God Head, the blessed Trinity.

The Holy Spirit's Ministry in Our Lives

Consider the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Ephesians 1.11-14 tells us of how deep the Father's and Jesus' love is for us with the Holy Spirit as our "seal", our " deposit guaranteeing our inheritance". It is a beautiful thing to think forward to that day when our deposit is cashed in and we can enjoy heaven with Jesus for eternity. However, let us not miss how the Holy Spirit wants to lead us in this lifetime, before we get to heaven. Have you taken the time in Scripture to wait on the Lord today? Have you considered how the Holy Spirit's filling could impact your life or someone around you TODAY?!

"Christian, listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Obey His voice in all things. He will make you a man (or woman) of prayer. You will then realize the glory of your calling as intercessor, asking great things of God for those around you, for the church, and for the whole...world"

—Andrew Murray

Spiritual and Other Blessings

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."

—Ephesians 1.3

In the course of life there are ups and downs, times of blessings and times of great need. Job summed this up well when he said "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away—blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1.21). Ephesians 1.3 tells us why we bless the Lord, even if we have felt needs, because no matter what trials we face in life our "spiritual blessings" are secure in the "heavenly realms". That is to say our spiritual walk with Jesus will always enrich our life and can never be taken away even by the difficult times we face. In our requests may we focus on Jesus and hear Him speak to us with His words of comfort and love.