DAILY SPIRITUAL FOOD; OPERATING UNDER THE COVENANT OF SALVATION. “As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.”Zechariah 9:11 The blood of Jesus heralds (marks) the beginning of the salvation of the Lord to mankind. God instituted this blood covenant to translate and deliver man from his state of spiritual decadence (death) to a rewarding life of fruit-bearing and discipleship to the God of our Salvation. “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins”. Matthew 26:27-28 Apostle Paul presented this revelation this way. “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled.” Colossians 1: 13,14,21 Man lost the glory and dominion which God implanted in him over Satan, during creation, as a result of the sin of disobedience. This consequently broke fellowship (communication) with God. Calculated attempts by God to bring redemption to fallen man, and as a result reconcile man to Himself failed. God sent prophets, Kings and judges to restore the lost glory of man. He did this by covenants that ran from the Noah’s rainbow covenant through the Mosaic Covenant. It is of paramount note to stress here that none of these brought genuine and enduring Salvation to man, until the blood covenant sealed with the blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, perfected the salvation, God, had for ages, programmed for mankind. “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” Hebrews 8:6-8 Apostle John captures this revelation on the agape love of mankind when he wrote; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 The perfection of this covenant of Salvation was fully manifested by the historic death and out pouring of the precious blood of Jesus, our Lord and saviour on the cross of Calvary. This is because, a covenant is active only when blood is sacrificed to atone (exchange) for sins and transgressions. “And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Hebrews 9:15-17, 22, 26 When a man receives the Salvation of the cross, he is automatically grafted into the blood covenant of Salvation: He is thus protected and remained preserved in the saving arms of the Lord. As long as the believer continuously remains under this Salvation, through a programmed life of regular holiness and absolute obedience, he is entitled to God’s covenant protections and blessings for ever. God never fails to keep to his promises of the blood covenant of Salvation; it is only the sin of the believers that delays or hinders these divine/covenant promises; “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Psalm 89:34 David the Psalmist puts it further this way: “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.” Psalm 111:9 The blood covenant of Salvation is the last master-card God has used to reconcile man to himself; He is using the same blood covenant to perfect the lives of believers unto eternal life in Heaven. This he does on a daily basis. God hid this mystery of this blood covenant of Salvation from Satan, and his fellow demonic destroyers of mankind and has now fully revealed, and manifested this to his sanctified saints and children. If Satan had a faint idea of God’s programme of Salvation for man, as is embodied in the blood covenant, he would have fought to stop, or delay this divine plan; but thank God, He hid it from Satan. “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.”1 Colossians 1:26 Eventually, when Satan knew that the covenant of Salvation has been revealed, through the birth of our saviour and Messiah, Jesus Christ, he resisted the glorious coming of the saviour, and the Salvation to man. He entered King Herod and killed all male children during the birth of Jesus. But thank God, his thoughts and ways are always higher and better than any other. I pray that God will destroy and remove every Herod and agent of Satan out of your life in Jesus saving name-Amen. PROPHECY FOR THE COMING OF THE BLOOD COVENANT OF SALVATION. The prophetic proclamation of the coming of this salvation covenant was presented under divine unction by Prophet Moses in the book of Genesis; this was shortly after the sudden fall of man in the Garden of Eden, as a result of the sin of disobedience. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15 This was the initial prophetic announcement of the coming of the Son of God, Jesus into the world, to institute the blood covenant of Salvation, by the historic death and out pouring of the blood of our saviour on the cross of Calvary. There were other prophecies concerning the coming and subsequent establishment of this blood covenant; prominent among which were the ones by prophets, Isaiah and Zechariah. The Lord, God, opened their spiritual eyes, and they prophetically announced the coming of Jesus and the establishment of this covenant of Redemption to mankind. Prophet Isaiah presented his prophecy in this light: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.” Isaiah 9:6-8 Prophet Isaiah was declaring the Messianic birth of our Lord Jesus, and his Salvation which he will bring along with his coming to liberate mankind from the shackles of the bondage of sin and all the works of Satan. Prophet Zechariah, under the same divine unction, presented his own prophecy concerning the birth of this Salvation covenant thus; “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the strong hold (the blood covenant, emphasis mine), ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee.” Zechariah 9:9, 11, 12 God, as you have seen from above scriptural passages, has delivered and set man free through the Blood covenant of Salvation. He expects man, to wilfully, repent (have a change of heart) by forsaking his sinful ways and turn to Him for salvation, that has been given freely through this covenant of salvation. A man that remains under the cover of his sin cannot prosper the way God wants him to. Repentance to Salvation through this blood covenant guarantees total divine prosperity, liberty and direction for mankind. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 Our Lord Jesus himself presented it prophetically in the book of proverbs thus; For whoever finds me finds life,And obtains favour from the Lord; But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; “Proverbs 8:35 Operating under this Salvation covenant demands total submission(Consecration) and absolute holiness; It is only true surrender and holiness that makes the covenant blessings and promises of this blood covenant of Salvation readily available to Christian believers; God does not hear sinners, neither does He compromise on his covenant promises. The believer must live a genuine repentant and sanctified (holy) life before he can qualify to claim these covenant blessings and promises. “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.”John 9;31 “Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts.”Zechariah 7:13 “In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORDs house shall be like the bowls before the altar.Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.” Zachariah 14:20-21 Isaiah caught this revelation and presented it thus; “And an high way shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those; the way faring men, though fools, shall not err therein.No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there” Isaiah 35:8-9 EFFECTS OF THE COVENANT OF SALVATION. The primary noticeable effect of the covenant of Salvation is liberty (freedom) and victory over Satan and his wicked world of evils. This is a resounding victory over sin and worldliness. Before the coming of the Messiah, our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, into this wicked world, Satan had afflicted and held man under perpetual bondage and slavery. But it is gratifying to note that the arrival of a saviour and the subsequent institution of a blood covenant, sealed by the precious sin-free blood of Jesus, made victory over Satan became real and available to man. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13-14 As soon as one gets born-again (spiritual rebirth) he is empowered to regain his freedom, and thus secure resounding victory over Satan and his wicked world of sin. This, in a nutshell, is to conclude that the Salvation covenant represents total liberation and victory over Satan, the enemy. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world (Satan-emphasis mine): and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”1John 5:4 Apostle Paul captured this revelation and presented it into broad perspectives; “Even so we, when we were children (unregenerate- emphasis mine), were in bondage under the elements of the world:But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”Galatians 4:3-5 Writing also under the same unction, to the brethren at the Colossian church Paul wrote: “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”Colossians 2:13-15 Friends, I want to assure you, that the triumph (celebration of victory), Jesus had over Satan and his agents is yours forever. This Salvation was made possible by the shedding and out pouring of the precious, sin-free blood of our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ. The blood covenant equally brought along with it, divine prosperity, promotion and protection. “He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant. He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.” Psalm 111:5-6 David puts it further still. “Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.” - Psalm 92;13-14 God offers total deliverance and protection to his children who have submitted under this salvation covenant; He goes all the hog to deliver them from all powers of darkness. “He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” Psalm 105:14-15 May God grant you the grace to continuously remain under the thick cover of this blood covenant, which has made Salvation and deliverance available to mankind. An excerpts from the book Salvation -A Weapon Against The Enemy. Pastor Martins Okonkwo
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 23:42:27 +0000
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