Skip to content
logo horizontal
logo tree only
logo tree only
  • about
      • Sermon Series
        • Philip Joy 169 HD
        • Up Next:
      • Times & Directions
        • Generic Sunday Service times 2021 169hd
      • About us
        • Vision Feature art grey 2022 169
      • Getting Connected
        • Newsletter,Email,Icon,Isolated,On,Special,Blue,Banner,Background,Abstract
      • Meet With A Pastor
        • Living,Room,With,Two,Yellow,Armchair,mockup,Concrete,Wall.3d,Rendering
      • New Believers
        • Care,Of,New,Life,-,Watering,Young,Plant,-,Vintage
      • Worship
        • Worship-arts-169HD-sm2
      • Baptism
        • Interested in Baptism 169HD
      • Baby Dedications
        • Baby dedication2 169HD
      • Communion
        • Communion 169HD
      • Membership
        • mbc membership
      • COVID 19 Campus Info
        • COVID-19 UPdates
      • Staff & Leadership
        • Team Web Rotator
  • ministries
      • Internships
        • Internships
      • Family Ministries
        • Happy,Family,In,The,Park,Evening,Light.,The,Lights,Of
      • Kids
        • MBC KIDS Postcard 169HD
      • Teens
        • Summer Schedule 2022 169
        • Wednesdays the Rush
        • blog menu
      • Adults
        • Feet,In,Leather,Sneaker,On,Pavement,Background,,Top,View
        • small groups 2018 HD16
        • womens Feature Image 2018 Web 16.9HD
        • Adult-Sunday-School 2018 169HD
        • Young Adult SundayWeekly22 16.9HD
        • senior-luncheon-master-16.9HD
        • Mens Ministries 2018 169HD
        • Men,Supporting,Men,,Introduction,To,A,Men’s,Therapy,Group
      • Underground Sessions
        • Underground Sess. Signage
      • Care
        • Care team 2015 169hd
      • Divorce Care
        • DivorcCare 169HD
      • Stephen Ministry
        • Stephen Ministry 2017 169HD
      • Missions – World Partners
        • Missions Logo new page2 169HD
        • Senegal Missions banner 169HD 2021
        • 1st Choice 169HD
        • city relief 169HD-MBC-COMMS-LAPTOP2020
        • market Street Mission 169HD
        • Feedng Hands
      • MBC Unhindered
        • Unhindered 169hd
      • Little Footprints Learning Center
        • LFLC Postcard 2017 V2
  • media
      • Pastors Weekly Video
        • Behind the Pulpit
      • Pastor’s Table Blog
        • Pastor’s Table 169hd
      • Sunday Service Live Stream
        • Live Stream 169HD 2020 9am no time
      • YouTube Channel
        • Subscribe to MBC UNHINDERED Congregation 169
      • Sermon Archive
        • Sermon Archive Banner
  • events
  • prayer
  • give
      • MBC Giving
        • MBC Giving Slides_template 10 digit 2021b
      • Year-End Giving for 2023
        • MBC VISION 2022 building blocks
      • Give Your Time & Efforts
        • Serving page alt 2 169
      • Give Help, Get Help
        • Give Get 169hd 2021
      • Support Ukraine
        • Support Ukraine 169
  • connect
      • Getting Connected
        • Newsletter,Email,Icon,Isolated,On,Special,Blue,Banner,Background,Abstract
      • Shared Interest Groups
        • Shared Interest Groups 169
      • Share your Gifts
        • Serving page alt With Webpage URL 169
  • log in
PrevPrevious EntryOur Christian Hope in the Middle of a Pandemic (Part 1)
Next EntryOur Christian Hope in the Middle of a Pandemic (Part 3)Next

BACK TO THE PASTOR’S TABLE

Our Christian Hope in the Middle of a Pandemic (Part 2)

In part 1 of this blog post, we discussed the mixed messages being sent by Christians during this pandemic. We discussed the meaning of Psalm 91 and our ultimate promise of divine protection. In this post we will dive deeper into the concept of God’s promises. 

Which Promises in the Bible Are For Me?

