12/06/2023 – Renewal Requires a Covenant
1 Corinthians 11: 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Renewal requires a new covenant. Before going to the cross, our savior establishes a new covenant. You must enter the covenant of Grace with God to experience the new birth in the Spirit of God. Everything eternal must begin with a covenant. Blessings without commitment will not lead to a new creation. Receiving a miracle from God does not necessarily ensure renewal. Many have received an answer to prayer, yet their lives never changed.
Christ fulfilled the old covenant and immediately began the new covenant of grace. God revealed a new covenant to Noah and his family- a covenant in God’s terms. It is a common covenant. This is not the conditional covenant we make that if God will give us what we want we will serve Him. This is our trust in the covenant God makes, with no pre-conditions from us. God said: I will not destroy my creation in the same manner ever again. He would not allow His creation to fall into a cycle of sin, but this new beginning would be the next step that brings the earth closer to God’s ultimate plan: the new heavens and the new earth. Mercy and judgment would both be renewed to purify the redeemed and destroy evil. There will be a perfect sacrifice, perfect judgment to create a perfect man.
As we prepare to enter a new year, let us work for renewal in our lives and in our ministry to God and others. Renewal begins in the covenant that our Lord established with His blood. Our faith and commitment to that covenant is the first step in the constant renewal the Lord has promised for us.