Blood Covenant - Part 1 — Bob Phillips

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 this series or to the tapes out of sequence can lead to a Misunderstanding of the nature the intent and the importance of this series.

The Lord’s Covenant, Lovingkindness, and Truth

Psalm 25 verse 8 turn with me. Verse 8 good and upright is the Lord. Therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in justice and he teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are loving kindness and truth for everyone.

Is that what your Bible says? I want you to talk with me. Is that what it said all the now we talked about the loving kindness of the Lord and the truth of the Lord. And it says all the paths of the Lord are loving kindness and truth, but that's not all that verse says.

What does it say? To those who keep his covenant and his testimonies now. That's the ones that God has poured out his loving kindness and truth. I didn't say didn't love the others. I didn't say that he did because God is a God of love and there's not anybody on the face of the earth that God does not love that God pours out his loving kindness and truth to those who keep his covenant and His testimonies.

Are you with me? And I'd like you to talk with me and so I want you to talk back to me my friends all talk to me. And so I want you to talk with me that way. I know where you are. That's you falling asleep, but your neighbor might Mean what I'm saying here, then you'll wake him or her up and they won't miss what we're talking about.

Amen. So so I want you to repeat with me and I say this because there's things I want you to see and It helps if you say it it helps you see it. Are you are you with me? All right. Now He says all the paths of the Lord are though our loving kindness and truth to those who keep this covenant in his testimonies.

For thy name's sake O Lord pardon my iniquity for it is great. Who is the man who fears the Lord with understand what the fear of the Lord is this week? I want you to set you know change your life. If you understand the fear of the Lord and understand what it means and what it is and how you enter into it.

Because God says that he does want the fear of you before your eye of him before your eyes but when you fear God, there's absolutely no reason to fear anything else and We need to know what the fear the Lord is.

We need to know what God means when he says it. So he says who is the man who fears the Lord the man who fears the Lord? He's got a beautiful promise. He will instruct him. That is the man who fears the Lord.

He will instruct him in the way He should choose. Would you like for the Lord to do that? Then he says he'll do it for the person who fears the Lord now notice what he says. His soul will abide in prosperity and his descendants will inherit the land.

The secret of the Lord is for those who what? Who fear him and look what he says he'll do and he will make them know his covenants. Now is that a good promise? Now that's what we're going to be saying this week.

We're going to be understanding. We'll have an understanding of that whenever we we get through the week now turn with me to Daniel. Daniel chapter 7. Daniel chapter 7. Daniel chapter 7 excuse me make that Daniel 9 turn to Daniel 9.

Daniel chapter 9 if you found Daniel 7 you ought to be able to find Daniel 9 real easy. Daniel chapter 9 verse 4. Daniel is praying a prayer and I want you to notice what he says and I prayed to the Lord and I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said alas Oh Lord the great and awesome God is he a great and awesome God the great and awesome God who keeps his Covenant and loving kindness now notice this again.

He qualifies it. He keeps his covenant and he keeps his loving kindness for those who love him and what do they do? They keep his commandments, so we've seen two things. We've seen that God shows his loving kindness and truth.

And he shows the paths and directions the people should choose and he shows his covenant to those who fear him and keep his Commandments keep his covenant and God keeps his loving kindness for us now if all of that's important.

Do you think we ought to know what the covenant is? All right now I want you to realize this when we talk of covenants. Covenant is something that you enter into but it's also a walk. There is an entering into covenant that's necessary, but there's also a walk that comes with covenant.

It's not something you do one time you enter covenant is a way of life. Are you hearing what I'm saying? It's a shame. We've not understood that salvation is a covenant. It's a shame that we've we've we've tried to make salvation that experience over there.

I don't care how good it was. Salvation is a walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. Covenant is a walk with God through the Lord Jesus Christ and so covenant and salvation really are synonymous. Now I want here's what I want to do because you'll be blessed and it will transform your life if you know Your covenant keeping God the God of covenant if you know him as he really is.

