Blood Covenant - Part 4 — Bob Phillips

This is tape number four 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 this series. All right now notice this. Here's what God's desire is verse 26. We hear a lot about blessing today. God listen to take something. God wants to bless you far more than you've ever heard any preacher or any teacher or any Prophet or any evangelist or any apostle even be able to enumerate to you or tell you because things which I have not seen ears.

Not heard that's never even entered your heart. God wants to be a blessing to you. We have never understood how much God wants to bless us, but I want you to notice verse 26. For you first God raised up his servant and sent him to do what to you.

Why was Jesus sent? He was sent to bless you. Jesus was sent to bless you, but don't miss the last part of that verse. How's he going to bless you? He's going to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.

How many of you see that now? Let me tell you what that means. That's covenant because here's what he's saying. You don't have to do anything nor can you do anything to earn the blessings of God. Are you with me?

You simply must do one thing. God's part is to bring you the blessings. His desire is to bless you. You don't have to do anything special for it. All you got to do is walk in covenant with God. The very nature of covenant in God's heart is everything that belongs to him.

Belongs to you. Are you hearing what I'm saying? God wants to live his very life for you. He wants to bless you before you even ask him for it. Are you with me? But now here's what he says the only way he can do that is to turn you from your wicked ways.

See because when you turn from sin you turn from living for yourself. And as we saw last night you step into covenant with God. Are you with me. And then the covenant blessings of God as it says in Deuteronomy 28 literally overtake you.

Are you with me but they're not gonna overtake you if he can't turn you he's got to have your whole heart. Are you hearing what I'm saying? If there's idols in your heart. There's greed. If there's selfish ambition.

If there's resentment. If you listen to gossip. If you gossip if you slander. If you reject if you do those things. You're not in covenant with God. Because you haven't turned from your sin. I don't care if everybody else's new church is doing it and the preacher says it's all right.

You're still not in covenant with God. Are you hearing what I'm saying? All right now turn with me to Zephaniah. That's in your Bible and it's not in the New Testament. It's really easy to find. It's right after Nahum and Habakkuk.

I what I usually tell people to do. It's really easy to find. Here's what you do. You just take your Bible close it hold the edges up like this and Wherever you see the whitest pages then open it up and you'll be real close to it.

Those are the ones that haven't been yellowed by youths. All right, turn to Zephaniah chapter 1. Zephaniah chapter 1 Verse 2. I will completely remove all things from the face of the earth declares the Lord.

I will remove man's. I will remove the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea and the ruins along with the wicked. And I will cut off from man off man from the face of the earth declares the Lord. So I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Now before you read on I want to just say something to you. There's a whole lot of people coming out of things today and saying they're the remnant. Can I tell you something you are a remnant? But you need to go be one of two wins.

You need to go be a remnant of bail. Are you going to be a remnant of the Lord Jesus Christ? If you're the idols. Selfish ambition greed and the lust of the flesh in your heart. You are remnant of bail.

Are you with me? Look what it says and I will cut off the remnant of who a Bail from this place and the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priest now. Let me tell you how you can tell a remnant of bail.

Here's what a remnant of bail does. He's going to describe what a remnant of bail is like now notice this verse 5. Here's the remnant of bail. There's and Those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven who is the host of heaven?

Idolatry, Allegiance, and the Remnant of Baal

The host of heaven are the powers of darkness in Acts chapter 7. We're told that the children of Israel and listen to this God said can you imagine this? He said to the children of Israel who were so religious.

He said it was not to me that you offered sacrifices for 40 years in the wilderness. Can you imagine that they spent 40 years offering sacrifices thinking they were worshiping God and God says you didn't even offer one Sacrifice to me because your heart wasn't right.

It's a good thing. That doesn't happen today. You know what? They thought they thought right up until the last minute they were going into Canaan. They didn't make it they died in the wilderness. Now listen who's bowed down on the housetops to the host of heaven.

He's talking about those who serve the host of heaven. Now. Let me tell you here's how it says. Here's how it says in Acts 7 that the children of Israel sold the host of heavens. It said they made a golden calf and they worshipped the works of men's hands and So God says and so I turn you over to the host the remnant of Baal.

Are those who worship the works of their own hands? Do you hear me? There's another remnant of Baal. Look here. Here's this right here. It says Those who bow down and swear to the Lord and Yet swear by Malcolm the word Malcolm means their king.

You're a part of the remnant of Baal. If you swear to the Lord with your lips, but you've got another king besides him the king of self-idolatry the king of selfish ambition the king of Self-idolatry of materialism religion persons, whatever it is.

