Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Our Covenant with God Week 3

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I. Brief Overview of Previous Week

  • Ephesians 2:11-13 No power in this world
  • John 6:53 Eat my flesh and drink my blood or you have no part in me ---Jesus

II. Man’s Redemption Through Blood Covenant – Abram

  • What happened between Genesis 3 and Genesis 12? (Linear Time)
  • Adam and Eve had many children. Cain and Abel killed (Genesis 4:10) – Blood speaks
  • Many descendants living almost to 1,000 years old. Noah – flood – tower of Babel
  • God’s creation had turned upside down as a result of sin.
  • God called Abram in Genesis 12:1 and gave him a glimpse into covenant, He made a promise to Him. From Ur, headquarters for “a god called sin” a moon diety. Its emblem was a crescent moon. Abraham was familiar with this deity. God told him to leave everyone behind cause He didn’t want him to be surrounded or influenced by idolatry. (old Jewish tradition from document not translated into English - story of god that was crushed in father’s market – Abraham you must think I am a fool, this god cannot hear, speak or talk neither can his hands move. Then my father why are you worshipping you this god.)
  • Genesis 13 & 14, Abraham is getting to know God. For so long, He had been forgotten. Genesis 1-10 were merely distant stories. Abram and Lot depart. Lot goes to Sodom who gets captured by foreign Kings. Abram saves his nephew.

III. The Covenant with Abram

  1. Genesis 15:1-21, God needed a way to break the union between Satan and mankind. Man was the key figure in the Fall, therefore man had to be the key figure in the redemption. So, God approached Abram and made a covenant. A covenant is cut based on strengths not weaknesses. (2 Part Covenant) Abram believed Him. If you don’t know about covenant, or believe it you have no ground to stand on. It is all about faith.
  2. Genesis 15:6, “Abram believed Him.” Is very key!!! Everything in the Kingdom works by faith. Without faith you cannot obtain any of the promises of God…salvation, healing, deliverance, peace, etc.
  3. Genesis 15:8, not doubt, just questioning God what the steps were going to be. Nothing shuts down God from being able to move in your life more than doubt and unbelief. How often do we pray a prayer of faith and then cancel it with words of doubt spoken right after the prayer?
  4. Genesis 15:9-10, Abram cut the animals in half, vertical following the spine, because the animal would bleed better. Abram would have been standing ankle deep of the warm blood. The smell of the life pulsating out of the flesh pooling around his feet was impactful and never forgotten. (Stories of shed blood w/scars?)
  5. Genesis 15:11, Birds of prey represent the devil swooping in on the benefits of the covenant. Some of us are allowing the buzzard of unbelief swooping in on your house, buzzard of unforgiveness, buzzard of disease, buzzard of rejection, (draw a tree with the root of unbelief and the fruit of various sin) (Brigdets teaching – voice of skepticism-took away more nuggets of truth – don’t shut somebody down because....)
  6. Genesis 15:12-16 Abram fell in a trance, vision. God prophesies to him about the Israelites captivity in Egypt and being led out by Moses.
  7. Genesis 15:17, the Lord (Jesus) passed through (walked) through the blood. Smoking oven (meaning representing the Father incubator (womb) of all life, flaming torch. (meaning Jesus the light of the world)
  8. Genesis 15:18, the Lord made (cut) a covenant.
  9. Psalm 80:28 “My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.” . Man’s covenant for 8 generations, but God’s covenant is to a thousand generations!
  10. Psalm 89:34 “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.”

IX. The Distraction from the Covenant

  • Genesis 16 Hagar and Ishmael
  • God blessed Ishmael because of His covenant with Abram. God can not go back on His Word. He even has to bless bad seed.
  • Muslim nation came from Ishmael
  • His Word is above His Name. He swears by Himself.
  • Gen. 22:16 This agreement was absolute. Sealed on both sides. He swore by Himself. He couldn’t go any higher or He would have to destroy Himself.
  • Covenant remembrance, you can never forget

