Embracing New Horizons Through God's Covenant Promises
Summary
In this season of new horizons, we are called to expand our perception and embrace the limitless possibilities God has for us. Just as God told Abraham that what he could see would be his, we are encouraged to see beyond our current limitations and trust in God's promises. This year, God aims to expand us internally so that we can perceive and receive what He has in store for us. On March 30th, we will begin unveiling these new horizons at Light's Church, marking a significant moment of spiritual and practical growth.
The concept of "chesed," God's covenant loyalty, is central to understanding our relationship with Him. God's chesed is the reason He makes and keeps covenants, ensuring that His promises are always valid, regardless of our emotional state or actions. The new covenant, established through Jesus, is not based on our ability to fulfill the law but on God's unchanging nature and His fulfillment of both sides of the covenant. This covenant is spiritual, transforming us from the inside out, and it encompasses blessings for our spirit, soul, and body.
The old covenant's blessings, which were outward and physical, are still valid because God cannot lie. However, the new covenant takes these blessings further, offering spiritual transformation and eternal inheritance. We are joint heirs with Christ, meaning that all the promises of God are yes and amen in Him. This includes not only spiritual salvation but also mental peace and physical well-being.
As we embrace this new covenant, we are called to be a blessing to the world, using the natural blessings to serve the spiritual. Our role is to distribute God's peace, joy, and abundance, knowing that His resources are limitless. By understanding and living out the principles of God's covenants, we can confidently walk in His promises and impact the world around us.
Key Takeaways:
1. New Horizons and Expanded Perception: Embrace the new horizons God is unveiling, which require us to expand our perception and trust in His promises. Just as Abraham was promised land as far as he could see, we are called to see beyond our limitations and receive what God has for us. [00:00]
2. Understanding Chesed and Covenant Loyalty: God's chesed, or covenant loyalty, ensures that His promises are always valid. This characteristic of God means that His response to us is always in accordance with His covenant, regardless of our emotional state or actions. [13:10]
3. The New Covenant's Spiritual Transformation: The new covenant, established through Jesus, transforms us from the inside out. It encompasses blessings for our spirit, soul, and body, offering spiritual transformation and eternal inheritance. [22:18]
4. Joint Heirs with Christ: As joint heirs with Christ, all the promises of God are yes and amen in Him. This includes not only spiritual salvation but also mental peace and physical well-being, reflecting God's comprehensive provision for us. [39:06]
5. Being a Blessing to the World: We are called to be a blessing to the world, using the natural blessings to serve the spiritual. By understanding and living out the principles of God's covenants, we can confidently walk in His promises and impact the world around us. [54:05]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [07:35] - The Chesed Effect
- [13:10] - Covenant Loyalty Explained
- [22:18] - New Covenant Transformation
- [27:36] - Old vs. New Covenant
- [35:16] - Inside-Out Blessings
- [39:06] - Joint Heirs with Christ
- [43:51] - Commonwealth of Israel
- [48:24] - Promises to Abraham's Seed
- [54:05] - Understanding the Promises
- [59:40] - Being a Blessing to the World
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Genesis 13:14-17
2. Hebrews 8:10-12
3. Galatians 3:26-29
---
Observation Questions:
1. What did God promise Abraham regarding the land, and how does this relate to the concept of new horizons in the sermon? [00:00]
2. How does the sermon describe the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant? [27:36]
3. What is the significance of the term "chesed" as explained in the sermon, and how does it relate to God's covenant loyalty? [13:10]
4. According to the sermon, what are the implications of being joint heirs with Christ? [39:06]
---
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the promise to Abraham to see as far as he could relate to our spiritual perception and faith today? [00:00]
2. In what ways does the new covenant transform believers from the inside out, and how does this differ from the old covenant's focus? [22:18]
3. How does understanding God's "chesed" impact our view of His promises and our relationship with Him? [13:10]
4. What does it mean to be a blessing to the world, and how can natural blessings serve spiritual purposes according to the sermon? [54:05]
---
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt limited in your spiritual perception. How can you expand your vision to embrace the new horizons God has for you this year? [00:00]
