Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the NET, netbible.org, all rights reserved)

But now Jesus has obtained a superior ministry, since the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted on better promises.
Hebrews 8:6 (emphasis added)

Yahweh instituted ONE mediator between Himself and mankind: Messiah Jesus. “For there is one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God’s purpose at his appointed time” (2 Timothy 2:5-6). Having a member of the Godhead (John 10:30) as our mediator is a BETTER deal. This Covenant differs from the Old. It is excellent by comparison. It is better because it is more fully developed. It is stronger because the power that was needed to enact it has been laid down already. It has been sanctioned by heaven as the legal basis by which we regulate Covenant relations between God and Humanity. Jesus intervened to restore peace between two parties (Yahweh and Humanity), and by His sacrifice on and through the cross, created a compact which was ratified as covenant when the Father resurrected Jesus from the dead. Jesus is the ONLY one through which this works, Jesus did it all and we are not required to be righteous on our own merit because in and through Jesus we already are by Grace and Mercy. This is a much better covenant full of better promises for a better time. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) and in Jesus we have access to all those things (John 10:10; 1 Corinthians 2:16; 1 Peter 2:4 & John 3:13). It is a BETTER thing.

The whole point of the Law (Old Covenant) was to correct the behaviour of humanity. To show them that they were unable to hack it on their own. Their actions would NEVER be enough. Their efforts would NEVER be enough. Their brainpower would NEVER be enough. They were UNABLE to be righteous on their own because if they failed even ONCE on even ONE POINT either in action, word, or thought, they would be guilty of the whole thing (James 2:10). To illustrate this the Law was given. And Yahweh was merciful and allowed the sacrifice and offering of BLOOD under exacting circumstance to temporarily cover the sin humanity was engaging in by NOT being righteous. The whole point of this was so that when Messiah came they would recognise Him and see that He was paying the payment they couldn’t because He was righteous where they were not and QUALIFIED to pay the price of sin (Genesis 2:16-17).

When Jesus paid that price, He paid the price for ALL of sin for ALL of time. Sacrifices and blood offerings were no longer needed. It was paid for. We were redeemed. The conditions that the Law set out to determine righteousness were fulfilled. Therefore, the Law was complete in Jesus. Jesus Himself counteracts the effectiveness of the Law. Jesus Himself invalidates the Law by fulfilling it. In HIM we can be made complete because He puts us into Himself and into HIS righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). He became what we were so that we could become what He is – NOT BY OUR EFFORTS, but by Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). A gift of love and not law (John 3:16-18). Since we cannot keep the Law in perfection throughout our whole lives (a requirement to fulfil it and become righteous) and we CAN enter into Jesus and become what He is by trusting in His Grace, Jesus’ covenant is better. It’s a better deal. It’s a SUPERIOR covenant.

Who wants to deal with all the rules? All the restrictions we have to put on ourselves? Making sure we have all the times and dates and verses and sayings and not doing this and making sure we do that stuff of the Law? It doesn’t make for a bad life, but it makes for an extremely complex one. In the New Covenant we only have two things to concern ourselves with. First, do we know who we are in Jesus? Second, do we trust that Jesus will take care of us? That is it. Every misstep by a believer in the New Covenant comes down to not trusting in Jesus or forgetting who we are in Jesus. Why would we choose to sin when we are the righteousness of God and KNOW IT? Why throw that away? Struggling? Fighting against something? Why not choose to trust that Jesus knows what to do, Jesus has a solution, and if we do what He says we will be fine? Everything can be categorised like that.

When we do things with Adonai NOTHING is impossible. We have free will. We don’t HAVE to do it. But Adonai is looking for people to work with. Don’t get me wrong, He doesn’t ‘need’ us. Jesus told the Pharisees that if the people didn’t sing praises to Adonai, Adonai would raise up rocks to do it (Luke 19:40). What Adonai wants WILL happen. It’s a question of us and our free will. Will we choose to co-operate with Him or not? To co-operate with Him we have to do it His way. We have to do the things He wants. We have to submit to Him with all that we have. We have to wait on Him and obey. Period. No excuses or half measures. We have to CHOOSE that frame of mind. Otherwise we bind ourselves from the blessing He wants to give us. The blessing inherent in obedience. We bind Him from Blessing us because He blessings His OBEDIENT children. Whereas if we obey and submit to Him, we loose ourselves to be where He wants us. We loose ourselves into the freedom of obedience to our King. We loose Him to release blessing because we have qualified for the conditions He placed on blessing by using what He gave us to accomplish what He asked: using the Grace so that we can come to Him and using the trust He gives so that we can believe Him. He does it ALL and all WE have to do is co-operate. Not as an equal partner, but as a young child with it’s Father. With HIM all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