If you have another king in other words, listen to me if you give allegiance to something else. Just like you give allegiance to Jesus you have the remnant of Baal. Not the remnant of God. Examine your heart.

Does Jesus have all of it? What remnant do you belong to he also says? In verse 6 and those who have not sought the Lord are inquired of him. They're of the remnant of Baal. Be silent before the Lord God for the day of the Lord's near for the Lord has prepared a Sacrifice his name is Jesus and you must come to him with a whole heart.

The Lord's prepared a sacrifice then it will come about on the day of the Lord's sacrifice that I will punish the princes the king's sons and all who Clothed themselves with what kind of garments? Foreign garments.

Now, let me tell you what that means when you enter covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ. I have mentioned this to you last night and the beginning of tonight. He makes an exchange with you. He takes off his robe of righteousness.

Imputed Righteousness and the Call to Repentance

And he puts it on you and he takes your robe of sin and he puts it on Jesus. Is that right? Right now if you decide to be a remnant of Baal if you give God lip service. But your heart doesn't really belong to him.

You're going to clothe yourself with the foreign government. It's not his righteousness. You don't walk in righteousness. You don't walk in holiness. And you don't use your heart to the folks. I Want you to examine your honor?

When's it when's the last time? When's the last time the Spirit of God? Convicted you of something in your life. That wasn't like him. I'm so amazed. I'm so amazed at the people who sit in church Sunday after Sunday and think everything's okay.

And yet they go to church and they've never they've never shed a tear. They never they've never gotten there on for years and years and years and I'm not placing a premium on crying. But for years and years and years, they've never stood before God and said God forgive me.

I see that sin. It's not like you and I repent they haven't done it for years and yet they think they're right with God. I'm telling you if you're like that, you're not right with God. You don't even see his holiness.

God's holier than you are. And if you're walking with him, you're going to see his holiness and I say to you Repent draw near to him with the whole heart so he can start convicting you of your sin. See God will never ever ever ever ever ever ever turn his back on you to where you can't repent.

But if you stay hardened in your heart like that, you won't even feel the conviction of the Lord Jesus Christ. Examine your life. Other things in your life when you first got saved they were unthinkable to you.

You wouldn't do them. You wouldn't do them. You repented they broke your heart, but now they're acceptable to. And there's no longer the conviction for them because your heart. It's got to stay in that state.

You'll reach a place for your heart. Won't even reach out. There'd be no place for the things. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Say you're hearing what I'm saying. Turn with me to hosier for excuse me.

I want you. Let's just don't go there. Turn with me to Proverbs 21. Proverbs chapter 21. Proverbs chapter 21. Proverbs chapter 21. We're going to look at verse 27. And look what it says. Proverbs 21 27 the sacrifice of the wicked.

What is it? It's an abomination. And we're going to see in a moment what the sacrifice of the wicked is. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination. How much more when he brings it with evil intent?

Look at verse 1 the king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he wishes. Every man's way is right in his own eyes. Now. That's the problem. Do you know that every man's ways?

Well, everybody thinks he's right. Everything they don't examine the word every man's ways right in his own eyes. But what is the Lord way? But the Lord weighs what? The heart now you understand what it's saying.

God is not the least bit interested in whether you think you're right or not. He's weighing the heart and he's judging it by his words. Are you with me? All right, and he said the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to God.

Malachi’s Rebuke of Defiled Worship

Turn with me to Malachi chapter 1. Malachi chapter 1. Malachi chapter 1 at least you'll get a good Bible drill tonight. Malachi chapter 1. I promise you if you'll stick with me by the end of the week.

You'll know the books of the Bible better than you knew them before. Malachi chapter 1. Malachi 1 verse 6. Malachi is right before Matthew if you're having trouble finding it. Malachi chapter 1 verse 6 a Son honors his father and a servant his master.

Now look what God says then if I am a father, where is my honor? That's a good question, isn't it? If he really is your father, where is your honor toward him? And if I am a master, where is my respect or where is my fear?

Says the Lord of hosts to you. Oh priest who despised my name now notice this they're deceived because they think that their way is right. In their own eyes, it's right. And so when God says this to them, look what they say.

You say how have we despised thy name? How many of you see that? How many of you see that when God spoke his word to them? They were so blinded and so convinced that their way was right. They're so convinced their way was right.

They said God. So let's get serious. How have we despised you? And he's what he tells them you are presenting defiled food upon my altar. But you say it is again. Every time the Lord begins to try to bring conviction.

I want you know, it's what they do. But God you couldn't be talking about me. You couldn't mean me God. I mean how how how have we defiled this and God says in that you say The table of the Lord is to be despised and I know that they said because it says it later on in this chapter.

