The Two Marriage Covenants (Old and New)

The Two Marriage Covenants, Old and New.
Sunday Sept. 3 2017

God works in covenants, all throughout Scripture. He establishes several which all work together towards His goal of a Holy Heavenly Nation.
There is one covenant in particular that is of special importance:
In the Beginning, God Establishes an EVERLASTING COVENANT that cannot be broken. It was established between Father and Son, who are two yet ONE. Both being perfect and completely unified with each other, this covenant would never be voided because neither party would violate the terms of it.
The Father and the Son would both perfectly fulfil the terms of this covenant forever. It was sealed by the death of Jesus on the Cross, and its benefits began to be distributed at His resurrection.

Rev 13:8 GNV
Therefore all that dwell upon the earth, shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of that Lamb, which WAS SLAIN from the beginning of the world.

He was slain before time began. Meaning, the Father and the Son had already established the EVERLASTING COVENANT based on that sacrifice, long before that sacrifice would actually occur.

Note that The Father and the Son had already established the details of the Everlasting Covenant, long before the world began.

Matthew 22:1-2 ESV
1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, ² “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,

John 17:4-5 GNV
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
5 And now glorify me, thou Father, with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee
BEFORE the world was.

Genesis 9:16 GNV
Therefore the bow shall be in the cloud, that I may see it, and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living thing, in all flesh that is upon the earth.

Genesis 17:7 GNV
Moreover, I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

Hebrews 13:20 GNV
The God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting Covenant,

Later, in the Old Testament God established a Covenant With Israel, after delivering them from bondage in Egypt - This was The First Marriage Covenant at Mount Siniai. And it was between God and Natural Israel. The purpose of this covenant was to establish a people through which to bring forth a Messiah. It would also serve to show how much better the New Covenant would be.

Deuteronomy 4:13 GNV
Then he declared unto you his covenant which he commanded you to do, even the ten commandments, and wrote them upon two Tables of stone.

Deuteronomy 5:2 GNV
The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.

Deuteronomy 5:3 GNV
The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers only, but with us, even with us all here alive this day.

The First Marriage Covenant was eventually broken (nullified) by Israel who violated the terms of the covenant. They were without true, whole-hearted repentance. After centuries of calling to them to turn back, and their refusal, God decided to divorce them.
Jeremiah 31:32 GNV
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, the which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord.

God divorces Israel in recognition that the old covenant, the first marriage, has been broken by Israel. They were steeped in unrepentant unfaithfulness and idolatry. This divorce was sealed by their deportation to Syria (Assyria/Ninevah). They would never return home.
Through their unfaithfulness to the Faithful God, they broke/nullified the covenant.
Jeremiah 3:8 GNV
8 When I saw, how that by all occasions rebellious Israel had played the harlot, I cast her away, and gave her a bill of divorcement: yet her rebellious sister Judah was not afraid, but she went also and played the harlot.

Thus we know:
A) Covenants CAN be broken if one of the parties violates the terms of that covenant and refuses to repent.
B) Divorce in itself is not a sin, since God has used divorce Himself. He cannot and does not sin. He is holy, faithful and righteous. It is a last-resort provision in case there is a violation of a covenant where no true lasting repentance can be seen or found. If a covenant is broken and there is no lasting repentance, divorce can be used... because the covenant was already broken.
C) The Everlasting Covenant cannot be Broken because both parties are flawless and completely unified with each other. The Father and the Son are ONE. (John 10:30) The Everlasting Covenant represents the Second Marriage, the marriage between the Lamb and the New (Heavenly) Jerusalem.

God kept a remnant of Israel in the tribes Judah and Benjamin, for the sake of His covenant to David's house. That everlasting covenant, the new one, would be fulfilled by Jesus Christ, the greatest son of David.
God promises to remarry the House of Israel through a new covenant.
Hosea 2:19-23 GNV
19 And I will marry thee unto me forever: yea, I will marry thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in mercy, and in compassion.
20 I will even marry thee unto me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the Lord.
21 And in that day I will hear, saith the Lord, I will even hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth,
22 And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel.
23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth, and I will have mercy upon her, that was not pitied, and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people. And they shall say, Thou art my God.

That new covenant is the EVERLASTING COVENANT between FATHER and SON from before the foundation of the earth. It was CONSUMATED at the CROSS of Jesus.
John 19:30 GNV
Now when Jesus had received of the vinegar, he said, It is finished, and bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Through Jesus Christ, any Israelite or Gentile can come be a part of HIS NEW BRIDE, the NEW JERUSALEM. Jesus Christ the Son of God, is the Husband of the New Jerusalem (The Bride). Jesus Christ is ONE WITH THE FATHER (John 10:30).
Thus, Hosea 2:19-23 is fulfilled in Jesus Christ's marriage to the New Jerusalem. This is the Second Marriage, and unlike the first, it is ETERNAL because the covenant was between two persons who are UNIFIED, SINLESS and FLAWLESS.

