I
spent a good part of Monday at an auto dealership having a fairly major repair
done on my vehicle. Other than the inconvenience, the repair cost me nothing
because the vehicle was under warranty. A warranty is...
“a written guarantee given to the purchaser of a new appliance, automobile, or other item by the
manufacturer or dealer, usually specifying that the manufacturer will make any repairs or replace defective parts free of charge for a stated period of time."
With a warranty I don’t have to be anxious about having to pay and I have
the assurance that what is covered will be taken care of properly by the
company that offers it. Of course, when the warranty time period runs out… I
will be stuck having to pay in full for any needed repairs. Car companies do
not make endless warranties. Software companies do not offer support forever on
their products, as users of Windows XP have found out. Not only can human
agencies, businesses, and individuals not
make products that last forever, they also can not provide assurance for the customer that lasts forever.
How
different it is with God. He has not offered warranties to the world, but what
He has offered is His Covenant, and it is so much different: so much better and
reliable than any human warranty. God’s covenant love abides forever and it is
perfectly expressed through His Son, Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus is the
communicator and the mediator of the New Covenant love of God. This covenant is
the full and complete expression of what God entered with Israel, now offered
to all through the blood of Christ. Not only did God make this covenant with
all who would trust Jesus Christ by faith: He covered all the costs for it as
well. And this covenant has no expiration date. It never expires. It is
eternal. And we who are the beneficiaries of God’s eternal covenant love are
secure in Him. On the cross Jesus paid the entirety of our obligation to God,
so all that we receive from God is free (to us). There are no payments we can
make. Jesus has paid. All we can do is enjoy the benefits and love Him.
Only God’s
covenant given to us in Christ is eternal. Every earthly pursuit and all that
we may accumulate will wear out, rust, fall apart, or come to an end. It cannot
be guaranteed forever. It cannot even be guaranteed tomorrow, for we do not
know what a day will bring forth. The earth’s turmoil – earthquakes, tornadoes,
volcanos, storms, floods, etc. – overcomes human strength and ingenuity all the
time. Human war, crime, and vandalism wreak havoc and destruction on things
which should be given an opportunity to last. Only God’s grace is guaranteed.
Only God’s covenant is unbreakable and unshakeable. And He offers it to us
freely, fully, and forever. What a generous God He is!
Jeremiah 31:31-33 (NIV) 31 "The time is coming," declares
the LORD, "when I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It
will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by
the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I
was a husband to them," declares the LORD.
33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of
Israel after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be
their God, and they will be my people.
Matthew
26:28 (NIV) 28 This
is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness
of sins.
Hebrews 9:13-15 (NIV) 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes
of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so
that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished
to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may
serve the living God! 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator
of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal
inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins
committed under the first covenant.
Romans
8:38-39 (NIV) 38 For I am convinced that
neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the
future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
PRAYER: Father, thank you
for your grace, and the assurance of your covenant love for me in your Son,
Jesus. Thank you that this covenant is unbreakable, unshakeable, and eternal. In
Jesus’ name, AMEN.”
Jesus Christ is Lord!
Scott
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