Christ Covenant Church

It only takes a few disobedient minutes to destroy years’ worth of progress and promises (14:1-45; 2Jo 1:8). Wrong expectations in relation to God’s promises can lead to mutiny against God and His current elders believing them to be incompetent and nefarious (14:1-3, 4-10a). Crying/whining about what God gives us often indicates that we think we know better than God what is best for our life (14:1...

1 Timothy 4:7-11 BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION Desirable behavior created through focusing on what to do (and what NOT to do) coupled with positive and negative reinforcement (e.g. rules resulting in reward and punishment depending on our response). 1.1. Why we can be confident that what Paul is talking about when he uses the phrase “bodily training” is indeed behavior modification (versus) some form of p...

God has provided ways for His people to show their dedication to Him thru special vows of separation (6:1-21; Rom 14:4-17, 5). We are still responsible for those sins that are the result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time (6:9-12, 11). There is no such thing as a Nazirite today since: 1) the prescription requires the OC sacrificial system (6:14-18; Heb 9:10), 2) abstaining altogether fr...

Not all families in God’s family hold the same rank or standing: 1) Judah and his “better” brothers (2:1-9 w/10-17, 18-32 = Judah’s group resided on the “east side” – or the neighborhood closest to the entrance to the tabernacle and was considered “first” versus Rueben’s group – though he was the firstborn – see Gen 49:1-12, 22-26), 2) The priests and Levites (1:51-53 w/2:33 = Priests/Levites were...

Leviticus 25-27 We can trust God will continue to provide during those times He appoints rest or removes from our lives those things once appointed to provide for our needs (25:1-22; 2- “When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord” = The Sabbath/jubilee laws of release were tied to the tribal [or “clan”] land of Israel inherited from God during the time t...

Those that God calls to be His ministers (priests/pastors) are held to a higher standard (21:1-22:9; Jam 3:1). The priests and pastors represent Christ as husband (or lord or owner – “ba’al”; Exo 21:3, 34 ) to the congregation (21:4; For pastors as the equivalent to the OT priests – see Isa 66:21. Hence the reason – Deu 17:9-13 w/1Ti 5:19 and Heb 13:17). What we give as “holy things” to the Lord (...

Leviticus is divided according to the two types of Laws to be taught by the Levites (or priests) (Lev 10:10-11): 1) (chs 1-16) clean laws/{covenant signs} (sacrifices {Adamic/Noahic}, circumcision {Abrahamic}, sabbaths {Old} and separation {Old: diet, diseases, death, decay and discharges: birth, bodily, blood}), 2) (chs 17-27) moral commands. Seeking God outside of His prescribed protocol and/or...

Giving birth, certain animals, leprous diseases and decay as well as death and bodily discharges all possess the physical pollution of sin that continues to “defile” both body and spirit (i.e. they make us “unclean”, 11:44) and therefore must also be atoned for (5:6, 10, 13 w/11:1-47; 12:1-7 w/8; 13:1-14:32 w/14:18-19; 14:33-57 w/14:53; 15:1-33 w/15:15, 30) IF: 1) we are to approach God and not di...

Leviticus 9-12 The glory of the Lord is associated w/His salvation or salvific intentions (Lev 9:1-6, 23 w/Exo 16:7, 10, 24:16-17, 28:2, 40, 33:12-23, 40:35; also Num 20:4-8; Tit 2:13). Approaching God for salvation requires: 1) a holy place (9:23; Exo 24:16, 29:42-46; 1Ki 8:11; 1Ti 3:15 w/Act 20:28), 2) holy sacrifices (9:7 [“draw near”], 22-24; Heb 10:1-18 = Christ the most holy sacrifice; 1Co 5...

Leviticus 5-8 Not bearing witness to promote, preserve or protect justice – in relation to yourself or others, is the sin of obstructing justice (5:1). Through Christ all persons/things which were once ceremonially unclean become clean (or lawful) (5:2-3 w/13:1-3 w/Luk 5:12-13 w/Joh 15:1-3 w/1Co 6:12 and 10:23 w/1Ti 4:4-5). It is sin to make promises that you don’t keep (5:4-13; Mat 5:33-37). Conf...

ADDENDUM to last week (Exodus 37-40): God’s “shekinah glory train” runs from the tabernacle/temple to Jesus to the church (Exo 40; 1Ki 8 w/Joh 1 w/2Co 8:23 and Joh 17:22). Moses’ finished tabernacle work (Exo 40:33) is meant to communicate that God’s new (or redeemed ) creation work is finished (Gen 2:2). As such this is how/where people will again come into God’s presence and receive His guidance...

Though not existing until (almost) 100 years after the Protestant Reformation began, the theological system established at the Synod of Dort[1] – otherwise known as the Doctrines of Grace, Calvinism, the five points of Calvinism, or the acronym, T.U.L.I.P. (Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace and Perseverance of the saints) serves as an accurate summary o...