(Blood Covenant) 3 - Our Covenant With Christ — Milton Green

When anyone receives revelation in the Word of God, it sometimes conflicts with what he has previously been taught. This causes you to have to deal with old traditions or wrong teachings. These tapes may contain some new light from God's Word, and it may be opposed to some traditions you have previously learned.

Therefore, follow through these messages in your Bible, in sequence, in order that you may be able to make a choice for the Word of God rather than the traditions of men. This is tape number three in a series.

We urge you to listen to all the tapes in the series in numerical order, so that the whole teaching can be received and understood. Listening to a part of the series or to the tapes out of sequence can lead to a misunderstanding of the nature, the intent, and the importance of the series.

Fruitfulness Through Covenant With Christ

It's not a question of whether you choose God, it's a question of whether God chooses you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and what? Bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.

Please look at me. What did God tell the first Adam? Be fruitful. And He told him to multiply. What did He tell the second Adam? Be fruitful and multiply. What does the second Adam tell us? Be fruitful and multiply.

Let me show you how you be fruitful. You be fruitful. The only way you can be fruitful is walking in covenant. And when you walk in this word, when you take thoughts captive, and when you walk in this word and obey this word, the fruit of love and joy and peace.

See, you are a tree of the field. Longsuffering and goodness and gentleness and meekness and temperance and faith will only come out of you when you walk in this word. Are you a branch? Let me ask you over here, I can't hear you.

Are you a branch? Are you supposed to be a branch? Did you ever see a branch get by itself and try to bear fruit? You'll not bear fruit unless you're into the vine. Amen? You don't get into the vine unless you're in agreement with Him.

And you're not in agreement with Him unless you're walking in covenant. And so He is the one that produces the fruit in you when you walk in covenant. And He said, I've chosen you that you go bear fruit for Satan.

No. I've chosen you that you go bear fruit for God. That cause is reversed back from the first Adam who fell. So, of course, we are being conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ who is this exact image and representation of God.

Is that correct? Now, if you do this, do you know what bearing fruit is? That means that you're walking in covenant. Amen. Let me say it again. I think you might just be saying it just to agree with me.

Do you understand and see that a person is being fruitful, is walking in covenant? Well, look at the second part. You got your big pencil ready? And then you're bearing fruit and you fruit your name, and then whatever you ask of the Father in my name, He will give to you.

Do you want to see that or not? Do you want to pass out some scissors? Do you want to cut any of this out? Now, is that true? He says, whatever you ask. Did your Bible just say, whatever you ask, you're going to get?

It sounds a lot different than praying and hoping, it's kind of praying and knowing, right? I want my family saved. I want the whole community saved. I want my son saved. I want a lot of things, walking in covenant.

And it's done. Now, are you seeing what the Church can do with the powers of darkness when you start disciplining and getting sin out? Like the Bible says, when you quit being unevenly yoked with tariffs, how can I make covenant with Satan?

We're going to look at that in a minute. Folks, that's strong right there. Now, let me just give you an example, the opposite of this. We're going to get there later. But do you know where James 4, he said, you ask and you ask amiss and you do not receive because you want to consume it on your, there it is, desires, likes, your pleasures.

That's what happens. People who are praying, walking out of the carton. Save you time. Go read the paper. You ask and you do not receive because your motives are wrong. Because you're wanting to make a name for yourself.

You're wanting to exalt yourself. You're wanting to make a name for your church. You're wanting to make a name for a lot of things instead of a name for the Lord Jesus Christ. The people who are making a name for the Lord Jesus Christ are hated by this world and they're persecuted.

There's a difference. And walk an eye for the carton and walk an eye for the Spirit of God. There's a big difference. Look at verse 17. And we're going to cover that a little better later. And we're going to come to that.

The Church’s Relationship to the World

And I want you to remember that we read this in John 15. This I command you, that you love one another. Now, here's the disciples' relationship to the world. And this is what we're supposed to be, disciples.

Here's the relationship to the world. If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. It'd love you if you were of the world.

But because you're not of the world, but I have what? Will you please circle chose you about four times? I have chose you, what's that next word? Held the world. Therefore the world hates you. You don't walk, talk, and act like the world.

You don't compromise the world. You don't have to please the world. The world's what's being destroyed. The world's what's in darkness. The world's what's hanging in there while it's being torn apart.

You don't supposed to hang on like the world. You rule and reign. Verse 20. Remember the word that I said to you, A slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

If they kept my word, they'll keep yours also. Now in chapter 16, verse 1. Here's a warning from Jesus. These things I've spoken to you that it may keep you from what? Stumbling? Now stumbling, look at me folks.