2. The sermon emphasizes God's unchanging nature and His covenant loyalty. How can this understanding help you trust God more deeply in your current circumstances? [13:10]
3. Consider the areas of your life where you might be living with an old covenant mindset. How can you shift to embrace the new covenant's promises of spiritual transformation? [27:36]
4. As joint heirs with Christ, we have access to God's promises. What specific promise do you need to claim in your life right now, and how will you act on it? [39:06]
5. The sermon calls us to be a blessing to the world. Identify one practical way you can use your natural blessings to serve a spiritual purpose this week. [54:05]
6. How can you cultivate a mindset of abundance, knowing that God's resources are limitless, and avoid the trap of scarcity thinking? [43:51]
7. Reflect on the concept of "chesed" and God's covenant loyalty. How can this understanding change the way you approach prayer and your expectations of God's response? [22:18]
Devotional
Day 1: Expanding Our Vision Beyond Limitations
In this season of new horizons, we are called to expand our perception and embrace the limitless possibilities God has for us. Just as God told Abraham that what he could see would be his, we are encouraged to see beyond our current limitations and trust in God's promises. This year, God aims to expand us internally so that we can perceive and receive what He has in store for us. On March 30th, we will begin unveiling these new horizons at Light's Church, marking a significant moment of spiritual and practical growth. [00:00]
Genesis 13:14-15 (ESV): "The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, 'Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.'"
Reflection: What is one area in your life where you feel limited? How can you begin to trust God to expand your vision and possibilities in this area today?
Day 2: Embracing God's Unwavering Covenant Loyalty
The concept of "chesed," God's covenant loyalty, is central to understanding our relationship with Him. God's chesed is the reason He makes and keeps covenants, ensuring that His promises are always valid, regardless of our emotional state or actions. The new covenant, established through Jesus, is not based on our ability to fulfill the law but on God's unchanging nature and His fulfillment of both sides of the covenant. This covenant is spiritual, transforming us from the inside out, and it encompasses blessings for our spirit, soul, and body. [13:10]
Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV): "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt distant from God. How can you remind yourself of His unwavering covenant loyalty and steadfast love in moments of doubt?
Day 3: Experiencing Transformation Through the New Covenant
The new covenant, established through Jesus, transforms us from the inside out. It encompasses blessings for our spirit, soul, and body, offering spiritual transformation and eternal inheritance. Unlike the old covenant's outward and physical blessings, the new covenant provides a deeper, spiritual transformation that aligns us with God's eternal promises. As we embrace this transformation, we are empowered to live out our faith in a way that reflects God's love and grace to the world around us. [22:18]
Ezekiel 36:26-27 (ESV): "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules."
Reflection: In what ways have you experienced spiritual transformation in your life? How can you continue to open yourself to the work of the Holy Spirit in your daily walk with God?
Day 4: Living as Joint Heirs with Christ
As joint heirs with Christ, all the promises of God are yes and amen in Him. This includes not only spiritual salvation but also mental peace and physical well-being, reflecting God's comprehensive provision for us. Being joint heirs means that we share in the inheritance of God's kingdom, which encompasses every aspect of our lives. This profound truth invites us to live with confidence and assurance, knowing that God's promises are fulfilled in Christ and available to us. [39:06]
Romans 8:16-17 (ESV): "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."
Reflection: How does knowing you are a joint heir with Christ change your perspective on your current challenges? What steps can you take to live more fully in this identity today?
Day 5: Being a Conduit of God's Blessings
We are called to be a blessing to the world, using the natural blessings to serve the spiritual. By understanding and living out the principles of God's covenants, we can confidently walk in His promises and impact the world around us. Our role is to distribute God's peace, joy, and abundance, knowing that His resources are limitless. As we embrace this calling, we become conduits of God's love and grace, bringing His light to those in need. [54:05]
2 Corinthians 9:8 (ESV): "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."
Reflection: Who in your life could benefit from the blessings God has given you? How can you intentionally share God's love and resources with them this week?
