The Covenant is only between an individual and God as it was in the Garden with Eve and Adam who received different judgments for the same crime based on their involvement. Today, there is no family, group, or organizational Covenant as in the Old Testament law when God’s judgment could pass onto several generations because of ignorance. This only came about because of the curse but was stayed and mitigated with the Ten Commandments and other Laws. Do you see what God did? He amended the Covenant to counter the curse’s effects and how we treat His Covenant will be judged on an individual basis. This change occurred once the Blood of Jesus Sanctified and sealed it for the final judgment day when all must appear before God’s high court of resolutions for rewards and compensations. This individual responsibility was reestablished when as stated; “the veil of the temple was torn” - Matt. 27:51.
There is no longer a go-between us and God other than Jesus who does not prevent our access to God directly but is either our defender or prosecutor of our decisions. Those who do not have this Covenant with God are already judged and sentenced as stated by Jesus; “cast them (the unrepentant) into a furnace of fire” - Matt. 13:42. This is why ignorance, slothfulness, and apathy are in the carnal nature of sin which is death, and eternal separation from God. To have Covenant with God is as stated; “Seek (search, inquire, investigate) you first (primary) the Kingdom (laws, ethics, principles) of God, and His Righteousness (justification)” - Matt. 6:33. This is the umbrella clause of the Covenant and our judgments are determined by how well we desire and follow through on Jesus’ command to put God first and our desires second as stated; “Delight in the LORD and He will grant our desires” -Ps. 37:4.
God is not playing around! So often I hear of churches watering down the message, meaning, and responsibility of Salvation that results in a congregation made in the image of the pastor or church’s organization. When last have you heard a deep sermon on Covenant and the impact it ought to have in your life as it did in Jesus’ and those who were uncompromising in their Faith and obedience to Jesus’ teachings and examples. Many like Paul and John who suffered for God’s Covenant and those today who have been jailed for obeying God rather than man. Is it not troubling that many in the churches are aiding and abetting the very destruction of the church; spreading fear rather than Faith? If there was a time to refresh our understanding of God’s Covenant; it is now!
We often do this, hoping our sin can be swept under the rug, forgotten, and dispelled, expecting God who knows all will somehow overlook it and still bless us. And just to be clear; Cain received Grace just like us when God gives time to repent but then has no choice but to judge our actions because of a slave’s mentality. It is not coincidental that God created if you will a farm of produce and animals that requires tending to, unlike a storehouse where goods are stored and taken. This is because God requires us to be stewards of His Blessing and just like everything that has and produces life; the Covenant is a living, breathing declaration and affirmation for our Salvation that requires monitoring and maintenance by us if it is to produce the blessings God promised.
Recently, there was a heated exchange about a Christian’s right of freewill to ignore God and His Kingdom including the Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding He gives. That by being in ignorance one is sheltered from responsibility and there are no lasting repercussions. The Truth is, willful ignorance is sinning! It all goes back to the Garden. They did not know how to be stewards of God’s abundance. Hence the Tree of Knowledge which when you break it down is that part of God via the Holy Spirit. Then why did God forbid and punish them for eating the apple? Because you can’t take, receive from God unless you are made Righteous, acceptable before Him. That’s Covenant! And just like today; to restore the Covenant with Him we must be made Righteous by the Blood of Jesus. The atonement for unrighteousness. But once atoned we are instructed to abide with Jesus to access the Blessing as stated; “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” - Jn. 15:4. Jesus is represented by the Tree of Life in the Garden which was ignored willfully. Have you ever asked; “why didn’t Adam and Eve enquire about the Tree of Life”? Of all the trees God identifies and presented both Trees at the same time. The reason is they acted in fear of loss rather than with the Faith of gain with the freewill God gave them.
Jun. 8, 2021.
MY COVENANT.
Spiritual Awakening
Every day you are in a covenant with the world or with God. What makes the difference is with the world there will always be broken promises. But with God, there will be protection, prosperity, and provision. God never promised peace while we are in the world as stated; “(while) in the world you will have tribulation” - Jn. 16:33. Where you decide to focus will determine your covenant relationships and the outcomes of your life. Who told us that God’s Covenant was negotiable and that there will not be consequences when we break it? This is a lie from hell and those who do not truly respect and honor the God who declared it do not appreciate Him and His Throne as stated; “My Covenant will I (God) not break” - Ps. 89:34.
There is no such thing as hyper Grace as preached by some. There is only Covenant! God started with one! Continued with it! And reinforced it as we know it today! One could argue before Jesus that the Covenant was under God’s Grace and since Jesus, it is not as stated; “Truly, these times (in the past) of ignorance God overlooked, but now (today) commands all men everywhere to repent” - Acts 17:30. To repent includes the ignorance of the rights and privileges included in the Covenant as stated; “present yourself to God as one approved” - 2 Tim. 2:15. We can no longer stay in the dark in fear, comfort, and tradition; but only and always move to, seek, and embrace the Light as stated; “for you were formerly darkness, but now you are (the) Light in the LORD; walk as children of (the) Light” - Eph. 5:8. Does this mean God doesn’t provide us with His Grace? Of course, He does! It’s included in His Covenant but has stipulations associated with it as stated; “God is not mocked” - Gal. 6:7.