Stumbling means when you get the wrong wind, what happens? Did I mention this here? Did I talk about this last night, stumbling in spiritual darkness? See, at the noon part of the day, let me just for the benefit of somebody who wasn't here, you know at the noon time of day the word talks about you stumbling.

Well at noon time of day, you can see in the natural realm how to walk. This stumbling and staggering is talking about your staggering in spiritual darkness. Stumbling. You get a hold of the wrong teaching or the opposite teaching, a different gospel than what this is, and you stumble.

But this may, as I've spoken these things to you to keep you from stumbling. They will make you what? From the what? Sound like some people are going to be outcasts from the synagogue. But the hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think he's offering service to God.

Well, I just looked at a couple of verses in 14, we're going to take a short break. Turn back to chapter 14. We got the be fruitful, now we're going to look at the multiply. How do you multiply? You multiply by being a disciple.

What's given to you, you're giving to somebody else. That's what a disciple is. Now verse 12. Truly, truly, Jesus says, I say to you, he who believes in me. May I ask you something? Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?

I don't want you to listen to the rest of this verse. He who believes in me, the works I do shall he do also. Is that plain? Why should there be any other works to do? The works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to the Father, and then when you're being fruitful, and in the next part you're multiplying, watch what comes next, if you're doing the works of Jesus.

And whatever you ask in my name, that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son, and in case you missed verse 13, in 14 he says it again, if you ask me anything in my name, I'll do it. Are you seeing everything goes back to the first sentence?

You be fruitful, and you multiply. Covenant. That is covenant. If you just look at the front of the top of your page right there, that is the ministry of Jesus, to be fruitful. That's walking in covenant, multiplying, it's being a disciple, and give what has been given unto you.

That's love. That's covenant love. And then the next verse, 15. If you love me, you will keep my covenant that I've made with you. Do you love the Lord? Do you really love him? He says if you love him, then your Bible says you'll keep covenant.

Is that what he says? Now we're covering some things, we're going up here. Now look at me, this is important. We're going up here with some things that we're going to be sharing. And I'm mentioning some things around here, and I'm sure you've got questions.

And some things have to be tied together. Now what you do, you sit there and you do not be under any condemnation to have to receive or understand anything until the Lord confirms it and shows you in your heart you're called into liberty and freedom.

Now, I know that this is just the first part. Folks, we're just getting started. There's a bunch more behind this to tie in. We're just starting out with covenant. These things that I'm telling you about, blessings and curses and things, when as I go through the word, I'm going to point back to covenant.

I said you see, you see, and you see, and you see, and it will be quickened to you, and be quickened to you, and the Lord will enlighten your understanding. He'll give you wisdom. He'll give you understanding.

And you're going to see it just like looking at this. So probably most of the questions, all the questions that you can ask, is going to be answered. You're going to have to wait until we get to them all.

Okay? Amen? I want to tell you, I've still got questions too. So it's good to have questions. There's nothing wrong with having questions. I want you to turn with me now to John 17, and we're going to look at the prayer of Jesus to the Father.

Jesus’ Prayer for Covenant Unity

Is covenant clearing up, folks? Is covenant looking better all the time? Shake your head. We're seeing some things we haven't understood before, aren't we? John 17. And Jesus, this is called the high priestly prayer to the Father.

And I want you to know that I forget exactly how many times he mentions the world in this prayer, 17 times or more, but he never once prays for the world. Do you notice that? Now, verse 4, Jesus says to the Father, I glorify thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which thou hast given me to do, verse 11, and I am no more, verse 11, I am no more in the world, and yet they themselves are in the world.

I come to thee, Holy Father, in that precious. Keep them in thy name, the name which thou hast given to me. Are you ready? That they may be what? That they may be one even as what? Now, I hope you mark that.

Mark that. They may be one as we are. Now, I want you to look at me. He wants us to be one as they are. Let me show you something. Do you know the first covenant God made with Adam? It's the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost one.

They're one because they're in covenant. That's why they're one. He intends for us to be one as they're one. Is that what you just read? And we become one with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit when you're in covenant.

Is that strong? Now, let's continue. Verse 22, he's talking about their future glory. The future glory. And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them that they may be what? One just as we are what?

Everything's one. Is that covenant? That is covenant. All right, I want you to watch the next part. I in them and thou in me. Is that covenant? When he's talking about the Father in him, is that covenant?

