An Eternal Agreement

Date: Monday, August 18, 2014
Today's Chapters: Jeremiah 31-32
Message Title: An Eternal Agreement

Hello My Friend, A covenant is an agreement, a legal contract between two people, it is written down, signed by both parties, and executed just as the contract stated. Should one break the contract, there is a hefty price to pay for breaking it. When God created the world He made a covenant with Adam, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” - Genesis 2:16,17. Of course, we all know that Adam ate of the fruit, and from that moment on the covenant between God and man was broken, that hefty price was death, not a physical death, a spiritual death, and that spiritual death was passed down to all of us. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” - Romans 5:12. God decided to make a way for this contract to be mended, in fact, He made a new contract replace the current, He started with the people of Israel. “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.” - Deuteronomy 11:26-28.

Of all the sins man can do, the most abominable to God are worshiping false gods and idols. Of course, we all know that Israel broke that covenant time and time again, bringing the curse upon them quite often. This time, the curse was the destruction of Jerusalem, but this time, God doesn't pass the curse onto all the people, only the ones who go after other gods. Through Jeremiah God reconfirms His promise to redeem Israel. “And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD. In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. 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: 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 31:28-31,33. This agreement was not given to only the believing Jews, but all who seek the one and only God. Jesus Christ is our Shepherd, the one who watches over us, He knows who are His, and He is always watching over us, either keeping us out of harms way, or directing us out of our troubles. With all His great power, even He cannot force a person to believe in Him, that is something we have to do on our own. Those who hear Him will find Him and will be His people. “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” - John 10:14-16.

Through Jeremiah, God continues to assure the remnant of Jews that God has not forsaken them, that He has not forgotten His covenant with them, and that they will one day return to the promised land, but not the one they have come to know, a new Jerusalem. “And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:” - Jeremiah 32:36-39.

A new agreement was made when Jesus died a sinless death, was buried, and arose three days later, eternal life for all who believe. Those who have one heart believe Jesus alone saves them from breaking that death curse, and that He is the only way to God, they are the ones that are God's people. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” - Romans 5:8-10. Praise God!

One has to admit, none of us follow through with the agreement we made with God when we accepted Christ as our Savior. I am not talking about works, we should all know that obeying or disobeying God's commandments does not determine our salvation, I am talking about trusting Him with our lives outside of our salvation. We may not realize it, but when we seek other means to get the things we need we are not putting our trust in the one who saved our souls. Of course, God does not want us sitting in a corner expecting things to happen, we do have to make an effort to get things done, but without faith in Him we will never see His great power in our lives. “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” - James 2:18-20,26. 

Today's Prayer: God, Thank You for the covenant that You made with me for believing in Your Son and accepting Him in my life. It is sad to learn that a large majority of people build their hopes and dreams on things that are not eternal, but we who believe in Your Son build our lives on the better covenant which will be completely fulfilled as we cross over into the Promised Land. How wonderful to know that You save to the uttermost and no one will be denied a place in heaven who comes to You through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You Jesus for laying down Your life for me and saving me from my sins. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
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