Blood Covenant - Part 12 — Bob Phillips

The Spirit of Burning and the Cleansing of Zion

Isaiah chapter 4, verse 2, in that day the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and adornment of the survivors of Israel. And it will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem, what are they going to be called?

Holy. Everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away, what's he washed away? The filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst. And how's he going to do it?

By the spirit of judgment and the spirit of what? Burning. Now let me share something with you. Here's what happens. The Lord has a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning. He is the Holy Spirit. The spirit of burning is to consume and destroy all of the lusts of the heart and all of the idols that remain there so that your eyes can be opened and enlightened to see Jesus.

Are you with me? The spirit of judgment shows us the difference between light and darkness and then brings sentence upon what we choose with our heart so that it'll be put to death. Are you with me? Now let me tell you what he's saying.

By putting the Holy Spirit within you, God does this for you. God gives you the spirit of burning. You know what the spirit of burning does? It says when you go to the right or to the left, don't go this way.

Don't go this way. This is the way you should walk. And so you make a choice to walk in it and the spirit of burning begins to get rid of all the idols and all the abominations that are in your heart.

And the spirit of judgment then executes the sentence because you've taken your heart and you've turned your heart toward Jesus. He takes this. He executes the judgment of his word against those abominations and he cleanses them out of your heart.

Are you hearing what I'm saying? I say, are you hearing what I'm saying? All right, now listen to me. I want you to turn with me if you would. Well, first of all, I want you to see what he does. After the spirit of burning and the spirit of judgment is there, then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke and the brightness of a flaming fire by night for over all the glory will be a canopy and there will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.

I wonder what that means. That's exactly what he did with the children of in the wilderness. Can I tell you, it's not talking about them because they've already died in the wilderness when this was written.

And you know what he's saying? He's saying, just as I walked with the children of Israel through covenant, their clothes didn't wear out. They had healing for their bodies. I provided for every need they had.

They had one of nothing because I was with them and my presence stood over them from the heat of all that the world would bring. I put a canopy on them. And when there was darkness, I had a light burning to guide them in the way they should go.

And God says, when you let the spirit of burning and the spirit of judgment work in your life, I, God, will be that to you. I'll protect you from the heat of the world, and I'll be a light to you in the darkness.

That's pretty good covenant, isn't it? Now, I want you to understand something. God can't do that. He can't do that unless we let the spirit of burning work in our heart. Are you hearing what I'm saying?

Refining the Heart to Offer Righteousness

Turn with me to Malachi chapter 3. Now, the spirit of God does the work set forth by Jesus, and he glorifies Jesus. Is that right? Malachi chapter 3. Malachi chapter 3. Now, I'm reading to you from the Old Testament.

As I have done with you all week long, as soon as I finish reading this in the Old Testament, I'm going to go to the New Testament and show you the same thing to show you it's there. Are you with me? Now, notice this.

Malachi chapter 3 verse 1. Behold, I'm going to send my messenger, and he'll clear the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the what? Of the covenant in whom you delight.

Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like a fuller soap. And he will sit as a smelter or refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord what?

Offerings in what? In righteousness. Now, many of you have already heard the message on the carnal Christian. I just want to remind you in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. It says, No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, that is, Christ Jesus.

And then he says that there are six building materials by which we can build on that foundation. Three of them burn, three of them don't. Three of them get burned up, three of them get refined. And he's talking about a condition of the heart.

He says, For if we build, by the way, he says in verse 10 of 1 Corinthians 3, Be careful how you build. And he says you can build with gold, silver, or precious stones. In other words, if you have a heart, if you have a heart that can be purified like gold, silver, and precious stones, and the spirit of judgment works in your life, and what happens?

He shows you whenever you start to turn to the right or turn to the left. And he says, Don't walk that way. So you make a choice in your heart to resist all the temptation of the devil to walk that way.

And when you do that, God works in your heart. You say, Idols, be gone. Sin, be gone. Lust, be gone. I have nothing to do with lust. I have nothing to do with greed. I want nothing to do with selfish ambition.

I want nothing to do with that idol. I just want to see Jesus. Be gone. And then God, with the spirit of judgment, executes the judgment that you chose in your heart against those sins. And that way you put to death the flesh.