Jen Wilkin wrote an excellent piece on the topic of bible promises. She listed several pitfalls to avoid. Some of these were 1) Confusing a promise with a principle 2) Ignoring the context and 3) Overlooking the “if.” Psalm 91 was written to the people of Israel who were living under the Mosaic law or the “Old Covenant.” We no longer live in this age. All the Bible is inspired, but it was not all written to every person of every age. Israel was a theocracy established by God who gave them the Law as their constitutional covenant. This covenant was a bilateral (two-sided) covenant and it contained conditional blessings. If you go back and read all the covenant blessings (and curses) given to Israel, you will notice how closely connected they are to “the land.” The blessings include things like protection from political enemies, large bounties of food supply, and overall national safety.

Old Covenant Promises

God laid out very specific blessings (for obedience) and very specific curses (for disobedience) for His people, Israel. Jen Wilkin states: “Promises that contain an “If” require some form of obedience before we can expect them to come to pass in our lives. They are conditional. If we want to claim them, we had better be ready to act in obedience to what they require … Often “if” promises of blessing are accompanied by corresponding “if” warnings about disobedience.” We find all these conditional blessings and curses spelled out in detail in places like Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. For example, Deuteronomy 28:20-22 says this:

The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. The Lord will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish.

Or as we read in Leviticus 26:23-25:

If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. And I will bring the sword on you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands.

New Covenant Promises 

I was trained for ministry at Dallas Theological Seminary under a system of theology called “Progressive Dispensationalism,” whose proponents see a clear distinction between Israel and the Church. The Church is the gathering of Jews and Gentiles, set apart by God to be cross-cultural. The Church does not function under the old covenant. We don’t sacrifice animals anymore or follow many the ceremonial or civil laws given to Israel. We are not tied to a geographical land or under a centralized government. We are also not promised the kinds of material blessings of the Old Testament, instead we are the recipients of spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph 1:1-15). The blessings of the new covenant include amazing promises of forgiveness, eternal salvation, the presence of God, spiritual gifting and much much more. But, these blessings of the new covenant are not primarily physical.

When we as New Covenant believers reach back into the Old Covenant, we can get into difficulty theologically if we don’t interpret these texts properly. Claiming the promises or blessings of the Mosaic covenant for obedience implies we must also be held accountable for the covenant curses for our disobedience. That’s the deal with law. We cannot pick and choose. If we want to go back under the law, then that means we have to go back under the whole law (Gal 5:3). It’s all or nothing. The main problem with the old covenant was that no one could keep it. The law pointed us toward our need for the Messiah and for His redemption.

Enter Jesus. Even in the midst of the Old Covenant there was a New Covenant predicted in Jeremiah 31, instituted by Christ at the last supper and enacted through His death and resurrection. Let me be clear, living under the Mosaic law is not a viable option for the Christian. The old covenant is now obsolete. (Heb 8:13). Paul states, “If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Gal 2:21 NIV) New Testament believers need to be very careful how they appropriate the promises found in the old covenant, a covenant involving very material and earthly rewards.

In this age, New Testament Christians experience hardship, trials and pain, but all with great hope. Sometimes we in the church may see God’s powerful hand in miracles, other times believers may sometimes get sick, sometimes even get infected with a virus, and sadly sometimes die. As Christians, we grieve these losses as a result of the Fall and we receive comfort from God (2 Cor 1:1-10; Matt 5:1-10). The comfort we receive is that we never grieve without hope. His promises include His unfailing presence, our future hope in heaven, and our ultimate bodily resurrection. Here is an example:

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. (Rev 2:10)

We proclaim that God is still good even in the midst of the difficulty and His glory triumphs – even in our suffering. The apostle Paul says it this way:

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” (2 Cor 4:8-12, NIV).

The Key of Promise

John Bunyan in his classic allegorical work, Pilgrim’s Progress, writes about a scene that deeply moved me when I first read this work years ago. Toward the end of the book, the main character Christian, who has been on a journey to the Celestial city, (which is a metaphor for the Christian life), veers off the difficult path to try and find an easier, smoother way, and that’s when he and his traveling partner, Hopeful, get captured by a vicious sadistic giant named Despair. The giant found them sleeping on his property and brought them back to his home, called DOUBTING CASTLE, and threw them into his dungeon. They began to pray and suddenly Christian remembered something, “What a fool am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty! I have a key in my (pocket) called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in (this) Castle.” So they tried the key of promise in the dungeon door and it opened. 

