Covenant of Kings

This transcription is about the concept of fear and the importance of entering into a covenant with God. It emphasizes the idea that fear is a spiritual force that can be overcome through faith. The transcription discusses various covenants throughout history, including the covenant with Adam, the covenant with Abram, the covenant with Moses, and the new covenant through Jesus' blood. It highlights the significance of obedience and the benefits of being in covenant with God. The transcription also mentions the importance of communion as a way to remember and participate in the covenant with Jesus. Overall, it encourages believers to walk in obedience, trust God, and live without fear. Welcome to Fear No Fear. Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embrace you today. This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture. We reject fear in any and all forms. Fear is a spiritual force, the currency of darkness and ignorance. It's what we inherited when Adam gave up his faith and Satan uses it to keep people down. His only weapon is words. If he can get you believing or looking at words of fear, he's got you. Instead, we champion faith as an allegiance to God, as a belief and trust and loyalty to the Lord God Almighty. We accept the evidence of his word as unvarnished truth, as is, just as it's written. We get close to his perfect love through the word, and perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4.18 All scripture is taken from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Visit eBible.org 2 Kings 17.38 You shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not fear other gods. At the beginning of the beginning, before we were created at all, God determined our role. Have dominion, subdue the earth, and keep the garden. Genesis 1.26 and 2.15 Fellowship with the Lord, talking with him every day, face to face, being rulers and keepers, kings and priests. It was the role we were designed for, the one that is in our spiritual DNA. We lean toward it, want for it, but we can't reach it because we fell. We chose wrong, we betrayed our trust, we killed our eternal righteous spirit. Everything God does is about getting us all back to that point. He knows we won't all choose it, but he wants us to. 1 Timothy 2.4-6 That was his plan from before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1.3-6 That is what it is all about. That is why he covenants with us. A covenant is a sacred thing not to be done lightly, not to be done for the wrong reasons, not to be done on a whim. Something to be done with purpose and intent, seriously and realizing the responsibility that is inherent in it. That means we don't enter into it once and then forget about it. That isn't living up to our responsibilities. If you get married, you don't immediately forget all about it and continue living life the way you were. Done right, it changes everything. You're entering new levels that you've never been in before and you have to take it seriously because there isn't an escape clause handy. Matthew 19.6 A covenant with the Lord is even more serious than that because both kings and priests have duties that it is their responsibility to discharge. What does any of this have to do with fear? There was no fear in the garden. There was nothing that was in the way of complete fellowship with the Lord. We existed in the perfect peace that He is. By commanding us not to forget the covenant, God is telling us to remember not to fear, not to be discouraged, not to let ourselves be troubled, not to let our hearts fail, not to lose sight of who and what gives us our victory, not to set our eyes on the things of this world and to keep them on the word of the Lord, to guard our hearts against fear, to remember all that we have and all that we are allowed to walk in because we have covenanted with Him. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from amongst all peoples, for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel. Exodus 19, 5-6 We have a responsibility to obey His voice. That means, flat out, we have the ability to hear it. That hearing is not the issue here. God speaks to us through our thoughts, through His word, through our conscience, and through those around us. Hearing God isn't the issue. Choosing to obey, that is where we get off the rails. And obeying is so simple. God says, do this, we should do this. We don't always let it be simple though, do we? We always look to us. What do we think about it? What do we feel about it? How is it going to affect us? Did He really say that? Are we comfortable with it? Why are these questions even questions? Why aren't we trusting Him? We know God is good. Psalm 103.8 We know all good things come from the Father. James 1.17 We know that persecutions do not come from the Father. Isaiah 54.15 Why would God have us do something that would be a negative for us? It makes no sense. Yes, it might be out of our comfort zone. Yes, it might challenge us. Yes, and absolutely we'll need to trust and rely on Him. But it won't be bad, like ever, period. So why the hesitation? We need to learn this lesson, every one of us. We need to relearn it every day. We need to obey, period. When He says jump, we should ask how high while we're six feet in the air. Obedience is huge. It is the single reason we fell. We didn't obey. Wrap any kind of excuse around it that you want to. We did not obey. If we had, we would have been fine. Sure, the enemy would have found another test for us. Jesus Himself endured four direct Satan to Jesus attacks. But if we had been obedient at the first, then it would have been easier for the next. We have to take this to heart. Every time we obey, it makes it easier to obey the next time, and the next, and the next. When we obey, we are keeping His covenant. We get to be His covenant people. That's also huge. This is a giant promise, better than almost any other, to be His beloved children, to be His treasured possessions. Everything comes after that, and I do mean everything, since the earth and all that is in it is the Lord's. Psalm 24, 1-2. That's why Jesus told us to seek God first. Matthew 6, 33. When we seek God, we become His children. He bestows good things on His children. And since everything on earth is the Lord's, and we are on the earth, bingo, it can all be ours as He wills it. This is covenant. But what exactly is our covenant? It isn't like we're sacrificing on altars anymore, is it? As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when He had blessed it, He broke it and gave to them, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave to them. They all drank of it. He said to them, This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many. Most certainly, I tell you, I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in God's kingdom. Mark 14, 22-25. This is the new covenant. This is how we enter it. Jesus broke His body open. Jesus shed His blood. He didn't deserve it. He hadn't earned it. He had always been obedient to the Father, but He paid the price for sin. If we enter into covenant with Jesus, we enter into the benefits of this covenant. It is called the better covenant. Hebrews 8, 6. It is better because it wraps all the others up within it. Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled the pleasant aroma. The Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. I will never again strike every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, seed time and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter and day and night will not cease. Genesis 8, 20-22. It continues as God reiterates His issuing of dominion to us. Genesis 9, 1-2. God is invested in not destroying the earth again until all things have come to be. God is the preserver of this world. We're in covenant with that. Now the Lord said to Abram, Leave your country and your relatives and your father's house and go to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who treats you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you. Genesis 12, 1-3. This is how the covenant with Abram starts. In Genesis 15, answering to Abram's obedience in coming to this promised land, God adds to the covenant. After these things, the Lord's word came to Abram in a vision, saying, Don't be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. Genesis 15, 1. But Abram is worried about his heir. He doesn't have one, and his manservant will be getting everything. The Lord answers that in verses 4-7. Behold, the Lord's word came to him, saying, This man will not be your heir, but he who will come out of your own body will be your heir. The Lord brought him outside and said, Look now toward the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them. He said to Abram, So your offspring will be. He believed in the Lord, who credited it to him for righteousness. He said to Abram, I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it. Abram wants to know how he would know whether this is, in fact, true. So God enters into a physical covenant. It came to pass that when the sun went down and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. Verse 17. God told him what was going to happen to his offspring. Verses 12-16. God stated exactly what territories he was giving Abram's offspring. Verses 18-21. Finally, in chapter 17 of Genesis, God takes the covenant to its final form. When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless. I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly. Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations. Your name will no more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you. I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant to be a God to you and to your offspring after you. I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land where you were traveling, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. I will be their God. Genesis 17, 1-8 God changed Abram's name by adding a piece of God's name to it. The name of the Lord is Yahweh, written and often spoken as Yod-Heh-Wah-Heh. It is known as the Tetragrammaton. Abra-Heh-Am. Abraham. He could not say his name without thinking of this covenant, a covenant of blessing, dominion, and fruitfulness. Although there was responsibility on his side, such as walking in God's ways, the Lord had made this physical covenant of blood. And when you make a physical covenant of blood, those that make it are saying that if you transgress it, your life is forfeit. If I transgress it, my life is forfeit. But Abram didn't take part in the physical blood covenant. It was just the Lord. So the Lord was taking responsibility over this. He was foreshadowing Jesus' sacrifice. In the third covenant, God gave Moses the law. The list of actions and deeds that granted to Israel all that they needed to prosper and worship the Father in a sacrificial system that taught them about the idea of grace and pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. These were the ways in which He wanted them to walk. If they didn't understand how imperfect and ultimately ineffective sacrifices of animals are to deal with sin, then they wouldn't understand how perfect and powerful the sacrifice of Jesus was to eliminate sin and pay for it forever. It was a covenant of blessings and cursings, Deuteronomy 28 especially. If you obey and remain in worship of Yahweh alone, you will be blessed and protected from the curse. If you disobey and do not worship Yahweh alone, you will be where the curse can fall on you. That which we reverence is that which we end up trusting. So much like in today's verse, He was saying to them, Have no other gods before me. Fear no other gods. Reverence no other gods. Honor no other gods. Put all of your efforts to me, and then all of my efforts will be to you. Covenant. The fourth covenant was with David, the faithful servant king who sought after the Lord's heart with all his own all the days of his life, notwithstanding some personal issues and human failings. When David sought to build the Lord a temple, something he was ultimately not permitted to do, the prophet Nathan came and spoke to King David. Now therefore tell my servant David this. The Lord of armies says, I took you from the sheep's pen, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people, over Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make you a great name, like the name of the great ones who were in the earth. I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more. The children of wickedness will not afflict them anymore, as at the first, and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord tells you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled, and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up your offspring after you, who will proceed out of your body, and I will establish his kingdom. I will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. But my loving kindness will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you. Your house and your kingdom will be made sure forever before you. Your throne will be established forever. 