John 1:12-17 (NIV) 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. (Grace upon Grace NASB)17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
The Old Covenant
1. A Specific People
2. A Specific Purpose
3. A Specific time-period: Until it was fulfilled
Matthew 5:17-20 (NLT) 17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.
Hebrews 8:6-13(NLT) Now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said: (Jer 31:31-34) “The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the LORD. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.
A Better Covenant…
Hebrews 7:22 (NIV) Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
Forgiveness
“God requires righteousness…the law demanded righteousness Jesus fulfilled righteousness.”
Romans 5:2-5 (NIV) …We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
2 Kings 5:1-8, 9-14 (NLT) 1 The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the LORD had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy. 2 At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. 3 One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”
…
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.” 11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the LORD his God and heal me! 12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” 14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child’s, and he was healed!
From Hurt to Healed.
1. Admit you got issues
Romans 12:3 (NIV) 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
Self-preservation does the opposite of what it implies.
2. Talk to Somebody
“Sometimes the answer we seek are hidden inside the lives of those God has placed around us.”
“Naaman had to come clean if he was going to get clean.”
James 5:16 (NIV) Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
3. Humble yourself
Flip the switch from Haughty to Humble
Sometime the difficult thing is the necessary thing to position us for the healing thing.
1 Peter 5:5-6 (NIV) All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
4. Yield
Submission is proven by when we do what we don’t want to do.
Zechariah 4:6 (NIV) 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.
5. Take off your Armor.
If you continually justify your armor on you will never get healed.
The greatest expression of courage is vulnerability.
“When we declare the name of Jesus we speak his Identity…we start to discover ours.”
Matthew 1:20-23 (NLT) 20 An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
Immanuel: GOD IS WITH US.
Because He is Here is with us we have…
1. Residing Hope.
Hopelessness cannot exist in his presence.
Colossians 1:27 Christ in you the Hope of Glory.
Colossians 1:27(TPT) Living within you is the Christ who floods you with the expectation of glory! This mystery of Christ, embedded within us, becomes a heavenly treasure chest of hope filled with the riches of glory for his people, and God wants everyone to know it!
“The same hope that Mary carried now carries us.”
2. Sustaining Peace
Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end....
3. Everlasting Connection(between God and Man.)
Hebrews 8:10-11 I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already.
“The greatest gift Jesus could give you was his life. The greatest gift you can give him is yours.”
John 1:1-5 (NIV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5 (TPT) This Living Expression is the Light that bursts through gloom— the Light that darkness could not diminish!
Christ’s - Mass.
Christology
You cant be a True Christian without the True Christ.
John 1:1-14, 9-14 (NIV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
Pre-Existence
9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Incarnation: “the act of being made flesh.”
Hypostatic Union:
Jesus is both fully human and fully divine(God), that there is no mixture or dilution of either nature, forever
Virgin Birth:
Accounts for the circumvention (bypass) of the the sin nature and allowed the eternal God to become a perfect man.
“You are not defined, destroyed or distanced, by your temptations.”
Matthew 1:18-21 (NIV) 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
Jesus came on a rescue mission.
Jesus Savior, Deliverer
Christ Messiah, Anointed One.
Jesus brought heavens agenda.
“TO SAVE PEOPLE…FROM THEIR SIN”
Romans 3:23 (NIV) For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Hamartia, “missing the mark.”
Romans 3:22-25 (NLT) 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.
Luke 19:10 (NIV) For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
Jesus came seeking…
Seek-To seek after that which one desires.
“We don’t seek to find God, we seek him because God found us.”
...to Save the lost.
1. He’s the only one that could.
2. He’s the only one that would
Romans 5:6 (NIV) 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
3. He is the only one who did
Romans 5:17 (NIV) For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the only one who made a way.
Jesus Paid the Ransom
Matthew 20:28 (NLT) For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Deuteronomy 6:12 (NIV) Be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Joshua 3:15-16 (NLT) 15 It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, 16 the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam.
Joshua 4:1-10 (NLT) 1 When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. 3 Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’” 4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. 5 He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the LORD your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.” 8 So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the LORD had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there. 9 Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day. 10 The priests who were carrying the Ark stood in the middle of the river until all of the LORD’s commands that Moses had given to Joshua were carried out. Meanwhile, the people hurried across the riverbed.
The Ark of the Covenant/Testimony Hebrews 9:4-5
Covenant Reminders….
1. God Presence- Mercy Seat.
2. God Precepts- The Ten Commandments
3. Gods Provision- Jar of Manna
4. Gods Power- Aarons budded shepherds rod-
5. God’s Promotion- Monument.
Isaiah 46:8-9 (NIV) 8 "Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. 9 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me
Developing Healthy Markers…
1. Burn the bridges of regret
2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV) Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
“Regret will hold you in bondage to the past.”
“God is destroying the monuments of regret & shame replacing them with hope and victory.”
“If the past doesn’t inspire you to move forward its not a monument its an Idol.”
Monuments become idols when they hinder progress.
2. Don’t live in the “Good ol’ days”
Ecclesiastes 7:10 (NIV) Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions.
3. Develop your story.
1- Start today
2- Don’t bail in the process
3- Win some Battles
“Your investment in the struggle now will be your inspiration in the future.”
4- Celebrate little things.
5. Capture Moments
4. Share your story.
“The more you tell what God has done the less likely you are to forget it.”
Revelation 12:11 (NIV) They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…
1. Honors the past.
2. Gives courage in the present
3. Inspires hope for the future
Communion:
Luke 22:19 (NIV) He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”