The Holy Spirit in him, the Holy Spirit in us, is that covenant? I in them and thou in me that they may be what? Perfected in unity. Perfected in unity. That is covenant. And we see that in Ephesians 4.

That's what the evangelists, the pastors, that's what the craftsmen who build the temple of today, they build in unity and maturity of the body. But they be perfected in unity that the world may know that thou didst send me and didst love them even as thou didst love me.

Verse 26. And I have made thy name known to them and will make it known that they love. Now, I want you to mark the love right here because that is loving kindness. That is the God kind of love. And this is what you have to understand about this love if you want to understand this verse.

Thy name known to them and make it known that the love, the loving kindness wherewith thou didst love me may be what? That's a God kind of love be in them. You see what I'm telling you? That's a God kind of love may be in them and I in them.

Is that strong? Is that good? So you see, that kind of God kind of love is supposed to be in us that we be one. As the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. We're to be one. That's going to be bad news for some tares, isn't it?

Huh? That's bad news for selfish ambition and jealousy and envy and strife. Because in average church, all the devil has to do is just come down and shake a preacher's hand. He become a member and remain a member and be against everything God wants to do there and remain a member in good standing until he dies.

There's something the matter with that, isn't there? Somehow that don't line up with the words. That's for people to have something else figure it out. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 11. Well, I tell you what, I want to come back there last.

When you get to be a teacher, you can do whatever you want to do, I guess. Turn to 2 Corinthians 6. I'm going to change this around. It's not time for... This would work better. How are you liking your Bible drill?

Separation From Unbelievers and the Call to Holiness

All right, 2 Corinthians 6. I want you to read with me. Since I made the remark that I did, I think we need to start here in verse 14. God says, unless you've got something else worked out, do not be bound together with unbelievers.

Now, folks, in Matthew where it tells about the tares and the wheat growing up together and then when it becomes harvest time, you'll see the grain. You know what that grain represents? That's the fruit.

That's fruit. And then when you see fruit, the tares become obvious. And it's talking about in the field. And people are always going to say, that's the tares in the church. If you look in the next chapter, you find out the field is the world where the tares come up.

Why would it say one thing here? See, we do things like fight to be sick, fight for the tares and the devil, protect him. Do not be bound together with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness?

Now, sin. When you understand covenant, you understand this scripture, right? How can I be in covenant with the devil? You know, we never see people that get up out of wheelchairs and things like this.

That's not going to be any problem to do. When we get in covenant and do and discipline and do what God says, it's going to be a problem. As long as we're letting part, we're walking with people that wants to make covenant with Satan.

Or we're making it with him ourselves. You don't get God to cooperate too much with that. What partnership have righteousness and lawlessness and sin? Just think about it. What fellowship has light with darkness?

Or what harmony has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Isn't that a good question? See, but if your emphasis, if your heart goes after numbers, look at me. See, if the enemy can't prevent something, he perverts it.

And see, because a church today does not want to, you know, move over there, they're trying to get God to move over here. And he just doesn't move. And so since God doesn't do anything, then you have to develop theology and start writing these big, thick books that God can't do anything, see.

Because you have to justify being over here. And that's exactly what happened because the enemy has perverted it. He's perverted it. See, that's why we sit over here and count everything that moves. And see, when your heart makes him...

Now, I'm going to show you scripture later how Satan's behind the counting. See, because what counting does is people boast and it lifts up their heart. They boast in themselves after they count. So then if your emphasis becomes numbers instead of righteousness, you think you're helping God out with numbers?

Hmm. See then, if your emphasis is numbers, you really don't need this. That's perversion. And that's just exactly why all the terrors get in. See, it's supposed to be a narrow door, isn't it? Isn't it narrow the way?

See, we made the door just a little wider where the wolves and the terrors and the devil and the whole bunch can get in. It's supposed to be a narrow way. That is perversion. Lord, we'd rather have 600 in Sunday school as have 100.

600 in Sunday school agreeing with the devil as have 100 here agreeing with you and walking in righteousness and covenant. See, that's what God sees from his point of view. Well, what agreement has with the temple of God with idols?

For we are the temple of the living God, just as God has said, I will dwell where? I will dwell in them. Mark this as we go. We found out it's okay. I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be my what?

Did we see that a holy people that we already looked in covenant? Are you in the New Testament right now? All right, then he says, verse 17,. Therefore, come out from their midst and be what? You be separated from the world into righteousness, says the Lord, and do not touch what is unclean, and then I will welcome you.

Now, that's what he says for folks over here. He says, move over. You move over. All right, then, verse 18,. And I'll be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.