X. Manifestation of the Covenant – It was not fulfilled until Jesus rose. Gen. 17:1

  • Genesis 17:1-5 I will make thee great - Make thy name great ---- Thou shalt be a blessing ---- I will bless them that bless thee ---- I will bless thee ----- I will curse them that curse thee ---In thee shall the nations of the world be blessed.
  • Verse 5 God changed Abrams name. Added one letter “h” in Hebrew it means ruah which means spirit. Sound it makes is “haaa”. Sarai – took “I” out and put the “h” in, pit the spirit in.
  • Gen. 17: 10-14 Covenant means “to cut where blood flows”, it is a contract and agreement. It was sealed in man’s flesh by circumcision.
  • Gen: 18:17-33 God had a covenant with man and even changed his name to Abraham. God consulted with His covenant man about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The covenant was powerful.
  • God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Israel.

VI Covenant Practices (two volunteers – bread/goblet/coat/sword/chef’s hat/knife)

  • Abram understood blood covenant, it would have been practiced through out pagan cultures.
  • Marriage is a covenant. Ephesians 5 explains how marriage is a revelation of covenant between Christ and His church (Why else would the devil try so hard to break them up?)
  • Marriages don’t work based on paper/commitment. They are cut in blood.
  • Wedding ring comes from the cut made around the thumb where it would fester, be a raised scar and cause one to remember.
  • Covenant is cut based on strengths, not weaknesses.
  • It demands unwavering loyalty.
  • In the old days, covenant was not based on what we have in common.
  • Need covenant based on weakness/strengths, let’s pool our strengths together and yield our weaknesses.
  • In order to work without prejudice there has to be something deeper; covenant.
  • “Blood is thicker than water.” Covenant talk, Middle East they say “Blood is thicker than milk.”
  • Remember is a covenant word.
  • No way out, but death. If you broke your end of covenant, you were saying that no less than death would come upon you.
  • If you break your end of covenant doesn’t mean I do to. If you break it you will receive a curse of death.
  • Whether I like you or not doesn’t affect whether I keep my covenant, whether I enjoy you or you break my heart in two, when the dirt settles I will never forsake you nor leave you.

VII. Ancient Civilizations Covenant Ceremony – Notice the symbolism with Christ and Marriage

  1. Choose a rep. from each family that represents qualities of the tribe. The family sees themself in Him.
  2. Choose a sight for the covenant to take place, usually in a valley, so all could see.
  3. Choose 7 stones and place them near the covenant spot. These are called the witnesses.
  4. Choose animal and split it down the back. It falls open with a half on each side called walls of the covenant. Between them is the alleyway of blood.
  5. Two rep. meet ankle-deep in the blood and speak or make known the terms of the agreement.
  6. Exchange each other’s coats, a sign of authority. It stands for who I am and what I am, or what I do with my authority. And say, “All that I am I give to you and all authority I have I give to you.”
  7. Pass each other, walk opposite of each other and circle around and meet again in the middle of the blood. “We are going to walk together, even if life takes us separate places, we will always be brought back together.”
  8. Takes off His loin belt (weapons) and exchange them. All the power I have I give to you. Your enemies ore my enemies.
  9. Pass each other, walk away and turn around and meet again in the middle of the blood.
  10. Say, “I stand with you, just as I am standing in the blood.” Recite the terms; blessings, swear by God.
  11. Wrist or hand is cut. An area that would fester and scar to cause one to “remember”. That is a covenant word. The life blood of the family is now being shed. Lev17 “the life is in the blood”, This is where we get wedding ring from. Blood shed in cup, stir it around (intermingled blood meant intermingling spiritual natures.- united spiritually – committed to one another – until death do you part) Pour it on the 7 stones as witnesses for all to see. Often would drink it.
  12. Name change – either connected names (Williams-Burgs) or new name. Each person in family would be called that. Our new name is Christian “Little Anointed one of Jesus the Anointed One” Then became friends (another covenant term), love neighbor as self, a relationship has been born. I remember you are in the forefront of my mind, and eternal loving-kindness, tenderness, mercy forever.
  13. Covenant Meal – feed his new covenant brother (friend) bread and say, “My body and life are yours, eat my flesh.” Offer wine to his new covenant brother (friend) and say, “This is the blood of my life, my life blood is yours.” In East, they would light a torch or in celebration of a marriage to symbolize the fire of destruction if the agreement should be broken.

VIII. Hesed

Now, they are bound to show Hesed to one another. Translates to loving-kindness, tenderness, mercy, rememberance, loyalty, service. “I serve you all the days of my life, not because of what you do for me, but because, I am in blood covenant. I do it with authority of God.” God says, “The devil can do what he wants, but because I am in covenant, I’ll see that he doesn’t to you. I am planning and plotting ways to keep you. I am bound to show you Hesed agape.”

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Women's Bible Study For Chapter 3

Women Motivated 4 L.I.F.E.
Our Covenant with God
Part 3 of 6

Reading Assignment: Our Covenant with God, Chapter 3, “The Curse of the Law”

Memory Verse: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us it is written. Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:13-14

MP3 Teaching: The Forgotten Weapon – Darlene Bishop, Solid Rock Church, Part 5 and 6
The Blood Speaks – Pastor Sam Hinn, Part 1

Declaration: I choose to believe the Word of God. I will not harden my heart to unbelief, but mix faith with His Word and receive the promises of my inheritance. Because of blood covenant, I abide and prosper under the Blessing. My Heavenly Father, keeps His Word and will not break his covenant with me. Jesus became the curse for me, therefore under the new covenant no curses can come near me, my marriage, my children, my health, my finances, my ____________. No weapon of the enemy will prosper against me, because I overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of my testimony.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.



From the Lecture

What does “covenant” mean?


Explain Ephesians 2:11-13 and how that affects us in this world.




What key role does “unbelief” play in receiving the promises within our covenant?




What do the birds of prey represent in Genesis 15:11? What buzzards are swooping in on your covenant?




Name some similarities between ancient covenant practices, covenant with God through Jesus Christ and marriage covenant?





Explain the word Hesed.




What did you learn from the MP3 teaching?






From the Reading

1) Under the Abrahamic Covenant, if a man refused to obey the law that would bring the blessing what was the result?


2) Since, Satan was already cast down before man actually fell, we can determine that the curse was already present, but why did it not prosper against mankind?


3) What does Joshua tell us about “standing in the middle” in Joshua 24:15?



4) What did God tell Abraham to do in Genesis 17:1 which would guarantee protection from the curses?



5) List the things which fell under the curse in Deuteronomy 28:15-68.








Personal Reflection

Can you relate to any of the curses mentioned in Deuteronomy 28:15-19? Do you see any of them prospering in your life? Mention them below.





Good News!! Reread our memory verse, Galatians 3:13-14, and ask the Spirit to give you revelation of it. Declare it, and keep declaring it to yourself, your situation and the devil that this curse can no longer prosper against you, because Jesus became the curse for you! Hallelujah!!!!

Friday, October 2, 2009

To Cut or Not to Cut

Teaching – Lesson 1
Women Motivated 4 L.I.F.E.
Our Covenant with God
“To Cut or Not to Cut”

PRAY Ephesians 1

WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BLOOD COVENANT?

I. COVENANT

A. You are about to uncover one of the most valuable discoveries in God’s Word---the reality of your Covenant with God through the blood of Jesus.
§ This revelation will touch every aspect of your life.
§ It will help you receive your healing when you are sick.
§ It will give you confidence that God will meet your financial needs.
§ It will strengthen your marriage and family relationships.
§ And it will bring peace to your mind and joy to your soul! Hallelujah!

B. The Word of God holds no power in this world for the believer who has no understanding concerning the blood. Ephesians 2:11-13.
§ The Bible is a book about blood: it speaks about blood from Genesis to Revelation.
§ In Genesis 3:21, we witness the first shedding of blood as God covers the sins of Adam and Eve with skins of animals.
§ In Revelation 19:13, we see Jesus dressed in a royal robe dyed by dipping in blood

