Covenant Authority
Sunday Sermon 8/25/24
We are deviating from our series walk-through the book of Acts. The Lord placed it upon my heart to do something different this morning. It is imperative for the body of Christ to understand their covenant authority. If we are to take back ground that the enemy has stolen in our world, nation, city, and family, we have to understand exactly what functioning under covenant means.
This past week: Planned Parenthood offered some of its services for free on Monday and Tuesday in a mobile clinic near the United Center during the Democratic National Convention.
The group provided free vasectomies, medication abortions, and emergency contraception by appointment at the mobile clinic parked just blocks from the DNC. On both days, the clinic was fully booked.
Planned Parenthood said it served between 20 and 30 patients over the two days the mobile clinic was near the DNC. (CBS News)
And on Wednesday evening, those highest in the democratic party were celebrating those procedures, 25 of which were abortions.
If you think God is going to sit back and allow these things to continually happen without repercussions, serious ones; these will affect the whole - even those who have remained faithful in prayer for the nation.
Let’s examine the covenant between God and mankind and formulate the understanding that should encompass our relationship with the other half of the covenant agreement.
First of all, what is a covenant? Simply put, it is a promise, agreement, or contract between 2 or more parties, where the parties agree to do or not do certain things. The covenant system can be seen throughout scripture
ADAMIC COVENANT
The very first covenant between God and man was in the garden. God told Adam that he and Eve could eat from every tree except for the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That was Adam’s portion of the agreement. God promised that if they obeyed this, they would have eternal life, but if Adam doesn’t keep his end of the deal, they would surely die.
NOAH COVENANT, the ABRAHAMIC COVENANT, the MOSAIC COVENANT, the DAVIDIC COVENANT, and on throughout scripture until we find ourselves at the NEW COVENANT found only in Jesus.
Persistent failure to live according to God’s covenant requirements led to inevitable disaster for both the nation and its monarchy, culminating in judgment: the destroyed temple and Babylonian exile.
Read Ezekiel 28:2-10
God always executes judgment for stiff hearted people.Do I think there were none following God’s law? Look around us today. There is a remnant in America that loves God in righteousness, yet the state of the nation is nothing short of a mirror to what we just read in Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
Ezekiel here is prophesying of the new covenant for we know the Spirit came when Jesus went to heaven after his resurrection.
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
“I will be their God, and they will be my people.” In this new covenant, all the hopes and expectations of previous covenants attain their fulfillment; the New Testament covenant declares that all God’s covenant promises are realized in and through Jesus.
2 Corinthians 3:7-9 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.
The new covenant is far superior to the old covenant because it all flows through Jesus the Messiah. With every covenant, even the new one, God sets the terms and mankind promises to keep them in return for certain blessings. Here is where you really need to focus because here is where your power comes from.
In every contract there are two parties who enter into an agreement. This is no different. You determine in your heart and soul to follow God and make Him Lord of your life. You then live a holy and righteous life doing what His word says. In that obedience, you are fulfilling your half of the bargain. God then promises certain blessings:
Eternal life - Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Forgiveness - Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.
Healing - 1 Peter 2:24: "'He Himself bore our sins' in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by His wounds you have been healed.'”
Steadfast love - Romans 8: 35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Supernatural increase and promotion - James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Restoration of what enemies have stolen - Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Greater victories - 1 John 5: 4-5 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Honor in the face of adversaries - Romans 16:20a And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.
Winning battles without having to fight because God fights for you. - Psalm 44:3 For not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them.
Now there are other blessings that come from the covenant, but these in my opinion are the main ones. These aren’t just some vague word promises without substance! These are all strands in an intricate network of a back and forth relationship with our creator. If a people turns their back on their side of the bargain, they are in default on the contract.
A default leads to judicial proceedings, meaning you will stand in judgment for the choices you have made. Much hangs in the balance. So why bring this all up? You say, well Pastor Deborah, I’m living for the Lord in holiness and doing my best to fulfill my end of the covenant.
Well, Sister Marcia said something to me a while back that has really resonated with me. I have been mulling over her words - a simple statement really - all this time. She said, “We would see more answered prayer if we learned to pray with covenant words.” Say what? I had never considered that term before. Exactly what are covenant words - or covenant language?
If you think about the natural world of business, lawyers use certain terminology when writing up a contract. How does this translate to prayer? David gives us an example:
2 Samuel 7: 25-29 25 “And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, 26 so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight. “Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”
Notice that David goes humbly before the throne to ask God to fulfill his part of the covenant. Ok let’s have another example. Let’s say that you need another $1800 for your church propane bill and you don’t know where it’s coming from. In your prayer time you might say:
I will be faithful to the covenant through the blood of Jesus. Lord, I know you keep covenant and mercy with those who love you and keep your commandments. Lord you bless those who obey your voice and keep your covenant. Lord, let your blessing come upon our church and overtake it (Deut 28:2). Be our Jehovah Jireh Lord! Philippians 4:19 says And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.. Would you supply the money for our propane according to your riches in glory? Thank you Jesus! Amen
Declaring and Decreeing
To declare means to make something known formally, officially, or explicitly. A declaration is simply an acknowledgment of something that is. This would be praying scripture back to the Father or reminding Him what the terms of the covenant are.
A decree is an official order issued by a legal authority. The key part of this definition is the legal authority. The person issuing the decree must have the authority or the right to pronounce the order. If you have entered into covenant with God, you have the authority to decree a thing.
Job 22: 26-28 For then you will have your delight in the Almighty, And lift up your face to God. 27 You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you,
And you will pay your vows. 28 You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways.
And
Mark 11: 23-24 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”
And
Psalm 2: 7-9 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall ]break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
We must be humble and respectful to God as we decree and declare. Remember that even David went to God in trembling so as to not incur the wrath of God. But speaking forth our covenant promises to God in prayer is a powerful component.
Here’s another example you might pray over your children:
"I declare that my children are blessed and highly favored by God. They are created in His image and have a unique purpose and destiny." (Psalm 127:3) "I declare that my children are protected by the blood of Jesus. They are safe from harm and danger." (Psalm 91:11)
Or
Pray Psalm 18:16–19 over their lives, change the name, and pray it often:
He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
CLOSING / PRAYER
So why bring all of this up this morning? We were working our way through the book of Acts just fine. I felt God’s unction to take a pause this morning because a teaching on covenant prayer will be vital in these last days.
When a huge gathering like the DNC can rejoice and cheer over the deaths of 25 babies, you know there’s a judgment on the horizon.
In Revelation we read that the martyr’s cry out to God, And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” How long before God avenges the millions of lost littles through this abomination? Not to mention a nation that flaunts its sin like Sodom or Gomorrah.
The Lord is calling His faithful children to prayer and fasting! He has said over and over, what are you willing to give up for me? Are you willing to give extra time to pray for this nation? Are you willing to go on a fast…and not just a little, I’ll give up pop fast…but a real one?
Find scripture that you can pray for this nation. Pray Psalm 91 over us! Something is on the horizon - I am not going to speculate what it is - but something is on the horizon. We must prepare and prep by praying - decreeing and declaring scripture according to the authority you have as a covenant Christian under the New Covenant. This kind of prayer is powerful.
