We thank James for coming and being with us. He spoke to us before and we just so much enjoy him and sharing the work. Thank you so much. Thank you Peoples Valley for inviting me back again. I always consider it an honor to be invited anywhere and it's a double honor to be invited back again. So I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be here today. You can have a Bible this morning. I'd like to read from the Book of Genesis, Chapter 15. Book of Genesis, Chapter 15, beginning in verse 1. After these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to thee thou hast given no seed, and lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come forth out of thine own power shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them. And he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord, And he counted it to him for righteousness. And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of earth and called thee to give thee this land to inherit. And he said to the Lord, Lord God, hereby shall I know that I shall inherit. And he said unto him, take me a heifer of three years old, and a sheep goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle dove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these things, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another. But the birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said to Abram, Know of the surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years. And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge, and afterward shall they come out with great substance. Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass that when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. And in the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, unto thy seed have I given this land from the river of Egypt unto the great river of Euphrates. Let us pray. Father, we just want to thank you for your powerful Word. And Holy Spirit, we acknowledge that we can do absolutely nothing apart from You. As the Holy One, we submit unto You today and ask that You would give us ears to hear and eyes to see. Give us revelation and understanding, Lord. Speak to our hearts. Minister unto us, Lord God, and give us something that will impact us and encourage us as Your people. And we'll praise You and thank You for what You do. In the powerful and holy name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen. George Barna, who has written a number of books over the years, he's a great pollster and author, pointed out the fact in his book called The Second Coming of the Church, he said that within eight weeks, most people who make a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are no longer committed or going to a Christian church. John Dickerson, in his book called The Great Evangelical Recession, pointed out the fact that 95% of our young people who grow up in Bible-believing, evangelical churches, that when they have become 18 years of age and they leave home, 95% of them today are no longer in church and are not coming back. Why is this? Why is it that 90% of the people who make a profession of faith in Christ after a short period of time, even a few months or a few years, are no longer actively engaged or involved in following the act of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe there's a number of reasons for that. First of all, I think we have a general Christian population that does not really understand what it means to follow Jesus. And secondly, I think that one of the things that we do not understand, particularly in the Western culture, is that we do not understand the purpose and the power and the meaning of covenant. This morning I want to talk to you about the power of covenant. The Word of God is a book about covenant. All throughout the scripture we hear and we see that word We don't fully grasp or understand it, but the Eastern mind, the West, the Middle Eastern mind fully understood the meaning in the covenant. I wanna give you a brief definition of covenant. Covenant in the Old Testament comes from the Hebrew word called berith. And that word berith simply means to cut or to divide. Literally it means to cut pieces of flesh. You see here in Genesis chapter 15 where the animals are slain and they're laying upon the ground. Now the origin of covenant is something that the Middle Eastern people understood. They understood that covenant originated with God. Man did not invent covenant, God invented covenant. We see covenant all throughout the Old Testament. In Genesis 3 and verse 15, God made a covenant with Adam and Eve. In Genesis 9 and verse 8, God made a covenant with Noah. And here, in Genesis 15, God makes a covenant with Abram. So what is the meaning of covenant? Well, a covenant is the most solemn and binding agreement that two people could ever possibly enter into. There's nothing more binding or more sacred than that. In fact, the only way a covenant could be broken was to be broken by death. It was a solemn and serious thing. So you did not enter into a covenant lightly. Now here in the book of Genesis, chapter 15, we have a picture of covenant. We see also in 1 Samuel, chapter 18, verse three, that Jonathan and David made a covenant together. So all throughout the scriptures, the term covenant is mentioned again and again and again. So this morning I want to give you a short little background as to what is meant by covenant and the power that is contained in that covenant. And we have a picture of that here in Genesis 15. This is why I wanted to read this particular passage because Abraham was concerned about the fact that he did not have a son and God had promised him he was going to have a son. And Abram was wondering, he says, Lord, you said you were going to give me all of this land, you were going to give me a son. How am I going to know that you're going to do this? And so what God did, so that this man would understand what he was doing, remember, he did not have a Bible to read