Blood Covenant # 8

We’re going to pick up from where we left off last time on our teaching on the Blood Covenant. We’ve said that there are two main covenants in the Word of God, the old covenant, which is the Old Testament, and the new covenant, which is the New Testament.

We also said that when two people would enter into a blood covenant they would go through certain steps, which would enforce the covenant or contract. One of those steps was the shedding of blood. Jesus on that cross shed his blood for us, but God also asked Abraham and all his male descendants to be circumcised and when that was done blood would flow.

This covenant would never be broken or disannulled. God has entered into a covenant like that with man.

It is so vitally important that every Christian understands the blood covenant. Unless you have an adequate knowledge of the blood covenant you will not have a full understanding of what your rights are in Christ.

I) In today’s message I want to look at two men who knew that they were in a covenant with God. (If time permits).

A) The 1st man is a king and his name is Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was a king of Judea and Judah. This man learned how to put the covenant into practice.

1) This is an important factor, because we need to know how to apply the covenant to our lives.

2) Jehoshaphat was delivered from incredible odds because he simply knew his covenant rights.

a) We need to find out what are covenant rights are and how to exercise them like he did. And when we do the God will come to our rescue and deliver us from any circumstance.

(i) (Acts 20:28) says that we have been purchased by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

b) We now are God’s property and we are His responsibility.

(i) Just as your children are your responsibility, you are God’s children and His responsibility.

(ii) He is very concerned about every part of your life. God wants you to be a success.

(iii) You represent Him and He wants to make sure are that His children are good representatives of the Kingdom so that the world can see that God loves you and cares for you and meets your needs. And he wants them to come into the kingdom.

B) All right turn with me to 2nd Chronicles 20:1.

1) There were three nations who are coming to destroy Jehoshaphat and Judah.

2) Verse 3 (2nd Chronicles 20:3).

a) King Jehoshaphat had a small army in comparison with these great nations. He could not fight any one of them on their own, and now they had to fight all three at the same time.

(i) So he proclaimed a nationwide fast in order to seek the Lord.

3) Look at verse 4-5. (2nd Chronicles 20:4-5).

a) Jehoshaphat calls all of Judah to come together. Thousands upon thousands gathered together. They brought their little ones, their husbands, their wives and their children to seek the Lord.

b) Then king Jehoshaphat stands up in the middle of this congregation and begins to pray to God for help.

(i) King Jehoshaphat is a descendant of Abraham along with all the children of Israel and therefore they are partners of the Abrahamic covenant.

4) Listen to what king Jehoshaphat says at the beginning of verse 6a. (2nd Chronicles 20:6a). “O LORD God of our fathers.”

a) Right here he’s reminding God that he is in a covenant with Him.

(i) He could have said, “You’re the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and they entered into a covenant with you and therefore I am in a covenant with you.”

b) Let’s read all of verse 6. (2nd Chronicles 20:6).

(i) Right here, he acknowledges God’s greatness.

C) Look at verse 7. (2nd Chronicles 20:7).

1) King Jehoshaphat again brings up the fact that God made a covenant with Abraham. And part of the covenant was that Abraham’s children and their descendants would live in the land of Canaan forever.

a) He also calls Abraham “THY FRIEND” which again refers to a COVENANT PARTNER.

b) What he’s doing is saying that “we are the seed of Abraham and you told us that this land would be ours. You made the covenant with us promising us that you would never let anyone take it away from us. And now these people are coming against us.”

D) Let’s go on reading with 2nd Chronicles 20:8-9.

1) Israel had built a temple in which they worshipped God and that was the temple that they were gathered around.

a) Earlier in the book 2nd Chronicles (chapter 6) they were instructed to gather around the temple whenever something happened that was not pleasing or was not the will of God.

2) The people of Judah had done at. They obeyed God.

a) Jehoshaphat is telling God that they had come to the place where his name is proclaimed. They had been obedient, and he is reminding God of His promises.

3) Let’s go on reading verse 10. (2nd Chronicles 20:10).

a) When the children of Israel came into the Canaan land from Egypt, God said not to harm those three nations.

b) God destroyed other nations because they were sinful idol worshipers, but God would not allow the children of Israel to destroy these nations, and now Jehoshaphat tells God: “You said that we could not kill them. You said that we should leave them alone. Now look how they are trying to repay us.”

E) ‘Now look at 2nd Chronicles 20:11-12.

1) Jehoshaphat openly admits: “God, Will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us.”

a) I think we’ve all been situations like that. We’ve faced a problem, and you have no clue what to do.

b) You know that with your own ability, your own strength, your wisdom and your efforts you will not succeed.

(i) Again in (verse 12) he says, “O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company (or multitude).”

2) The 1st thing that Jehoshaphat did was to knowledge his lack of ability to find a solution to a problem.

a) The 1st thing he did was to come humbly to God and confess his inability.

(i) He did not know how to solve a problem, nor did he have the power to oppose them, nor did he know what to do.

(ii) His only solution was to say, “Our eyes are upon you.”

3) Their eyes were fixed upon the Lord, as they trusted Him to deliver them.

a) The 1st thing to do is to get your attention off your problem and to focus your attention on the God who delivers.

(i) You need to stop looking how big the problem is, and start looking at how mighty God is.

(ii) You need to look to Him like Jehoshaphat did and remind Him that you are in a covenant with Him. Saying: “Lord, I remind you that I have a covenant with You and You are my helper. You are my deliverer. You are my God. You are my provider. You are my healer. You are my protector.

4) 2nd Chronicles 20:13-14.

a) The Holy Ghost ascended on a young Prophet and God began to speak to the king into the people of Judah through this man.

b) Let’s read what the Holy Ghost said, 2nd Chronicles 20:15.

(i) Now that’s a fantastic statement. He tells them not to worry about it, not to be concerned about it, because it is not their battle.

(ii) The Lord tells them it’s His battle.

c) Again this is covenant talk. He saying that he is their covenant partner and he is coming to fight in their place.

(i) We need to get a holder of that and acknowledge God’s ability to rescue you.

(ii) Stop struggling and fighting like someone in the quick sand and stretch out your hand to the Lord.

(iii) Just say, “Lord, I’m trusting in you.” And allow God to begin to work. Sometimes you just have to get out of the way.

5) 2nd Chronicles 20:16-17.

a) God is with you. He’s not against you. He’s not adding to the problem. He’s helping you get out of it and bringing the answer. God’s not the problem the devil is.

6) Look at the next thing Israel did. 2nd Chronicles 20:18.

a) They began to worship the Lord.

7) Go down to 2nd Chronicles 20:20. (The prophets brought the Word of God) and so he was saying believe the Lord and his Word and so shall you prosper or have success.

F) Let’s go on reading here in 2nd Chronicles 20:21-22.

1) How did the children of Israel get this victory over their enemy?

a) 1st they realize they couldn’t do it in their own strength. They had to humbly come to God.

b) 2nd they reminded God that they were in a covenant with Him. God did necessarily need to be reminded of the covenant but we need to remind ourselves.

c) 3rd they were obedient in doing what God said.

d) Forth they believed the Lord and his Word. They completely trusted Him.

e) 5th they worshipped the Lord even before they saw the answer.

f) And 6th they acted on their faith by putting their praisers in front of the Army.

WOLCC Sunday, April 18, 1999 from Theo Wolmarans’ Book called Blood Covenant Pp. 103 through 113.