How have we said that the table of the Lord's to be despised? Look what he says they do verse 8. But when you present the blind or sacrifice. Is it not evil and when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil?

Why not offer it to your governor? Why not offer it to the world? What do you believe pleased with you? You know what he's saying now look at this. We're not going we're gonna see. But now will you not entreat God's favor that he may be gracious to us with such an offering on your part?

Will he receive any of you kindly says the Lord all that there were one among you who would shut the gates. That you might not uselessly Kindle fire upon my altar. I am not pleased with you says the Lord nor will I accept an offering from you verse 12.

But you are profaning it in that you say the table of the Lord is defiled and as for it. Now, what would the table of the Lord be? Is this the table of the Lord right here the Word of God? Is this the table that he comes to ask you to eat up?

Did he tell Jeremiah to eat his word is this the place he wants you to eat from? The table of his word is everything that he's prepared for you found right here in his word. And so they were despising the table or the Word of the Lord and so here's what's happening the table of the Lord's defiled and as for its fruit its food is to be despised and You also say not how tiresome it is.

Wonder if that could be anything like well, it's 12 o 'clock. I wonder if you'll ever shut up. Anything want to say, you know, you're one of the reasons people don't come to these meetings. Because they've already heard they're not going to get out by 9 o 'clock and you've just got more important things to do.

I've watched people sit out here as we're going through the word and just be following along and follow and then it gets to be 9 o 'clock and I see the anger. Now what's in the start looking at the watch?

I've got time to run a marathon and endurance with you and if the Lord's not saying anything I need to shut up. But I believe he's still saying something to me and if you if you if your life. You don't worry don't say something because we've got other things that are too important for us.

And that's why we just sniff at the word and oh my how tiresome it is. To be called to the people. How tiresome it is to hear somebody speak night after night after night about getting right with God.

Oh my how tiresome that is and you just painfully sniff at it. You smell it, but you don't eat it. Oh, you hear what I'm saying says the Lord and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick?

So you bring the offering should I receive that from your hand says the Lord now. Let me tell you something in the Old Testament in order to make atonement for sin. They had to bring an offering. The offering couldn't be whatever they chose it had to be what God chose.

God chose that the offering that they brought had to be unblemished. Are you what I'm saying? God sent an offering to us on unblemished land. His name is Jesus but now I remember reading about some men by the name of Cain and Abel and It says that God rejected Sacrifice why I've heard people say it was well.

Abel's was of the flock and Cain's was of the ground. That's not why he rejected him. Because you see God had already told him to cultivate the ground. The ground was good even after the curse. The ground had been cursed.

I understand that but he told him to cultivate it. But what was wrong with Cain's sacrifice is that it was blemished because of his heart. The reason we know that is because the Lord didn't look at his sacrifice.

He looked at him and he said why is your countenance darling if you've done right if you do. Well, would not your countenance be lifted up? And he said to him it's not your offering that's wrong. I see your heart and the way that you and I offer a blemished Sacrifice to God is it when we come and we offer a sacrifice of a divided heart and we come before God.

Expecting him to cleanse us. Expecting to walk in covenant when our heart is tied to the world the things of the world and idols. You're offering to God a blemished heart and he won't take it. He draw me to God with the whole undivided heart.

That's all he asked from you. Listen to me. That's all he asked from you is your whole allegiance and loyalty and loyalty to nothing else. Are you with me? Now look at this. Turn with me. Did we see that the Lord weighs the heart?

David’s Broken and Contrite Heart

Is that what we saw turn with the psalm 51 and we've been moving to a point and this is one of the most important Things that you can see out of all that I've said tonight because we're going to see what kind of heart God Accepts as a fun blemished sacrifice.

Psalm 51. Psalm 51. Psalm 51 verse 1. Be gracious to me. Oh God according to thy loving-kindness. Now this just happens to be a psalm of David after David had sinned. He committed adultery and he had committed murder.

To ordering Uriah killed he's coming before God and he says be gracious to me. Oh God according to thy loving-kindness. According to the greatness of thy compassion brought out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my knee.

If I'm my sin for I know my Transgressions my sin is ever before me. They sound like he's trying to justify anything. My sins ever before me. Against thee the only I have sinned and done what is evil in thy sight.

So that thou art justified when thou dost speak and blameless when thou dost judge, you know what he said? He said God I've seen. I'm not trying to hide it. I'm I'm not trying to justify it. I'm not trying to cover it up.

I'm not. I'm not trying to pretend it wasn't serious as a matter of fact. God it is serious enough. That when you judge me, I'm worthy to be judged. But God this is not what I want from my life instead.