from. God made a covenant with him. in the traditional format that he would be able to grasp and understand. And remember, to the Eastern mind, a covenant cannot be broken. It's permanent. It's guaranteed. So what would happen when a covenant would take place? Well, there was a number of things that would happen. Usually, there was the need of recognizing the need for a covenant. Two men, two individuals, recognizing the importance and the need of a covenant. It was something that would transpire as a result of one recognizing the need. And so what would happen would be this. And what I'm going to give you is some general terms that would describe a covenant. And we see a picture of that here in the book of Genesis. Two men would come together in a designated place at a designated time. agreeing to form a covenant together. Oftentimes it would be a person of higher rank making a covenant with a person of lower rank. And so what would happen would be this. They would take one or more animals and they would split them down the spine and they would have these two pieces of animals and lay them on the ground. They would be probably six to seven feet apart on the ground. And the blood of that animal would be sprinkled all over the ground. And then the two men would stand between those two pieces of flesh, and they would look at one another. And the first thing that they would do would take their weapons, their sword, their spear, and their shield, and they would lay it upon the ground. And what they were saying to one another is this, that from this day forward, I am at peace with you. From this day forward, I will never raise my weapon against you. I am laying my weapons down. We are at peace with one another from this day forward. And then the next thing that they would do is that they would take a belt. Most men in those days, they wore a leather belt or a leather girdle. Remember Elijah wore one around their waist. And they would take off their belt, and they would exchange it with one another. And symbolically, they were saying the belt represented strength. It represented that that held things together in their lives. Some of you may have served in the military, and you remember that one of the things that they gave us in the military was a web belt that we wore over our shoulders and around our waist. And everything, all of our weapons and everything hung upon that belt. It held things together. And so he would remove the belt, and he would exchange it with the man in front of him. And he was saying, you know, I am from this day forward putting on you, and you are putting on me. And then he would take off, each person would take off his robe. He would take off his outer garment, his robe, and he would give his robe to the other man. They would exchange robes. And they were saying literally, from this day forward, I am taking on your life. As you put on the other man's robe, you're literally putting on his life. And he's putting on your life. And what you were symbolically saying is this, from this day forward, my life belongs to you, and your life belongs to me. We are one together. Now remember that in the midst of this, there was this blood that was there upon the ground. And then these men, would do a walk. They would walk through these pieces of flesh in a figure 8 pattern. And then they would stand again opposite of one another. It was a symbol of walking into death. And they were saying literally, from this day forward, everything changes in my life. And everything that I do will be done from this day forward in consideration of you. I am no longer a person who lives independently. I am now a person who lives with a consideration of you. Every decision I make, everything that I do from this day forward will always be in consideration of you. And then after they'd taken the walk through the pieces of flesh that was there from the grave, they would then reach down and they would take their sword or their dagger or whatever they had, and they would make a slice or a cut in their wrist or the palm of their hand. And they would join their hands together and their blood would mingle. Some of you remember the old westerns where the Indians would make a cover. And their blood would mingle together. Where do you think that came from? It came from God. And so their blood would mingle together. And they were saying then, that my life is now joined to your life. Your blood is now my blood. My life is now your life. We are joined together now as one. And then after that, they would reach down into the dirt, and they would pick up this dirt that had been sprinkled with blood, and they would rub that dirt into that wound that had been made. And the purpose of that was so that when that wound healed, it would leave a mark, it would leave a scar upon their hand, either the right hand or the left, normally the right hand. So that whenever now, later on, that they were traveling or riding, every time he looked at his hand, and he saw that scar, he would be reminded of the fact that he was a man. He was a covenant. He was a covenant man. Then they would reach down into the dirt, and they would pick up their weapons. And they would exchange their weapons. You'll notice in 1 Samuel 18 and verse 3 that Jonathan gave David his weapons. And what they were saying to one another is that, from this day forward, my weapons are your weapons, and your weapons are mine. Meaning this, if ever there is an enemy that comes against me, or an enemy that comes against you, they no longer come against just one, they come against two. My strength is your strength. Your strength is my strength. We are now joined together as one. And then they would sit down, and they would have a covenant meal together. And they would take bread, and they would break it, and one man would take a piece of bread, and he would put it into the mouth of his friend, and the other man would take bread and put it into the mouth of his friend. And they would eat this bread together. And they were saying literally, now, I am taking your life into me, and your life is now, my life is now being taken into you. We are again one, and we're bound together in sin. And they would stand, and they would look at that blood that was there upon the ground, and they would swear an oath unto one another, saying this, may God, pointing to heaven, and then pointing to the earth, may God do so to me. if I ever break this covenant. In other words, they were solemnizing that covenant by saying this, that the only way this covenant can be broken is by death. If I ever break this covenant, I have the right to be put to death. So, covenant was very serious. A very solemn thing that a man did. And so, Abram was asking God, he says, God, how will I know God says, I'm going to make a covenant with you. And Abraham understood fully that God made this covenant with him. Now, in the book of Hebrews, chapter eight, verses six and 13, the scripture says this. But now hath he obtained a more excellent minister by how much also he is a mediator talking about Jesus, of a bigger covenant, which was established upon bigger promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he said, behold, the days come, said the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they continued not in my covenant. And I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their heart. And I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least unto the greatest. For I will be merciful to your unrighteousness, and your sins and your iniquities will I remember no more. Remember, covenant was something that the Hebrew people understood, the Middle Eastern people understood. But there was always a problem with the covenant. You see, God, in every covenant that He made, He always initiated the covenant. He initiated the covenant with Adam and Eve. He initiated the covenant with Noah. He initiated the covenant with Abraham. He initiated the covenant with Moses. In all the covenants that God made with His people, it was God, the greater coming to the lesser, who initiated covenant with His people. But there was always a problem. His people were never able to keep their covenant. That's why the writer of Hebrews says that there was no problem with the covenants that God made. God's covenant was solid and real and guaranteed. The problem was us. We, because of the weakness of our flesh, were unable to keep our part of the covenant. Nothing wrong with the covenant. What was wrong with us? So we're preaching, then what's that got to do with us? It's got everything to do with us. Because you see, 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ, clothed in human flesh, came to this earth for the purpose of instituting and bringing about a new covenant. The Bible says that on the evening when Jesus Christ was having the Passover lamb, he took the cup and he gave it to his disciples and he said, this is the blood of the new covenant which I make with you. They didn't fully comprehend at that moment all that that meant, but Jesus specifically said it to them, this is the blood And then just a few hours later, Jesus Christ hangs upon the cross. His blood is shed and sprinkled upon the ground. And when he lifts his head and dies, he hangs his head and dies, the veil of the triplet is ripped from top to bottom, signifying the fact that there has been a division, a split that has made, and now there has been given access into the holy of holies. What that means for you and for me is this, is that Jesus Christ, the greater coming to the lesser, has cut a covenant with us. He has made a covenant. And not only has he made that covenant, he has done everything necessary in order to fulfill and to make that covenant active and alive in our lives. And He invites you and me, as individuals, to come and to participate and to partake of that covenant. But remember, to partake of a covenant is a walk into death. Remember, the men stood between two pieces of flesh, and it was a walk into death. And so, when you're invited to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, you're invited to come into covenant, that it is a covenant of death, and it is a covenant of life. As we die to the old self, we come alive unto the new life in Christ Jesus. The old man is dead, and now the new man is alive. What that means is this, that in this covenant now, Jesus Christ has given to you and to me the weapons of His warfare. According to Isaiah 59, the Word of God says that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord will raise a standard against him. We are not helpless in a world that is surrounded by darkness. The Lord has given us all the weapons that we need in order to be more than conquerors through the Lord Jesus Christ. He has given us His strength. He has given to us His robe of righteousness. He has provided for us everything that we need. We now, because of the cross, and because of our new life in Him, have been made new creations and new creatures. So much so now that everything changes in our life. We see a picture of this later on in Genesis chapter 17, where God appears again unto Abel. And there his name is changed. One of the things that men would do when their covenant was made is that they would take on the other person's name. In other words, they would adapt a part of the other person's name and make it their own. And in the chapter 17 of Genesis, Abram becomes Abraham. Sarai becomes Sarai. Now we know from the Hebrew that that means father of many, or father of a multitude, and Sarah is a mother of a multitude, but it's much more than that. Remember that the name of God in Hebrew is Yahweh, or Lord. In the English, we put the term A-H in there, Yahweh. And so what Abram had as a result of his covenant, his name was changed. symbolizing the fact he was now called Abraham. And Abraham now is a part of the family of God. He carries the name of God in his life. You and I, when we enter into covenant with the Lord, Jesus Christ invites us into this death. But in this death, we take on his life. And our name now changes. We're called Christians now. We're called a part of the family of God. His power becomes our power. We are not helpless. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord Himself raises up a standard. He has given to us the weapons of His warfare. He has given us the robe of righteousness. He has exchanged our unrighteousness for His righteousness. He has given to us His peace. One of the things that the men would do when they made a covenant and they sat down and had their covenant meal is that they would recite everything that they owned. They would make a list of it. And they'd also make a list of everything that they owed. And what that meant was this. Everything that I have is yours. And everything that you have is mine. In the new covenant, Jesus Christ has taken on our debt, and he's given us all of his wealth. Jesus Christ fulfilled the covenant that God wanted to make. Remember, in the book of Genesis, chapter 15, is Abraham in this vision sees all of this covenant taking place. Notice, Abraham himself did not take the walk down between the two pieces of flesh. It was a smoking lamp and a burning furnace. What is that a picture of? It is a picture of God Himself, who made the covenant with Abraham, who fulfilled that covenant, and who kept that covenant. It was a picture, ultimately, of what God was going to do through Jesus Christ, His Son, there upon the cross. As the veil of the temple was ripped, as His flesh was sacrificed for you and me. Jesus Christ now becomes our company. Jesus Christ did for us what we could never do for ourselves. But in this process He has given to us everything that we need to live a life of godliness and holiness and joy and peace in following after Him. So why is it then that so many people who make a profession of faith after several weeks or several months or a year or so, are no longer following after the Lord. It's because they do not understand what Jesus Christ has invited them to do. Jesus Christ invites us to come and to die. We talk about accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior, and that is true, but it's far more than that. Jesus Christ is inviting us to come and to die. And it is in our death that we experience the oneness and the fullness of new life. But in this death, we are no longer our own. We no longer have a right to live independently of ourselves. Every decision that we make, every action now that we take, is always now in consideration of Him. with Him in mind. Always understanding that it is a relationship that means that what I do now has to be done with an understanding of who He is. I belong to Him. I no longer live independently. I no longer just do whatever I want to do as I want to do it. No. I belong to the Lord so therefore I have surrendered my rights to live my life the way that I want to. I have now taken on His life, and in taking on His life, He gives that great exchange and gives us His new life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great theologian back in the 1930s, said this in his book, The Cost of Discipleship. He said that when God invites a man to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, He invites him to come and to die. But it is in this dying that we learn to live. Could it be that so many people accept the Lord Jesus Christ without understanding that Christ requires our death so that we can live? You see, to follow the Lord Jesus Christ means that you are following Him And it means that when you give your life to Him, you no longer live independently. You now are a part of Him and His Kingdom. Every decision you make, every choice that you make as a child of God is with Him in mind. And so therefore, as a child of God, you want to walk with Him because you don't belong to yourself. You serve Him. because he has given himself for you. The greater has come to the lesser, and he has brought us into his family. He has given us his name. We are now sons and daughters of the living God. We are now more than conquerors through him who loves us. Isn't it interesting that the mentality of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ today is that we seem to have the idea that we just need to hunker down and wait for Jesus to come. When in reality, He has given us every resource that we need to live a victorious life. Not only that, He has given to us all the resources of heaven that we might be able, through His leading and His direction, to advance the Kingdom of God here in the earth. And the gates of hell cannot prevail against a church that is advancing against the power of darkness. Why? Because the Lord God Himself is in covenant with us and He has empowered us to rise up and to stand up and to speak up and to live for Him in this culture advancing His kingdom, His purpose, and His name. for the glory of God. He said, how do I know this is true? Because God himself through his son Jesus Christ has made a covenant for us. He said, because I live and you will live also. All of his power, all of his strength, all of his wisdom is available to us as his people. All we have to do is to avail ourselves of that, because we are in covenant with Him. We are not paupers, we are not weak, we are not hopeless, and we are not helpless, because God has cut a covenant with us, and He has kept it for us. All we have to do is simply submit to it, acknowledge it, receive it, and walk in it. And then His power, the power of this covenant, is released in us. If this culture and generation understood that when we come to Jesus, we no longer live independently, we would have then the capacity to impact our culture, and the people of would not be so busy in fighting among themselves but we would be advancing the cause of Christ in a darkened world because we are people of the coming. Thank you for letting me be with you today. Thank you for your time and thank you for your attention today.