Here’s the note from John Bunyan included at the bottom of the page — “Precious promise!  The promises of God in Christ are the life of faith, and the quickeners of prayer. Oh how oft do we neglect God’s great and precious promises in Christ Jesus, while doubts and despair keep us prisoners.” 

God’s promises are powerful in fighting despair. What are the promises we can hold onto? As Christians we long for Christ’s promise return. We have His promise of His Presence (Matt 28:19-20). We hold onto the Promise of His love (Rom 8:28-39). We have His promise of Wisdom (Js 1:1-5). We have His promise of strength in weakness (2 Cor 12:9-11). We have His promise of a peace that passes understanding (Phil 4:7). These are our great and precious promises (2 Pet 1:4). 

Until Christ returns to make all things new, we live in between these times. We live in what theologians call the “already / and not yet.” We will discuss this concept further in Part 3.

[ Part 1 ] [ Part 3 ] [ Part 4 ] 

References: 

Bunyan, John The Pilgrim’s Progress. Edited by Roger Sharrock and J. B. Wharey. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975). Originally Published in 1678. 

Jen Wilkin’s full article referenced in this blog: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/which-promises-are-for-me/

Darrel Bock. Progressive Dispensationalism. (Ada, Michigan: Baker Publishing Group, 2000)

Dave Hentschel

Dave Hentschel

David Hentschel serves as Lead Pastor: Preaching, Spiritual Formation and Care at Millington Baptist Church in Basking Ridge, NJ. He is a graduate of Philadelphia Biblical University and Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife Juli enjoy three children.
PrevPrevious EntryOur Christian Hope in the Middle of a Pandemic (Part 1)
Next EntryOur Christian Hope in the Middle of a Pandemic (Part 3)Next

BACK TO THE PASTOR’S TABLE

Like what you see? Sign up to receive notifications from The Pastor's Table!
Loading
Like what you see? Sign up to receive notifications from The Pastor's Table!
Loading

Recent Entries

Loading...

Righteousness through Faith

May 30, 2023
/
Noah Graves
  In Philippians 3:1-11, the Apostle Paul talks about righteousness. But, this begs the question, why is he talking about righteousness in the middle of the book of Philippians? What does righteousness have to do with joy? Well, there was a group of people causing issues amongst many of the...
Read More

Savor the Sweet Sacrifice (Philippians 2:17)

May 18, 2023
/
Bob Erbig
  Bob Erbig: Savor the sweet sacrifice of Christ, but also the sacrifice he calls us to. You may remember that in Romans 12:1-2 Paul calls us to be a living sacrifice for Christ. To conclude the section, Paul shows us what this looks like in verse 17: "But even...
Read More

How Does Sanctification Work?

May 15, 2023
/
Bob Erbig
A Lesson From Liquid Glass The spiritual formation of a Christian is not something that happens overnight. We are saved in an instant through our justification. However, conforming our lives to the image of our Savior Jesus Christ—that takes a lifetime. It is the process theologians call sanctification. To illustrate...
Read More

The Enemy of Unity

May 11, 2023
/
Bob Erbig
  By: Pastor Bob Erbig Now practically speaking, humble bragging has nothing to do with being humble. When you humblebrag you are either: (1) Complaining about something. (2) Boasting about something. (3) Or it is some combination of both. Often, people will publicly complain about something being so difficult, "my...
Read More

Avoiding the “Humblebrag”: Thoughts on Philippians 2:1-11

May 9, 2023
/
Bob Erbig
The Lie of the Humble-Brag Now, humility, or the idea of being humble is a mixed bag in our culture. Too many people, in our culture, use the guise of humility to brag about their accomplishments. There is word for that: The HUMBLE-BRAG. This phenomenon has nothing to do with...
Read More

4.30.23 Sermon Summary

May 2, 2023
/
Dave Hentschel
How do I live like a Christian? Text: Phil 1:27-30 Date: 4/30/2023 By: Pastor Dave Hentschel Philippians 1:27-30 is a passage from the New Testament of the Bible, specifically from the book of Philippians. Here is the passage in the New International Version (NIV): "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a...
Read More
1 2 … 10 Next »

Righteousness through Faith

  In Philippians 3:1-11, the Apostle Paul talks about righteousness. But, this begs the question, why is he talking about righteousness in the middle of the book of Philippians? What does righteousness have to do with joy? Well, there was a group of people causing issues amongst many of the early Christians. And that group

Read More
Noah Graves May 30, 2023

Savor the Sweet Sacrifice (Philippians 2:17)

  Bob Erbig: Savor the sweet sacrifice of Christ, but also the sacrifice he calls us to. You may remember that in Romans 12:1-2 Paul calls us to be a living sacrifice for Christ. To conclude the section, Paul shows us what this looks like in verse 17: “But even if I am being poured

Read More
Bob Erbig May 18, 2023

How Does Sanctification Work?