Hebrews 6:16-18 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

¹⁶ For men verily swear by him that is greater than themselves, and an oath for confirmation is among them an end of all strife.

¹⁷ So God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the stableness of his counsel, bound himself by an oath,

¹⁸ That by two immutable things, wherein it is impossible that God should lie, we might have strong consolation, which have our refuge to lay hold upon that hope that is set before us,

Revelation 21:9-14 GNV
9 And there came unto me one of the seven Angels, which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come: I will show thee the bride the Lamb’s wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and an high mountain, and he showed me that great city, that holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God, and her shining was like unto a stone most precious, as a jasper stone clear as crystal,
12 And had a great wall and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve Angels, and the names written which are the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.
13 On the East part there were three gates, and on the North side three gates, on the South side three gates, and on the West side three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the Lamb’s twelve Apostles.

There are three in Heaven, The Father God, Jesus the Word, and the Holy Spirit. These three are ONE (Triune). (See 1 John 5:7 in the Geneva Version or King James Version)
Jesus is married to New Jerusalem.

Jesus is God and Saviour:
2 Peter 1:1
Simon Peter a servant and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to you which have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Any person, Israelite or Gentile, who wants to be a part of the Bride, must come through the DOOR, Jesus Christ. (John 10:9). Through Jesus Christ, any person may enter into the NEW COVENANT. This new covenant is EVERLASTING, and it culminated in a SECOND MARRIAGE, a permanent and eternal one.
God Bless!

Ten Things I Have Learned in my 30's

10 things I have been learning in my 30's.
I will be turning 38 in a few short months. It's time to reflect on what my 30's have taught me in my walk with Jesus so far. Perhaps you can relate to some of what I share here.
10 lessons from my 30's:

Lesson 1. 30 is the time, Biblically speaking, to WALK IN a greater fullness of YOUR CALL. It's time to come into full adulthood and maturity.
-Joseph became the Vice-Pharaoh of Egypt at age 30,
-David was anointed king at age 30, and
-Jesus began His public ministry at age 30.
My 30's have truly been a time of increase: in maturity, in responsibilities, in authority, in anointing, and in ministry. In a nutshell, I was able to follow the Call from God. I believe God placed this call on my life in my childhood. I started answering the call in my 20's. But it was in my 30's when I saw the strength of this calling... and how it had survived many losses and adversities and actually flourished. Like David, Joseph, and Jesus, I had come through adversity in order to be tested and purified in character. The trials of my 20's prepared me to walk in a greater fullness in my 30's.

Lesson 2. You start to trim off the things that don't work in your life. By the time I hit 30, I had already gained experience through ambition and effort and tried many different things, including small business and travel.
 Not everything in my 20's worked. Some of it was VERY successful and carried into my 30's, such as my success in retail and in local church ministry. So failures are not a negative point... they are positive... because they allowed me to zero in on what DOES work for me. Every failure and every success contributes to my overall learning and growth.
So by the time I was in my 30's, I realized I don't have to achieve all the goals I once held in my 20's. I just need to be faithful to the Lord Jesus and walk in the path He calls me to. I simply do what works for me.

Lesson 3. I learned to let go of my young naive ideals about how life should be. By the time I was in my 30's I had a much more realistic and mature perspective on life and goals. I faced some huge disappointments and losses.
Life can deal some tough blows sometimes, and one has to learn that God only works GOOD, using both GOOD and BAD circumstances. He transforms all things for His plan. He only does GOOD, but He does not waste the BAD things that happen to us. They become a part of His design to form us into the image of His son, Jesus Christ.

Lesson 4. I don't have to be like everyone else. Don't compare yourself to others or gauge your "success" on what others have achieved.
There are many things I don't have, that others do. And now I realize, I don't care. Things went differently for me, and God blessed me in this path. So I simply do not compare myself to others, for that would rob me of contentment and it would rob God of the glory that my intentional gratitude brings to Him.

