Come Together
In the Garden of Eden –
1. God created a perfect world.
2. Devil created the perfect plot of deception and demise.
3. Man was made in God’s image.
4. Man was fooled by the devil’s lies.
5. The result was that the perfect relationship between man and God was severed and separated themselves from one another.
6. Man was lost without a fellowship with Father God.
7. God searched for man and found him hiding from the presence and holiness of God (due to his sin).
8. Man was no longer holy, but God loved him so much that He provided a way to reestablish His relationship.
Well, how would God and man ever COME TOGETHER again?
The Bible tells us that God presented His “everlasting covenant” to man.
God often referred to this covenant by calling it, “My Covenant”. This covenant was a means of reuniting man with God.
Jeremiah 32:40
And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.
This first covenant relationship seemed to be a sure thing for man. God would once again have man near Him (just as He had planned it).
God had promised man something and He would never forget this first covenant.
The mandate for this covenant was given To Moses on Mt. Sinai. It was the Law of Moses that would provide man with the strict rules on holiness and righteousness.
God did this so that man would once again be holy and righteous. God and man would COME TOGETHER, again.
This was God’s plan of redeeming man.
Man had nothing to do with it. Man was only the recipient of this first covenant.
God wanted man to again trust and depend on Him only, and for him to stay in God’s presence. Forever.
This covenant came as a surprise to man. Man had no choice but to receive it.
He had to accept this covenant as an inheritance from the King of the Earth.
Unfortunately when we read the Old Testament, we can see how man failed with this covenant given to him.
Time and time again. No matter how hard God’s people tried to do what was righteous, man always failed the Lord.
Question: Have you ever felt like this before? That is – no matter how hard you try to do what is righteous, you just keep failing God. Time and time again?
Good friend - You are not alone.
There are many folks just like you who lived in the days of the Old Testament who tried to get it right but failed.
I’m talking about good people.
They are told that God loves them, but they just keep failing Him.
As an example, Abraham was a great and righteous man of God who was promised by God a child would be born to he and his wife, Sarah.
They grew very old and Abraham tried to keep the faith to the promise God had made to he and his wife. Abraham tried to be patient for the promise from God.
This child promised to Abraham was the covenant God had made with him.
The Bible says that Abraham eventually gave up on God and conceived a child by a slave woman named Hagar.
Later, after Abraham failed God, he did conceive a child with his wife Sarah.
(This story can be found in Genesis chapter 16.) And then Abraham had two sons. One child from his slave (Hagar) and one from his wife (Sarah). One child born in bondage (to Hagar) and one born in freedom (to Sarah).
I want us to look at the reference made to this story made by Paul here in the book of Galatians.
Text: Galatians 4:24 thru 28 (NIV)
Notice in verse 24 that it says “the two women represent two covenants”.
There is the first covenant that was based on a foolish man who was trying to do the right thing (but failed).
And there was the second covenant that was the result of a man of God receiving the fulfillment of a promise.
My friend – in life there will always be two ways of doing things. Let me explain.
There is the covenant that was based on the Law of Moses, and there is the covenant based on the Grace and truth of Jesus Christ. You can try to live under the laws written out in the Old Testament. Or you can live by the liberty given to you (by Jesus) in the New Testament.
You can try to make yourself righteous with the bondage of religion, rules and regulations. Or you can accept the forgiveness and freedom of Christ.
Listen carefully. There are two distinct ways in which people try to serve God.
Out of fear and condemnation of the judgment. Or out of the intimacy of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
When I read my Bible, I read in the Old Testament of how men and women seek to know and please Jehovah God.
But when I read the New Testament, I see folks like you and me being sought out by the loving Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament I see stories of men who are trying to prove what they can do with might and power.
Examples: David and the Lion. Moses and the Red Sea. Elijah burning up the altars of Baal. Samson and the Philistines.
They all succeeded with their might but later they always failed in their faith.
The first covenant (given to man) was based on performance and strength.
And yet in the New Testament, I see God “choosing the foolish to confound the wise.” God calling out the weak and making them strong in the Lord.
The Old Covenant I see fierce battles being fought with armies and earthly kings. And yet with the New Covenant, I see victories being won with prayer, signs and wonders in simple folks like you and I.
Look again in our text at verse 24 -
“For the (two) women represent two covenants.”
One child was born of a slave, while the other was born with the promise of freedom. One was born of the flesh of another man. While the other was born from the promises of God.
Question:
What does all this mean?
Answer:
What covenant are you born of?
Do you trust man to fix your problems and fulfill all of your hopes and dreams?
If so, you will be kept in bondage as a slave to sin. Just like the slave, Hagar.
Abraham had to force her and her son, Ishmael, to leave the presence of God.
Hagar and her offspring became a hindrance to the plan of God.
Her bondage was stifling the freedom God had for His people.
In our culture, we would never throw someone out into the streets.
But perhaps we have things in our lives that are only possession of bondage.
Perhaps these items are hindering the plan of God for our lives…
Do you find yourself having to trust and rely on worldly things to satisfy you?
Or does your faith cause you to trust and depend on God for all of your needs?
Consider this. Both of these two women (Hagar and Sarah) lived in the same camp with Abraham.
Likewise, you can go to this church and live in either of these two covenants.
Hagar’s Covenant, or Sarah’s?
You can choose to –
· Attend services and fill your life up with religion and rules and regulations.
· Try to please God and everybody with your own strength and might.
· Have church and go back to your little corner of the world.
Close:
If you choose the Old Covenant,
· You will only stand and watch others enjoy the freedom and presence of the Lord.
· You will remain religious and resolved to just appear godly.
· You won’t find a true and lasting intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
Some need to:
· Give up the Old Covenant they are still clinging on to.
· Start enjoying the freedom and liberty that only the New Covenant of Christ can give you.
· Stop trusting themselves and their flesh to get them through.
· Start surrendering themselves to the grace and mercy of the New Covenant.
Ask yourself this – “Am I still acting like I have the Old Covenant in me, or am I genuinely pursuing the intimate presence of the Jesus and the Holy Spirit?”
My friend if you are not experiencing the New Covenant you are –
· Alone and still apart from God.
· Still somewhere out in the Garden of Eden (like Adam and Eve) separated from the love of God.
God is still pursuing you with great fervor.
Stop running and hiding from the Lord.
God wants you and Him to COME TOGETHER today. Perhaps you could come and meet Him down at this altar.