Because one of the things that we're going to see later on this week is that whenever Abraham for example was given a tremendous promise Abraham could not even have a child and God told him that not only would he have a child.

But he'd be the father of many. He'd have many descendants and if that wasn't staggering enough to hear God took him outside. Told him to look at the sky and said count the stars. And he said if you can count the stars.

So shall your descendants be that as a staggering promise and Abraham he just sat back and he said God How may I know that I shall possess it? Yes, what answer God gave him? Covenant have you ever asked God how you're going to possess something?

Have you ever read something in the Word of God and you wanted half but how am I going to live that? How am I going to live that God how am I going to possess that but how am I going to have that kind of a Relationship.

You ever read the Psalms and see the relationship that David had with God and say God. How am I ever going to have that relationship with you? How am I ever going to enter in to that flawless with you and God's gonna give you the same answer he gave Abraham covenant.

By covenant, so we need to know what covenant is. I want you to start with me though in Genesis chapter 1. Just a good place to start, isn't it? Genesis chapter 1 in Genesis chapter 1 I'm gonna read some familiar scriptures to you.

But I'm doing it for a purpose because I want you to focus in on these verses in Relationship to covenant and we're going to see something together as we go through the word Genesis chapter 1. Genesis 1 verse 27 and 28 and God created man in whose image.

In his own image God created man in his own image in the image of God. He created him. Male and female he created them now what God did now I want you to understand something. God created man in his own image and his own likeness for this reason that man might share in the life of God as Much as was possible for a created being to share in that life and live in it.

Are you hearing what I'm saying? Now, let's say that again because I don't want you to miss it when God says that he created man in his own image and likeness. I want you to know why he did that God's heart's desire from the very beginning was to create man so that he might participate and have the life of God like under God's own life as Much as was humanly possible or possible for a human being to live in.

Are you with me? That was God's heart desire that you're reading there. That's not just words off of a page. God is literally declaring to you with the life. I want you to live is like my life. But something happened.

Sin’s Destruction of Covenant Love

Because what he was saying is right here to Adam and Eve that he was creating them that they might be totally yielded to God. Their life might be submerged into his life. Are you with me. And so that they might be in total trust a loving?

Dependence and their whole being wrapped up in God's life. Now that was his desire and that statement says all of that. That's his desire. That's what he wants. But now we've got a problem when sin entered.

It destroyed that relationship. It destroyed it. It didn't destroy it on God's part. Because we're even reading Romans 5 that that God declares that even while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. As a matter of fact, it says and God demonstrated his love To us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

And so it didn't break love on God's part, but here's what happened. It totally destroyed love on man's part. Sin does that sin destroys? Love. Covenant love. True covenant love and it replaces it with a false kind of love and that false love is called selfishness.

Are you with me? I say are you with me? All right, let's look at Genesis 2. Genesis 2 verse verse 15. Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it and the Lord God commended the man saying from any tree of the garden you may eat freely.

But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. For in the day that you eat from it, you shall surely die now. We're going to come back to that verse in a moment. But I want you to go on to chapter 3 with me.

That was God's command and we're going to see we're going to Come on the ground and then we're going to come back and show how this was covenant that he's talking about. Okay, we're going to show how God was speaking about covenant, even though the word covenants not used there.

We don't see how he was speaking about covenant in the very beginning, but notice with me in Genesis chapter 3 verse 1. Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.

Who's the serpent represent? Satan and he said to the woman indeed has God said you shall not eat from any tree of the garden now notice. But from the fruit of the tree. Excuse me verse 2 and the woman said to the serpent from the fruit of the tree of the garden.

We may eat but from the fruit of the tree, which is in the middle of the garden God has said you shall not eat from it or touch it lest you die now I know she added something there, but that's not my point in this so I'm not even going to cover some of that.

