Answers 2 Big Questions
The Most Important Concept in the Bible
Understanding the Blood Covenant
Scripture: Matthew 26:28
Introduction:
We sing about the blood.
We talk about the blood.
What was the uniqueness about Jesus’ blood that He could boldly stand up and say, "Because of my blood the remission or forgiveness of sin shall be brought forth"?
There was something different about His blood, but most Christians really don't know what that is.
Read: Matthew 26:28
• Jesus said His blood is the blood of the new ... what? New Testament; or New Covenant.
• There are lot of different things that happened in the Bible that most people do not understand why they transpired; at times myself included.
Why did they circumcise children in the Old Testament?
Why did they sacrifice animals in the Old Testament?
All of this is in relationship to the blood covenant.
• There is a fact I want you to realize; our Bible is divided into two parts; the Old Testament and the New Testament.
In the original languages it actually says "covenants": old covenant, new covenant.
1. A covenant is a legal binding contract.
This Bible is a legal binding contract; sent by God for mankind.
There is an old contract and a new contract, but the new covenant is not wiping out the old; instead it fulfills it.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 - Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
It's like a man who's written his last will and then when he's 20 years older he updates it.
He doesn't wipe it out but he fulfills it and he adds more to it.
This is what we have in the form of the Bible.
• 2. The word "covenant" when it's used in the Bible actually means "to cut" or “to draw blood”.
The old covenant established in the Old Testament was established between God and Abraham — established with blood; circumcision.
The new covenant was established between God and man through Jesus Christ — also through blood.
• There are many different types of contracts, agreements, or covenants.
One type of contract is my word; it’s a verbal contract.
Another type of contract is a written contract; I sign a paper stating that I am going to do something.
A stronger contract than a written contract is when let’s say that I am going to buy some land from you and we have four witnesses.
Then the notary comes and puts their stamp on the paper and it becomes an official paper.
That is a more serious contract.
But there's another contract that's even stronger than that; it’s called a blood contract; considered to be the strongest contract in all societies of the world.
The Bible, the Old Testament was a blood contract which is no insignificant thing.
• There are a number of reasons to enter into a blood covenant.
Maybe I am weak and you are strong.
Maybe I want your protection for my family.
Maybe I'm wealthy and you’re not so wealthy but you’re strong and then my wealth becomes some of your wealth.
In a blood covenant if you have trouble that means I have trouble.
• If you break the blood covenant what is the consequence?
In many tribes if you break it; your own people will track you down and kill you.
That's what a blood covenant is; it possesses strength to it, seriousness to it: for protection, for resources, for assistance, for relationship.
It's not a small matter when you enter into a blood covenant with somebody.
• How does it work in the Old Testament and in the New Testament in dealing with God and man?
The Bible is a blood covenant book; it’s something that God has initiated with man to help us.
If you will not interact with God.... there are serious consequences when you won't enter into a blood covenant with the One who's greater than you.
• 3. What are the consequences of not entering into a blood covenant with God through the blood of Jesus Christ?
Spiritual separation from God.
Eternal separation from God and it's not a small thing.
God sent Jesus and saw me and said, "I love you. I want to be your friend.
I want to be around you. I want to have a relationship with you.
I want to protect you. I want to help you. I want to give to you."
• This wasn't my idea; it was the Creator of the whole universe’s idea.
He loves you so much that He wants to be around you.
He wants to protect you. He wants to talk with you.
He wants to sit down and fellowship with you.
Not in a small way but in the form of a blood contract. A blood covenant.
• What does this mean?
It means the resources of heaven now become your resources.
It means the power of God becomes available to you.
That's the sort of covenant that we have with God when we accept Christ as Savior.
• Yet so many people don’t know what truly is available for them.
They say, "Oh, that old book, I don’t have time.
I got to go do all my small things and I don't have time for this God business.
I don't have time because I've got to go play this and play that."
They're doing all these other little worthless things of life and here's God wanting a relationship with them.
Revealing it in a written contract established thru a blood covenant.
• Let’s take a look at some of the different ways that you enter into a covenant.
1. One way, you exchange garments.
† A shirt, a gown, and a cap; it was a form of a covenant.
† What was the garment that was exchanged with us through Jesus Christ?
† He put on us a robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10).
† We've exchanged our old filthy robe of sin for a robe of righteousness.
2. Number two, exchanging of weapons.
† Many times in a tribal situation you would exchange weapons.
† I would give you my bow, you would give me your spear.
† What weapons did we exchange with Jesus?
† When we entered into a blood covenant with him we gave Him us & we received spiritual armor; the sword of the spirit. Eph.6.
3. Number three; when you enter into a blood covenant you exchange names.
† It’s the same thing in marriage, the covenant of marriage: the woman takes the husband's name.
† We have the Old Testament example where Abram’s name was changed to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah and God referred to himself as the God of Abraham (Gen. 17:5).
4. The fourth way of entering into a covenant was by the splitting of animals.
† It was very common when you had a blood covenant established that there would be animals involved. Sacrificing of animals. Animals given as a gift.
† We have the example of Abraham with splitting animals (Gen. 15).
5. Number five is a memorial such as a planting of trees or the putting up of rocks; a marking of a place such as in Joshua chapter 4.
6. Number six, a covenant meal.
† A time and place when you and your partner can sit down and acknowledge or affirm the covenants that you have established.
† People that were not there when it happened can keep it as a memorial, a covenant meal, affirming what thing happened years ago.
† Do we do that in the church? What's it called? The Last Supper; Communion. Our covenant meal (Matthew 26:20).
• These are the practices involved in covenanting, contracting, legally joining yourself together, with some sort of required response in your relationship.
My wife and I got married and we exchanged names and we exchanged rings.
We all do a lot of these different practices and we became one in relationship. We have a responsibility to each other.
• Why was it necessary for God to establish a blood covenant with man?
Genesis 1:26-28; God had created man in his image, and had given spiritual authority and dominion over the earth to man, to Adam and everything was good.
Adam didn't have to go and beg the cows to come in.
He had authority over them. He said come, they would come.
God had authority and he gave it to Adam, but Adam sinned.
Now when he sinned what did he do? He gave away the spiritual authority God had given him.
Adam was supposed to be submitting in obedience to God, but Adam became disobedient and he submitted himself unto Satan.
• It's like this; if I give Johnny the keys to my car and I say "It's mine but I give it to you to do with as you please."
Now, if Johnny gave the keys to another person and said, "My friend, here's your car. For $500 it’s yours."
Then I come along and say to Johnny’s friend, "You have my car. Give my car back."
He's says, "No way. I paid Johnny $500 for that car. He sold it to me and we came into an agreement."
Do I have the right to take my car from him? No,
Why? Because I gave Johnny the authority to do with it as he chose, and he sold it away.
• That's exactly what happened with Adam. God gave him the authority and he gave it away.
God told Adam not to eat of the Tree of Life (Gen. 2:17).
Adam disobeyed; he sinned. He rebelled. He submitted his will to Satan.
That's why God does not have the right to take Satan and just throw him out of the earth; yet.
God has restricted himself.
You might say, "Oh, God can do anything." No, he can't. God can't lie & God can’t sin.
God is a God of justice and is a holy God.
• 5. Because Adam sinned he gave his authority away legally. Genesis 1:26-28
God had to find a legal way to bring justice back into the earth, to legally redeem back to Himself sinful man who had given away his authority to Satan.
God could not just step in and take it all back without trampling on man’s free choice — something that God himself gave Adam as a means to love him.
So God started a redemptive plan to bring salvation back to man legally.
• Genesis 3:15 - And I will put enmity between thee (the serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Who is the woman’s seed that will crush his head?
God had to send his son to the earth as the Second Adam to take back — legally — what the first Adam had given away.
A man caused the fall — a man had to redeem mankind from the effects of that fall and that’s Jesus: 100% man; yet 100% God.
• God wanted to bring man legal redemptive justice into the earth so He sent His son to pay the price.
A price that had to be paid because man sold his birth right and gave Satan the farm.
How did Satan get to become god of this world?; by Adam sinning, and submitting and surrendering unto him.
• Read Luke 4:1-7
Jesus was tempted; Satan said all the kingdoms of the world are his.
If this was not true then that would not have even been a temptation to Jesus.
If you come up to me and say, "My friend, if you do this and this, I'll give you a million dollars."
But I know that you don't even have a million dollars, that's no temptation to me.
Now if you come up to me and I know you have a million dollars then that might be a temptation.
Satan was tempting Jesus with something he really did have.
• Why does there have to be a blood sacrifice?
Why were there animal sacrifices, or blood sacrifices?
Why does there have to be this blood involved?
Because God is holy and God is a God of justice He cannot allow, or permit sin to be in His presence.
Read: Hebrews 9:20-27
• 6. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin; verse 22.
But why?
Leviticus 17:11 - For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Life is positive. Death is negative.
7. Life is where? Life is in the blood. Leviticus 17:11
If you take my blood out I die. Who established it that way? I didn't. You didn't. God did.
• Keeping in remembrance that God is holy, and God is a God of justice.
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The scripture tells us the wages for sin is what? Death.
So you've got sin, negative, death.
Wages are something you deserve.
If you work for your boss, at the end of the month, if he's a nice guy, he should give you your wages; no, you deserve them.
Whether he's a nice guy or a bad guy, it doesn't matter, at the end of the month you deserve your wages because you have earned them.
• What you earn for sin is death.
Spiritual death; separation from a holy God.
Why? Because God is holy.
Because God is a God of justice He cannot permit sin to come into his presence. He must protect his holiness.
• If you've not accepted Jesus Christ, should God allow you into heaven?
No. Why because God is holy and a God of justice. He can't permit you in there.
• What is the only thing that can counteract a negative? A Positive.
What is the only thing that can counteract death? Life.
What is the only thing that can counteract sin? Blood.
Only life can counteract it.
Life is where? In the blood.
This is the reason you have blood sacrifices in the Old Testament.
• But the Day of Atonement was not a once and for all sacrifice; it was merely temporary.
A sinless man had to pay the once and for all price.
Jesus Christ the sinless Son of God paid that price.
• Those blood sacrifices are made for what purpose?
For the covering over of sin and this is why: life over death.
Blood to cancel out sin.
Without the blood you have death.
You must enter in to a Blood Covenant with God through Jesus Christ; the blood has already been shed, you simply must agree by faith to the terms; to reject is death.
