Christ Opened the Grace of God

The Old Covenant

The relationship with God in the Old Testament was much different than the relationship in the New Testament. The Old Testament relationship was one of fear and judgement the New Testament relationship with GOd is grace and love.

Fear of God

The nation of Israel had a fearful relationship with God. God would only deal with Moses. The people were not even able to approach the Lord.

12 You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘[c]Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or [d]shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”

God was going to descend on Mount Sinai and give Moses the 10 commandments. Only Moses was permitted to touch the mountain.

21 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down, [i]warn the people, so that they do not break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them [j]perish. 22 Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them.”23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You [k]warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.’” 24 Then the Lord said to him, “[l]Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break forth upon them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.

There is a clear separation here between sinful man and a holy God. When God came down His Holiness would have killed many if the had breached the boundary of the mountain. The people knew they would die or be killed if the went beyond the established boundary.

18 All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.” 21 So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.

God came down in a spectacular fashion. He came down in thunder, lightning, trumpet blast and smoke. It is like an explosion of God. The people were fearful of His presence. They were so fearful that they didn’t want God to speak to them.

It is obvious that God wanted to instill fear in the people to keep them from sinning. When they experienced the fear of the Lord, they knew that disobeying Him could cost them their lives.

I believe that we could use a little more fear of the Lord today. People that have no fear of the Lord will live in sin without any remorse or conviction about it. They will live as if God is not real.

Judgement of God

The judgment of God in the old testament was immediate. If they disobeyed God they would be punished immediately. God would send disease and death for disobeying God. The people had to be constantly aware of what they did for fear that the judgement of God would come upon them.

Today the judgement of God is not as pronounced as it was in the old testament due to the grace that has been extended through Christ. However; there is a judgment for those who transgress the law of God. It is the natural consequence of the transgression. Typically, God does not remove this from a person but uses it as a reminder to not sin in the same fashion again.

There is a judgment to come for those who reject Jesus Christ. They will stand before a holy God and have to account for their own sins. They will be judged and punished for all of eternity. The judgment of God is real. People must understand that just because you think you are getting away with sin there is coming a day when you will have to make an account.

3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 5 For [a]when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Are we living in this day today? Are we. saying all things have remained normal and there is no sign of God. Since there is no sign of God, He must not exist. If He doesn’t exist then I can do what I want without any fear or judgment.

The New Covenant

Christ has taken away the fear and judgment of God for those who are in Him. The wrath of God and His judgment were placed on Jesus at the cross. He bore our sin and punishment . He has made a way to approach the unapproachable God of the old testament. We can enter the presence of God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We have a new promise or mountain. This is called mount Zion. Better known as heaven. What can we expect to see when we get there?

Myriads of angels

We will join the heavenly host of angels praising God forever when we get to heaven. In the Bible we see angels as mighty messengers of God. When the soldiers at the tomb of Jesus witnessed the angels they fell down as dead.

2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.

Can you imagine beholding a myriad or countless angels and joining them in worship. What a beautiful sight that will be.

The Church of the First-Born

Hebrews: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Church of the First-Born

The church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven is the Body of Christ. The first-born are those who receive the inheritance. As believers, we are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,” who is “the first-born among many brethren” (Rom. 8:17, 29).

Jesus tells us that we should not rejoice in the great works that God may do through us but that our “names are recorded in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Our names are enrolled in heaven in “the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27).

This is where we will join those that have gone on before us. Can you imagine the joy of seeing someone that you love dearly that has passed on. I don’t believe we can tangibly understand this joy. I look forward to the day when I get to see the many people in my life that I loved that have went on to be with the Lord. I look forward to seeing those I didn’t know in my family that are in heaven.eus

God the Father

God the Father, who has never been seen by man will be visible to all that are in Heaven. We will be able to gaze at the One who created all without being consumed or dying. The brilliance of the Lord will be able to be beheld in heaven

The Spirits of Righteous Men Made Perfect

This is the old testament saints. We will be able to walk and talk with those who had faith in God in the Old testament. Can you imagine asking Adam what the Garden of eden was like or how Noah built the ark and how the animals came in. Can you imagine sitting down with the prophets and asking them what preaching to the nation of Israel was like. Can you imagine asking Abraham what it was like starting a nation late in his life. I would like to ask Moses, what it was like walking through the red sea. King David has many stories to tell.

As you can see there will be a lot of old testament people in heaven and we will have the time to ask all the questions we want!

Jesus Will Be There!

3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will no longer be any night; and they [d]will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

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Can you imagine seeing Jesus in all His majesty, glory, and brilliance? What a sight to behold. We will be able to have access to him at all times. The One who we love we will finally be able to see. Our faith will become sight. We will know a love that we have never experienced this side of earth. Though the accommodations of heaven will be spectacular, they will pale in comparison to being with Jesus.