Eternal Covenant

Hebrews 13:18-21 - Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.


Genesis 17:7 - And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

Isaiah 55:3 - Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Ezekiel 37:24,26 - “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes...I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore.

John 10:11,14-15 - I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Jeremiah 31:31-32 - “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.

Ezekiel 34:11,23 - “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out…And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.

Application:

· What Jeremiah describes as the new covenant he describes as everlasting
· God’s covenant is everlasting from His standpoint, but capable of being broken from my standpoint
· David had been promised an unending dynasty, one that would culminate in the Messiah
· Everlasting covenants were established with Noah, Abraham David and me
· A shepherd might risk danger but expect to live. Jesus said the good Shepherd will die for His sheep
· The new covenant is celebrated by the blood of Christ
· The Lord committed Himself to shepherd His flock
· A ruler like David and from his line will tender His flock
· The coming ruler is like a shepherd who cares for His flock
· The Shepherd and His sheep have deep mutual knowledge, like that of the Father and the Son,

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

A Building From God, An Eternal House In Heaven

2 Corinthians 5:1-8 - For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.


2 Corinthians 4:18 - So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

1 Corinthians 13:12 - For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Application:

· The experiences and circumstances of the present life, often painful and perplexing, are what is visible. They are temporary and fleeting.

· When I die, though my physical body will be buried here on earth, I expect that I will go immediately into the presence of Christ, and will be present with Christ until the day of resurrection

· When the Lord returns, I will fully know Him, similar to the way the Lord knows me

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Eternal Purpose

Ephesians 3:10-11 - His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 1:7-12 - In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

Application:

· Is Christ head over me?
· Do I have a meaningful future destiny (in relationship to Christ)?
· Do I look forward to the time when everything is under the headship of Chirst?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Take Hold Of The Eternal Life

1 Timothy 6:12-16 - Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

1 Timothy 4:16 - Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

John 18:36 - Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

Conclusions:

• Timothy had possessed eternal life since he had first been saved, but Paul urges him to claim its benefits in greater fullness
• When you made your good confession is probably a reference to Timothy’s confession of faith at his baptism during Paul’s first missionary journey
• God alone saves, but Christians can be God’s instruments to bring about the salvation of others
• Salvation is both an event and a process
• We are saved at the time of conversion but are still being saved in the sense of being made more conformed to Christ’s image
• Jesus agrees that He has a kingdom, but asserts that it is not the kind of kingdom that has soldiers to fight for it
• Jesus’ kingdom was not built, nor is it maintained, by military might

Application:

• Are you fighting the good fight of the faith?
• Are you God's instrument to bring about the salvation of others?
• Are you in Jesus' kingdom?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Has GIven Us Eternal Life

1 John 5:7-11 - For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

John 3:14-15, 33, 36 - Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life…The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful…Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

John 1:4 - In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

Conclusions:

• When anyone accepts Christ’s testimony, he accepts the truth that Jesus came from heaven and that God was acting in Him for the world’s salvation
• He thereby certifies that God is truthful
• Life is one of the great concepts of John’s Gospel
• Life is found 36 times in John, while no other New Testament book uses it more than 17 times
• Life is Christ’s gift, and He, in fact, is the life
• John’s Gospel also links light with Christ, from whom comes all spiritual illumination
• Christ is the light of the world, who holds out wonderful hope for man
• The stark contrast between light and darkness is a striking theme in John’s Gospel
• Eternal life is an infinitely high quality of life in living fellowship with God—both now and forever
• Eternal life is a present possession, not something the believer will only obtain later
• God’s wrath is a strong expression, meaning that God is actively opposed to everything evil
• A sinner cannot expect God’s wrath to eventually fade away
• God’s opposition to evil is both total and permanent

Application:

• Do you accept Christ's testimony?
• Do you see Christ as the light of the world?
• Do you have eternal life?
• Do you see eternal life as a present possession?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Word Of Life

1 John 1:1-3 - That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

John 1:1-2,4 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning…In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

John 11:25-26 - Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

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

1 Timothy 3:16 - Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

Conclusions:

• Fellowship is the spiritual union of the believer with Christ—as described in the figures of the vine and branches and the body and the head—as well as communion with the Father and with fellow believers
• The Word was distinct from the Father
• Jesus was God in the fullest sense
• Christ is the light of the world, who holds out wonderful hope for man
• Jesus not only is life but conveys life to the believer so that death will never triumph over Him
• Jesus is the way to God
• Jesus is not one way among many, but the way
• In the early church, Christianity was sometimes called the Way
• The Holy Spirit enabled Jesus to drive out demons and perform miracles
• Most importantly, the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead and thereby vindicated Him, showing that He was indeed the Son of God
• Christ was seen by angels at His resurrection and ascension

Application:

• Are you in spiritual union with Christ?
• Is God's Word meaningful to you?
• Is Christ your hope?
• Does Jesus convey life to you?
• Do you see Jesus as the only way?
• Does Jesus Christ produce piety in you?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible