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.