 Okay, recording started Right any questions before we go to the next chapter we've completed chapter 2 Shall we go to the next chapter any thoughts any questions, okay All right, let's move to chapter 3. Let me just project the notes Okay So we'll go to chapter 3 understanding blood covenant Now if we've read the Old Testament We can understand that the blood covenant is The most powerful covenant that the Lord initiated right now. We established the fact that Covenant is serious binding agreement between two parties. It's a biblical covenant. It's a promise. It's firm It's unbreakable every covenant has these aspects but What is a blood covenant? Right, and we see the word biblically the covenant means to cut covenant. It's an agreement that involves shedding of blood Right a blood covenant is the highest form of covenant that can be made right now. We look at The example of the covenant that God made with Abraham But before that just a few aspects of the blood covenant when we enter into a blood covenant With somebody right in the Old Testament Maybe two people enter into a blood covenant it was binding until death and in some cases continuing through generations Right So for example, just an example, right? So for example if two men in the Old Testament said, okay, I want to Through this blood covenant, I will want to make sure that the land that I have and the The camels and the flock that I have will go to you and your next generation as well so if it's binding by blood It is the strongest covenant that is made, right? It's just an example a blood covenant is With someone is a promise that you will give them your life that is all that you are are available to them if There comes a point when you have to give your life for the other person you should be willing to do it Why because the blood covenant To it is your love. You'll do anything for them at any cost right, we cannot you know say no, I don't do this because you know, I You know, I prefer doing it for somebody else. No, no if we have Partake in that blood covenant. We have to be willing to let go of anything for our life and For love we have to do anything for them third one is protection to protect them No matter what it costs you protect the other person until either one of them is dies Right, so we see that this covenant Has it's it's like a give-all covenant nothing to hold back Right, you have to give it all Right, well both parties must be willing to give all that they have for this covenant So that is why it is the most powerful binding covenant Right and this covenant is ratified, which means comes into effect only With the sealing of blood Right, and we look at what God told Abraham to do and how the first blood covenant was established But the covenant is backed up by your life Now violation of that covenant will cost life Right, so for example in the old covenant if somebody broke a blood covenant It could cost life right So let's look at the blood covenant that God initiated with Abraham Abraham believed God it was credited to him as righteousness. He obeyed God Genesis 15 1 to 6 we see how God called Abraham gave him this wonderful Promise and this wonderful covenant. Let's read Genesis chapter 15 1 to 6. Yes, one of us. Please read that Can I read? Yes, please go ahead Genesis chapter 15 1 to 6 After these things the word of God came to Abraham in a vision Saying do not be afraid Abraham I am your shield your exceedingly great reward But Abraham said Lord God, what will you give me? Seeing I go childless and the hear of my house Elysia of Damascus Then Abraham said look You have given me no offering Indeed one born in my house is my hair and behold the word of God came to him saying This one shall not be your hair, but one Who will come from your own body shall be your hair Then he brought him outside and said look now to all heaven and count the stars If you are able To number them And he said to him social your descendants be Amen Amen, that's verse six also and he believed in the Lord. I'm sorry And he believed in the Lord and he He accounted it to him for righteousness. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Yes So this is a wonderful promise that goddess can we all know the story of how god called Abraham God's telling Abraham. Look, I'm going to make you the father of many nations and to that Abraham is responding god Right now I don't have an offspring I don't have an air right now the air to everything that I have is Elysia of Damascus This person who's not my offspring Right now he's heir to it How is it that I'm going to be A father to many nations now here's an important thing that I'd like you to see God is Here the word is still a brahm right and we'll get to when he calls him Abraham right and then Worstly Abraham then Abraham said look you have given me no offspring indeed one born in my house is my air And behold the word of the Lord came to him saying This one shall not be your air But the one who will come from your own body Shall be your air now. This is the promise that god gave Abraham Right, but how does he establish this promise? How does he establish this covenant? God doesn't just he doesn't just say it and you know, he can do it right God can just say and it will be done But god is being so practical also and he's saying listen, this is what I've said. You will be a father of many nations now. Let me Do my part of the covenant by ratifying or confirming or Endorsing or bringing into force what I have just said And so what does god tell Abraham to do? Let's read from verse 7 onwards 15 verse 7 to 21 It's a big passage, but it's important that we read the entirety of it. Yes. Go ahead