A Lesson From Liquid Glass The spiritual formation of a Christian is not something that happens overnight. We are saved in an instant through our justification. However, conforming our lives to the image of our Savior Jesus Christ—that takes a lifetime. It is the process theologians call sanctification. To illustrate this process I invite you

Read More
Bob Erbig May 15, 2023
Page1 Page2 Page3 Page4 Page5
  • www.millingtonbaptist.org
  • mbc@millingtonbaptist.org
  • /millingtonchurch
  • /MBCNewJersey
  • www.millingtonbaptist.org
  • mbc@millingtonbaptist.org
  • facebook.com/millingtonchurch
  • twitter.com/MBCNewJersey
  • 520 King George Road | Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 | 908-647-0594
  • about
    • Back
    • Sermon Series
      • Back
      • Back
    • Times & Directions
      • Back
      • Back
    • About us
      • Back
      • Back
    • Getting Connected
      • Back
      • Getting Connected
      • Back
    • Meet With A Pastor
      • Back
      • Meet With A Pastor
      • Back
    • New Believers
      • Back
      • New Believers
      • Back
    • Worship
      • Back
      • Back
    • Baptism
      • Back
      • Back
    • Baby Dedications
      • Back
      • Baby Dedications
      • Back
    • Communion
      • Back
      • Communion
      • Back
    • Membership
      • Back
      • Back
    • COVID 19 Campus Info
      • Back
      • MBC Indoor Gathering Plan, 9am & 10:15am
      • Back
    • Staff & Leadership
      • Back
      • Back
    • Back
  • ministries
    • Back
    • Internships
      • Back
      • Internships
      • Back
    • Family Ministries
      • Back
      • Family Ministries
      • Back
    • Kids
      • Back
      • MBC Kids
      • Back
    • Teens
      • Back
      • Teens
      • The Break
      • Rush Blog
      • Back
    • Adults
      • Back
      • Alpha Groups Initiative
      • Small Groups
      • Women
      • Adult Education
      • Young Adults
      • Senior Luncheon
      • Men
      • Radical Mentoring – Coming in September
      • Back
    • Underground Sessions
      • Back
      • Underground Sessions
      • Back
    • Care
      • Back
      • Back
    • Divorce Care
      • Back
      • Divorce Care
      • Back
    • Stephen Ministry
      • Back
      • Back
    • Missions – World Partners
      • Back
      • MBC Missions – World Partners
      • Senegal
      • First Choice
      • The Relief Bus
      • Market Street
      • Feeding Hands
      • Back
    • MBC Unhindered
      • Back
      • MBC Unhindered
      • Back
    • Little Footprints Learning Center
      • Back
      • Back
    • Back
  • media
    • Back
    • Pastors Weekly Video
      • Back
      • Updates & Connection Opportunities
      • Back
    • Pastor’s Table Blog
      • Back
      • Pastor’s Table Blog
      • Back
    • Sunday Service Live Stream
      • Back
      • MBC Live
      • Back
    • YouTube Channel
      • Back
      • YouTube
      • Back
    • Sermon Archive
      • Back
      • Sermon Archive
      • Back
    • Back
  • events
  • prayer
  • give
    • Back
    • MBC Giving
      • Back
      • give
      • Back
    • Year-End Giving for 2023
      • Back
      • Year-End Giving for 2023
      • Back
    • Give Your Time & Efforts
      • Back
      • Share your Gifts
      • Back
    • Give Help, Get Help
      • Back
      • Give Help, Get Help
      • Back
    • Support Ukraine
      • Back
      • Support Ukraine
      • Back
    • Back
  • connect
    • Back
    • Getting Connected
      • Back
      • getting connected
      • Back
    • Shared Interest Groups
      • Back
      • Shared Interest Groups
      • Back
    • Share your Gifts
      • Back
      • Share your Gifts
      • Back
    • Back
  • log in