2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!

5 Covenants of the Old Testament

with NOAH (Genesis 9:8-16), with ABRAHAM (Genesis 12:1–3), with MOSES (Exodus 24:7-9), with DAVID (2 Chronicles 7:17-22),  & in PROPHECY of the NEW COVENANT (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

What is the difference between OLD = Good for always OR OLD = built-in obsolescence

Do you have OLD things that will always be useful? Do you have OLD  things that don’t do you any good anymore? In what ways were the OLD Covenants OLD (read Hebrews 8:1-13)?

THE NEW COVENANT IN CHRIST Luke 22:20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Synonyms for Covenant: contract, agreement, deal, treaty, promise, pledge, commitment, vow

What is your role in the New Covenant? (1 Corinthians 11:25-31/Hebrews 13:20-21)

What do you receive?    

Promise of internalizing rules (“I will put my laws in their minds

    and write them on their hearts.”)

Promise of personal relationship (“I will be their God,

    and they will be my people.”)

Promise of intimate knowledge (“they will all know me,

    from the least of them to the greatest.”)

Promise of unsurpassed grace (“For I will forgive their wickedness

    and will remember their sins no more.”)

Are you committed to live in covenant with God?

Additional research sites

  https://www.olivetree.com/blog/discover-5-covenants-bible/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenant_(biblical)

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!

“The expressions “in Christ,” “in the Lord,” and “in him” occur 164 times in the letters of Paul alone, and are indispensable to an understanding of the New Testament. To be “in Christ” does not mean to be inside Christ, as tools are in a box or our clothes in a closet, but to be organically united to Christ, as a limb is in the body or a branch is in the tree. It is this personal relationship with Christ that is the distinctive mark of his authentic followers.” - John R.W. Stott

Old Command/New Pattern of love

John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Would the disciples consider this a “new”command? How did the life of Jesus model what love should look like?

1 John 2:7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

What spiritual truths become “new” again when we learn and apply them to our own lives? Has prayer, giving, serving, fellowship, or worship ever been a “new” experience even though you have done it before?

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

The old(est) sacrifice was thankfully provided for Abraham.

Genesis 22:2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

God’s relationship with Abraham is built on sacrifice. Relationships require our commitment and there would be no greater commitment for Abraham than his son. How does this moment reflect the relationship God seeks from us? (read Genesis 22:1-18)

The last sacrifice was thankfully provided for you.

Hebrews 10:10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

God’s relationship with us is built on sacrifice. The “new” sacrifice was what God did for us. How did this make our relationship new rather than the old system of animal sacrifice? (read Hebrews 10:1-18)

Our sacrifice is living and loving in how we provide for others.

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Our sacrifice is joined with Christ as an act of love, commitment, and trust. Like Abraham we trust God will provide, like Jesus we trust in God’s power to overcome, and with the Spirit we trust God’s direction. Sacrifice is still a part of your relationship with God – it a NEW sacrifice  which serves others with the love of God. (read Romans 12:1-21)

RE-VIVAL

Ephesians 5:14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is.

A Revival Meeting consists of several consecutive nights of worship and preaching services for the purpose of sharing the Gospel with a goal of making commitments or re-commitments to Christ.

To be revived is to restore to life, to give new strength, or bring back to life.

“God wants you to have a revival.”  (Do we pursue that as a noun or verb?)

Words can change emphasis depending if they are a noun or verb:

REfill      reFILL / REfund  reFUND / REpeat   rePEAT

7 Steps to Revival (taken from Word of Life Ministries)

• 1.      Admit the POSSIBLITY     (Psalm 85:1-3)
• 2.      Recognize the SOURCE   (Psalm 85:4)
• 3.      Confess our NEED            (Psalm 85:5-7)
• 4.      Employ the MEANS         (Psalm 85:8)
• 5.      Provide the CHANNELS (Psalm 85:9)
• 6.      Remove the OBSTACLES (Psalm 85:10)
• 7.      Enjoy the RESULTS          (Psalm 85:11-13)

Revival (like LOVE) must be a verb not just a noun, an action in our relationships not just an event of our religion.

FOR EXTRA NOTES/SERMON WORK

Psalm 85:6

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?

Hosea 6:1-3

6:1 “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. 3 Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”

https://www.businessenglishresources.com/learn-english-for-business/teachers-section/mini-lessons/pronunciation-lessons-pronunciation-changes-in-words-that-are-both-nouns-and-verbs/

https://www.wordsoflife.co.uk/bible-studies/study-7-seven-steps-to-revival/

Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

REDEEMED

Before God “re-deems” us, God must have “deemed” us worthy of value.

