Anb8 Stand In Awe

ANB 8, Stand in Awe “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord. There be many that say, ‘Who will show us any good?’ Lord, lift up the light of Thy countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makes me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:4-8. ‘Stand in awe,’ of what? What should you stand in awe of this day? Stand in awe of this, that the Lord knows you personally and desires a personal relationship with you this day. You can’t even fathom what that means until you experience it. Until one has a personal relationship with God the Father one can never know what that truly is. People will say, “I know the Lord and Christianity may be for you, but I don’t think it is for me. How do you know that Christianity is true and your God is real?” Well aside from all of nature speaking of the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I know God is real because I have a personal relationship with Him. I speak and He answers. He speaks, and I hear, and His Words are then confirmed in the Bible or what I see in this life. God does not want to be in covenant with you (having a personal rights and responsibilities relationship) just so you can slavishly follow His rules. God wants you to have this relationship so that He can bless you above all others. “But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself [and given distinction to] him who is Godly [the man of loving-kindness]. The Lord listens and heeds when I call to Him.” Psalms 4:3. When you choose to live a Godly life you gain an access to God’s blessings like you could never imagine. Every day I learn more about what awesome power, authority and rights I have in this earth because of my relationship with the Father. You see, the Word testament also means covenant (diatheke in Greek). A covenant is also a “solemn agreement between two parties.” God made a covenant with the Jews through Abraham (see the story of Abraham in Genesis). Abraham’s rights under that covenant were contingent upon Him obeying God’s laws. Everyone in the Old Testament lives under that covenant. Jesus came and fulfilled that covenant. So when you prayed that prayer last week accepting Jesus (as I know many of you did) you were given access to the new covenant, therefore we are New Testament Christians. The new covenant is not based on works, but of faith. (See the book of Romans). So if you are in Christ now you are in this new covenant with God. So what does that mean? Jesus did not come to destroy the old covenant but to fulfill it. He came and gave us access to the covenant that is not based on works, because He was perfect. He was given access to all possible rights and privileges in God because He perfectly fulfilled the old covenant. And when Jesus died on the cross He exchanged His perfection for our sin. We now have access to His perfection and His perfect relationship with God, for He gave

it to us. We therefore now have access to all the rights and privileges of both the old covenant and the new. “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself: that where I am, there ye may be also . . .I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:2,3,12,13. Jesus had to die to prepare a place for us, not only a heavenly place, but a relationship with God while we are on this earth. Whatever we ask in Jesus’ Name we shall have. You see, that is Jesus allowing us to use His perfection and use His name to obtain all that we could never obtain without Him. He is the gatekeeper. None shall come to the Father except through Jesus. Why not, you are not righteous. None of us are, that is why Jesus had to come. He came to give us a right relationship with God that is not based on our works, which would never measure up. He gave us a relationship with God that is based solely on our faith, which we have. God has given faith to every one of us (Romans 12:3). He gave us this faith so that we may know Him and work in God’s system, so that we may please Him. (Hebrews 11:6). Our righteousness, or better stated, our access to Jesus righteousness which was given to us to become our righteousness, is based solely on our faith. Have faith in Jesus, and you can do all that Jesus did. So then why must I obey any of God’s commandments? One reason, to show God we love Him and appreciate all that He did for us. “If a man love me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” John 14:23. “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loves Me: and he that loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to Him.” John 14:21. If we want to experience a full manifestation of Jesus in our lives we are to keep His commandments. If we want to experience all God has for us we will do what He says. This is Jesus telling us an aspect of the covenant. Keep His commandments, and experience manifestation of Him in your life. Believe Me, you want all of God you can get. He only wants to bless you. He only wants to perfect everything that concerns you (Psalm 138:8). Do God’s Will and watch how He begins actively arranging your life to perfect everything to His will which is your happiness. Moreover, this new covenant we are members of is better than the old covenant, for the new covenant’s establishment fulfilled the old covenant, and it also includes every promise that was contained in the old covenant. Look in the old testament, especially Psalms and Proverbs. You’ll see many promises you would like for your own life. Look around, you will see the condition for that promise. (Isaiah 58:6-14, a great example)

Apply it to your life and watch the fulfillment of God’s Word take place in your life. This is actively working with the covenant you have with God. This pleases God greatly. God watches over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). You will see the full manifestation of God’s Word and Jesus when you begin to live by God’s Word and Jesus Commandments. This covenant, this is the foundation for our relationship with God. It entitles us to all the promises and gifts that God has for us in this world and the next. You, if you are in Christ and have accepted Him, are now a member of a covenant with God. Strive to walk worthy of this covenant. Remember what God has done for you. Seek Him and you shall find Him. He will reveal himself to you personally. He began to do that when He tugged on your heart to accept His Son as your Lord and Savior. And that was just the beginning.