We're not going to try to cover everything in detail. We've got one subject. We're looking at and that's covenant and what happened in my covenant had to be made. Amen. All right, so we're going to miss some of those things, but but you notice she added something to it.

She didn't say what God literally said, but we go on and we read in verse 4 and the serpent said to the woman You surely shall not die. In other words. He was saying I don't care what God said. Whatever God said you won't experience death.

Is that what he was saying? That's not really what's going to happen. He says as a matter of fact, here's what's going to happen. Verse 5 for God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be what?

They'll be opened now notice and you'll be like God Knowing good and evil and when the woman saw that the tree was good for food. I want you to notice something. Trees two trees in the middle of this garden both of them pleasing to the eyes.

Are you with me? Two trees both of them pleasing but she looked at this tree and She saw that it was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree Was desirable to make one wise she took from its fruit and ate and she gave also to her husband with her and he ate.

Now I want you to know what happened when that happened. The love relationship they had with God was destroyed. Not on God's part but on their part to God. But let me show you how it was destroyed. Look at the next verse then the eyes of both of them were opened and They knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves what they make themselves.

They made themselves aprons or loin coverings and they heard the sound of the Lord God Walking in the garden in the cool of the day and the man and his wife hid themselves. From the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Does that sound like a love relationship to you? They hid themselves. Do you hide yourself from those you love? No, now don't just think well, they were just afraid know what had happened. It's deeper than that.

Their love relationship with God was destroyed. That's what sin does sin destroys Covenant love. Are you with me now? Here's what I want you to think about. You see I don't care how generous love looks on the outside.

It's been this way ever since love we can make things look like love. I don't care if you're if you're feeding the hungry. I don't. I don't care if if you but I Don't care what if you're teaching Sunday school.

I don't care if you're preaching from the pulpit. I don't care if you're serving religiously in church. I don't care what you're doing. If Jesus Christ does not have your whole hearts then you've got part of it and the devil's got part of it and you're not walking in love and.

And now what now what this means is? That no matter what you do all that you do in worship to God is saying. You know what vein means it means it is of no value. Now I had to come to a place in my own personal life.

Where I saw that much of what I did in the name of Jesus was nothing but vain worship. You see in Matthew 15 The Lord said that the Pharisees fulfilled what was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet when he said This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me and he said their whole life of worship is vain.

I Want you to know they fasted twice a week. They they were the Pharisees weren't what we what we think they might have been. Do you realize it was the Pharisees at the in-between? The Testaments in between the Old Testament and the New Testament in the period there when nothing was written there was a Man who rose to power by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes and he went into the temple of God he took all of the silver and the gold and he desecrated it.

Hey, he brought in brass. He He brought in temple prostitutes. He brought in all those things and he's made people swear that he was God. Or he killed them. And there was a group of people who rose up against him and defeated him they were called Pharisees.

You hear what I'm saying? They didn't start out bad, but at the time we get to Jesus. They were honoring with their lips. But not their hearts and their worship. Was in vain now. I'm gonna ask you is that serious.

The Lust of the Flesh, Eyes, and Pride of Life

I want you to notice something about this Relationship that destroyed love. Look what she saw verse 6 we're speaking of Adam and Eve. Genesis 3 verse 6 when the woman saw that the tree was good for food.

You know what happened with her eyes? She saw something and it excited her flinch. Are you with me? Now? We're talking about how her love relationship got destroyed. Are you with me? I say are you with me?

All right? We're talking about how her love relationship Adam and Eve's love relationship got destroyed with God. Her eyes Focused on something and those eyes Excited her flesh. She saw it was good. Is that right?

All right. Now once you notice what else happened not only that but it says and it that it was a delight to the eyes and that The tree was desirable to make one. What? Rise now what you know what happened first of all her eyes Excited the flesh and then the fact that it was had the ability to make her wise appealed to the pride of her flesh.

It became something that the flesh begin to desire the Irish. This eyes desired at first and then the pride of life begin to desire it for the flesh. Are you with me? And then the next thing we say what did she do?

