“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

As earlier lessons this quarter showed, the new covenant is one in which the Lord puts the law in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-33). Not only is the law there, but according to the texts for today, Christ is, as well, which, of course, makes good sense, for Christ and His law are so closely connected. Thus, with Christ’s law in our hearts, and with Christ dwelling there too (the Greek word translated in the above text dwell means also “to settle in,” giving the idea of permanency), we come to another one of the great covenant benefits — a new heart.

Why do we need a new heart? What changes will be manifested in those who have a new heart?

Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com

Read again the text for today. Notice that Paul stresses the element of love, saying that we must be “rooted and grounded” in it. These words imply stability, firmness, and permanency in the foundation of love. Our faith means nothing if it is not rooted in love for God, and love for others (Matthew 22:37-39, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13). This love does not come in a vacuum. On the contrary, it comes because we get a glimpse of God’s love for us (a love that “passeth understanding”) as manifested through Jesus. As a result, our lives are changed, our hearts are changed, and we become new people with new thoughts, new desires, and new goals. It is our reaction to God’s love for us that changes our hearts and instills love for others. Perhaps this is what Paul means, at least partially, when he talks about our being filled with “the fullness of God.”

Read 1 John 4:16. How does this text relate to what Paul has written in Ephesians 3:17-19?

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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Key Thought: The covenant defines our saving relationship with Christ that gives us benefits now and at His return.
.June 26, 2021

1. Have a volunteer read Romans 8:1.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. Why should this text give us joy and a feeling of gratitude?
3. Personal Application: How does God forgiving you help you in dealing with others who have sinned against you? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “There is no more condemnation when we accept Christ as our Savior. So if we accept Christ, we cannot be lost. It’s as simple as that.” How would you respond to your friend?

2. Have a volunteer read Ephesians 3:17-19.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What is the difference between joy and happiness?
3. Personal Application: Are there things you need to change that may be hampering your experience in the fullness of God? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Why do we need a new heart? What does that mean anyway? What kind of change would take place with a new heart?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read John 11:25,26.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What does it mean that those that believe in Christ will live even if he dies?
3. Personal Application: What does this promise do for us now as contrasted to the future? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “Do you believe in deathbed conversions? Should a person wait to accept Christ until the last moment after living the life they wanted to not according with God’s wishes?“ How would you respond to your relative?
   (Note: We are told that there are “few genuine deathbed conversions” and even if they do accept Christ at the last moment, “what a poor maimed sacrifice they bring to the Lord.”)

4. Have a volunteer read Matthew 28:19,20..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. Why does being a Christian mean more than claiming the title?
3. Personal Application: Have you been doing anything to share Christ and His word? Could you do more? What can you do to have a greater role in this work? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).

A young woman had been brutally murdered, her killer unknown. The police, setting a trap, placed a hidden microphone in her grave. One evening, many months after her death, a young man approached the grave and, kneeling and weeping, begged the woman for forgiveness. The police, of course, monitoring his words, nabbed him for the crime.

Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com

What drove the man to the grave? It was guilt, what else?

Of course, though none of us (we hope) has ever done anything as bad as what that young man did, we all are guilty; we all have done things we are ashamed of, things that we wish we could undo but cannot.

Thanks to Jesus and the blood of the new covenant, none of us has to live under the stigma of guilt. According to the text for today, there is no condemnation against us. The ultimate Judge counts us as not guilty, counts us as if we have not done the things we feel guilty about.

How do these verses help us understand Romans 8:1? John 5:24; Romans 3:24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21.

One of the great promises of living in a covenant relationship with the Lord is that we no longer have to live under the burden of guilt. Because of the blood of the covenant, we — who choose to enter into that covenant relationship with God, who choose to abide by the conditions of faith, repentance, obedience — can have the burden of guilt lifted. When Satan seeks to whisper in our ears that we are evil, that we are bad, that we are too sinful to be accepted by God, we can do what Jesus did when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness: we can quote Scripture, and one of the best of all verses to quote is Romans 8:1. This does not mean denying the reality of sin in our lives; it means, instead, because of the covenant relationship we have with the Lord, we no longer live under the condemnation of that sin. Jesus paid the penalty for us, and He now stands in the presence of the Father pleading His own blood on our behalf, presenting His own righteousness instead of our sins.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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“And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:4).

Look at what John wrote here. In a few simple words, he expresses what should be one of the great advantages we, as covenant people, have — and that is the promise of joy.

Image © Krieg Barrie at Goodsalt.com

As Christians, we are often told not to go by feeling, that faith is not feeling, and that we need to get beyond our feelings, all of which is true. But at the same time, we would not be human beings if we were not creatures of feelings, emotions, and moods. We cannot deny our feelings; what we need to do is understand them, give them their proper role, and as much as possible, keep them under control. But to deny them is to deny what it means to be human (we might as well tell a circle not to be round). Indeed, as this verse says, not only should we have feelings (in this case joy), but they should be full. It hardly sounds as if feelings are to be denied, does it?

Read the context of the above verse, starting at the beginning of the chapter. What was John writing to the early Christians that he hoped would make their joy full? And why should it give them joy?

John was one of the original Twelve. He was there, almost from the start of Christ’s three-and-a-half-year ministry, a witness to some of the most amazing events of Jesus’ life. (John was there at the Cross, at Gethsemane, and at the Transfiguration, as well). Thus, as an eyewitness, he was certainly well-qualified to talk about this subject.

Yet, notice too, that the emphasis is not on himself; it is on what Jesus had done for the disciples so they could now have fellowship not only with each other but with God Himself. Jesus has opened the way for us to enter into this close relationship with the Lord; and, one result of this fellowship — this relationship — is joy. John wants them to know that what they have heard about Jesus is true (he saw, touched, felt, and heard Him), and thus they, too, can enter into a joyful relationship with their heavenly Father, who loves them and gave Himself through His Son for them.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: 1 John 1:4; John 5:24; Romans 3:24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 4:16; Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:6, Revelation 20:14; Revelation 21:8.

Memory Verse: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

This quarter has been a study on the covenant, which (to pare it down to its simplest, purest form) is, basically, God saying, This is how I will save you from sin, period.

Though the outcome, the grand finale of the covenant promise, is, of course, eternal life in a world made new, we do not have to wait for it to enjoy the covenant blessings today. The Lord cares about our lives now; He wants the best for us now. The covenant is not some deal where you do this and this and this and then, a long way off, you will get your reward. The rewards, the gifts — they are blessings that those who by faith enter into the covenant relation can enjoy here and now.

This week’s lesson, the final in our series on the covenant, looks at some of these immediate blessings, some of the promises that come from God’s grace shed into our hearts because, having heard Him knock, we have opened the door. Of course, there are more blessings than what we can touch on this week. But it is just a start, a start of something that will, indeed, never end.

The Week at a Glance: Why should we feel joy? On what basis can we claim that promise? What is it about the covenant that should free us from the burden of guilt? What does it mean to have a new heart?

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 26.

Sunday–>

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