EVERYTHING YOU NEED

Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you. As for me, I will stay in Mizpah to represent you before the Chaldeans who come to us. As for you, gather wine grapes, summer fruit, and oil, place them in your storage jars, and live in the cities you have taken.” vs9-10

Everything that we need to live is in the new covenant - all life, hope, and peace. We have power over sin, rather than leaning on the vain arm of the flesh, and we are helped by God, dependent on Him, and He is with us. Do not leave the new covenant for any reason.

First, I’ve wasted years of my life. God taught me the new covenant as a young man, principally through the writings of William Huntington, and the preaching of believers who were not under the law. Yet, licentiousness from others and self-deception set in, so I strove in the flesh and cast off the good. I chose the way of man’s glory and human strength, until I realized the fire was hot by REPEATEDLY burning my hand. Thus, God has ingrained it in me that there is no hope or strength but in the new covenant!

We must be complete in Christ, so the Spirit can work mightily, like in Samson. We must rest in His love, so He can work in us, and He will!

“Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of His love, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” [Eph 3:17-19]

Nothing is lacking in the new covenant - not righteousness or good works. I’ve never been more excited about Christian living and being humble.

Secondly, the new covenant gives glory to God. It is His due! It is not ours to glorify ourselves, because we’ve done nothing! We are sinners whom God’s chosen, and we are not more righteous by our works. We are justified by faith, and we’ll never have any additional righteousness before God [Rom 5:1].

We must not, therefore, read our Bibles or do duties THINKING THAT WE’RE BETTER, or we’ll stink like the Pharisees.

"Better is the sin which humbles me, than that duty which makes me proud."

• Thomas Boston

Boston would rather know he was wrong and repent in dust and ashes, than think himself better than others, which keeps us from Christ, takes away peace, and causes us to be fake, so there’s no humility or compassion, but a vain show in the flesh.

Thirdly, do not fear what people say to you! They will try to take this new covenant away, because they don’t know the peace. They will pull you down, if you let them, but you must remain steadfast. There’s no other hope and no other way!

There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel

that can prevail against the LORD. [Prov 21:30]

I’d rather be persecuted, resting in Christ and bearing fruit, than move one inch out of the good way for the praise of men and God’s DISAPPROVAL!

“Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” [Gal 1:10]

It’s not worth it! You’ll come down, the Spirit will depart, and God will show you what you really are - weak, helpless, frail, nothing… a nobody without power or strength who can do nothing but fail.

God works in power by the Spirit through dependence on Christ, emptiness in self, and reliance on God. Believe, and you will be established. Look to yourself, and you will fall!

This is what the LORD says:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind,

who makes the flesh his strength

and turns his heart from the LORD. [Jer 17:5]

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence is in Him.” [Jer 17:7]