Understanding Your Covenant
A covenant is an arrangement between people who commit to do certain things for
each other. A covenant is an extremely serious promise that requires trust. God
keeps His promises, since God cut our covenant with the shed blood of Jesus, and
swore by Himself, we know it is forever binding. God knew we were unable to keep it,
so, He made it available to all through faith. That’s why we are told the just shall live
by faith. Our covenant is not based on what we do, but on the completed work of
Jesus (Hebrews 8:6-12).
God’s covenant gives everyone the opportunity to have a close relationship with
Him. It gives meaning to our lives and provides us with the guidelines about how we
should act. God’s covenant requires a personal response. Don’t let the comfort and
security of your present position make you miss God’s plan for you. Through Abram’
s family tree, Jesus Christ was born to save humanity. Through Christ, people can
have a personal relationship with God and be blessed beyond measure (II
Corinthians 1:20) “for all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him, Amen, to
the glory of God by us”; and (Galatians 3:29) “and if you be Christ’s, then are you
Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”.
Jesus established a New Covenant between us and God. Jesus instituted a “new
covenant” between humans and God. Under this new covenant, Jesus would die in
the place of sinners. Unlike the blood of animals, His blood (because He is God)
would truly remove the sins of all who put their faith in Him. And Jesus’ sacrifice
would never have to be repeated; it would be good for all eternity (Hebrews 9:23-
28). The new and better way is the covenant of grace. Christ’s offer to forgive our
sins and bring us to God through His sacrificial death. This covenant is new in
extent, it goes beyond Israel and Judah to all the Gentile nations. It is new in
application because it is written in our hearts and minds. It offers a new way to
forgiveness, not through animal sacrifice, but through faith.
Jesus our high priest has been given a ministry that is far superior to the ministry of
those who serve under the law, for He is the one who guarantees for us a better
covenant with God, based on better promises (Hebrews 8:6). Jesus’ sacrificial death
served as the oath, that God made to us to seal this new covenant. He determined
to give us eternal life and fellowship with Him. The new covenant is the last will and
testament of Jesus Christ. Jesus showed His concerns for the woman with the spirit
of infirmity 18 years (Luke 13:10-17). He told the ruler of the synagogue in verse 16
“ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom satan has bound, lo,
these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day”? Tears don’t
move God, faith moves God. The woman didn’t know her covenant rights, therefore
she didn’t act on it.
The covenant of promise (Ephesians 2:12-14) “that at that time you were without
Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. But now in
Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of Christ.
For He is our peace, who had made both one, and has broken down the middle wall
of partition, between us”. The work of Jesus Christ brings this promised new
covenant into being. The covenant of promise are God’s guarantees that He will
provide salvation. His death ushered in the new covenant under which we are
justified by God’s grace and mercy rather than our human attempts. The new
covenant accomplished what the old could not, removal of sin and cleaning of
conscience (Hebrews 10:22,23) “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed
with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He
is faithful that promised”. Isaiah 53:4-5 says “surely He has borne our griefs, and
carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed”.
To understand our covenant’s greatest point is to trust God and His word. We need
to believe the Bible totally. Jesus announced in Luke 4:16-21 what He came to do
for us; verse 18-19 says “the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed
Me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord”, then He
proclaimed “this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”.
The Bible says “My people perish for lack of knowledge”. If you don’t know your
covenant rights, you won’t be able to enforce them. David understood his covenant
as he stood up to fight the giant (I Samuel 17:45) “then said David to the Philistine,
you come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield, but I come to you
in the name of the Lord Yahweh of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you
have defied”. He spent time with God and knew what his rights was, and defeated
the giant in the supernatural, all Israel was afraid in the natural, but David stepped
into the supernatural. Our covenant gives us a right to enter into the supernatural.
Hebrews 6:12 says “that you be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith
and patience inherit the promises”.
Many third world nations, when they come to Jesus, understands and are able to
walk in their covenants rights, because they understand covenants, they live under
kingships. They understand that a covenant is binding, and punishing to death, if
broken. The western world lives under democracy (we the people), but under
kingships, one must obey the king. Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven was at
hand. You should study the parables about the kingdom which Jesus taught. He
said, it is for us to know the things of the kingdom.
