OLD Covenant vs new covenant
SONS THAT SERVE : God didn’t sow a son to reap servants, but to bring many sons to glory!
OLD COVENANT SERVANTS
- Servants relate to God as master
- God deals with servants according to their works, sin, and fallen nature. As a result, servants believe that (in general) God is mad, sad, and disappointed with them, therefore God is ready to punish them the moment they fall
- Servants wait around and need to be told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it
- Servants always emphasize what they can’t do, what they don’t have, and what they need; they are always asking for more from God.
- Servants say, “Without Jesus, I can’t do anything!”
- Servants have no rights, no power, and no authority
- Servants do not have insight into their master’s business
- Servants labor for their master’s affection and favor
- Servants are afraid to fail because their position/job is at stake
- Servants are waiting for the glory of God to fall and for God to send revival
- Servants believe that God is out there somewhere, and therefore need to seek Him
- Servants believe that if they fail, God will remove His presence from them. Just as the blood of an old covenant sacrifice must be shed again and again to cover every sin committed, servants believe that they must confess and ask for forgiveness again and again every time they sin in order to be clean and forgiven, thus earning their ability to be in fellowship with God again. Servants worry about being punished for sins they forget to confess
- A servant is under the law, and the law makes their sin come alive
- Servants labor hard and produce works without grace
- Servants remain in bondage, pity the sick, are afraid of demons, and don’t believe in raising the dead
- Servants operate from the spirit of slavery
NEW COVENANT SONS
- Sons relate to God as Daddy (Abba)
- Sons know that God finally gets to treat them how He wants to: according to who they are (sons, priests, conquerors, co-heirs, friends, citizens of heaven, righteousness of God, and partakers of the heavenly calling, etc.), not according to what they’ve done. Because Jesus bore all of the Father’s condemnation, wrath, anger, and disappointment, there’s none left for sons. Sons know that their Father loves them and takes pleasure in them: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!”
- Sons do not wait to be told what to do. They are doers of the Word to carry out their Father’s directives while in constant communion with Him.
- Sons know they have been blessed with every spiritual blessing and have everything they need that pertains to life and Godliness. Sons don’t need to chase their own tails and ask for things they have already been given.
- Sons say, “I can do all things through Christ!”
- Sons have the keys to the Kingdom. They have been given power and authority to use the power.
- Sons know and are about their Father’s business
- Sons rest in who they are and what they already have; they are able to partner with their Father.
- Sons have the freedom to fail. They will be picked up and corrected by the Father in love. A son is never afraid of rejection; his performance does not affect his sonship in the family.
- Sons have an inheritance (co-heirs with Christ) and know that everything that belongs to the Father is theirs
- Sons know that God dwells in them and that they are one spirit with Him
- Sons know that all of their sin was forgiven the moment they were adopted. From that moment on, they are in a forgiven state. Not just their past sins, but also future sins have been taken away by the one-time shedding of the blood of Jesus. Sons have already received forgiveness and do not need to continue asking again and again for something they’ve already been given. When they do sin, they thank God for forgiving them and know that their Father will never leave or forsake them.
- Sons know they already have the glory of God in their belly and are already revived and alive in Christ Jesus. Sons are under grace and dead to sin. Sons are free from sin.
- Sons produce works by grace and get more done with less effort
- Sons set the captives free, heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead
- Sons operate from the spirit of adoption.
“All of creation waits with eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.”
Romans 8:19