And I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands was One like a Son of Man, dressed in a foot-length robe wrapped around the chest with a golden sash. Rev. 1:12, 13.
We noticed yesterday that he concept of a "son of man" in the midst of the golden lampstands echoes images of the Old Testament covenant. A major acpect of the Old Testament covenant resembles what we could call a contract today. In a "covenant" two parties enter into a relationship of some kind--to build a house, to get married, to go to school. All these things involve a connection between people or between a person and an institution.
An interesting aspect of the Old Testament covenants is the part about "blessings" and "curses" (see Deuteronomy 28, for example). While such language sounds strange in today's world, the idea behind it is not. Let me illustrate.
A few years back the bridge collapsed in my hometown. It was a terrible thing for the community because it turned the downtown business section into a dead-end street. And that pretty much destroyed the place economically. The merchants no longer had customers. Not only that, but it became necessary to travel anywhere from seven to 15 miles out of our way in order to cross a river only a few dozen feet wide.
The situation was so desperate that when the Department of Transportation made a contract for a new bridge, the community leaders said, "You must put a date in that contract." The authorities set the bridge's completion for May 26, about nine months later. The community leaders put "blessings and curses" in the contract. For every day that they finished the bridge ahead of schedule, the builders would receive $10,000 extra. And every day that completion was late, $10,000 would be deducted from their final payment. The contractors finished the bridge on May 1, 26 days early!
The good news of the gospel is that God in Christ has already met the obligation of the covenant at the cross and the resurrection (Acts 13:32, 33; 2 Cor. 1:20). For those in relationship with Jesus, the covenant contains nothing we need to fear. The promises of God are all freely available in Christ. We can have security in our relationship with Him.
Many Christians are insecure. They don't know if they have done enough or if they are right with God. To them, Jesus says, "I am here among you." Are these churches perfect? Have they done all the right things? No. It's very clear that they are fallible, make mistakes, and, in some ways, are even turning away from Jesus. Yet He continues to walk among those lampstands as the faithful God of the covenant who is always there for His people.
I believe that your sacrifice is sufficient to save me. Make this concept real to me today.
We noticed yesterday that he concept of a "son of man" in the midst of the golden lampstands echoes images of the Old Testament covenant. A major acpect of the Old Testament covenant resembles what we could call a contract today. In a "covenant" two parties enter into a relationship of some kind--to build a house, to get married, to go to school. All these things involve a connection between people or between a person and an institution.
An interesting aspect of the Old Testament covenants is the part about "blessings" and "curses" (see Deuteronomy 28, for example). While such language sounds strange in today's world, the idea behind it is not. Let me illustrate.
A few years back the bridge collapsed in my hometown. It was a terrible thing for the community because it turned the downtown business section into a dead-end street. And that pretty much destroyed the place economically. The merchants no longer had customers. Not only that, but it became necessary to travel anywhere from seven to 15 miles out of our way in order to cross a river only a few dozen feet wide.
The situation was so desperate that when the Department of Transportation made a contract for a new bridge, the community leaders said, "You must put a date in that contract." The authorities set the bridge's completion for May 26, about nine months later. The community leaders put "blessings and curses" in the contract. For every day that they finished the bridge ahead of schedule, the builders would receive $10,000 extra. And every day that completion was late, $10,000 would be deducted from their final payment. The contractors finished the bridge on May 1, 26 days early!
The good news of the gospel is that God in Christ has already met the obligation of the covenant at the cross and the resurrection (Acts 13:32, 33; 2 Cor. 1:20). For those in relationship with Jesus, the covenant contains nothing we need to fear. The promises of God are all freely available in Christ. We can have security in our relationship with Him.
Many Christians are insecure. They don't know if they have done enough or if they are right with God. To them, Jesus says, "I am here among you." Are these churches perfect? Have they done all the right things? No. It's very clear that they are fallible, make mistakes, and, in some ways, are even turning away from Jesus. Yet He continues to walk among those lampstands as the faithful God of the covenant who is always there for His people.
I believe that your sacrifice is sufficient to save me. Make this concept real to me today.
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