Why? Because it is the spirit of God who then removes them from your heart. Are you with me? Because you chose to walk his way. I say, Are you with me? All right? Now, here's what he's saying. Jesus has come as a messenger of the covenant.

But how's he going to bring the covenant to you? What does a messenger do with the covenant? If I have something, a letter to deliver, and I call Western Union, they become a messenger. And what do they deliver?

They deliver whatever it is that I'm wanting to send to you. And so by being a messenger of the covenant, it's through Jesus that God delivers everything that he has in covenant. Everything that he is, he brings it to us.

And that's why we read in John 16 that when you allow the Holy Spirit to have reign in your life, all that the Father has, all that the Father is, through the Spirit of God, he glorifies Jesus. And when Jesus is glorified, the heart's purified of all idols, all sin, all abominations.

We don't walk the right or the left. We walk the way, one way, with one heart, a whole heart. And the Spirit of God can then take of what belongs to the Father, which belongs to Jesus, and disclose it to us with the Spirit of the covenant.

Are you hearing what I'm saying? All right. Now notice, here's what he says. Turn with me then to 1 Peter. 1 Peter. Again, I know that some of these scriptures will be familiar to you, but I want you to see them.

Fiery Trials and the Testing of Faith

Some of you may be seeing them for the first time. 1 Peter. Let's see what we just said. Let's see it work. 1 Peter 1, verse 6. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.

Now, when a trial comes, notice what it's doing. That the proof of your faith, being more precious than what? Gold? What happens when gold gets in a fire? It gets refined and purified. Being more precious than gold.

And I didn't go ahead and finish what I was saying, but in 1 Corinthians 3, the other three building materials are wood, hay, and stubble. It's called in Timothy, the things of this world, earthenware.

And God says that the firm foundation of God stands in that he knows those who are his and let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from. If God's your foundation, that's what you'll be doing.

Now notice what he says. That the proof of your faith being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though what's it going to be tested by? By fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus.

In other words, if your heart's a heart like gold, if your heart can be purified when the fire comes, if your heart's not one that chooses the lust of the flesh, but can be purified like gold, you're going to offer up offerings in what?

Righteousness. You're going to walk a righteous life. And what's going to happen to you? You're going to be glorified at the revelation of Jesus Christ. You're going to receive praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus.

Now this is important I'm saying that because we're going to see something in a minute. Is that what it says? All right, now notice this. It also says this same thing in 1 Peter chapter 4. Look at verse 4.

Chapter 4 verse 12. 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 12. Beloved, do not be surprised at the what kind of ordeal? At the fiery ordeal among you which comes upon you. What's it coming for? I say, what is it coming for?

I say, what's it coming for? It's coming for your testing as though some strange thing were happening to you. Don't be surprised that your heart gets tested because your heart's going to be tested. But to the degree that you share the what?

The sufferings of Christ. If you're willing to share the sufferings of Christ, then keep on rejoicing so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. Now we saw something twice.

Here's what it says. If you're willing to suffer with Him, you shall be glorified. Is that what we just read? I say, is that what we read? How are you to suffer? He tells us in verse 1 and 2. This is the way you suffer with Christ.

This is what he's talking about when he's talking about suffering with Christ. Listen to me. He's not talking about that martyr complex some people get. He's not talking about that thing that comes over people who they just want to glorify and everything that comes their way.

And whatever comes, whatever will be, will be. I'm just being tested by the Lord. I'm just undergoing this for the Lord. Well, if that's the case, how come we never get purified? Are you hearing what I'm saying?

That's not what he's talking about. He's talking about suffering in verse 1 of chapter 4, 1 Peter. Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose because he who has suffered in the flesh, what's he done?

He's ceased from sin. So as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for what? The will of God. What did we see was the will of God? The will of God is your walk of holiness that we saw in Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4.

Are you with me? So here's what he's saying. When the fiery trials and temptations of the devil come to get you to go after the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, here's what God wants you to do.

He wants you to resist them, suffer through the trial, suffer through the temptation, resist the flesh so as to live no longer for your own lusts and the lusts that are in men of the world, but to live for the will of God.