Before we “re”, we must ask what we seek. (*Repeat, Request, and Appetite)

Psalm 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

In your creation, you are DEEMED worthy of His love! How often has someone affirmed your worth and value to them? How can you encourage someone this week?

Sin separates(ed) us from God and His love.

Ephesians 2:12 Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

 All “RE”-demption has a cost.

In 2019 RePlanet, California’s largest recycling company, shut down due to the rising cost of the redemption of recyclable material.  A 2020 Chuck E. Cheese files a motion in bankruptcy court to shred 7 billion tickets – due to the possibility of their future redemption.

1 Peter 1: 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

We can come to know our “REDEEMER” in Jesus Christ!

Job 19:25 I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

Do you know your Redeemer?

 Sermon research

http://www.loverinserepeat.com/blog/2016/2/16/we-are-indeed-worthy

https://www.marketplace.org/2020/09/17/why-chuck-e-cheese-wants-7-billion-prize-tickets-shredded/

Mark 1:14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

RE – “do something again, afresh, anew”

Examples: Rematch, restart, rethink, resolve, reassure

Reignite: Wednesday Youth Program – 6^th-8^th grade 6:30pm , 9^th-12^th grade 7:15pm

Small group questions for this series are developed for use at Reignite each week – they are available at the featured ministry table or online.

Re (do again) pent (to be sorry):  for Jews living at the time of Jesus, "repentance" meant "a fundamental change in thinking and living."

What are the results of repeated repenting?

• 1.      Recognize that God’s Grace triumphs over our guilt
• 2.      Rejoice that Christ’s sacrifice wipes out our sin
• 3.      Respond with heart and mind changed by Holy Spirit

“I think that one of the greatest dangers for the cause of Christ today is that we Evangelicals will not understand our need for genuine repentance: repentance, not about what we aren't, but about what we are...” – Dallas Willard

You'll find yourself repeating the 12 Steps of AA over and over again as a means of safeguarding your sobriety. No, the 12 Steps of AA are not a cure for your addiction – they are guiding principles is that allow you to restore sobriety, sanity, and serenity to your life. – Ashwood Recovery

Additional websites for study:

http://www.sentinelforchrist.com/blo/what-christian-repentance-why-its-improtant

http://www.liturgybytlw.com/Lent/Discipln.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metanoia_(theology)

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Re-Read 1 Corinthians 13 – Share one learning, thought, or reflection from the last 7 weeks.

There are 4 verses with “faith”, “hope” and “love” – 1 Corinthians 13:13, Colossians 1:5, 1 Thessalonians 1:3, and 1 Thessalonians 5:8.

1 Thessalonians 1:2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

What do faith, hope, and love produce according to this verse? What have they produced in your life?

Three Bible references and definitions:

FAITH: Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

HOPE: Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

LOVE: 1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

Starting NEXT WEEK: (RE) sermon and small group series through April 4th

INTRODUCE yourself and then READ 1 Cor. 13:10-11.

¹⁰ ... but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

When we were children, we behaved quite differently than we do now (I hope!!!). What is something you did, believed, or would say when you were a child, which you've since grown out of? Share as you're willing.

agape (love): upbuilding, patient, kind, does not envy, boast, and isn't proud, doesn't dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth

teleios: complete, mature, lacking nothing, perfect, brought to its end, finished, consummate human integrity and virtue

Now READ some of the following scriptures, paying attention to any mention of the words "mature, complete, perfect," etc.

• Matthew 5:43-48
• 1 Corinthians 14:20
• Ephesians 4:11-13
• Colossians 1:28-29
• Colossians 3:12-14
• I John 4:12; 16-21

In Matt. 5:48, Jesus instructs us to "be perfect." What does he mean by "perfect?"

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What is agape love leading me away from doing/saying/behaving?

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Think of your closest relationships. In what ways have you intentionally cared for them in the past week? What is one action, conversation, or behavior you could begin to love and build these up?

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Think of those people who can't (or won't) re-pay you with love. Who are they? If you can't think of anyone, it either means your circle may need to get a little wider, or you are that person. How does God want to show His love to them through you?

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Read 1 Corinthians 13:7 and introduce yourself and share which action of LOVE speaks to your spirit at this moment. Any reason why (there doesn’t have to be).