She ate of it didn't she now when she ate of it what happened was what her eyes saw and what her flesh craved. She satisfied. And so she satisfied her flesh and when she did it destroyed the love relationship she had with God.

It destroyed the love. Are you with me? Well, let me show you if that's true turn with me to first John. I want to show you that that's true first John chapter 2. Again, you may have seen these scriptures here.

But I want you to particularly focus in on what I'm saying because we're going somewhere. And I want you to see them in light of what we're teaching first John chapter 2. First John chapter 2 now. We're going to read these scriptures in a particular order because it'll help you see what happened to Adam and Eve and what sin does in your life.

Now notice this and now I want to say something you'll get this when we come to understanding the fear of the Lord. You'll understand the fear of the Lord greater than you've understood it before. I don't say something.

It's a good thing. Not a bad thing. Are you with me? All right. Now, let's see what happened notice I said that when Eve Adam and Eve began to look at this tree. They saw it was desirable for the eyes and so it what it did was it excited the flesh about what they saw it excited the flesh and.

Then the next thing they did is they started make one last so they brought in the boastful pride of life begin to take over. Now a boastful pride of life is not somebody who just walks around arrogant.

Are you hearing me? Anybody can have pride that begins to look to themselves. But now not only that but she satisfied the desire of her flesh by eating. Now notice what I said, and I said that destroyed her love relationship with God not God's on God's part.

But her part, is that where we are? All right. Now notice what we read first John chapter 2 verse 16. For all that is in the world now, he's going to describe the world. This is what's in the world for all that is in the world the The what? the lust of the flesh.

Did we read about the lust of the flesh with her? The lust of the eyes did she see it was a delight to the eyes and the boastful pride of life Is not from the father, but it's from what it's from the world now.

I want you to read verse 15 with me. Do not love the world in other words. Don't let your heart be drawn away by the lust of the eyes. The lust of the flesh the boastful pride of life. Do not love the world now notice this.

Nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world there it is the love of the father. Is not would you say is not? Is not in him. Are you are you with me? What happened when she when she did that it did more than just the fall of sin it destroyed her love relationship with God.

How many of you see that? Because it says that the love of God Is no longer in you when that's what you go after with your hearts. Now notice what it says in verse 17 and the world is passing away and also it's lost.

But the one who does the will of God what happens to them. They abide forever all right now. I want you to turn with me to James chapter 1. It's not far away. James chapter 1. And I'm covering. I'm laying up groundwork now.

We're covering some basic scriptures that I'm sure you've covered before and you've seen before. But I want you to see them in light of where we're going. James 1 now notice what he says. We see the same picture that we saw in the garden.

We're talking about covenant. James 1 verse 12. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial. Let me ask you a question. Did Adam and Eve were they faced with a trial. Did they persevere. No they didn't.

Did they get blessed. No they did not. Therefore he says blessed is the man who perseveres under trial for once he has been approved who approves him God he will receive the crown of life which has been a Which has which the Lord has promised and who do you promise them to?

To those who want to those who love him the crown of life is promised to those who keep the love of God in them. The covenants is revealed to those who love him. God keeps his covenant with those who watch.

Love him and keep his commandments. Is that what we read all right? But this sin comes in and sin is designed now listen to me you look at sin differently if you'll understand this I want it won't change if you just get it in your head.

But if you ever get this in your heart it will literally change the way you look at sin. Sin is from the devil it comes to a temptation you yield to it. It's your sin. We're going to say that in a minute, but sin.

Temptation is designed to get you to sin. When you sin you destroy your love relationship with the Lord. Unless you repent of that sin and turn from it with your whole heart now God has given us repentance as a means of restoring us now.

Grace, Mercy, and the Restoration of Covenant

Let me show you something I want you to hear this. There's two things God's given us in covenant mercy and grace. Grace is not just that thing we call Unmerited paper that's not what grace is it doesn't even come close to touching grace of course.