Are you with me? All right. Now, 1 Peter 5 .8, here's what he says. We've quoted it a couple of times, but I want you to see it. 1 Peter 5 .8, be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

But what are you supposed to do with him? Resist him? How? Firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of what? Of what? Suffering. There they are. That's the kind of suffering he's talking about.

The suffering he's speaking about here is the suffering that comes from resisting the flesh. Now, let me tell you something. Please listen to me. Nobody is going to take that away for you. No one is going to take away the suffering that's involved in resisting the trial of the devil.

And the more you have yielded your mind to it and your body to it, the more difficult the resistance is going to be. Are you hearing what I'm saying? God is not going to deliver you out of that trial.

He's not going to deliver you out of that suffering. He said you endure it so as to sin no more for the lusts of men, but to do the will of God. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Now, I see people all the time who want to be delivered out of the suffering.

See, here's what they're saying. They're saying, well, you know, I'll stop doing that sin, God, if you just kind of do something to me where I don't have to resist it and I don't have to suffer in it.

God's not going to do that. Are you hearing what I'm saying? I say God is not going to do that. Are you with me? I'm telling you, you're going to have to resist it. And the more you fed your mind with it, the more you've trained your body toward it, the more you've given your heart toward it, the more difficult, the stronger the test and the fire, the more heat there is to the fire.

Are you hearing what I'm saying? But God doesn't leave you on your own. The Holy Spirit of God is there to do a sanctifying work in you. All God wants you to do is make a choice. You choose. You're not going to walk that way.

You're not going to turn to the right. You're not going to turn to the left. But you say to that idol, that temptation, that sin, be gone out of my life. I choose Jesus. And you resist the devil. And then God says, verse nine, resisting firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

And after you've suffered for a little while, just a little while, the God of all what? Of all what? Grace. And what we've been saying, grace is grace is not just unmerited favor. I won't say it again.

Grace is the power of God to do his will and his word because his word is his will. Are you hearing what I'm saying? And I reread the second Corinthians chapter nine, verse eight, very clearly says God's able to make all grace abound to you that having all sufficiency in everything always that you may abound to every good deed.

God meets you in covenants as you resist the devil and he strengthens. Here's what he does. The God of all grace who calls you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

How many of you see that? I say how many of you see that? You know what he's establishing? He's establishing your hearts. You know what happens to your hearts? When God confirms it, strengthens it, establishes it, just like it was difficult because you yielded your body to it, your mind to it, all of a sudden the devil no longer has a drawing power in that area of your life because your heart has been established to choose only.

Then God can enlighten your eyes to know his covenant. Are you with me? I say are you with me? Now I've got a little bit more I want you to go through with me and I want to show you this. Have we been seen that if you're willing to suffer with him, you'll be glorified?

Is that what we're saying? Come with me to Romans 8. Romans chapter 8. Just a little bit more we're going through, but I want you to follow through with me. Romans chapter 8, verse 13. I'm going to start right up there so we put it all together.

Suffering With Christ and Being Glorified

Verse 13. For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die. But if by the spirit you're putting to death the deeds of the body, you'll live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

For you have not received a spirit of slavery, leading to a fear again, but you've received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

And if we are children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, what's that next word? We are fellow heirs with Christ. Indeed, we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Can I tell you something? It very clearly works the other way too. If you're not willing to suffer with him, we saw how you suffer. You suffer by resisting the flesh and choosing the will of God. And then the God of all grace confirms, strengthens and establishes your heart.

If you're not willing to suffer, he says you are an heir and a child if you're willing to suffer so as to be glorified with him. But if you're not willing to resist the flesh, you're no longer a child or an heir with Christ.

Is that clear? I say, is that clear? Is it in your Bible? All right? Now, notice something. Verse 18. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that's to be revealed to us.

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. Stop with, go down to verse 22. For we know that the whole creation does what? Groans and suffers the chains of pains of childbirth together until now.

And not only this, but we ourselves having the what? The first fruits of the what? Of the spirit, even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoptions of sons, the redeeming of our body.

You know what he's saying? He's saying that this body of flesh still seeks lust for betterment. Are you with me? What he says, because we've got the first fruits of the spirit. What does that mean? That means that if we're willing to suffer with the Lord Jesus Christ, if the spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in us, that same spirit will quicken our moral violence, that we might know the life of God living with us.

