God's Covenent: Being God's People

 

"The Lord had said to Abram, Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation.  I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.  All the families on earth will be blessed through you."  Genesis 12:1-3 NLT

    God made an unconditional covenant with Abram that was confirmed through circumcision.  God chose Abraham to be the father of His people.  Abraham trusted God, but had no idea how it would really turn out.  He only had one son in marriage and another son through a concubine.  Those sons led to warring nations, but Abraham did not live to see them to even become nations.  

    God did give him a vague idea of how his nation would come about.  Since it is recorded, it is proof that he did not keep it to himself.  He told his people.  He probably told Isaac everything he knew,  He made sure that his son grew up knowing who God was to help him establish a relationship with God.  

    Abraham was faithful.  He listened to what God said to him and obeyed.  It led him to do things that went against his culture.  At this time people were pretty settled and stayed within their own families.  They did not leave everything they knew to go travel to a place they had never seen.  Everyone one God used up to now was willing to be go against everything they knew and understood to be obedient to God.  

    In Abraham's case he got land, posterity, blessings, and respect.  He got to see the world in a way no one else had.  He was faithful and righteous by trusting God even though everything God told him felt impossible.  Generations after Abraham died be became the father of the Jews and after Jesus Christianity.  God's people are Christians.

    God loved him so much that he kept reminding and reassuring Abraham of His covenant.  The thing is that the covenant still stands.  If you are a Christian, then you are God's people.  He is reassuring you in your path through the Bible.  He wants you to know what it means to be His.  

    God promised Abraham land.  The Jews still have the Promised Land.  Christians are promised Heaven.  If you are a Christian, then you will live eternally in Heaven.  It will never be taken from you and you will never have to leave peace and perfection.  God made His people conquerors.  They fought and won their battles.  Today we will still win the battles that God leads, but He has enables you to be spiritual conquers.  You have the ability to win spiritual warfare and conquer your sins through the Holy Spirit that lives in you.

    The conditions of circumcision were physical.  Abraham and every male descendent had to be circumcised to belong to God.  For Christians accepting salvation made it where Jesus circumcised your heart.  The males no longer have to be physically circumcised, but it has been proven to be more sanitary.  That is a family choice instead of a covenant command though.  

Genesis12:1-3, 13:14-17, 15:1-21, 17:1-14, & 22:15-18

God's Covenant: Noahic

 

"I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, and with all the animals that were on the boat with you - birds, livestock, and wild animal - every living creature on earth.  Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you.  Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.  Then God said I am giving you a sign of my covenant you and all living creatures, for all generations to come.  I have placed my rainbow in the clouds.  It is a sign of my covenant with you and will all the earth.  When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.  Then God said to Noah, Yes this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth."  NLT

    The Noahic Covenant is an unconditional and universal covenant of life.  It is unconditional because God vowed that He would not wipe out the world through a flood again.  He never promised that there would not be flood only that one flood would not cover the earth again.  It is unconditional because God does not lie and will not change the covenant.  It is also an unilateral covenant that God made and we do not have to do anything in return.

    God knew He never would, but I think he made the covenant with Noah because he and his family were traumatized by what had happened.  God's power is beautiful and it can bring forth life, but it can also be scary and hard to watch as a human.  The world had never experienced rain until the flood.  God knew He would give the world rain going forward and wanted Noah to find peace in rain and water of all kinds.  It is a promise to you so you will not be afraid, but seek to understand Him and His power.

    It was a covenant made to man and animal.  Animals understand fear and other emotions.  Unlike people who can process, work through, and deal with what happens animals have to experience and survive. God supernaturally gave them comfort.  I think He helped them understand the covenant in the way they could.

    This is God's first covenant that came with immediate proof: a rainbow.  It is something that no one can fake.  Something that no on can imitate in the grand scale that God does it.  It is something that can't be taken away from God as a miraculous beauty for all people.  It is like a kiss on the cheek with God saying He loves you.  Enjoy and remember who God is and what He can do.

Genesis 9:8-17

God's Covenant: Adamic

 

"Then the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild.  You will crawl on your belly groveling in the dust as long as you live.  And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.  He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.  Then he said to the woman, I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth.  And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you. And to the man he said, Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat the ground is cursed because of you.  All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.  It will grow thorns and thistles for you though you will eat of its grains.  By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made.  For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return." NLT

    The Adamic Covenant is a lot.  It is a general covenant which means it is true because God spoke it and it affect everyone no matter what.  It is the foundation of judgement.  It contains promises and curses.  God is dealing with the world's first sin.  All living things are affected by the sin of Adam and Eve.  The supernatural world is affected as Satan is cursed too.  

    This covenant is the foundation of what the world looks like after sin enters the world.  Humanity and perfection have fallen.  No one after Adam and Eve have ever seen perfection in life since.  This covenant is an universal covenant that extend to the end of time.  

    The sin of Adam and Eve affected all living things.  You see it as God declares Satan more cursed than any other animal.  It means all animals were cursed because of sin.  Animals became the sacrifice for humans.  The trust between animal and human was severed.  They were the innocent victims to sin and still vulnerable to Satan.

    Satan was cursed first for leading Eve into temptation.  Eve was next for falling for Satan's schemes and influencing her husband.  Her punishment was what all women experience in child birth and the desire to have control that women will never again have.  If a woman controls a husband, then it is an unhealthy marriage that is not being blessed by God.  Women give life, but do not control life.

    Lastly came Adam for submitting to his desires and blaming Eve for it.  His curse affected ass the ground and plants in the world.  Work became hard when he had had the easy life.  To tie it all together God upheld the boundary that if they sinned (disobeyed Him), then they would die.  He never said it would be immediate.  In this covenant you see that God says you will live with the consequences until the day you die.  In death if you choose to have a relationship with Him (now through Jesus), then you will be free in Heaven.  

    Jesus is also in this covenant.  When delivering the curse to Satan, God promised Jesus.  It is about spiritual warfare.  The world is the battle ground, but you experience the spiritual battle. This is the battle for your soul and freedom.  It is a battle to be close to God or close to Satan.  The promise of Jesus was hope.  Today you get the opportunity to embrace that hope and live it out.

Genesis 3:14-19

God's Covenant: Foundational

 

"Then God said, Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.  They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and all the small animals that scurry along the ground.  So God created human beings in his own image.  In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  Then God blessed them and said be fruitful and multiply.  Fill the earth and govern it.  Reign over the fish in the sea, birds in the sky, and all the animals.  Then God said look!  I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.  And I have given every green plant as food for all the animals that have life."  Genesis 1:26-30 NLT

    This is the first covenant that God made.  He made it with the Trinity and gave it to mankind.  It is the Edenic Covenant which means it is a general covenant about life, purpose, and boundaries.  God has all the power.  He used that power to create the world, life, and humans which are special.  The purpose of humanity is to worship and have a relationship with God while ruling over the world.  It is your job to take care of what God has given you from your body, mind, soul to your property, and all animals.  You are responsible for the life God places in your life whether it is is plants, animals, or people.

    Nothing can break this covenant because God made it with himself.  Before the first person was created God established your identity, role in life, and provided all you need.  He gave you a mind to pursue, learn, understand, and act of what He has given.  You have all you need to live a healthy, thriving life.  It is your responsibility to learn how and utilize what you learn with what you have.

    This covenant is about life in general.  You are special because you physically represent God in this world.  God chooses the sex of a person.  He declared there is only male and female.  He decided on the roles that each sex had.  Your sex is an honor and a gift from God.  Learn the benefits and role to become a responsible steward in this world that earns respect because you do things God's way.  Each sex has equal dignity, but different roles and responsibility in life.  Do it God's way and life is much easier and has much less confusion.

    The culture that God created was the family unit,  One man and one woman unite their lives together to produce offspring and populate the world.  The world has been corrupted by sin.  It doesn't look that way very often anymore, but that is the world God created for you.  If you are single, may a lifer, you are not sinning.  You still have purpose, but it is a bi-product of this world.  Embrace and celebrate the life God has given you because you are blessed to be alive.  

Genesis 1:26-30 & 2:15-17

God's Promise: Jesus

"And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.  He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."  NLT

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." NIV

"I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.  He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."  CSB

Genesis 3:15

    The first promise of that Jesus would come and save humanity is found in Genesis.  The Bible starts and ends with Him.  Throughout the old testament God tells you what to look for and to expect when Jesus arrived.  It is not His fault that people did not understand every aspect and still do not.  He promised the world Jesus and He delivered.  

    As soon as sin entered the world, God provided a way back to Him.  He makes the sinner face their sin and deal with a level of the consequences, but Jesus came to deal with the root of the issue.  He paid the price for all sin.  He will defeat Satan, demons, and all evil.  When you enter Heaven, you will never have to deal with temptation or the affects of evil ever again.  Jesus guaranteed that because God promised it.