any one of us 15 7 to 21 Genesis 15 7 to 21 Then he said to him I am the lord who brought you out of ore of the chaldeans to give you this land to inherit it And he said lord god, how shall I know that I will inherit it? So he said to him bring me a three-year-old hypha a three-year-old female good A three-year-old ram a turtle dove and a young pigeon Then he brought all these to him and cut them in two Down the middle and placed each piece opposite the other But he did not cut the birds in two and when the vultures came down on the carcasses Abraham drove them away Now when the sun was going down a deep sleep fell upon Abraham and behold Horror and great darkness fell upon him Then he said to Abraham Then he said to Abraham Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not There's and will serve them and they will afflict them 400 years And also the nation whom they serve I will judge Afterward they will come out with great possessions Now as for you you shall go to your fathers in peace You shall be buried at a good old age But in the fourth generation they shall return here for the inequity of the amorites is not yet complete And it came to pass when the sun went down and it was dark That behold there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces 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 euphritis The canites the kenozites the cadmonites the hittites the perizites the refime The amorites the canonites the giga shites and the jebusites Amen. Thank you. Thank you for reading that portion. Right. So god made the promise Was seven to twenty one god is ratifying confirming the promise he says to Abraham. Okay, Abraham Listen, I brought you out to this land now I'm going to continue to be with you. I've given you the promise Verse nine bring me a three-year-old have a three-year-old female goat a three-year-old ram And a turtle dove and a young pigeon. So bring all these here And cut them and be ready And when the vultures came Abraham was probably, you know chasing them away But what happened was 12 when the sun was going down he fell into a deep sleep right and then The lord god Himself was 17 and it came to pass when the sun went down It was dark and behold there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces Here we see that god himself ratifying confirming and passing by The the offering that Abraham had laid out Now it's so wonderful to see that when god is making this covenant Yes, he tells Abraham listen listen, Abraham you're going to do be a father of many nations and this and You're going to be a blessing and all of that, but he also says some things he says look verse 16 Sorry, no verse 16 verse 13 Then he said to Abraham no certainly that your descendants will be strangers in the land that is not dares And will serve and they will afflict them for 400 years. So he's also telling them god is telling Abraham I've blessed you You will be a blessing your your offspring will be a blessing, but there will be a time When your people the the people that who are in covenant will be in bondage for 400 years and that's what happened right and god used moses to bring them out and What do we we see here On the same date the lord Was 18 made a covenant with Abraham He he passed through the offering. He walked through that offering his presence Just moved in that place ratifying and confirming that offering It's wonderful to see in genesis 17 god tells a brahm You will no longer be called a brahm, but you'll be called Abraham the father of many nations And he says to serai you'll no longer be called serai, but you'll be called serah When god calls us into a covenant He changes our identity Right And that's what he's doing even now Second Corinthians 5 17 says if anyone is in christ He's a new creation. It's a new identity You're a new person. There's a new nature There are new attributes. Why because the presence of god is working in and through us I'm sure Abraham must have felt really excited after coming down that mountain thinking. Oh Finally, I'm gonna have a child I'm gonna have my own offspring And as god promised he will it'll be a blessing to the generation and the generations And maybe Abraham is coming down that mountain You know just an awe of god and what he and the promise that god gave him But little did Abraham know that he would have to wait for 25 years for that promise to come come through That's where we see the faith of Abraham Probably Abraham taught year after year. When is this covenant going to come to pass? The bible teaches us that Abraham did not diminish in faith He continued because maybe I believe that this picture Of god himself walking through the offering through the sacrifice And making a blood covenant. Maybe that was in his mind. He said no If god himself has said it, it will be done So sometimes even in our lives Covenants god has made for us and when we align ourselves into that covenant We may have to wait We may have to walk in faith But remember that the day god told Abraham You'll change your name from Abraham to Abraham Abraham to Abraham His identity was changed That day it was not after 25 years Okay, god came to Abraham and said okay, remember Abraham 25 years back I met you on that mountain that time you were a bram. Now you change your name to Abraham. No, no on that day itself He says you will be called Abraham You will have a new identity. You will have a new nature And after he changes their names as a new identity He also Gives them a sign A token a memorial of that covenant A circumcision which is a seal that is even followed even now Especially by many Jews Circumcision let's read Genesis chapter 17 10 to 11 Genesis 17 10 11 go ahead Can I? Let's go ahead please Genesis chapter 17 verse 10 and 11 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 shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you Right Amen, thank you Rosalind Right, so we see a pattern that God is following right first He calls Abraham to He makes a covenant with Abraham Three he binds that covenant as a blood covenant For He changes their identity and their nature Abraham may be coming down that mountain may have been thinking Okay, I'm going to have a child. He went up that mountain not knowing what's going to happen But he came down with a new identity with a new name with a new nature And fifthly God is saying Now made this covenant So there is going to be a sign and a seal not only for you But for the generations to come If you follow this if you have this seal You are expressing your belief In my covenant with Abraham Right now what happened When after Genesis 17 10 11 says this is my covenant You shall keep every male child among you shall be circumcised And it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you So after being circumcised especially in the old covenant What is it that you and I get? What are the benefits or the blessings that we are aligning ourselves? You know for in this covenant Let's look at some of them first one God called Abraham a friend of God The ultimate purpose of God's covenant with us is to have a relationship. We looked at it in chapter one These covenants are not so that we can fill up pages in the bible Or these covenants are not so that you know God has certain you know Commands and no The whole point of this covenant that God made with Abraham was to have a relationship When we align ourselves into this covenant That's like Abraham Abraham was called a friend of God when we align ourselves in God's covenant We can say God We are called your friend Genesis 18 17 and the Lord said Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? God was so open. It was a it was a relationship that had been established God reveals to Abraham what he was planning to do Right he tells Abraham. This is what is going what I'm going to do ahead And and and that's what You know Abraham's test We see here the covenant that Abraham walked in obedience to That we just spoke about about Isaac and how he took Isaac up that mountain What happened after that? Abraham you see God is revealing himself in different aspects to Abraham God Abraham probably had a deeper revelation of God being the Jehovah Jairah Genesis 22 13 and 14 then Abraham Lifted his eyes and looked and there behind him was a ramp caught in a ticket by its horns So Abraham went and took the ramp Offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son And Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide As it is said to this day in the mount of the Lord it shall be provided What a what a picture this would have been When we see Abraham Heartbroken taking up his own son up that mountain But the moment God spoke to him and said Stop Abraham look at the ramp take it and burn it as an offering Just picture picture the joy That Abraham would have seen in his heart It felt caught you Art really Jehovah Jairah A deeper revelation He's already seen the revelation of God. He's already seen that in his old age when he was 100 years old God gave him a child that was already a revelation for him But when this event happened Jehovah Jairah became a deeper revelation of who God is And that is why you know as believers More than you know just reading the word and you know Just you know, okay. I have to read one chapter two chapters this day more than that It's stronger when we ask God to give us a revelation of who he is You know, I've I've said this and I say it again John 3 16 is a wonderful verse Probably quoted it many many many times But it really becomes revelation In my heart when I had my son and I thought to myself God gave his only son For us A deeper revelation and there are many many scriptures Uh that we can look at and say God You came And and you did all of this It brings a new revelation in our heart a new meaning of who God is Right when we probably read uh the new testament It brings up so much so such great revelations of who God is Right of his love of his grace his mercies His of who he is Such a wonderful God He goes on to say by myself. I have sworn so God backs up his covenant with himself Just like what we did in chapter one. We saw that God himself is backing up that covenant. He's not sending an angel He's not sending Seraphims or cherubims or anyone else to back up the covenant, but he's saying I Will back up this covenant Let's read Genesis 22 15 to 18 Yes, one of us. Please read this Let's go ahead. Genesis 22 15 to 18 Genesis 22 15 to 18 Then the angel of the lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven And said by myself. I have sworn says the lord because you have done this thing Buster it went And said was 16 and said by myself I have swoon says the lord because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son your only son Blessing I will bless you and multiplying. I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven And as the sand which is on the sea shoe And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice Amen, so Thank you Rosalind. So god here is saying I am backing up the covenant And and said by myself I have sworn says the lord The god himself is saying by myself. I am I am standing on this covenant I'm not going to send anybody else Nobody else. I'm going to stand for the covenant Hebrews 6 30 into 15 for when god made a promise to Abraham Because he could swear by no one greater. He swore by himself the highest form of Making a covenant he says By myself I will swear it Verse 14 saying surely blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply you and so after he had patiently endured he obtained the promise I love that verse verse 13 for when god made a promise To Abraham because he could swear by no one greater No one greater Because god knows that he's the greatest and he's the only one who can back up the covenant Now even as we look at our lives and our covenants and and we are part of the messianic covenant and Everything that the lord has done remember He is backing up himself For the covenant And we pray and say god Your word says that You will bring restoration We say lord, you said that you will bring healing god. You said that you will uh, you know Grant me peace and comfort lord. You said that uh, you will make me the head and not the tail. What are we doing? We are standing on what god has said for us what he has sworn as a promise to us And so we're not saying something out of the blue But we're saying god you you have said it and since you have said it You are the one who is You know standing for this covenant. So you have to do it Now here's an important point to remember Just because you know, it's not like we We are holding god's hand twisting god's hand and saying No, you have to do it because i'm part of the covenant now God has his ways like we we saw uh, how he worked with abraham God told abraham i will make you a blessing but there was there was this whole waiting period Right god made him god made abraham wait god made him go through that season of waiting So again just because if we are we are part of the covenant There will be times god will take us through seasons through trainings through seasons of learning And and through those seasons of learning god will bring revelation to our hearts Amen god will bring revelation to our hearts right, so I don't want to move on from To the next portion. What we'll do is we'll stop here If do you have any questions any thoughts? Anybody has any questions on this covenant. Is it Uh, is it something that you're able to understand? You know as we move on from the covenants to the cross We will also see how uh, you know god fulfilled his promise through the cross and what the blood of jesus Is doing has done and is doing in our lives. So Anything else anyone would like to share any thoughts? You know a lot of old testament material, but it's very important because these are Promises that hold fast even now You know the names of god and all that we've learned it holds fast even now. So Okay, so no questions no thoughts all right Okay, uh, let's let's uh take some time and close in prayer Maybe two of us if two of us can close in prayer Just thank god for you know That he has called us into a covenant Right, even we were yet sinners Christ died for us and he has called us And also let's pray that god will enable us to align ourselves Uh to the covenant that he has called us for Right that we may not be in a hurry That we may have faith walk in obedience and we know That whatever he said in his covenant He himself is backing it up. So it will come to pass in our lives. So maybe two of us Can just pray and close this time. Yes. Go ahead any two of us Any any two of us? Can just pray Can I can I start go ahead Isaac? Father lord in heaven who want to thank you For your masses and your revelation We accept and we know that your word is here and amen We thank you for the word that you have spoken And we pray that We revelation we take seed in our heart And as humans We guide us to God's all feelings that we align ourselves To the covenant and not be covenant breakers But be covenant keepers so that we will be able to endure The patience that he gave to Abraham so that we'll be able to endure Learn more so that will be A seed that will dominate and provide Fruits so that the kingdom will be go ahead and prosper in Jesus name we pray Amen. Amen. Anyone else? this lead close in prayer Pray that you know we can all Align ourselves and the lord will Empower us to fulfill Our side of the covenant because we know god will Thank god for everything that we have learned thank god for his for who he is Although all the nature that he reveals himself To each one of us in different seasons of our lives So let's just lift up our hearts with gratitude and thank the lord One last person go ahead so we pray that we would be able to walk according to Your word lord Jesus as we heard today help us to Walk in their understanding that you are our covenant god And you continue to keep your covenant of god and we thank you That you have enabled us to be partakers of your covenant lord We thank you for the revelation of covenant lord Jesus We pray o god that even as we live our life forward help us to experience All of your covenant names to be manifested in our lives in a special way lord We pray o god that we would experience the fullness Of what you have finished at the cross And the fullness of your name Through your covenant lord jesus in our in our lives and in our hearts of god. We thank you For being our sanctifier. We thank you for being a healer We thank you for being our provider. We thank you for being our father lord We pray that we will continue to experience you lord jesus We thank you for teaching us this wonderful revelation today god. We praise you In jesus precious name. We pray Amen, amen Amen, thank you. Isaac. Thank you john for closing in prayer. Thank you each one of you Have a great week ahead. Do spend some time reading whatever we have studied We'll catch up next week. Have a great week. God bless