24th of September, 2023 

THEME: UNDERSTANDING FAITH
LESSON: Five 
TEXT:  Heb 8:1-6, Gen 15:18-21, Gen 18:2-6, Exodus 6:1-6, 14:9-6, Joshua 6:2 
MEMORY TRACK 

In our last lesson, we learnt that we cannot access any of God’s blessings without faith. Faith is generated when we hear, attend, incline, and put in our heart things we have heard, for the promises of God to be actualized. Faith is generated by careful, consistent, and purposeful reading, studying and meditation on the word of God.  

UNDERSTANDING THE COVENANT 

The Lord led Abraham until he established His covenant with him. This covenant has two dimensions – the physical and the spiritual dimension. The physical dimension includes the given of Cannan land as inheritance to his seed (Gen 15:18-21) and the spiritual dimension includes God been their God and they become the people of God. The seed of Abraham needs a physical conducive environment which should be at per with the covenant for both sides of the covenant to be fulfilled. 

God’s dealing with the Israelites (Exodus 6:8; 33:1-3; 1Kings 13:23) 

God dealt with the Israelites basically on the covenant He made with their fathers. Deliverance from Pharaoh; the wilderness experience; the tabernacle; the law etc., were done because of the covenant He made with their fathers. You will notice that God seemed to be bound to His covenant with the Israelites, even when they went a-whoring from God. God is a covenant keeping God. 

A NEW COVENANT ESTABLISHED UPON BETTER PROMISES (Heb 8:6) 

The God did not just make covenant with Jesus Christ. The actual covenant of God is Jesus Christ and God did this for the Church. The end of this covenant is life starting from milk to strong meat of God’s word.  

All the promises and privileges of the covenant are based on what Jesus did for the Church (Col 1:18; Eph 1:19-23). So, we must understand that Faith is based on what God accomplished in Jesus for the Church. Our faith is not meant to begin another work that was not done in Jesus. Jesus has died for our sins; He won’t die again. Jesus has healed us; He is not coming to do that again.  

It is good to state that God want us to enjoy both the spiritual and the physical promises in the New Testament. This is the basis of our faith. We are called to believe what is contained in the covenant and inherit the promises.  

It should be noted that the new covenant is highly spiritual and it spans beyond this present age. God in His wisdom ordained that all the promises contained in the covenant should be received in the days of our flesh. So, God in enacting the covenant ensured that the covenant also makes provision for our earthly expressions. 

YOU ARE A BELIEVER (Acts 5:14 compare Acts 2:41,11:26) 

You are essentially a spirit, with a soul and living in a body (1Thess 5:23). Our spirit is a complete believer, our soul believed, and we were quickened in our spirit (2Cor 5:17; Eph 2:1-2). Meaning the gene to believe is in us. We are called believers because we can believe God. The inability to believe is hinged on our ignorance. The more we are taught the word of God, the more that potential is unlocked (Rom 10:17). 

WE ARE IN HIM; HE IS IN US (1Cor 12:12-13; Col 2:10-15) 

One of the understandings that must dawn on us is that we are not a new creature roaming up and down without an abode. Our actual dwelling is Christ. We are in Christ and Christ is in us. Even at New birth, our spirit was born and baptized into Christ regardless of our natural identity. All that God promised is in Him, our rising and waking is in Him and our life on earth here is ordained to be in him. 

ALL THE PROMISES OF GOD ARE IN HIM YEA AND AMEN (2Cor 1:19-20; Col 2:9) 

The old covenant was made for God’s people in the flesh and the promises are more pronounced in the flesh and little was done to their spirit and soul. On the contrary, the new covenant touches all the tripartite being of man.

Jesus is an embodiment of promises of God both for this present age and in that which is to come. The promises of God both in the Old and New Testament are fulfilled in Him for the Church.  

  • The promise of forgiveness of sins and its effect (Ephesians 1:7, Col 1:14, 2:13) 
  • The promise of healing (Isaiah 53:5, Mathew 8:16, Act 10:38, 1Peter 2:24) 
  • The promise of deliverance from curses (Gal. 3:13-14, Eph. 1:3) 
  • The promise of provision (Philippians 4:19, Mathew 6:30-33 10:29-31) 
  • The promise of victory over evil spirits and all the powers of the enemy. (Col. 1:13, Luke 10:19-21)
  • The promise of peace (John 14:27, Act 10:36-38). 

This is to mention but a few. God will not do all of these for us because of us, rather He will do all these because of His Son Jesus Christ. For Jesus has made us worthy by his blood. 

CONCLUSION: ALL HAS BEEN PAID FOR 

All what God promised in the Old Testament was fulfilled in Christ Jesus. And God is more than willing to make us enjoy the environment that the name and person of Jesus bestows on us to finish the race with Joy.