    In this world we can't really imagine perfection or ease.  We have been influenced by Satan and his impurity since birth.  When we get to heaven things will be so different.  All anxiety, fear, and any negative emotion will disappear.  They will not be needed any more.  You will have peace unlike anything you have ever encountered before.

    Jesus is your only true hope in life.  He is what makes everything right.  He removes your sin and allows you to approach God.  He is the only way.  The whole Bible is a love letter from God given through the Holy Spirit to show you who He is.  Jesus is the key that unlocks all the secrets of the Bible so it makes sense.  He is the ultimate promise that ties all the other promises together.  All you need to do is see how your sin has caused all the conflict in your life and accept that you need Jesus. then you have access to God's promises.

Genesis 3:15, 2 Samuel 7:12-13, Psalm 22:16-18, Isaiah 9:6, 53, Daniel 12:2, Micah 5:2, Zechariah 12:10, Matthew 1:22-23, John 3:16, & 2 Corinthians 1:20

God's Promise: Victory

 

"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels." NKJV

"All who are victorious will be clothed in white.  I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my father and his angels that they are mine." NLT

"The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels." NIV

"In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will  acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels." CSB

Revelations 3:5

    The promise of victory is tied into your salvation.  You believe the battle is won by God.  You believe that you will enter Heaven when you die.  It is a promised based on faith, but also fact.  God has already defeated Satan, but He is giving people more time to choose salvation.  You will find victory in your faith.  If you reject God, then you will pay the price for all your sins and join Satan in his sentence.  The promise of victory is your choice on if you get to have it or not.

    When you accept salvation you are joining in an eternal relationship with God through Jesus and faith.  You will walk the rest of your life with the Holy Spirit empowering you to do goo.  He is your seal of salvation.  It is Jesus' blood that writes your name in the book of life.  If you choose God, then you are guaranteed eternal victory.  You name can never be removed because God does not lie.

    When you enter Heaven you are accepting the victory.  It means you stand firm in your faith while you are alive.  You speak proudly of belonging to God.  You talk about how Jesus saved you.  You listen to the Holy Spirit's direction, redirection, and wisdom to live the rest of your life faithfully.  If you are proud to be a child of God now, then God will welcome you proudly into Heaven.  If you reject Him now, then He will claim that He never knew you when you want to enter Heaven.

    This promises that one day you will be dressed in white like Jesus and never worry about getting dirty again.  If your name is in the Book of Life, then you are secure.  There is nothing more secure in life than that.  If also enables you to build a community or church with other believers.  You are united in truth and victory.  Stand strong and proud for God together. You are stronger in numbers than when you are alone.  You are not a burden.  You are loved and wanted by God and His people.

Exodus 32:32, Psalms 69:28, Matthew 10:32, Luke 12:8-9, John 5:24, Acts 16:31, Philippians 4:3, 1 John 5:3-4, & Revelations 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 19:8, 20:12, 21:27

God's Promise: Purification

 

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." NIV

"But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." NLT

1 John 1:9

    The promise of purification is the cleansing that comes through faith.  God removes all your sins when you step through the door of faith into a relationship with Him.  After that you work to stay pure so you can stay close to Him and be a walking testimony of who God is.  

    The promise requires confession because you need to recognize that your sin is actually sin.  God knows everything.  It is not for anyone else, but you.  It is how you purge and empty yourself from all that makes you spiritually sick, so that the Holy Spirit can come in and make you clean, healthy, and help you understand the love that God has for you.  

    All you have to do is confess.  When it is between you and God, it feels really good.  Everything that was holding you back or weighing you down is released.  Be careful to leave it with God and not pick it back up.  Once He frees you, you don't need to go back to your bondage.

    God is faithful and just.  He removes all your sins so they are no longer held against you.  Jesus paid the price, now you can go forward and sin no more.  You have to spend time with God in prayer and His Word to know how not to sin.  You have to ask Him to reveal any inherited or deep rooted sins, so that you can break free from them.  As you learn you will confess as sins become apparent.  You will not live a perfect life in this world, but you can strive to move closer to God every day.

    The purification comes from God's forgiveness and loving mercy.  When you accept His gift of salvation you are purified before you ever get baptized.  Baptism is a statement of faith and the first act of obedience, but it doesn't change you.  It doesn't purify you.  God's forgiveness is the only thing in the world that can do that.  Then you work hard to keep your mind pure, so that your body and actions will stay pure.

Psalm 32:5, 51:2, Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:7-9