Quotes
"As I've been saying, we're in a season of new horizons, a new horizon. A couple of things we talked about in the last, what, eight weeks or so about what does that mean spiritually? What's the practical explanation of that as well? A horizon is, one of the definitions is the limit of your perception. So when you look out over the horizon, you are looking over the horizon as far as you can see and you're seeing the limitations of your perception. So a new horizon is a new, backed up, expanded, pushed back limitation of your perception. So that means what you were not able to see last year, you will perceive this year." [00:00:00] (45 seconds)
"The worst mistake we can make is limiting God by our preconceived ideas. You know what I mean by that? It's like you can say, God, here I am. Send me, or Lord, do this for me. Open this door. And a lot of times what we're saying, or what's going without saying, but we're saying it internally is, Lord, here I am. Send me as long as you do it in this direction, this distance, and in this way." [00:02:47] (25 seconds)
"So God's love, one of the reasons he gives is because he is love. So God's hesed, one of the things God does because he has hesed is that he's a covenant keeping God. He's a God who, that hesed character trait is the part of God that causes him to make covenants. God doesn't just say, hey, trust me, it'll be good. God says, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to make a covenant or a contract with you. And because I can't lie, if I say this and sign this, then you can bank on whatever this covenant or this contract says for you." [00:10:05] (38 seconds)
"Hesed means that God's response towards you is in accordance with the covenant he has with you every time. God doesn't change. So when you say something dumb, make a mistake, miss God, God says, go here, and you're scared to do it, and you stay here, and you think you ruined everything. You think God's all of a sudden mad, and now he's going to teach you a lesson and show you something and slap you around and embarrass you a little bit because you missed him, and he's going to humble you." [00:22:43] (26 seconds)
"So if God's actions are determined by his covenants, if God says, I will do this, I will treat you this way, I will respond to you this way, I will bless you, whatever that is, God's always valid by what he said. He can't lie. So if God's actions are determined by his covenants, then we need to know the principles of his covenants. If you're like wondering how God's going to act and what God's going to do, then let me just give you a little cheat code here. You need to understand the principle of covenant so you can know how God's going to respond to what he's going to do." [00:26:00] (32 seconds)
"So the old covenant, we all qualify for the curse. That's why we don't get excited about old covenant teaching ever because you're like, I don't want that, you know. But if Jesus fulfilled it, that means Jesus is saying, I want to do so much more. Of course, my will is all that. But that is the lowest level, the least important thing. Money is the lowest level. Gold is the floor of heaven. The highest level of our earthly economy, well, I guess now it'd be Bitcoin. Anyways, either way, Bitcoin or gold, right? All these valuable things everybody wants, whatever it is. God's saying, to me, it's nothing." [00:37:13] (37 seconds)
"New Testament, 2 Corinthians 9, we know God's will because the old covenant was fulfilled. That means the curse has no power. All the blessings, we get those, the curse is gone, and we don't get those instead of the new covenant. We are in the new covenant and it comes with all the blessings of the old, with the blessings of the spirit, soul, and body, right? Not just spiritual blessings. Here's what religion tells you. Everything's just spiritual." [00:45:57] (30 seconds)
"Now, there are two types of healing in the New Testament, right? There are people that were healed and people that were made whole. There are two different Greek words. We talked about it three weeks ago. And the people that were just healed of their affliction knew what Jesus could do. The people who were made whole knew who he was. And this woman knew who he was. Why? Because she said, if I could just touch the tallit of his garment. She didn't just say the hem of his garment. That's English. She was beckoning back to the Old Testament messianic scriptures that said, when the Messiah comes, we'll have healing in his wings." [00:47:31] (31 seconds)