Both seven. Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I'll be whiter than stone. Make me to hear joy and gladness. Let the bones which thou has broken rejoice hide thy face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart. Oh God. How many of you see that and renew a steadfast spirit within me? He said God I want to offer you a sacrifice of my heart. I want you to cleanse my heart. I want to give you my whole heart.

I've sinned. I'm not gonna hide it. I'm not gonna justify it God. It's open to your sight. Anyway, here it is. God Created me a clean heart. Verse 11. Don't cast me away from your presence. Don't take your Holy Spirit from me restore to me the joy of thy salvation.

Sustain me with what kind of a spirit a Willing spirit if we read in Hebrews 10 that the sacrifice that he desired is not in burnt offerings or sacrifices. But behold I come Oh God to do your will and look what he says verse 14.

Deliver me from blood guiltiness. Oh God thou God of my salvation. Then my tongue will joyfully sing of thy righteousness. O Lord open my lips that my mouth may declare thy praise for thou does not delight in sacrifice.

Otherwise I'd give it. They are not pleased with burnt offering. Listen to me. There are people trying to come but to God with sacrifices and burnt offerings today. They sin and they do everything to get that conscience clean and everything to offer God.

They try to do it through works. They try to do it through offerings. They try to do it through working on committees. They try to do it by spending more time in the Bible spending more time praying. I'm not saying those things are not important, but there's only one Sacrifice for your sin.

It's coming to Jesus. If you carry the guilt of it, it's because you're not offering you the whole heart. You're looking for some way to make atonement and to please him into forgiving him. And you can't offer any sacrifice.

Are you getting what I'm saying? But this is the sacrifice that God will accept from you. It's the only one here God it's not the light and sacrifice. Otherwise, I'd give it they are not pleased with burnt offering verse 17 the sacrifices of God or a broken spirit a broken and contrite for Hearts.

Oh God that will not despise. God won't despise it. Now. Let me tell you something. The word contrite the word contrite Means a repentant heart a heart that's willing to turn the different direction. You know what a broken heart is.

The Hebrew word comes from a the word comes from a root Hebrew word broken. Now I want everybody hear me listen to me carefully. The word broken hearts there literally means Disabled. Disabled. Disabled you know what characterizes a disabled man.

He no longer can do What it used to be he's disabled. A broken heart is a disabled heart. It's a heart that can no longer Stand to do what it used to be. Are you hearing what I'm saying? It's the that kind of heart that God grants Repentance, are you hearing what I'm saying a broken heart a disabled heart?

Absolutely cannot stand to live in its rebellion. You can't stand it when your heart gets to that place. Your battle is no longer with sin with weakness for the God of covenant. Meets you right there and he removes it and He does battle with your enemy.

Are you doing what I say burn with me chapter 13? I? Will probably read this scripture to you more than once. Acts chapter 13. Chapter 13 verse 38. There are those people now listen to me carefully. There are those people who claim and who make a great issue out of this that I'm in Christ Jesus and Therefore I can't come under any curse.

Freedom in Christ and the Warnings of the Prophets

I agree with that. If you are coming to Jesus with a whole heart you are not repentance. It's not an act. It's a walk. You are walking a walk of repentance Before God and that when God shows you something that doesn't line up with him and his word and his will.

You repent turn in the other direction and walk with him my friend. You are delivered and free from the curse. Are you hear what I'm saying? But if you're coming to God offering a blemished heart and Expecting to be out from underneath the curse my friend you are badly mistaken.

Notice what he says in Acts 13. Is this the new covenant. I? Say is this the new covenant. Now notice what he said. We like to read about the blessings of the prophets. But we don't like to read about the cursing that the prophets spoke as a result of broken covenant.

So look what he says verse 38. Therefore let it be known to you. Who's he talking to? Brethren let it be known to you brethren that through him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you and Through him who's him?

Jesus. Everyone everyone who believes is freed from all things. Now which you could not be freed through the law of Moses does that clearly say that in Christ Jesus? You've been freed from all things.

Is he talking to brethren? Then if there cannot be any curses come upon you why did he bother to say verse 40 take heed? Therefore so that the thing Spoken of in the prophets may not come upon You. How many of you see that if he clearly warning the people that even though you are free from all things in Christ Jesus take heed that what the prophets warned us about will not come upon us if he clearly saying that Turn with me to Ezekiel.

Ezekiel’s Warning to the Righteous Who Turn to Sin

If you would come with me to Ezekiel I'm gonna have you turn to well first 33 a chapter 33. Ezekiel chapter 33. Let me ask you again. Did the word that we just read in the New Testament that applies to us.

