Outpacing God's Covenant
If we are not careful and patient enough, we will outpace God’s covenant which leads to misunderstanding and misrepresenting what the Bible says. The Israelites and Jesus' disciples eagerly anticipated the kingdom of the coming Messiah. However they were not paying attention to the process set out in the covenant that God had spoken through the prophets. Their expectation was to experience the new Jerusalem and the coming kingdom of God.
After Jesus fed the five thousand, the people wanted to make him king by force in John 6:15. “The chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him” (Matthew 27:41-42). Before Christ ascended, the disciples wondered if Jesus was now going to “restore the kingdom” in Acts 1:6. If we do not understand where we are in the process of the covenant, we will not know what we are to do.
So how do we maintain a tempered expectation while being motivated to live for the gospel of Jesus? We must know that the new covenant, although expected, is not complete. The writer of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34 in his letter to the believing Hebrews (Hebrews 8:8-12). Within this prediction of the new covenant, there will be no need for humanity to teach others about God “for they will know him” (v.11). If we think the new covenant is complete, we assume that people know God and ignore the command of Jesus for believers to share the gospel and teach all that Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).
Take steps to keep God’s word in front of you daily so that you may deepen your expectation of God with the understanding of God’s word.
After Jesus fed the five thousand, the people wanted to make him king by force in John 6:15. “The chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him” (Matthew 27:41-42). Before Christ ascended, the disciples wondered if Jesus was now going to “restore the kingdom” in Acts 1:6. If we do not understand where we are in the process of the covenant, we will not know what we are to do.
So how do we maintain a tempered expectation while being motivated to live for the gospel of Jesus? We must know that the new covenant, although expected, is not complete. The writer of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34 in his letter to the believing Hebrews (Hebrews 8:8-12). Within this prediction of the new covenant, there will be no need for humanity to teach others about God “for they will know him” (v.11). If we think the new covenant is complete, we assume that people know God and ignore the command of Jesus for believers to share the gospel and teach all that Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).
Take steps to keep God’s word in front of you daily so that you may deepen your expectation of God with the understanding of God’s word.
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