It's unmerited. Everything we have from God is unmerited grace and everything else. There's nothing we deserve. Grace is not just an unmerited paper. People are walking around with a doctrine in their heads, and they don't know what grace is.

Let me tell you what grace is. Grace is the power of God unto you to enable you to walk in his Word. That's what grace is. Grace is not some unmerited paper. It's a power from God. Are you hearing what I'm saying?

Grace is the power that comes to you to enable you to do all that God calls you and asks you to do. That's grace all right now. He not only gave us grace. He gave us mercy. Mercy is not some theological term.

Mercy all so is power from God now. Here's what mercy is grace. Gets us into covenant with God. Grace is the power that allows us to walk in covenant with God. When we sin it breaks the love relationship not from God to us, but not what to look done, but now.

We've got something called mercy. Mercy is the power of God that changes my heart to get me back under grace. Are you with me? That's what mercy is. Mercy is not something that happens. Just say Oh God.

I sinned again. Please forgive me and then keep on walking where you were if genuine mercy is extended to you. And it's always extended when you come to God with your whole heart when you come in repentance with your whole heart.

You always get mercy. He doesn't withhold his mercy from those who keep his commandments. And keep his covenant and covenant says I'm gonna walk back over here with God. I've sinned what's in my life now doesn't line up with my love object God and so a power comes into your life.

You don't feel it sometimes you may but you don't necessarily feel it, but it's there. It's a power that comes from God and it gets you right back under grace and what's grace. Grace is the ability and the power from God to walk in what he calls you to walk in his word.

Are you with me? All right. So now that we understand those I want you to see something. The devil comes against you with a temptation. What's he after? He's after your love relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

He wants to destroy it he'll never be able to destroy it on God's part because he can't tempt God.

That's what it says right here. Look at this.

Let no one say when he is tempted. I am being tempted by God for God cannot be tempted by evil. How many do you see that you see the devil cannot destroy? Covenant on God's parts. He cannot destroy the covenant of love on God's part because God Absolutely cannot be tempted.

And God himself tempts no man. Is that what it says? All right. So who's the temptation coming from? Satan and the powers of darkness, but now look at this. Can you be tempted? Absolutely. So who's the devil going to come to?

He's going to try to destroy the love relationship on your side because he can't destroy it on God's side. All right. Now notice this verse 14, but each one is tempted. Now notice this he's tempted. When he is carried away and enticed by his own lust now, I want you to say something he hadn't talked about sin yet.

He's talking about temptation. He's saying that there's a time when you are carried away and enticed by your own lust. And it tells you but you still haven't yielded right now. You're yielding to temptation.

It hasn't become sin yet. You're just being enticed. You're being drawn away. Your heart's being drawn away. Are you with me? All right, but now something happens you must now make a choice just like Adam and Eve they had to make a choice to obey God and do the will of God or To rebel against God now notice what happens verse 15 then when lust has conceived.

What do you mean conceived? You see the temptation is going to come. And it's going to go it's going to you're going to feel you you are going to feel Temptation, but it cannot conceive. Until you join your heart.

Are you with me? Will you join your hearts to that temptation through the loss of the eyes? The loss of the flesh and the boastful plight of life then here's what happens if what takes place it gives?

Birth isn't that what conception usually does. It gives birth and what does it give birth to? It gives birth to sin why because your heart joins with the temptation. You let it carry you. I don't want to say something.

The minute it starts to carry you see it draws your heart away. The minute it starts to draw you if you don't put it to death.

It'll put your love relationship with God to death. Are you with me?

Now notice apparently. It must be serious because it gives birth to sin and when sin is accomplished, what does it bring forth? No, wait a minute. It was Satan, right? Did did Eve or Adam literally die?

No, they didn't literally die. What died. Their love relationship to God died right then and they went and hid themselves. What happens when you allow sin and your heart to join up with sin. Your love.