But we keep on groaning, groaning inside. How are we doing that? We read it earlier. We loathe filthiness, idolatry, and abominations. As it said in Ezekiel 36, because we got a new heart. We loathe sin.

We don't like it. We don't want it. And we suffer in the flesh so as not to be robbed of our love relationship with God through sin. Because He is more important to us than satisfying the lust of His flesh.

And so God, by the spirit, works to quicken the mortal bodies that have that kind of lust. Are you hearing what he's saying? I say, are you hearing what he's saying? What kind of groaning is he talking about?

Groaning for the Heavenly Dwelling and Knowing Christ

Turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Verse 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 1. For we know that if the earthly tent, which is our house, is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

What kind of earthly tent is he talking about? What is that tent? Is that this body? And notice what he says. For indeed in this house, that is while we're in this body, what do we do? What do we do? We groan.

What are we longing for? Longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven. In other words, we haven't set our eyes and our minds on the things of this earth. We've set them on knowing Jesus. And that's what Paul said when he said, I count all things as loss for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, the fellowship of his sufferings and the power of his resurrection.

Everything else is loss because I just want to know Jesus. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Can I tell you when you get to that place, listen to me, when you're at that place, and I'm not talking about getting somewhere.

You're there now. You got your whole heart. Listen to me, folks. Whenever Jesus becomes the only thing you seek, you will not be seeking a new experience. You'll only be seeking a person, Jesus Christ.

You'll lose yourself in order to gain Christ. Are you hearing what I'm saying? I say, are you hearing what I'm saying? And you'll be crying out in your heart, Abba Father, and knowing that the sufferings of this world are not to be compared with the glory of knowing Christ Jesus, your Lord.

Are you hearing what I'm saying? And he goes on and he says, for indeed, verse four, while we are in this tent, what do we do? We groan being burdened because we do not want to be what? Unclothed. Wonder what he's talking about.

He's talking about the fact that when God makes covenant with you, he takes the robe of sin that you had, puts it on you, and he clothes you in a robe of righteousness. And so we resist the flesh. We resist the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the boastful pride of life, because we don't want to be naked of our robe of righteousness.

Are you hearing what I'm saying? And we do it by the Spirit. Look at this. But to be clothed in order that what is mortal may be swaddled up by life. Now, he who prepared us for this very purpose is God who gave us the Spirit as a pledge.

In other words, I didn't ask you to live just like yourself. I just asked you to resist and deny wordliness and ungodliness. And then I die through the pledge of my Spirit. The Spirit of promise will work within you to perform that which you've chosen with your heart.

Are you hearing what I'm saying? It's all Jesus. And in that way, you resist the flesh, put to death the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit, which is in you. Are you with me? Verse 14. For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died.

And he died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves. But who are we going to live for? But for him, Jesus, who died and rose again on their behalf. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 2.

The Spirit Reveals the Things of God

This is what God does. 2 Corinthians chapter 2. Excuse me, 1 Corinthians chapter 2. Did we say that God opens the eyes of the heart? He enlightens them by the Spirit? 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 9.

But just as it is written, things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him. In other words, listen to me, in this covenant with God, where the Spirit takes those things, now listen to me, we're just about finished, but I want you to listen to me carefully.

Where the Spirit of God takes those things that belong to the Father, that are in Jesus, and disclose it to us, there are things that your eye hasn't even seen, your ear hasn't heard, it's never even entered your heart, because God's got a covenant greater than anything you've ever imagined.

Are you with me? I say, are you with me? Now notice this. Here's what he says. How's he going to let you know about it? Verse 10. For to us, God revealed, that is, these things that eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and has never entered your heart, God reveals them, how does he reveal them?

Through the Spirit. Remember, the Spirit can't reveal anything for you to say, Jesus, if you've got an idol in your heart, because you put before your face the stumbling block of your iniquity, and you can't see Jesus, but your eyes are blinded by the God of this world, so that you don't see the light of the Gospel and see Jesus.

Are you with me? But when you clear all the idols and abominations out of your heart, the Spirit of God enlightens the eyes of your heart to know your inheritance. Things which eye has not seen, ear has not heard, never entered your heart, but God will reveal them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, he even searches the depths of God.

