 Okay, welcome back. So we are looking at the nature of God's covenant with man number one. The first point we talked about was God is the initiator of the covenant. So God makes the covenant. Let's look at the second one. When God makes a covenant, right? For you and I, there are either blessings or curses. It means sound stern, but there are either blessings or curses. When we obey the instructions of the covenant, what do we do? We position ourselves to receive the blessings of God. Everyone say position, right? The word position means we are placing ourselves, right? So for example, just an example, right? The sun is out, right? And it's hot, right? But you see a tree, right? Now under the tree, there's some shade, yes? So what do we do? We go under the tree and we try to stand under the tree. Okay, I have some shade. What am I doing? I'm positioning myself to be in a place of rest or shade. Just a simple example. When you and I obey God's commandments, obey His covenant, obey His word, we are positioning ourselves to receive from God. That means because God is true to His word, He says, if you obey, I will bless you. So automatically the blessings come upon us, right? Because I obey and I'm positioning myself in terms of the covenant. Now what is the flip side of this? If I'm breaking the covenant or violating the rules of the covenant, right? Then what happens? Curses will follow. Now when I'm saying purses, it is just that God's protection over us is removed. God removes His hand. He says, okay, I've done my best. Now this person is continually breaking my covenant. He's breaking my laws. He's not obeying my word. So God releases His hand upon the person. Now he, this person will be open to the works of the devil, right? So whatever happens to him is not because of God. It's because of what he has done. Get what I'm saying, right? Whatever the person has done. If I say I don't want God, I don't want to believe in God, then what am I saying? I am positioning myself to be away from the blessings of God. It's like saying, ah, it's so hot. Oh, but you see a tree, but you don't want to go there to the tree to sit in the shade. You expect the tree to come here. This is an example, right? But what am I trying to say? When we obey, we position ourselves for God to bless us. When we disobey, we position ourselves for the enemy to take control over our lives. So if there are problems in our life or continual situations in our life, it's not always because we have been disobedient. So that's why God is bringing a curse upon our life or all these difficult situations. No. We must also remember that when God speaks to us, when God works in our life, He takes us through difficult seasons, right? He took Joseph, Daniel, David, Apostle Paul, many of them. Who He wants to use, He will take them through seasons. But even through that seasons, we will see His blessings. But we may intentionally say, I don't want to obey God. I don't want it like the people of Israel did, right? They intentionally said, no. So God said, I'm releasing my hand. If there's anything happening to you, it is not because of me. You have opened the door for the devil to come and work. As far as I'm concerned, I have made my covenant. You follow it, the blessings will come upon you. Now in Deuteronomy chapter 28, in Deuteronomy, the writer is writing to remind the people of Israel. See, God made a covenant with you. He brought you out of Egypt through His mighty hand. He brought you out in the desert. You saw all the miracles. In the night, there was a pillar of fire that was going. Imagine in the desert, a pillar of fire is going. You're just following that pillar of fire in a picture there. Imagine there's a red sea there. The sea is divided. They are walking. Every morning food is coming from heaven. Then there's a rock wherever they're going, water is flowing from that place. All they need to do is go drink water and they're satisfied. You remember all that. God is telling in Deuteronomy, the writer is saying, the people of Israel forgot all the miracles that I did. You forgot who I was. You forgot the covenant I made with you. I kept my covenant, but you haven't kept your covenant. So in Deuteronomy 28, maybe one of us can open Deuteronomy 28. The word Deuto means a reminder. So they're reminding the people of Israel. You didn't obey. And so destruction came upon you. Verses came upon you. But when you obey, you saw the blessings of God. Read Deuteronomy 28. Just read a few verses. Just keep reading and I'll stop you. Let's go ahead. Deuteronomy 28 verse one. And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord, your God. Hold on. So he's telling the people of Israel. If you faithfully obey the word of God, continue. Be careful to do all his commandments. Be careful to do all his commandments that I command you to do. The Lord, your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. Keep reading. And all those blessings shall come upon you and overtake you. All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you. What are the, what is the clause in the beginning? If you faithfully obey my commandments, all these blessings will fall upon you. Read the blessings. Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle. The increase of your heads and the young of your flow. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading ball. Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out. Now you see those blessings. If you fully obey, you'll be blessed in the city. You'll be blessed in the country. Your fruit, the fruit of your womb will be blessed. That means what? I would bless you with children. Children are from me. I bless people with children. So I would bless the fruit of your womb. I would bless the livestock. That means the cattle, the sheep, everything that you have, your belongings. I will bless, I will multiply it. Your basket and your kneading through will be blessed. You'll be blessed when you go in. You'll be blessed when you go out. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and everything you put your hand on will be blessed. And the Lord will establish you as His holy people as He promised. And all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord. And they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your womb. The young of your livestock and the crops of your ground in the land He swore to your ancestors to give you. Look at verse 12. The Lord will open up the heavens, the storehouse of the bounty, of His bounty to send rain on your land and to bless the work of your hands. You will lend it to many nations and you will not borrow. The Lord will make you the head and not the tail if you pay attention to my commandments. So all of this is there for you, for the people of Israel. All of this is there. But for that, you have to obey my commandments. Okay, God, if I don't obey, what will happen? You know, like children, no? If I don't do this, what will you do? If you don't do, you go down the verse. We can, we'll know what will happen. Verse 15. However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully listen to His commandments and the decrees I give you, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you. What? You will be cursed in the city. Your basket in a netting blow will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed. The crops of your land, it goes on and on. Now, it's not like, now remember, remember what we said? When, when the Lord has made a covenant, His covenant is always to bless. He makes, His word is good. He's a good God. That's His nature. So He wants to bless. But when we step out of the covenant, we disobey all these other things happen. Now, does the enemy want to do good things for you? And for me, does he want to say, oh, you're very good? He doesn't care. The moment you and I step out of His covenant and say, I don't obey, He's ready to bring trouble and calamities upon you. Or He will make you feel that everything is all right. All of a sudden, He can bring, come down upon you. So it's so important that you and I as believers, we align ourselves, position ourselves into His covenant. What is another nature of God's covenant? No dual covenants. That means no two or three covenants. You can't be in two or three covenants at the same time. Have you heard of dual citizenship? Dual citizenship is something where you can be a citizen of India. You can be a citizen of Australia. Dual citizenship. Nowadays, some countries don't love it, but initially they loved it. So you're a citizen of two countries. There are some countries that love it even now. God is not like that. You can't obey His covenant here and then be part of another covenant of another God. You can't be in covenant with God and be in covenant with the devil. Because God is one. So let's read that Exodus 34 and verse 14. You shall worship no other God for the Lord whose name is jealous is a jealous God. Protect, keep and maintain the covenant and the covenant partner. I am the covenant partner with God. So I need to protect my covenant. I need to maintain my covenant with God. Maintain it how? With preciousness. Meaning it's something very precious. You don't just throw it away just like that. What does Jesus say? Don't throw the pearls to the pigs. That means the gospel that I'm preaching, the message. It's pearls. Don't throw it to people who don't want it. The covenant that God is making is precious. Remember that. Keep it dear to you. God is faithful and he calls us to his faithfulness. Now, why was God so upset in the Old Testament? When we read Old Testament, we feel God is every time he's upset. I will do this. I'll bring this. I'll do this. Why is he so upset? He was not upset. It's God's love. It's God's mercy. Why did God have to send snakes to bite the people? They were disobeying. They opened their lives to the devil. And so remember that what do they do? They began to worship idols. God is saying, I made a covenant with you and you were singing and dancing and praising God while walking out of Egypt. They were very happy. Oh, the Lord is great and mighty. He brought us out of Egypt through the mighty hand of Pharaoh. He brought us out. We walked out of Egypt. They're singing songs of praise. A few days later, they are worshiping another idol. We made a golden calf. They're all banging the tamarind, singing and dancing around it. Now, how many covenants is that? And God is saying, hey, you made a covenant with me. I said, I brought you out. Now you're doing this. So God had to bring judgment upon them. You understand what I'm saying? So now you and I, how does it apply to us? You and I are in covenant with God. God is saying, you are my children. I made a covenant with you. I will bless you. I will protect you. I will keep you. Now if I say, no, I don't want all of this. I want to drink alcohol. I want to smoke. I want to watch pornography. I want to do all the things wrong. Yet I also want to be in a safe place where God will protect me. God will provide for me. What is happening? Dual citizenship. Monday to Friday, we are citizens of the devil. Saturday and Sunday, citizens of God. Dual citizens. God does not approve of it. God doesn't approve of us sitting on the fence. And then we decide where to go when. Yet, you know, God is merciful to us. Lightning and fire doesn't come and burn us up. Why? Because he's merciful. But God won't approve of it. Get what I'm saying, right? So dual citizenship, meaning dual commitments. God is not for it. God, can I, you know, go to, can I drink alcohol? Can I do all of this Monday to Friday? Saturday, Sunday, I'll be there for church. I'll be there in the setup team, ushering team, board team, whatever team. And Sunday, I'm there. So, you know, ushering for communion, table, everything I'll take, because I know you're very important to me. You know, because of you, I've come this far. But Monday to Friday, you leave me alone. Let me just do this. That means what? God will not approve of it. He will, it's like you're breaking his covenant. You'll say, okay, I tried to correct you, but now I'm just going to let go, even though he's faithful to the covenant. The devil may, you know, bring things into our lives. Still God will work sometimes. He'll break off the yoke of the devil. Why? Because he's a covenant keeping God. So our responsibility is not dual commitments. What is the next one? God's absolute commitment to His covenant. In Exodus 2, 24, God remembered His covenant. Let's read Exodus 2, 24. Exodus 2 and verse 24. Exodus chapter 2 verse 24. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God heard their groaning. They're all crying, oh God, oh Lord, please save us. God heard their groaning, and remembered their covenant. Did they change? It's not like they all pleaded, Lord, forgive me, forgive me, no. They heard their groanings. God remembered His covenant. Oh, God, I am God, and I've made the covenant with Abraham. I promised Abraham, I told Abraham that I will make you a great nation. I'll bring your people. I will make your own nation. I will bless your nation. Now I'm taking these fellows to that nation which I promised Abraham. They're doing everything wrong, but God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So true in our life. Sometimes we do so many things. We don't deserve, but God remembers the prayers of our fathers, or our parents, our grandfathers. God remembers those prayers. Before I became a believer, I didn't pray, please come save me, and all, nothing. It was the prayers of others who prayed for me, and God spoke in my life. I didn't want to become a joint full-time ministry and all of those things. It's a prayer of others. So the same way, God is absolute to His covenant. That means absolutely committed. He will not change. What is commitment? Commitment means even when things go up and down, stay true. Remember Jesus is in the boat, and He's sleeping. There's a storm. What does the disciple say? Hey, how can you sleep? We're all going to drown and die. Now, it's easy to think about it, but remember the same disciples have seen God do so many miracles. They have seen Jesus do so many miracles. We're saying Jesus, wake up, how can you sleep? We're going to die. Sometimes very easy. Even with Jesus on the boat, the commitment was very loose. The commitment is to hold onto something without a wavering. I'm committed. I will do it. And God gives us the grace to do it. So for example, as believers, remember that God wants to see commitment in our life in whatever it is. So many of us are here studying. We want to do something for God, do something in ministry, just serve God. Be committed. It may look outwardly. It may look very different. You feel like giving up. You feel like tired. You're feeling very... You stay committed. God at prom. I'm keeping my side of the covenant. I want to be committed. Just like you are committed to me, I want to be committed to you. Don't look at the now. Look at what God can do ahead for you. That's the best part of a covenant. When He said it, it will happen. How and when you journey along with Him. Right? It's like this. When you're going on a train journey, it's wonderful to see the mountains and the beautiful valleys and the rivers. It's so gorgeous and beautiful to see it. But imagine that train is stopped in one place only. I'll be looking at that. The mountain looks beautiful, but keep looking at that