C. Covenant made by blood is present in all ancient civilizations, Christian and Pagan alike.
§ In our modern Western civilization, we don’t understand the blood covenant. We have steered so far from it, that there is no heart reality.
§ Without a revelation of it, it is nearly impossible to grasp the strength and integrity of God’s promises. Because of His covenant with us, God will keep His Word regardless of what it may cost Him.
§ In our Western culture, we have become too “civilized” to understand the depth of this commitment. Unfortunately, the more civilized a man becomes, the further he drifts from his commitment to keep his word. The more unreliable he becomes. Today it’s not uncommon for a person to lie, backstab, and cheat. To not keep his word. We flippantly say we will do something and don’t follow through.
§ Blood covenant has been exchanged for ink and paper (contracts and commitments), “Meant to be broken”.
§ This is likened to our modern day contract which we often think about being released from it. (ex. marriage –don’t work, based on paper) A true covenant relationship is not easy to break. Some man-made covenants were made to last up-to eight generations. God’s covenant is to a thousand generations!
§ Rediscovering the meaning of covenant will turn the tide of man’s lack of integrity to keep his word.

D. In Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate, “covenant” is defined as
§ a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement: COMPACT, a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action.”
§ Hebrew Word : “bereeth” – To cut where blood flows. A sense of cutting made by passing between two pieces of flesh.

E. Merely having a definition of covenant will only tell what it is.
§ We need a revelation from the Almighty God, because a revelation of your covenant with God will cause you to stand against the devil when he comes to destroy you.
§ A definition can’t hold you up against the storms of life.
§ But a revelation of the strength of covenant relationship will cause you to stand up straight, with your shoulders back, your head held high, boldness in your eyes, and compassion in your heart.

WHY DID GOD NEED TO CUT COVENANT WITH MAN?

II. Man’s Dominion Before the Fall
Gen: 1:26-27, Gen. 2:17
§ Intimate relationship with the Father. They walked and talked together in the garden.
§ Gen 2:7 Adam formed of dust. First man Adam was made a living soul. Mind, will emotions, personality, just the biological life. But when God breathed into him he had divine, eternal life. Breath of life is the Holy Spirit. His blood was untainted. He went from dust to eternal life. Christ was the last Adam a life-giving spirit. 1 Cor 15:45-49
§ The most intimate connection between dust (this world) and blood is Breath.
§ Man took on the nature of his spiritual Father.
§ Man was created to have dominion and authority of lordship over God’s creation on earth. (Be fruitful, multiply, replenish, subdue, have dominion, guard garden, rule God’s works
§ The Law of Genesis. He was given the right to father God’s family. Sire the human race.
§ Rev 1:5,6 Kings and Priests, Rev 12:11 Overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony

III Satan’s Dominion Before the Fall
Genesis 3 Satan came on the scene.
§ Ezekial 28, Isaiah 14:12-14, created angel, anointed cherub, Lucifer, set here by God to protect it, overshadow it, and rule it, God set him on the mountain of God, the place where Lucifer had his kingdom on earth was set up before the fall of man, beautiful workmanship, covered in various precious stones, and tabrets and windpipes, iniquity and pride found in his heart because of his wisdom and beauty and splendor of his kingdom and his authority, wanted to exalt himself above God and the heavens, wanted to sit above the congregation mount where those of heaven met to worship, influenced 1/3 of angels in heaven to rebel with him. There was a heavenly war and Lucifer was overthrown and cast down to the earth, his authority was taken away.

IV. Man Sinned
§ Genesis 3 – Man sinned. But when he bowed his knee he changed spiritual fathers. Satan became his illegitimate stepfather. He committed high treason, so all dominion and authority was handed over to Satan. Suddenly, God was on the outside looking in.
§ Adam was the first person to be born a spiritual death in reverse.
§ When death came in, life went out.
§ When the divine life went out because of sin, then death crept in. All that was left was biological life. Now all humanity would be subject to sin and death and helpless against disease and physical death.
§ Blood was polluted. The problem with mankind is “Bad Blood”.
§ Leviticus 17:11 – Life is in the blood.

V. Satan’s Dominion After the Fall
§ 2 Cor: 4:4, Satans authority had been taken away, due to his rebellion.
§ He manipulated man and become the god of this world.
§ Luke 4:3-7 Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness with the power of the world. If it wasn’t his to give why would it be a temptation to Jesus?
§ John 8:44, John 3:16, Our father is the devil until we exchange our sonship through Jesus.
§ 1 Cor. 2:8 The princes of this world never knew the plan of redemption. If they had they would have prevented Jesus death. The Father and Jesus set the devil up and he fell for it.