Say that even though you're freed from all things in Christ Jesus that you're to take heed that what the warnings of the prophets were. Don't come upon you. Was Ezekiel a prophet if he one of those that we need to take heed about what he said.

Ezekiel chapter 33. Verse 10. Now as for you son of man. Say to the house of Israel. Thus you have spoken saying Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us and we are rotting away in them. That's what it does.

How then can we survive now? Look what God says. Say to them prophet say to them Ezekiel. Say to them as I live declares the Lord I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked. How many of you say that God has absolutely no pleasure.

We read what what pleasure is God's pleasure in act three is to bless you. Is that what we read? By doing what. To bless you by turning you from your wicked ways by turning you from sin. But you must come to him not with a blemished heart will fill with a whole heart for him and God's will is to bless you.

He says I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But rather that the wicked turn from his way and live turn back turn back from your evil ways. Why then will you die. Oh house of Israel? And you son of man.

Say to your fellow citizens. The righteousness of a righteous man Will not deliver him in the day his Transgression and as for the wickedness of the wicked. He will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness.

Whereas a righteous man will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commits Sin. How many of you see that? You know what he's saying now listen to me carefully. God is saying I'm not the least bit interested In where you used to be if you were in the deepest darkest pit.

If you were in the lowest gutter. If you committed the most vile the ugliest. The most repulsive sin. Yesterday, I'm not the least bit interested in where you used to be. I'm only interested in you turning your heart whole heart from that wickedness and coming to me.

The church has proclaimed that message. Except they never told me that it comes a whole heart, but we've openly proclaimed That if the wicked man will turn from his sin and come to Jesus. We accept that we never said anything To the righteous man over here who committed sin and trusted in his experience.

We never told him. We never told him we never told him that in the day that that righteous man commits sin. If he doesn't repent and turn from his sin His righteousness will not save him but in his sin he shall die.

In Christ Jesus you have been freed from all things. But take heed that the warnings spoken by the prophets don't come upon you. And then in the next verse verse 13 When I say to the righteous he will surely live and He so trusts in his righteousness That he commits sin.

None of his righteous deeds will be remembered but in that same iniquity of his which he is committed. He will what we're gonna do with that. So one of them out of town. We're gonna pretend it's not there because it's in the Old Testament.

Jesus Christ as the Only Sufficient Sacrifice

I want to tell you something the most secure place you can be is in Christ Jesus. You are safe and secure. He's made every provision for you to walk in him. Are you hearing me? He's covered every base.

He not only forgave you and made the sacrifice which you cannot make. But he even Supplies his grace for you to walk in that which you cannot do. He lives his life for you. You cannot live the Christian life.

It's all Jesus. I don't care which way you look at it. I don't care how you cut it how you consider it. It's all Jesus, but see I know. Because I can see it on so many faces not many. But the Lord's let me say.

There's some of you here tonight. You've never heard of what I say. Your heart's been troubled because I've seen it. It's been agitated. May I say to you? I'm not here to condemn you. I'm not here to challenge you.

But the Word of God is going to judge you. You're gonna turn to Jesus with your whole heart. You're gonna stop playing around with him. You're gonna stop pretending and you're gonna give Jesus your whole heart.

Are you gonna die in sin? It's not going to deliver you. Are you hearing what I'm saying? The righteousness that you had you're gonna die in that sin if you don't give him your heart, but now listen to me.

Listen to me. You can't make sacrifice. You can't do anything to get right with God except give him your whole heart. Don't walk with condemnation on you. Condemnation will not get you close to Jesus.

The only thing that God will accept is say God. I give you my heart. I give you my whole heart. I give it to you Lord. I don't want to keep it. I don't want anything reserved. I don't want to walk in stubbornness.

I don't want to walk in religious traditions. I don't want to walk in my own desires God. It's you and you alone that I desire and I lay everything else down that when you do that God meets you right there.

That's all you need to offer him. Are you hearing what I'm saying? That's all he accepts. I'm gonna ask you a question. Can you say that. With a broken heart the kind of heart that says God. I'm turning right now.

I'm disabled. I can't walk that way anymore. I want to tell you that God so loves you that even if your heart has gotten so hard that you're not sure he can say that. If you are asking to break it and soften it God will break it.

He loves you that much if you will even come to him and say God. I'm not there but I want to be there. God I will Give you my heart. That's so hard. I hope more that I was gonna say that God wants us to stop right now.

He wants to have you close your eyes. He wants to give you an opportunity to repent and turn from God. This concludes tape number four. Please proceed to tape number five where this message continues.