mountain. What will happen? You'll get so bored. You don't want to look at that mountain anymore. It's common. So in the journey of life, when we journey along and let God take you and journey along with God, let Him take you. Take you through those seasons of learning and growing and developing. So you be faithful in your side. Be committed. We need to understand that God's covenant nature and His absolute commitment to the covenant, He does it from His side. Right? So let me give you an example. How many of you God has called you to be pastors? You already know you're going to be a pastor in one, okay? Daniel, Joseph. What's your name again? Komal. Anybody online? You know that God has called you to be a pastor. Yes, Shaker has raised His hand. Wonderful. Now, some of us may already, yes, few of them are raising your hands here. Yes. Now you know. Okay. For example, you know God has called you to be a pastor. Is becoming a pastor easy? Is it easy? Nowadays, maybe a little easy. Book one hall. Buy one, two speakers, one mixer, and then you have church. Right? But the calling of the pastors, church is okay. We can open a church. Right? We can start. But the calling of the pastor. Right? So there needs to be commitment. First year, nobody will come. Ten people will come. And after two, three years, nobody's coming. Very few people. Lord, three years of church, only 20 people are here. Stay committed. Stay committed. Right? Because that's your side of the commitment. God has said, I want you to do this. And you are doing it with all your heart, with all faithfulness, with obedience. Right? So you stay committed to the call. Of course, you know, you come up with ideas, strategies on how to build the church, improve, improvise, learn, grow. We do all of that. We stay committed. Whether things go well, things don't go well. God, I want to stay committed. And what happens? You're keeping your side of the cover. Never measure ministry or the success of a ministry by the number of people. Okay, ministry is not about the number of people. If you can have 100 people, you can have 1000 people. 100 strong leaders can do much more than 1000 people who just come sit and go. Yes or no? Right? Yet? See, we need to maintain a balance. God said, I will build my church. Right? It's good to have ministry is about people. So it's good to have strong churches, growing churches. That's good. But remember, ministry is about the people, what they do. Right? So even if you're doing a, God has called you to a church, to plant a church, pioneer a church, and there are 50 people in the church, be faithful and committed to those 50 people. Don't compare your ministry to somebody else's ministry. That's a covenant God has made with you. Maybe God has made a covenant with somebody else. Hey, I will build, I'll give you a church for 10,000 people. That's God's covenant with him. We are no one to question God. Why not for me? No, God is saying for you, this is correct. I want you to learn this way. So we be faithful to our side of the covenant. Okay? So we looked at the nature of God's covenant. Number one. Go ahead. Tell me, God is the initiator and keeper of the covenant. Second one. There are blessings and curses. Three. There's no dual commitments. That means you can't be in two covenants at the same time. No. Four. God is absolutely committed to his covenant. Okay. Let's go to the next portion. Any questions? Everyone understood about the covenant? Right? Let's go a little bit in detail here in five important covenants in the Bible. Right? We're going to look at five important covenants we find in the scripture. Number one is the covenant with Noah. Now we did touch upon this. But let's read Genesis 618. It's on your notes. Genesis 618. Anyone online or one of the students here can just read it please. The mic is here. Somebody can read. But I will establish my covenant with you and you shall go into the ark. You, your sons, your wife and your sons' wives with me. Yes. Let's read the next portion also. Now this is very important to read this portion because we'll understand the covenant with Noah in this versus Genesis 9, 8 through 17. Would you like to read? Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him saying, And as for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you. And with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the every beast of the earth. Thus, I establish my covenant with you. Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the cloud. Never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, this is the sign of the covenant which I made between me and you and every living creature that is with you for perpetual generations. I set my rainbow in the cloud and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. And it shall be when I bring a cloud over the earth that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud. And I will remember my covenant which is between me and you every living creature of all flesh. The waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud and I will put on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. And God said to Noah, this is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all the flesh that is on the earth. Thank you so much Anushash. Right, so God is speaking to Noah and we just talked about it, right? God is establishing the covenant with Noah saying, Noah I will never again destroy all the flesh, all people. Never will I do this and I will establish my covenant with the rainbow. Now this is a very prominent covenant. The covenant of mercy. It looks like you know, God is when we read about it it looks like God is destroying everyone and saying hey what is this? It's like after destroying you're saying sorry. It looks like that but it's not so. God is making a covenant and he's saying this rainbow shall be in the cloud and when I look at it it will be an everlasting covenant. It's not a covenant for 100 years, 500 years, 2,000 years, 5,000 years, no it's an everlasting covenant. I will never again destroy or wipe out the people of the earth. Never will I do that again. It's a covenant. It is God's mercy. So you know, when we look at what's happening here on right now in the generation that we are living in so much of hatred, so much of you know, violence against Christianity, people mocking Christianity and all of this that's happening I always think why can't God just finish them off? He'll not. Why? Because God said I've made a covenant with you. Covenant of mercy. I will be merciful to these people. I will never again know so it's like this. God is saying I remember the covenant I made with Noah and I will not destroy the people. Right? Secondly, he makes a covenant with Abraham, a covenant of promise. A covenant of blessing. It says Genesis 15 18 on the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham saying to your descendants I have given this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates. Again, Genesis 17 1 through 14 talks about the whole experience of how God made the covenant. I'll just read a few verses. When Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abraham and said to him, I am Almighty God. Walk before me and be blameless and I will make my covenant between you and me and will multiply you exceedingly. Then Abraham fell on his face and God talked to him saying to this verse 4 as for me, behold my covenant is with you and you shall be a father of many nations. Look at that portion there. My covenant is with you one person, Abraham. Now, what about you and I? God can say my covenant is with you. My covenant is with you. We can put your name there. God, you said my covenant is with you, right? No longer shall your name be called Abraham, but your name shall be called Abraham for I have made you the father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful. I will make you nations of you and things shall come from you. Look at that. What a covenant. You know, when we read it, it sounds good. But just picture what Abraham will be thinking. Abraham is old. He hasn't had a child. His wife is barren. There's no hope. Probably Abraham is thinking maybe another 10, 15 years and I'm going over. My life is almost over. But almost towards the end of Abraham's life, God is saying, hey, I will make you exceed, not fruitful, exceedingly fruitful, right? I will make you make nations of you and things will come from you. Seven and I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants and their generations. Also, I will give you any descendants after you, the land in which you are a stranger, the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession. Remember God told Moses? What did God tell Moses? Listen, I made a covenant with my friend Abraham. He's no more. But I made a covenant with him saying what? When my own words I said, I will bless you with the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession and I will be their God. So I remember saying this to Abraham. So Moses get up, go to Egypt because I have to keep that covenant and I will also give you verse 9 and God said to Abraham, as for you you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your descendants after you. Every male child among you shall be circumcised and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your four skins and it will be a sign of the covenant between you and me. Again, in the Noah covenant, what was it? What was the sign? Rainbow? Now, in the Abrahamic covenant, what is the sign? Circumcision says every male child is circumcised. When you circumcise them it's like you're they belong to you Abraham. They are from your descendants and because they are from your descendants I will bless them. Whether they do good, bad my hand of blessing will be upon them because I'm making that covenant with you. Look at Abraham God blessed him so much that next when Isaac came Isaac and Jacob sorry Isaac came God blessed Isaac almost double of what Abraham had. Wherever Isaac went God blessed him. Then came the twins, Jacob and Esau. Still there were a little bit of problems there but God says, hey, I've chosen one among you. Jacob the younger will serve the older. Jacob did many things wrong yet God kept his covenant. The story of Jacob and Esau is so beautiful so wonderful