2 Samuel 7, 8-16 Jesus was this promised offspring, the eternal king, the one whose kingdom never ends, the descendant of David, whom the Father will lift up on high on an eternal scale. Which is, of course, leading us directly into the final covenant, the new covenant of Jesus' blood. That perfect blood shed for us to break evil altars, to redeem us by paying for sin, and enabling us to, in him, take our place again as kings and priests in his new kingdom. We don't get to leap into the entirety of the role right away. We are sealed upon salvation by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1.13 We get to stand in Jesus, and while in him are enabled and empowered to do things in a mystery of Jesus in us and us in him. John 15 A mystery in which we are nothing, he is everything, but we accomplish all things by Jesus, through Jesus, in Jesus, and for Jesus. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2.10 It is a process that started when we were saved, and will continue until we are with the Father in heaven and beyond. I thank my God whenever I remember you, always in every request of mine on behalf of you all, making my requests with joy for your partnership in furtherance of the good news from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1.3-6 We will once again be kings and priests before the Father, here to do his work, guided by his will in his time. He who overcomes, and he who keeps my words to the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots. As I also have received of my Father, and I will give him the morning star. Revelation 2.26-28 Is that not a better covenant? The culmination of the plan that took us from our loss of obedience and bringing us back to where we can choose to obey, to stay pure, to walk in his ways, to do only what the Father shows us, and say only what the Father gives us to say, to be kings and priests, sons and daughters, co-heirs with Jesus, and a bride to him as groom. If we listen and obey the Father, we'll be pushing fear far from us. You will be established in righteousness. You will be far from oppression, for you will not be afraid, and far from terror, for it shall not come near you. Isaiah 54.14 Fear not, fellow believer. We have a better covenant with Yahweh Most High. For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which he was betrayed, took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me. In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink in memory of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks the Lord's cup in a way unworthy of the Lord will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy way eats and drinks judgment to himself if he doesn't discern the Lord's body. For this cause, many amongst you are weak and sickly and not a few asleep. For if we discerned ourselves, we wouldn't be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, then we may not be condemned with the world. Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest your coming together be for judgment. The rest I will set in order whenever I come." 1 Corinthians 11, 23-34 Whenever you take communion, as often as you take it, and there are no rules beyond honesty of heart and intent, remember, whenever you take communion, enter into covenant with Him. Join with Jesus. Walk over His body, which is our bridge. Shedding shame and low self-esteem, toil, diseases and sickness, poverty and lack, unproductivity and lack of success, and brokenheartedness. Shed the curse of the law and enter into your birthright as the bride of Christ. Walk in Him. Abide in Him. Don't fear. Live the covenant and enjoy what it brings while you humble yourself, submit to the Lord Jesus, take up your cross, and follow Him. Our daily affirmation of God's love is Jeremiah 31, 31-34. Remember our sin no more. That is love right there. Why isn't that the rallying cry of the church instead of John 3-16? Because it is awesome that the Lord God Almighty loves us, but how much more awesome is the fact that He doesn't remember our sins, that Jesus evaporated them, annihilated them. We remember them, but that guy I held at knifepoint, that money I sold, those lives I told, the people I've struck in anger, that speeding I did back then which was breaking the law, all of it is gone. I can learn from my mistakes, but God doesn't hold them to my account. I get Jesus' account, pure, sanctified, holy. We no longer live under the sacrificial system. It worked as a temporary measure until Jesus could complete the work, though. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify to the cleanliness of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without defects to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Hebrews 9, 13-14 The Son, through the Holy Spirit, offered Himself to the Father and opened the door to let us back into heaven. We used to be there, heaven and earth met, like a beautiful eternal Venn diagram. We broke it. Jesus fixed it. Yes, because God is love. Yes, because He loved us. I love my kids, but I know what they did. God loves us so much, Jesus wiped out our sin. No judgment, because there's nothing to judge. A lot to learn from, to repent from, to turn away, correct, provide restitution, and walk that way no more. But the price and account of it is gone. Clean slate, every day, all the time. No sinful nature, Jesus' nature, Jesus' righteous spirit. No take-backsies. Given as a gift to us, by grace, undeserved, unmerited, couldn't earn it or keep it if it wasn't a God gift. By grace, through faith, we realize it. And in realizing it, we can worship and thank Him for it, for forgiving those sins that still make you guilt today. You can take them to Him again, but don't be shocked when He knows nothing about them. Don't hold on to what He wiped away. He is love. Love Him enough to let Him do what He does best. Redeem, bless, and protect. To love on us, firmly but fairly, now and forever. As we close, remember that you have worth. You are precious and valuable. Declare this. Today, God loves that I, now you, fill in the blank. Was it a meal you made? A smile you gave? Did you get out of bed? Read? Put on socks? There's no wrong answers here. There is no end to God's love and no end to the things about you that He loves each and every day. Pick one. And remember, the Lord loves you just because you're you. 1 John 4, 9-10 tells us, By this, God's love was revealed in us. That God has sent His only-born Son into the world that we might live through Him. And this is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His perfect love turned away God's wrath because of sin. And it casts out our fear too. See verses 18 and 19. We love because He first loved us. He just loved us. Can't get enough of us. And that is wonderful. See you next time.