Relationship with God, that's why you feel so empty. And then the devil tells you that God's left you and departed. No, he hasn't. You have the devil cannot tempt him with evil and cannot destroy his love relationship.

Oh if we could get that in our mind. That's why you don't have to beg God you don't have to come and plead with God to forgive you. You simply have to turn your heart away from what destroyed your love relationship and back to loving him with the whole heart.

Are you hearing what I'm saying? That emptiness that feeling of separation isn't God having separated from you. It's you having separated from him because that you were carried away and enticed and it brought forth death and the death Brought was the death of your love relationship with God and that's why you no longer feel comfortable with God.

Spiritual Warfare and Taking Thoughts Captive

Now how many of you here turn with me to 2nd Corinthians. 2nd Corinthians chapter 11. 2nd Corinthians 11. 2nd Corinthians 11 verse 2. 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 verse 2. For I am Paul is speaking and he says for I am jealous for you with what kind of a jealousy a Godly jealousy for I've betrothed you to how many husbands.

One husband and who was that husband. That to Christ to Jesus Christ. I might present you as a pure virgin now I realize the King James leads a little bit differently here, but listen to what I'm saying and read it in your Bible Verse 3, but I am afraid Lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his heart.

Craftiness that your minds should be now. What did you say? Let us stray. Is that that enticing that we talked about? Is that what happened to her? She's led astray your mind is led astray now. Look at this your mind is led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

Now do you think that might be why he told us in 2nd Corinthians 10 turn over there with me and look what it says verse 3. 2nd Corinthians 10. More about what women I want to ask you again. What did I say?

Your minds were led astray. Is that what we said? Now see here's what now to listen to me want to listen to me when temptation comes. It comes to the lust the eyes. The boastful part of life the loss of the flesh.

You know what they affect your mind and Your mind is led astray from purity of Devotion to Jesus if you continue to let your mind be led astray the sins not there. But if you let your mind be led astray, it's going to go from your mind To your heart and Your heart is going to listen to your mind and when it joins with the temptation It conceives sin and your love relationship with God is broken.

On your part. So what do we do about it? 2nd Corinthians 10 verse 3 for though we walk in the flesh We do not war according to the flesh. Now. Do you see that you don't war according to the flesh? We're going to see later on this week how we really do war in the spirit.

We war by the spirit and in the spirit, but I want you to say that we don't war according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh. We don't war putting the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are Not of the flesh.

But what are they? They're mighty through God or divinely powerful for the pulling down of Strongholds of the destruction of fortresses. Is that what your Bible says? Does it say who does the pulling down?

God does. Listen, God is the one that does battle with your enemies. You cannot walk and live the Christian life. You can't say that to you again, it's impossible. You cannot walk and live the Christian life.

You might as well quit trying. It's an impossibility. You absolutely cannot do it. If it were possible. Jesus would not have needed to die on your behalf. It's an impossibility. God must live the Christian life through you but now listen to me He can't live his life through you if you're still living for yourself when you cease living for yourself He does his part and lives his life through you.

You don't have to muster it up. He does it because it's covenants and he is a covenant-keeping God. Are you with me? All right. Now notice we're going to clearly see this week what your part is and what God's part you can't do God's part.

Are you getting what I'm saying? God won't do your part. Let me say that again. You cannot do God's part. God will not do your part. Let me tell you what your party is. Your part Is to take every thought captive to deny ungodliness and worldly desires to resist the devil.

To be willing to suffer through the temptation and then the God of covenant comes to do battle on your behalf. Against every enemy you face and I want to tell you something. It's not a fair fight. It's already been won in Christ Jesus now you with me.

But now listen, if you don't do your part God can't meet you in covenant to do his part. Are you with me? All right now notice here's what he says. The weapons of our warfare verse 4 of 2nd Corinthians 10 the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh.

But divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. Verse 5 we are destroying. What are we doing with them? Destroying Speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God and we're taking every thought captive to what.