to if you have brothers we have two brothers. It's a beautiful story. Everyone blame Esau It's not Esau's fault. He was just smarter he was stronger he was more wise Jacob was only looking at the house he was like this you know person who was tampered at home oh Jacob you stay at home Esau was smart right if you look at it in the natural he was supposed to take the covenant it was better if he had taken it he was smart he was stronger he was elder God doesn't work that way look at David all the brothers are there all of them are in the army but God says no not these fellows let's choose a shepherd David is chosen as the next king but here God blessed Abraham God bless Isaac God bless Jacob and Joseph and the generations after that God kept his covenant remember Jacob Jacob and Esau Jacob was scared to meet Esau after many years oh my brother I'm meeting him after so many years what if he wants to destroy me so Jacob he got all his servants and livestock go and give it to Esau tell him I've come to make peace Esau sends them back and when Jacob when Esau meets he says God has blessed me abundantly so imagine Jacob is standing there all the blessings the livestock doing well Esau is coming and saying God has blessed me also I don't need anything of you of yours because God has blessed me even though the covenant was upon you God chose you but he did not forget me he didn't say okay you saw you go away somewhere only Jacob because I was the seed of Abraham God bless me also the Lord has been good to me Esau said did Esau do something wrong yes he sold his birthright but God didn't reject him because of that God blessed him he says God has blessed me go down next is Joseph God blessed him made him the second in command in Egypt made an Israelite become the second in command in a foreign nation where he was a slave covenant blessings and you and I are part of this covenant it's not like this covenant is closed after the cross this covenant is no more the covenant is still active it is still there we can still claim this God as a descendant of Abraham this is what I am praying for you can still pray nothing wrong after the cross the cross is the greatest covenant made for us the Abrahamic covenant it's still there look at verse 10 this is my covenant which I will keep with you verse 11 you will be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins and it will be a sign of the covenant between you and me verse 12 he who is 8 days old among you shall be circumcised every male child in your generation he who is born in your house or brought with money bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money he who is circumcised and my covenant shall be on your flesh for an everlasting covenant and the uncircumcised male child who is not circumcised in the flesh of the foreskins that person shall be cut off from his people for he has broken his covenant you look at this it's interesting God is saying even if you have bought a child you don't have a child you bought a child you got to go back and understand the culture during that time so people could go and if they didn't have a child they could get another child but even if you get another child circumcise him and the moment you circumcise whoever he is you've made him part of the covenant and I will bless him if you don't listen if you don't circumcise he is cut off from his people and he has broken my covenant even now the Jews circumcise because they follow Abraham they circumcise they get circumcised in all of it it's a big festival even now they do it right yet they have not fallen they have not come into the covenant in the right way they have not understood the covenant in its entirety they are just looking at Abraham Abraham Abraham because of Abraham that's why Jesus said it so beautifully are you saying that you know Abraham you are not even 30 years old how do you know Abraham before Abraham was I am Abraham did great things but before he was I am the one who made Abraham I am the one who made the covenant with Abraham and you are behind Abraham and the initiative of the covenant is standing in front of you you are behind Abraham that's what Jesus said before Abraham was I am he got upset because they didn't understand here we can learn that this covenant of Abraham is a blessing for each one of us every time you know any time I feel weak and tired I go to Deuteronomy 28 I read it and we do these house visits when we pray for people we read Deuteronomy 28 powerful God as a descendant of Abraham as a covenant of the Abrahamic blessings I receive all of this I may not feel it but it's mine because it's part of the covenant if I obey these blessings will follow me or it will fall upon me and nobody can stop it because it's God who has kept the covenant God will fulfill the covenant right? okay so what we will do is we will stop here next week we will continue from the covenant with Moses and Israel and it will get more interesting we will talk about the Davidic covenant and get into covenant names as well right? thank you so much have a great weekend thank you those online have a great weekend I will see you next week God bless