Don’t let the devil continue to steal your covenant promises, which God has provided
for you. You are not demanding anything of God, you are demanding the devil to
loose his hands off what God has already been provided for you.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: April 25, 2008
A covenant is an arrangement between people who commit to do certain things for
each other. A covenant is an extremely serious promise that requires trust. God
keeps His promises, since God cut our covenant with the shed blood of Jesus, and
swore by Himself, we know it is forever binding. God knew we were unable to keep it,
so, He made it available to all through faith. That’s why we are told the just shall live
by faith. Our covenant is not based on what we do, but on the completed work of
Jesus (Hebrews 8:6-12).
God’s covenant gives everyone the opportunity to have a close relationship with
Him. It gives meaning to our lives and provides us with the guidelines about how we
should act. God’s covenant requires a personal response. Don’t let the comfort and
security of your present position make you miss God’s plan for you. Through Abram’
s family tree, Jesus Christ was born to save humanity. Through Christ, people can
have a personal relationship with God and be blessed beyond measure (II
Corinthians 1:20) “for all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him, Amen, to
the glory of God by us”; and (Galatians 3:29) “and if you be Christ’s, then are you
Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”.
Jesus established a New Covenant between us and God. Jesus instituted a “new
covenant” between humans and God. Under this new covenant, Jesus would die in
the place of sinners. Unlike the blood of animals, His blood (because He is God)
would truly remove the sins of all who put their faith in Him. And Jesus’ sacrifice
would never have to be repeated; it would be good for all eternity (Hebrews 9:23-
28). The new and better way is the covenant of grace. Christ’s offer to forgive our
sins and bring us to God through His sacrificial death. This covenant is new in
extent, it goes beyond Israel and Judah to all the Gentile nations. It is new in
application because it is written in our hearts and minds. It offers a new way to
forgiveness, not through animal sacrifice, but through faith.
Jesus our high priest has been given a ministry that is far superior to the ministry of
those who serve under the law, for He is the one who guarantees for us a better
covenant with God, based on better promises (Hebrews 8:6). Jesus’ sacrificial death
served as the oath, that God made to us to seal this new covenant. He determined
to give us eternal life and fellowship with Him. The new covenant is the last will and
testament of Jesus Christ. Jesus showed His concerns for the woman with the spirit
of infirmity 18 years (Luke 13:10-17). He told the ruler of the synagogue in verse 16
“ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom satan has bound, lo,
these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day”? Tears don’t
move God, faith moves God. The woman didn’t know her covenant rights, therefore
she didn’t act on it.
The covenant of promise (Ephesians 2:12-14) “that at that time you were without
Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. But now in
Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of Christ.
For He is our peace, who had made both one, and has broken down the middle wall
of partition, between us”. The work of Jesus Christ brings this promised new
covenant into being. The covenant of promise are God’s guarantees that He will
provide salvation. His death ushered in the new covenant under which we are
justified by God’s grace and mercy rather than our human attempts. The new
covenant accomplished what the old could not, removal of sin and cleaning of
conscience (Hebrews 10:22,23) “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed
with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He
is faithful that promised”. Isaiah 53:4-5 says “surely He has borne our griefs, and
carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed”.
To understand our covenant’s greatest point is to trust God and His word. We need
to believe the Bible totally. Jesus announced in Luke 4:16-21 what He came to do
for us; verse 18-19 says “the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed
Me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord”, then He
proclaimed “this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”.
The Bible says “My people perish for lack of knowledge”. If you don’t know your
covenant rights, you won’t be able to enforce them. David understood his covenant
as he stood up to fight the giant (I Samuel 17:45) “then said David to the Philistine,
you come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield, but I come to you
in the name of the Lord Yahweh of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you
have defied”. He spent time with God and knew what his rights was, and defeated
the giant in the supernatural, all Israel was afraid in the natural, but David stepped
into the supernatural. Our covenant gives us a right to enter into the supernatural.
Hebrews 6:12 says “that you be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith
and patience inherit the promises”.
Many third world nations, when they come to Jesus, understands and are able to
walk in their covenants rights, because they understand covenants, they live under
kingships. They understand that a covenant is binding, and punishing to death, if
broken. The western world lives under democracy (we the people), but under
kingships, one must obey the king. Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven was at
hand. You should study the parables about the kingdom which Jesus taught. He
said, it is for us to know the things of the kingdom.
Don’t let the devil continue to steal your covenant promises, which God has provided
for you. You are not demanding anything of God, you are demanding the devil to
loose his hands off what God has already been provided for you.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: April 25, 2008