1 Corinthians 13:7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

LOVE commits to an eternal perspective

Pursuing LOVE is a challenge. Did Peter love Jesus? (Matthew 16:21-23) Peter wanted to protect Him in the moment - but Jesus had a far bigger plan.

Sanctity of Life is a powerful phrase – and a challenging reality.  Life IS sacred, holy, precious, and the gift of God. How do you best express your commitment to this reality?

LOVE outlasts prophecy, tongues, & knowledge

Paul does not want us “uninformed” about the gifts of the Spirit (I Cor. 12:1) but returns to these 3 as secondary to the grace of the Spirit. When you read 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 what “part of the body” do you best connect with?

LOVING a perfect God requires a humility to admit our current limitations

Matthew 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Jesus teaches a goal that requires us to learn grace.

1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

How does Paul balance God’s goodness and his own failures?

How do you?

Opening Question (in 2 parts): Name somewhere (or someone) you try to avoid. Describe the last time you “rejoiced”.

1 Corinthians 13:6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Further scripture reading: Galatians 5:19-24 – Acts of sinful nature vs. Fruit of the Spirit

EVIL                                                    TRUTH

Sinfulness                                          Holiness
Ignorance                                          Intellect

Apathy                                               Care

Attack                                                Protect

Wastefulness                                    Stewardship

Hard-hearted                                    Grace

What else would you add to this list?

The better we understand a Godly love, the more we will sorrow when evil is present. The more we rejoice with the Truth, the better we can show Christ’s love those around us.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Thursday and Friday Pastor’s Bible study at 10am. In person and on ZOOM (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5740622086 or 1 646 876 9923 either with Meeting ID 574 062 2086)

LOVE review:

1. Love is the purpose to your actions and the most excellent way.

2. Love IS patient and kind.

Have you read 1 Corinthians 13 this week? Is LOVE motivating everything you do?

1 Corinthians 13:5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

What Love IS NOT – is also a critical understanding for believers. These behaviors are the ways to show BIBLICAL LOVE (not just have a "feeling")

The fact that Paul has to teach them were clear signs for Paul that believers had missed the message of Christ.

LOVE requires us to develop and practice respect, selflessness, calmness, & a forgiving spirit.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

4 Questions to answer to develop LOVE this week:

How will I give respect this week?

How will I serve others this week?

How will I stay calm this week?

How will I forgive this week?

1 Corinthians 13:4   (Love)

Transition from Gifts to Love    to  See Unity        to    Pride vs. Humility

Love is a process.

1st John 4:7-8              God is love.  God is agape.    

1st John 4:9-10:            We might live through Him.   

Are we a ____________________ or a reservoir?

In the Apostle Paul’s definition of love, why is the first descriptor “patient”? 

Love is patient.  ________________and love are   incompatible.

To love like Jesus, we should strive to be:

 Completely _______________________________

 Purposefully ______________________________

 Others __________________________________

Love is kind.  It is actively engaged in doing good to others.  Love is a ______________, not a noun.

Kindness is _______________ to the soul.

1 Corinthians 12:31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

1. Developing priorities is a powerful tool.

What do you desire in 2021? What is under your control?

Write out your list:

Following Christ is a change of priorities (Matthew 6:33).

2. Developing a passion is a powerful tool.

What are you currently passionate about?

Write out your list:

Sin sabotages our passion. (Matthew 24:12)

3. Discovering your purpose aligns both our priority and passions.

Where is your “most excellent way”?

January 3-February 14

Read, memorize, & study 1 Corinthians 13

Small Group Opening Question: What are you afraid of?

1. The Shepherd’s response: Luke 2:8 &9, 15-17

•         Shepherds knew the purpose of protection. When we face the unknown we are naturally afraid.

               What might you really be afraid of in this season?

•         Shepherds watched a flock and worked together. The invitation to courage and the cradle was to the whole group (“shepherds”, “to them”, “said to one another”).

               Have you ever responded to an invitation because others were going?

•         Having found the affirmation of the invitation, the shepherds shared the information with the Bethlehem congregation.

2. Then Angel’s response: Luke 2:10-14

•         Consolation from fear preceded the invitation to faith.

               How can we empathize with our neighbor as a first step to evangelize them?

•         The angels acclamation gave motivation to pursue the invitation to the Christ child.

               Worship is rightly the Lord’s, it also draws others to our Lord.

O Lord, give me courage in my fears that I may hear and share the invitation to follow You. In Christ I pray, Amen.

Responding when we are scared is vaccination to our passivity!

Your faith CAN overcome your fear! RSVP!