VI. Man’s Redemption Through Blood Covenant – Abram
§ God’s creation had turned upside down as a result of sin.
§ God called Abram in Genesis 12:1 and gave him a glimpse into covenant, He made a promise to Him.
§ Genesis 13 & 14, Abraham is getting to know God. For so long, He had been forgotten. Genesis 1-10 were merely distant stories. Abram and Lot depart. Lot goes to Sodom who gets captured by foreign Kings. Abram saves his nephew.
§ Genesis 15:1-21, God needed a way to break the union between Satan and mankind. Man was the key figure in the Fall, therefore man had to be the key figure in the redemption. So, God approached Abram and made a covenant. A covenant is cut based on strengths not weaknesses. (2 Part Covenant) Abram believed Him. If you don’t know about covenant, or believe it you have no ground to stand on. It is all about faith.

Cassy's Women's Bible Study Introduction

Teaching

Women Motivated 4 L.I.F.E.

Our Covenant with God

Introduction – “But, Sir, Alas I Cannot Read!”

I. Welcome

Read Isaiah 43 – The Lord is doing a new thing for you, in you, through you! Will you not embrace it?!

II. Women Motivate 4 LIFE (Living In Faith Everyday)

Empower vs. Motivate

Mission: This ministry will teach, by Word and example, how to appropriate the Living Word of God, by faith, in every day living. It will encourage and stir others to action toward abundant living, which is living Jesus’ life thru us, unhindered. It will urge others to advance forward in steadfast victory, passionately pursuing God, and leaving the past behind.

III. Our Part

1. To seek out the knowledge of the Word. – Hosea 4:6 (damah-cut off), Matt 6:33

How do we gain knowledge? The five fold-ministry – Eph 4:11, 12

Knowledge to Revelation - John 8:31,32, John 16:13,14

As being a business owner, one of the most embarrassing and difficult situations is to have gone through life only to find out that you have lost large sums of money for no reason or to learn of assets that you could have been enjoying for years, but weren’t simply because you didn’t know of the fullness of the contract that you had entered into.

I read a story of a woman who had served for over 40 years in the courts under Queen Victoria of Great Britain. She was greatly loved and respected by the Queen for her service and character. At the servant’s retirement, she was honored with a certificate of service from the Royal Majesty. As the years passed, not only did the woman physically age, but became greatly impoverished living in dreadful conditions and became ill. One day, the Queen’s Royal Ambassador had gone to visit the aged woman. He was in utter amazement of the conditions the woman was living in. As he was visiting with the woman, he noticed her certificate of honor hanging on the wall. He walked up to it and read it. Upon reading it, he was shocked and asked the woman why she was living like this when the certificate of service stated that as long as she lived she would be provided for by the British Royal Courts. She responded with utter amazement and humble embarrassment, “But, Sir, alas, I cannot read.”

Because the woman was ignorant of the fullness of her contract she lived most of her life in poverty.

2. Mix what we hear with faith and Choose to Believe – Hebrew 3 and 4

3. Ask for Revelation as we Meditate on His Word – Joshua 1:8, Eph 1:17-23

4. Put a Voice to His Word – Declare it! Josh 1:8, Prov 18:21, Romans 10:17

5. Be an Imitator of God – Was Jesus always real? No fronts, no masks. Eph 5:1, 5:19

Walk in love, encourage one another, pray for another, establish relationships

Does this look overwhelming? Its not, it is a lifestyle. Take a step at time. Like anything it takes time to establish habits.

If you didn’t get your encounter done or have your verse memorized to the “T” don’t let that keep you from coming. That is the devil trying to keep you from receiving and going higher in God.

IV Get To Know Each Other

Interview each other

How Am I Like This?

V. Class Time Format

7 pm – Fill out prayer cards (Why? Time and Keeps us from fellowshipping with our problems)

Praises and Worship Time in Song

7:30 - 8Pm – Small Group Time/Pray over cards – what scripture are you believing for request?

8 – 9pm Teach

Stay and visit up to 9:30 pm