Old and New Covenant Contrasts

Law of flesh:

Romans 7:5-6 

5 For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 

6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

Law of Spirit:

Romans 8:2 

Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Not of faith:
Galatians 3:12 
The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”
Law of faith:

Romans 3:27 

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.

Yoke of bondage:

Galatians 5:1 

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Law of liberty:

James 1:25 

But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

Ended by Christ:

Romans 10:4 

Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Started by Christ:

Hebrews 8:6 

But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.

Hebrews 10:9 

Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second.

Bible Verses about Blessings

Examples of Blessings for Obedience 

Exodus 16:26  

Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

Deuteronomy 7:13  

He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you.

Jeremiah 7:5-7  

5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 

6 if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 

7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever.

Zechariah 3:7-9  

7 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.

8 “‘Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. 

9 See the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.

Blessings in Disguise; Persevering Testing & Trials 

Esther 4:14  

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

Matthew 10:21-22 

21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 

22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Attitude to approach the unknown

(Lesson to learn from Joshua and Caleb)

The Spirit of Positive thinking

Numbers 1:31 

The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.

The Spirit of trusting

Numbers 13:28-29 

28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 

29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”

Numbers 13:31 

But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”

Numbers 14:11 

The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?

The Spirit of Contentment

Numbers 14:2-4 

2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! 

3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 

4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

Numbers 14:22-23 

22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— 

23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.

God’s heart for the poor

Galatians 2:10 

All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

James 1:27 

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Acts 6:1-6 

1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 

2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 

3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 

4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 

6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Acts 11:29 

The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea.

Leviticus 25:35 

“‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you.

Proverbs 3:28 

Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow”— when you now have it with you.

Matthew 5:42 

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Father God…You are Reliable!

Numbers 13:19-20 

19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 

20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)

Hebrews 13:5-6 

5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

1 Kings 8:56 

“Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.

Isaiah 46:-4 

3 “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth.

4 Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Isaiah 46:11 

From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.

Ezekiel 12:25 

But I the LORD will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious house, I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”

John 17:26  

I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Thoughts on This Verse....

Jesus reveals God to us. One of the reasons he does this is so that we can know who God is and what is important to him. Clearly, the most important thing on Jesus' heart in this prayer is that we share his love for us with each other. In this way, Jesus comes to life in us.

Death (means a “separation”)

Death of the body:

It is separation of the body and Spirit

James 2:26 

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 

And the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Death entered the world because of sin:

Genesis 2:17 

But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

Romans 5:12 

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—

Everyone dies through Adam:

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 

21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 

22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Appointed unto man to die:

Hebrews 9:27 

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

Ecclesiastes 8:8 

No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.

Spiritual Death

It is separation from God because of sins:

Isaiah 59:1-2

1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.

2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

Give God a Chance

2 Kings 7:6 - For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!”

God knows how much we can bear

God has access to unlimited resources

God is always on time

Get Right with God

2 Kings 20:1 -  In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

Your soul is being weighed in the balances

It’s later than you think

Now is the appropriate time

I Cannot Come Down

Nehemiah 6:3 - so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”

Nehemiah chose not to come down because:

He had attached himself to a divine cause

He knew the deceptive plans of his enemies

He knew the divine reward for faithfulness

For Such a Time as This

Esther 4:14 - For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

It is now time for us to:

Take part in God’s master plan

Take a stand for righteousness

Prepare for a glorious future

Believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.

Isaiah 60:20  

Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.

Jeremiah 13:16  

Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings the darkness, before your feet stumble on the darkening hills. You hope for light, but he will turn it to thick darkness and change it to deep gloom.

Lamentations 3:2  

He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light;

Daniel 2:22  

He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

Micah 7:8  

Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

Micah 7:9  

Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD's wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.

Matthew 4:16  

The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

Matthew 5:1-16  

14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 6:22-23  

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.

23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

God is Merciful

God is Merciful  

1 Chronicles 21:13 

David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”

Nehemiah 9:17 

They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them,

Nehemiah 9:19 

“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take.

Nehemiah 9:27-28

27 So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

28 “But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.

Nehemiah 9:31 

But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

Psalms 25:6 

Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

Psalms 69:16 

Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.