If you are born again; a seasoned, or veteran Christian; the Covenant should be foremost and applies equally to each group. Just like the laws and benefits of a country; the more one learns, understands, and applies them, the more one will reap what they are designed for as stated; “be a doer not just a hearer of the Word” - Jms. 1:22. No one group is independent of the other but any group can falter because of the other. The Covenant is encapsulated by the statement; “I (God) have set before you Life and death; choose Life” - Deut. 30:19. This is why Jesus and many passages of the Bible warn against one’s association and who one listens to.
When did Jesus break the Covenant with God? Or when did Jesus act in ignorance? And when did Jesus reject God’s Holy Spirit for his selfish needs and wants? Jesus as stated; “(came) not to do My own will, but the will of Him (God) who sent Me” - Jn. 6:38. God needed a man in Jesus to do His will as designed to revitalize and fortify the true Covenant for all eternity. Not just some half-baked, pseudo version accommodating man’s flesh and weaknesses with the penalty of the Law but one that ascends worldly notions of affiliations into a Spiritual level of commitment. Jesus acted conscientiously in Covenant with God thereby reinforcing the benefits and Power of this Covenant relationship both physically and spiritually as a man. This is the purpose of the Covenant; to bring God’s mighty hand into and against this fearful and dark world as stated; “do not think I (Jesus) cannot request Angels” - Matt. 26:53. Everything else is merely support. You don’t send an army to fight without providing the food, and resources. That’s the Garden and outside it was the battlefield. But the enemy was allowed in by Adam and Eve therefore God had to preserve its abundant source as stated; “He (God) placed at the east of the Garden of Eden; Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the Tree of Life.” - Gen. 3:24.
If a Christian has fear, ignorance, or dependence on people and things of this world more than God; then may I suggest your Covenant with God is under stress and duress and is subjected to the Law rather than the Love of God. This is why as stated; “My people are destroyed for lack of Knowledge” - Hos. 4:6. But what about Grace some say? Grace is always available but not if you are not in a spiritual position to receive it. Those outside God’s Covenant also receive Grace as stated; “(God) sends rain on the just and the unjust” - Matt. 5:45. But for the Christian; he is subjected to the causes of God’s Covenant. One cannot be in and out of the Covenant as it suits them. And a key clause in this Covenant is not to be ignorant as stated; “(be) not ignorant of satan’s devices (ploys) - 2 Cor. 2:11”; or simple, and foolish as stated; “simple ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart” - Prov. 8:5. God has given by His Covenant all that we need to navigate this world as stated; “He (the Holy Spirit) will guide you into all Truth” - Jn. 16:13. The Bible tells us to attend to the Word meaning both the narratives but more importantly to Jesus who embodied how one should abide in Covenant with God as He demonstrated; ”the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do, I (Jesus) do” - Jn. 5:19.
So what about the freewill under God’s Covenant? There is none by the world’s standards. But by God’s; freewill empowers the Christian in Love for Him and His agenda not as a slave but as an Heir of the Kingdom. The perspective of this is that no matter how much life experience one brings; it can never be compared to God’s eternal overwatch of the seen and unseen. The men and women who are restored by Jesus as their Savior and LORD are no longer worldly humans but are now Christians which is an extension of Jesus Christ. Therefore all our thoughts, actions, attitudes, and aptitudes are to be reflective of Him. Literally, we are of His Blood by the Covenant! For as the name and person in Adam is rooted in blood and made of the ground so are we linked directly being descendants and as stated; “All things were made through Him (Jesus), and without Him, nothing was made that was made” - Jn. 1:3. This is why one of satan’s goals is to destroy that Blood lineage through the means of modern-day transhumanism for results like the Nephilim.
God’s Covenant is about partnership not employment and requires our freewill. And to be clear! The freewill of the world is not the same freewill God has given us. Both are under subjection of their respective criteria for the application of freewill. But in the world; freewill is under the fear of penalties, but under God, it is above this fear in Love for Him and His Throne. One cannot fear man; the world, and still serve and Love God! This fleshly approach alienates the Spirit for which without there is no true Salvation. This is why for the Christian; the mantra ought to be as stated; “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” - Gal. 2:20.
God’s Covenant was established from the beginning when He created and placed the man in Eden to be responsible for His creations and the world. Then man broke the Covenant in rebellion and disobedience by siding in a covenant with the devil. Yes! That was a covenant! A covenant is an agreement of observing, applying, and respecting a platform, politics, or position. Of being partisan for each other’s benefit. It does not require that the parties involved like, endorse, or have empathy for each other in the covenant. It is merely a commitment to observe all that is in the covenant of agreements. It is a contract; written, verbal, and, or understood.