Therefore, having these promises, you want the promises are? Just write covenant right there. Beloved, let us now cleanse ourselves. How do you cleanse yourself? You start letting... See, this word can't wash you.

It can't remove this junk. It can't get all this stuff that this... See, the devil has been putting things in our computer for all your life, and the only thing that can get it out of there is the word of God, and this word of God will not perform its work in you unless you take it to heart, eat it.

And when you take the word to heart, it'll clean all those lies. This is what's happening here right now. That's why what's going to happen here right this week, ain't a lot of dormant demons going to leave here.

They don't have any more ministry. Once you know the truth, the truth sets you free. I mean, it just washes you and cleanses all the lies out of your computer. Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit-perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The Lord’s Supper as a Covenant Meal

Now, I want to, if you will, just look now back at 1 Corinthians 11. Turn back to 1 Corinthians 11 with me. Now, we're still talking about covenants, and you know where we're going to start. I told you that we're going to be looking at the war against the covenant.

Do you believe there's been a war against the covenant? I think there's been a very successful war against the covenant because we haven't even understood covenant. I mean, the devil has been prevailing, folks, and perverting everything.

1 Corinthians 11, verse 23. Now we're going to look at this Lord's Supper. You know another name for it you might call it? A covenant meal. Amen? All right, now let's look, because I think this might read a little different to you in light of what we've already looked at.

Verse 23, For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you.

Do you understand now when you sit down to partake of the wine and the bread what you're doing? You're renewing covenant and death to yourself and life in Christ Jesus. See, we've known it's a pretty serious thing.

All right, now, see, the bread is his flesh, you remember? In the same way he took the cup also after supper, saying, This cup is the what? This is a new covenant. We have the old covenant and we've got the new covenant we're looking at right now.

Now, a covenant is a covenant, that's a holy people unto God. It's a covenant to be walked in and to obey. This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.

That's a holy, can anything be more holy? Now, I want you to watch what else he says. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, and you proclaim your own death too.

Death to the flesh. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in unworthy manner shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself. He better examine himself, hadn't he?

But let a man examine himself, I hope you marked that. So let him and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks what? He drinks what? Mark that judgment.

He drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. May I ask you if the body of Christ might be judged wrongly or the body of Jesus might be judged wrongly today, any? Because the fact that it is, in verse 30, it says, Many among you are what?

You're weak and you're sick. Doesn't sound like covenant people, does it? Sound like people with some curses on them, doesn't it, instead of blessings. Sound like some people that miss the Lord. And a number die.

Folks, in the chapter before, in a day when the demons are all in Africa, it talks about over here, about taking the table of the Lord and taking the table of demons also. See, because we always ignored, we've been programmed to ignore scripture like that.

If it has anything to do with demons, you know, we've already, we just ignore it. Now, are you seeing the possibility? And I'm going to be getting into this demon thing, I'm just going to make the point now, and I want you just, the Lord, just to show you how folks take the table of demons and sit down and take covenant with Lord God Almighty at the same time.

And he says, you're weak and you're sick and you die. Amen? It sounds like that God just might be a little serious about the blood of Jesus, mightn't he? It might, it sounds like he's a little serious about who he, that's the reason he does the choosing for who's going to be in covenant with him.

Covenant Identity, Blessing, and the Restoration of God’s Image

All right, now this has been covenant. And this is covenant. We have his likeness, his strength. We have him as a defender. He walked through the covenant walls of blood for us. His covenant scars remind him daily to pray for us.

He gave us his name, and that name never need bow, sin, sickness, depression, disease, poverty, demons. See, everything that bows to Jesus in the name of Jesus, we have authority over it in the name of Jesus because we're in Jesus, we're sons of God.

We can use his name and his word, and Jesus is in the world. So as Jesus is in the world, so are we. Covenant can't be ended. It's unchangeable. You can't get out of it once you're in it. There's no break in covenant.

When you're in covenant, you're in it. Either for the blessings or the curses. Blood covenant is far greater than our concept of marriage in this country. Did you know it? Everything in the world is based on covenant.

Everything in this whole world from front to back is based on covenant. Covenant is a foundation for prayer. Covenant is a foundation for fellowship, for understanding the Bible, understanding fellowship, understanding prayer is seeing God unfold his covenant, which the Lord is doing for us today.

There's a very interesting verse, we won't turn by it, but it's in Psalm 25. It's on your notes, the secret of the Lord. God has a lot of secrets, doesn't he? The secret of the Lord is for those who fear him.