Psalms 77:9 

Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” Selah

Psalms 78:38 

Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.

Psalms 86:15 

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Children - In Some Ways Children Are Examples to Adults

Children - In Some Ways Children Are Examples to Adults

Mature people must receive the kingdom of God like a small child:

Mark 10:15 

I tell you the truth; anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Luke 18:17 

I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

The kingdom of God is of such:

Matthew 19:13 

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

Mark 10:14 

When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Those who do not repent and become like little children shall not enter the kingdom at all:

Matthew 18:3 

And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

They must humble themselves as little children:

Matthew 18:4 

Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
In malice (evil meant) be children:

1 Corinthians 14:20 

Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.
 

Reasons for unanswered prayer

Reasons for unanswered prayer

Parading prayer life

Matthew 6:5  

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full.

Vain repetitions

Matthew 6:7  

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Unforgiveness

Matthew 6:14-15  

14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 

15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Mark 11:25  

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.’”
Hypocrisy

Luke 18:9-14  

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 

10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 

11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 

12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Worry and anxiety

Philippians 4:6  

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Bible Woman - Lot’s Wife

Bible Woman - Lot’s Wife 

Genesis 19:15-26 

15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”

16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. 

17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don't look 
back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! 

19 Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. 

20 Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared.”

21 He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 

22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.)

23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 

24 Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. 

25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. 

26 But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Luke 17:29-33 

29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 

31 On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 

32 Remember Lot's wife! 

33 Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

Bible Verses on Fear

Bible Verses on Fear

There are more than 300 verses on fear in the Bible. Read the Bible and it will guide and encourage you when dealing with fear and anxiety, fear of love, fear of the unknown and fear of death. Read and memorize these verses about fear in relation to God, Jesus Christ, and the Christian faith. These verses are taken from New International Version (NIV), New Living Translation (NLT) and the Amplified Bible (AMP).

1.         “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7 NLT).

2.         “What does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” (Deut 10:12-13).

3.         “Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him” (Deut. 13:4 NLT).  

4.         “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you” (Deut. 31:6). 

5.         “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:9 NLT).  

6.         “You must always act in the fear of the Lord, with faithfulness and an undivided heart” (2 Chron. 19:9 NLT).  

7.         “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for   You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4). 

8.         “The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant” (Ps. 25:14). 

9.         “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life,  of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1 NIV). 

10.       “But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love” (Ps. 33:18 NLT).  

11.       “I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears” (Ps. 34:4). 

12.       “Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need” (Ps. 34:9).  

13.       “In God, whose word I praise in God I trust and am not afraid.  What can mere mortals do to me?” (Ps. 56:4 NIV).   

14.       “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you” (Ps. 91:4-8 NLT).  

15.       “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him” (Ps. 103:13).  

16.       “They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them” (Ps. 112:7). 

17.       “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad” (Prov.12:25).

18.       “Fear of the Lord leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm” (Prov.19:23).  

19.       “True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life” (Prov.22:4).

20.       “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety” (Prov.29:25). 

21.       “Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised” (Prov.31:30 NLT).

22.       “His delight is in the fear of the Lord” (Isa 11:3).

23.       “He will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and   knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure” (Isa. 33:6). 

24.       “Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you” (Isa. 35:4 NLT). 

25.       “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isa 41:10).

26.       “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to  shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach  of your widowhood anymore” (Isa 54:4).

27.         “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs” (Zeph. 3:17 NLT).  

28.       “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell”(Matt. 10:28 NLT). 

29.       “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” Matt. 10:31).   

 

30.       He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)  

31.       “But Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith” (Mark 5:36).  

32.       “I am leaving you with a gift, peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27 NLT).

33.       “At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God” (Acts 10:1-2).

34.       “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love”(Rom. 8:38). 

35.       “But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats”(1 Peter 3:14 NLT).   

 

36.       “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18).

37.       “Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last” (Rev. 1:17 NIV).   

 

38.       “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.” (Rev. 14:7). 

39.       “Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested."  (Rev 15:4).

40.       “And from the throne came a voice that said, “Praise our God, all his servants, all who fear Him, from the least to the greatest.”  (Rev. 19:5 NLT).