And then here's what he does. For who among men knows the thoughts of the man, except the Spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so, the thoughts of God, no one knows, except who? The Spirit of God.

Now, we've received not the Spirit of the what? Of the world, but the Spirit who is from God. Why? That we might know the things freely given to us by God. God wants you to know the things freely given by God.

The New Covenant, Christ's Blood, and Death to Self

But now turn with me to Hebrews chapter 9. I want you to see what the Holy Spirit says. Hebrews chapter 9. Hebrews chapter 9 verse 8. Psalm 25 says, The secret of the Lord is with those who fear him, and he will make them to know his kind.

Hebrews chapter 9 verse 8. The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed, while the outer tabernacle is still standing. Now, God is about to do something.

He's taking an illustration of a spiritual thing, of a physical thing, and he's going to give us a spiritual picture. Are you with me? He's going to take the life of Jesus, and he's going to make an application.

How do we know he's making an application, a spiritual application for us today? Because the very next verse says, what I just read to you is a symbol for what time? What time? The present time. So now, let's read it again.

The Holy Spirit is signifying, or tells us this, that the way into the holy place... Now, let me ask you a question. Has the blood of Jesus opened the holy place for us? Hasn't he? But the way into the holy place is not yet disclosed, as long as the outer tabernacle is still standing and living for us.

And that's this house that grows. Are you hearing what I'm saying? When this house that grows, if you're living for the lust of this flesh, the entrance into the holy place cannot be opened up to you.

Not only that, but look at this. Verse 13. Well, I'm going to start with verse 11. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, he entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of his creation, and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, he entered the what?

The holy place, once for all having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a red heifer, sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit, here's that cleansing work of the spirit, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God, what's that spirit going to do?

Cleanse your conscience from dead works so that you can do what? Serve the living God. And for this reason, he, Jesus, is the mediator of what? A new covenant. In order, what is that new covenant? The new covenant has the Holy Spirit of God put in your heart in order that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise.

He's called the spirit promise of an eternal inheritance. Are you hearing what I'm saying? But now look what stops it. Look at this. For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.

For a covenant is valid only when men are dead. For if you're living according to the flesh, you must die. But if by the spirit, you are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live. But the covenant cannot be disclosed to you, the holy place, nor is the covenant with God that he's made on your behalf, valid as long as you're living for yourself.

The Spirit of Truth and Loving Christ Above the World

The covenant is valid only when men are dead. Are you hearing what I'm saying? I said, are you hearing what I'm saying? One last scripture. John 16. John 14. John chapter 14. John chapter 14. John chapter 14.

Verse 16. And I will ask the father, I'm going to start with verse 15. If you love me, you will keep my word. And I'll ask the father and he'll give you another helper that he may be with you forever.

That is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it does not behold him or know him. Now listen to me. 1 John 2. 14, 15, 16, 17. Those verses tell us very clearly. The world. Do not love the world nor the things of the world.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boast of the pride of life, these are not from the father. And if you love these things, the love of God does not dwell in you.

If you love those things, you don't love God and you won't be keeping his word. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Not only will you not be keeping his word, but notice this, the spirit of truth, you won't even be able to receive him because the world, the heart for the world cannot receive the spirit of truth.

Are you hearing what I'm saying? Is it right there in your Bible? And you won't behold him or know him. Why? Because the God of this world has blinded your eyes by putting the stumbling block of your iniquity, an idol, an abomination, and a sin right before your eyes.

But if the outer tabernacle is no longer standing and living for itself, then you're dead to the flesh and you are living in covenant with God and he's able to fulfill his promise. The world cannot receive him because it does not behold him or know him, but you know him because he abides with you and will be in you.

I'll not leave you as orphans. I'll come to you after a little while. The world will behold me no more, but you will behold me because I live, you shall live also. Verse 21. He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me and he who loves me shall be loved by my father and I will love him and will disclose myself to him.

In other words, things which I have not seen and he has not heard that's never even entered your hearts, when you die to living for yourself, the Spirit, the Holy Spirit in the covenants discloses the covenant to you.

But a covenant is only valid when men are dead and no longer living for themselves. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Praise God.