It is all in Jesus and about Jesus. In fact, it is Jesus’ Covenant with the Father. Jesus fulfilled the Law. Jesus paid for sin. Jesus was resurrected to life by the Father. It is Jesus’ Covenant. By Grace, through Trust in His promises, and because of the Mercy of Adonai, WE can become part of this covenant. Jesus is a priest in the Order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was NOT a priest of the Law. He existed pre-Law. He was a priest of the Most High God. “After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) He blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth. Worthy of praise is the Most High God, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:17-20). He was a king. He was a priest of Most High God (Yahweh). He brought Communion. He accepted tithes on behalf of Yahweh. He blessed. This was all BEFORE the Law. It was different from the Law. It was the same KIND of priesthood that Jesus has, except Jesus’ priesthood is eternal.

This makes Jesus superior to priests of the Law in that He is operating from a BETTER Covenant. He is a priest in an order that is superior (a KING instead of a MAN). As Matthew Henry says in his commentary, the Old Covenant is about as useful in the Age of the New Covenant as candles once the sun rises. The biggest difference is that it requires NOTHING except what it gives us through GRACE (Hebrews 9:15). Without Jesus, we cannot inhabit it (2 Peter 1:3). Without Jesus, we cannot fulfil it (John 15:5). Without Jesus, it cannot be fulfilled (Romans 7:18). Without Jesus, there is nothing productive or anything except useless toil (John 10:10). WITH Jesus, it is productive, fertile, full of the works He sets before us after empowering us to achieve them (Ephesians 2:10). He enables us to love Him by loving us first (1 John 4:19).

As we engage that love, we will obey Him. We will submit to Him. Not because of rules, but because we love Him. We will start to walk in the help and progress and holiness that are part of the Covenant. We will get to start being like Jesus is because we will be like He was when He was here combined with who He is now in heaven. We enter into this Covenant through baptism and Communion. The water symbolising our rebirth into Him and the sustenance that we need to thrive in this New Kingdom. “But God, being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved!—and he raised us up together with him and seated us together with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we can do them” (Ephesians 2:4-10).

Since the promises are better, there is no sense in trying to tie ourselves to the old ones. It is better to walk in the freedom to obey, the mercy to take part, and the grace to succeed that Jesus embodies. He IS the vine, the way, the truth, the life, the healer, the redeemer, the King, the overcomer, the mediator, the Name Above Names, the Conqueror, and the Messiah. We walk in HIS Covenant, so there is NO REASON to expect OUR results. We can expect HIS results. HIS victories. HIS miracles. HIS wonders. HIS everything. If you submit and obey just like He did, you will get to live the kind of life He did: abundantly in ALL ways – body, soul, spirit. TRUE prosperity. The opposite of all the poverty of the kingdom of darkness: physically, emotionally, financially, mentally, soulishly, and spiritually. Embrace the Covenant Jesus offers to us and walk in Him to the best life HE can imagine for you!

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Isaiah 11:10

“At that time a root from Jesse will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, and his residence will be majestic.” Messiah would be so special and so noteworthy in character, demeanour, and ministry that the Gentiles would seek Him. Messiah wouldn’t be looking for them, but they would seek Him out regardless. And they did. “So the crowd who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were continuing to testify about it. Because they had heard that Jesus had performed this miraculous sign, the crowd went out to meet him. Thus the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you can do nothing. Look, the world has run off after him!” Now some Greeks were among those who had gone up to worship at the feast. So these approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew, and they both went and told Jesus. Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:17-21). There was also the woman with the possessed daughter who sought Jesus out. “After going out from there, Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that area came and cried out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horribly demon-possessed!” But he did not answer her a word. Then his disciples came and begged him, “Send her away because she keeps on crying out after us.”” (Matthew 15:21-23). And what about the Centurion whose faith Jesus marvelled at? “When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him asking for help,” (Matthew 8:5). The Gentiles sought out Jesus. Again and again. Jesus IS the Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b