In essence, the first man broke the Covenant when he stole what was not his as stated; “Of every Tree of the Garden you may freely eat, but of the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” - Gen. 2:16. They broke the law, boundaries, and trust given to them. It is the same if we take from a company’s stationery for personal use. The company provided everything needed to earn with the exception that all is owned and used for the company's interest. How would one know they are breaking the agreement and covenant? The item to be stolen would be hidden and we would be tight-lipped about it. This is what happened in the Garden. After agreeing with satan to subvert God’s rules by eating the apple; they hid and did not want to admit their crime although God knew what they had done and where they were as stated, “and Adam and his wife hid from the presence of the Lord God” - Gen. 3:8. So sacred is the Covenant with God; it is required to be sealed in Blood! And not just the physical component but equally important; the Faithfulness of Righteous obedience to observe the Covenant.
Whenever a covenant is broken; there has to be accountability for the offense and having the attitude that we can blame others who influenced us has no standing in any court much less God’s. Because the crime was committed by our choices because we allowed devious influences to guide our thoughts and actions. Essentially, one took for granted the responsibility placed on them! This is how serious our Covenant is with God who by virtue has never broken His agreement with us and only expects that we will not break it but uphold it as if our life depends on it. Which it does!
This is reflected when God calls Abram away from his environment and promises him a nation. The key being Abram was worthy of God’s Covenant! God doesn’t give us the Covenant! It is we who earn it not by our works but by our Faith and Righteousness. The two characteristics Abram is known for are as stated; “Abraham believed (had Faith in) God, and it was counted to him as Righteousness (acceptance)” - Rm. 4:3. The Covenant of itself has no value without our will to be justified. This may sound like a contradiction to being saved by Grace. But without our desire for Salvation; essentially God; Grace has no lasting application in our lives. What many experience especially outside the Covenant is not Grace but mercy and compassion. The prime difference is Grace is long-suffering with Spiritual support but mercy and compassion are actions for immediate needs. All require some level of Faith! An example of Grace is Jesus’ long-suffering Spiritual support for both Jarius’s daughter - Mk. 5:21; and for raising Lazarus - Jn. 11:38; where He is aware of the critical nature but is in obedience to the Spirit with other issues; thereby allowing Grace to support all the critical people involved until the miracles were completed. An example of mercy and compassion is the Gentile woman - Matt. 15:21, or the Centurion's ill servant - LK. 7:2; where there was no Covenant relationship but by the action of Faith; mercy and compassion were given by Jesus. One may receive mercy and compassion during a period of Grace but Grace is rarely provided for when mercy and compassion require immediate action. We must not confuse Grace and Faith; where God gives and the other is used, respectively. God may provide Grace but because of the lack of faith, there is no benefit from it.
Every aspect of the Covenant embodies Grace, Faith, and Salvation, and in that order. You can’t receive the Covenant unless God’s Grace covers you just like Jesus’ Blood. And you can’t empower the Covenant without Faith which is what pleases God. And you can’t have and demand the full promises of Salvation without the first two. This is why the Covenant is literally Life or death. Sadly, many Christians only live by one or two of these pillars and not all three. Some churches only preach we are just sinners saved by Grace. While others; Faith without its Power and understanding of the Spiritual realm. And Salvation by the mind of slaves. What many churches fail to understand is both Adam and Eve in God’s eye were more than capable to be Godly stewards. God provided Grace with the abundance of the Garden. And all He asked was for them to have Faith in Him. And to choose Him (Life) over the devil (death) for their Salvation (provisions, protection, and prosperity). The very same criteria for us today where we need more Grace during these uncertain times; as well as the Faith to face the fear to overcome; and to protect and live our Salvation with eyes upward looking for Jesus. To live in Covenant with God!
Flush it Out! - Without My Covenant, there is no Life in Jesus!
Once the Covenant is broken; an offense remains in the book of crimes until it is recognized, adjudicated, addressed, and resolved. If you break one clause of the Covenant; you have broken all! Because it's not about the law but the trust that the Covenant requires. It takes hours for trust to be built but only a second to tear, not a part; but all of it down. Take for instance the crimes of Cain who broke four Covenant clauses or rather commandments that he was aware of. First; he did not honor God with the best of his labor.
Second; he was jealous and bitter towards his brother. Third; he murdered his brother. And fourth; which is critical; he did not recognize, adjudicate, address, and resolve his offenses that broke the Covenant, and trust which eventually caused separation and disappointment with God - Gen. 4:5-12. He was not remorseful and did not attend to the Covenant! Cain only acknowledged his broken Covenant once he was exposed, confronted, and realized the burden, and consequences of his offenses or rather sins.