And he will make them, the ones that fear him, know his covenant, not the ones that fear the devil. So man begins by being created in the image of God. Wasn't that the very beginning? He's created in the image of God, then you see him fall.

And you understand there's a covenant, but God is trying to teach man something. In covenant, see the Old Testament here is like a root, and the New Testament is like a flower. You know the new is written out of the old, and the old is symbols and types of the new.

And you can't separate the two of them. And the whole Bible is a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ from front to back. Man was created by God, and he fell in the garden. In the rest of the book we find man trying to find God.

See, that's religion. Christianity is when God seeks out man. That's grace. And he finds him. Many are called. Few are chosen. But man lost the image of God when he fell away. And the rest of the Bible here is showing how God restores in man his image.

That's what he's doing all the way at the front. He fell in the garden, and the rest of the Bible is restoring man back to the image and likeness of God. Isn't that right? That is what he's doing in us, and he's done in us.

See, Adam lost the image of the heavenly, which is the Lord Jesus, and he took on the image of the earthly. We see man just keep spiraling down and down until he ends up in the flood. And the Lord destroys him in the flood.

God starts out again with Noah, and then man begins to seek his own thing again. And he spirals down and down until he gets to the Bible. He's still going to build his way, build a tower into heaven. You see a lot of that today.

So you see, for no reason except for the love of God, our Father revealed himself to Abraham. He sold out Abraham to bring him into place to make covenant with him. Abraham wasn't seeking the Father. The Father sold Abraham.

And then later on when you read about Abraham in Hebrews 11, you don't read about his failures. You read about faith, and that is the way the Lord sees us. If our hearts are right toward him and you covenant.

He sees our faith. He puts the failures behind him. See, it's something to hear of man entering into covenant with one another. But to hear of God entering into covenant with man, that's something else.

And folks, I hope that you'll spend some time to meditate and think on that this is what we're here for. And that's what church is. Covenant with God Almighty. It's an unequal covenant. What can you give God?

What can you really give God? So can you see a stiff neck, how God sees a stiff neck, stubborn person? Who thinks he has something to offer to God. Who's Lord, who wants to be God, who wants to be Lord.

See, all he wants is your love. He wants your love in all your heart, body, and soul. That's the kind of love he has towards you. See, that's all he wants. And he also says, if you really love him. He said, if you really love him, you're going to obey his word.

Isn't that true? In Philippians, it talks about that we work out our salvation in fear and trembling. There is a covenant walk. Do we know much about working out our salvation in fear and trembling? There is a salvation walk.

There's a covenant walk. I want you to turn to me to 1 John 2, please.

1 John 2.

Obedience, Righteousness, and Not Being Deceived

Get people that are in covenant with God. The people that really know the Lord. 1 John 2, verse 13. We need to always keep our scissors with us. If we don't like something in here, we can just cut it out.

Verse 3. And by this we know. I want you to mark know. Either you know or you don't know. We know that we have come to what? I can't hear you. We know him if. There's a condition. If you know him, if what?

You keep his covenant. You know him if you keep his commandment, his covenant. Who says I've come to know him and doesn't keep his covenant or commandment is a liar. Is that plain? He's a liar and the truth is not in him.

But whoever keeps his word in him, the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in him. The one who says he remains in him, Jesus. Here's the way you'll see him walk. He ought himself to walk in the what?

Same matter as the Lord Jesus Christ. Walk. Isn't that plain? You're just going to receive that? God tells us in the word. Now, do not be deceived. It's just God almighty. Do you believe it's God's word or just contains God's word?

Is this God's word? Is this word from God? All right, when God says to you, do not be deceived, does that mean you're too smart to be deceived? Or is it possible you might could be deceived? Amen? You could be deceived.

So when God warns us, and you know, all this sleepiness and over here already gathered around something, deception really. When God warns us to do not be deceived, when you see that word, do not be deceived, you better see what he's talking about.

Now, let's look at one of those verses. In chapter 3, verse 7. Little children. Chapter 3, verse 7. Little children, let no one what? Deceive you, which means little children, there's something around that'll try to deceive you.

There are some deceivers around. That's the reason God's warning you, little children. Little children, do not let anyone deceive you. The one who practices righteousness is the one that's what? Don't be deceived about that, little children.

The one who practices righteousness is the one who is righteous, just as he is righteous. Verse 10. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious. Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not from God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

A form of godliness is not godliness. That's not covenant. That's deception. That's for people who are deceived. Now, back up one more verse in chapter 2. Verse 29. It talks about Jesus. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness, the ones who practice righteousness, I hope you mark that.