Lesson 5. I need to rest every now and then. I was constantly go go go in my 20's, but now I can see that rest should ALWAYS be a part of the equation. God rested on the seventh day after creating heaven and earth. Jesus invites us to come to Him to find rest.
I now notice that stress can creep up on me more often than it used to. So I have learned to work hard during the week, and rest just as hard on my day off.... if that makes sense!! I have 2 jobs, but I choose to take a rest day every week.
I rest with intention. I do things for fun sometimes. Like playing piano, making music, taking photographs, going for walks, writing.
I never really valued time off from work in my 20's. But let me tell you, I do now!! I have always loved working, and I still do. But now, rest is an actual priority for me. If I don't make it a priority, it could take a toll on me later in life.
So I make sure I am booking a week off from work every now and then. And I rest one day every week. And if I have other odd jobs to do that do not have a time limit, I pace myself. I no longer rush everything, because I realize I am only one human being.

Lesson 6. When I was 20, I wanted to be seen as "mature and old enough". But now, I welcome being called "young". Why? because in the next decade, I will likely start to show my age more. Right now, people usually underestimate my age by as much as ten years!
I am now being seen as both "young" and "old" at the same time. Young adults at work will joke with me and call me "old" and then 5 minutes later, a customer older than me will come by and call me "young man".
Of course, I welcome all the "young" compliments I can get!

Lesson 7. Humility has been a power tool in my life.  I have been discovering this in my 30's. I was practicing it in my 20's. But now, in my 30's I feel God is refining that character trait.
 I have discovered that being meek and pliable in God's hands is very empowering. And showing grace and humility to others also opens many doors. A lowly and humble man is one that does not think he is better than everyone else and does not always think he is right. A humble and gracious man is one who knows that he is never done with LEARNING. Such a man is powerful enough to receive constructive criticism without retaliating or falling into the emotional tank. Humility is an awesome weapon against satan, whose greatest downfall was his pride. And as the Bible states, Pride comes before a fall.

Lesson 8. Your body is not invincible. I was never reckless in my youth. But I also never fully realized that health issues could eventually happen to me, either. That is why I got so many cavities in my teeth in my late 20's. I just did not clue in that I needed to floss in order to keep my teeth clean. Brushing alone does not do the whole job. My dentist was always after me to floss. But it was not until after having all those cavities filled, at age 29, that it really dawned on me.
I entered my 30's with a renewed awareness....my body can fall apart if I don't look after it.
This new experience brought on a different kind of awareness. It was not mere head-knowledge... but it was now an active reality to me that caused me to take action. 

Overall, I have had very few health issues in my life, Praise God. But I HAVE had a few (other than cavities), and they mostly happened in my 30's. Bursitis, Shingles, and S.I. Joint dysfunction were among those issues. Each problem has been brought under control because I was humble enough to pray and also get medical help when needed.
So be aware of your body and never ignore signs of illness. When you see something happening to your body, Pray first - in Jesus Name. Then, as needed, seek medical advice from your doctor. Remember, if it is happening now, in your 30's, then that could be a problem later if left unchecked.

Also, because of this, I eat more fruits and vegetables now. I'm still eating other stuff, like sweets. But I have been more conscious of my diet lately and been eating more fruits and vegetables than I did in my 20's. I am a tall lean person, but I can't take it for granted. What I eat in my 30's will shape what I become in my 40's- and that decade is just around the corner. So getting nutrients from raw fruits and veggies has become more important to me.

Lesson 9. You start to realize that you don't have to defend your position or justify yourself to everyone. Practice being accountable with God and with your local church and your loved ones. But by the time you are in your 30's, the random opinions of uninformed ignorant observers will mean less and less to you.
I have learned this lesson. Yet I still need to be reminded every once in a while: don't take every comment personally. Explaining my heart to someone can actually work against me if I do not have a deeper connection to that person already. So my 30's have taught me to say less in general, and to listen carefully.

Lesson 10. Your Experience Pool has some depth to it now. When we are young 20-somethings, we have little personal experience to go on. That is why we often try so many things... we are trying to find out where we fit in. By the time I was in my 30's I had some significant experiences to draw from. Marriage. Divorce. Small Business. Retail. College. Ministry. Your personal pool of experiences hopefully helps you make wise decisions in your 30's. 30 is a time of GREAT OPPORTUNITY in the Lord. You are still young and energetic enough to try new things, and yet your are also old enough to have a set of experiences to draw from. It's a great time of life and an interesting mix. One of my sales reps at the store who has known me in the business for years, once described me as being "young and experienced"! THAT is a decent description of a 30-something.

 And THOSE are 10 lessons I have been  learning in my 30's! But there are more lessons I have learned. And there will be more lessons to BE learned too!

If you are in your 30's please share:
What have you learned in your 30's?

If you are in a different age bracket, tell me:
what age bracket are you in, and what have you learned so far?

God bless!
1:11am EST
Tue Aug 22 2017