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Oaths, Vows, & CovenantsPart II

Presented by Chad Cogburn

April 8, 2007

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Last TimeVows

Oaths/Swearing

Keeping our Word

We are God’s signature to the world when we are people of our word

James 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,”

“No,” lest you fall into judgment.

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Covenants

What are the different types?

Why are covenants important?

What were the consequences for breaking a covenant?

Binding force of covenants

How were covenants made?

Are we under any covenants today?

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Def. - Covenant (Strong’s)H1285 berıyth; ber-eeth'From H1262 (in the sense of cutting (like H1254)); a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh):— confederacy, [con-]feder[-ate], covenant, league.

- Used also for treaties between kings and authorities

Covenants

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2 Types of Covenants

1. Between men (contracts, treaties)

Genesis 21:22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do. 23Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.” 24And Abraham said, “I will swear.”….32Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba.

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2 Types of Covenants cont.2. God’s covenants (divine covenants)

– Conditional

Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.

Deuteronomy 7:9 “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

– Unconditional

Genesis 9:11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

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How Covenants were MadeThe blood covenant was common among mid-east people.

The typical blood covenant had 9 steps:1. Give your coat or robe

2. Give your belt

3. Cut the covenant – divide an animal into two halves and walk between them in the blood.

4. Raise the right arm and cut the palm of the hand and clasp each other's hand to mingle your blood.

5. Exchange names. Each one takes part of the others name and incorporates it into their own.

6. Make a scar or some identifying mark as a permanent reminder

7. Set the terms of the agreement

8. Eat a memorial meal

9. Make a memorial so our children will remember.

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God’s Covenant with AbrahamGenesis 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a

vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” 2But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” 4And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. 7Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” 8And he said, “Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?” 9So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer,

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a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates…”

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Blood Covenant

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Consequences for Covenant BreakingJeremiah 34:8 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord,

after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them:…

15Then you recently turned and did what was right in My sight—every man proclaiming liberty to his neighbor; and you made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name. 16Then you turned around and profaned My name, and every one of you brought back his male and female slaves,...

18And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it—19the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf—20I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life.

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Covenant Breaking

Ezekiel 16:59 For thus says the Lord GOD: “I will deal with you as you have done, who despised the oath by breaking the covenant. 60“Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.

Some people claim that the breaking a covenant constitutes a termination and immediate dissolution of the agreement.

Breaking God’s covenants does NOT annul or dissolve it!

God’s covenant with Moses was in full force until it was nailed to the cross by Jesus.

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God’s Covenants are SureJudges 2:1 Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to

Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you.

Jeremiah 33:19 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 20“Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, 21then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. 22As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’”

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Binding Force of CovenantsExodus 23:31 For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your

hand, and you shall drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.

Joshua 9:3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended, 5old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. 6And they went to Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.”

12This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry and moldy. 13And these wineskins which we filled were new, and see, they are

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Binding Force of Covenants cont. torn; and these our garments and our sandals have become old

because of the very long journey.” 14Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord. 15So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live;

2 Samuel 21:1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” 2So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.

Israel was punished for breaking a covenant that should never have existed.

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4 Covenants we are Under Today

1. Noah’s Covenant1. Noah’s Covenant

2. Abraham’s Covenant2. Abraham’s Covenant

3. Marriage Covenant3. Marriage Covenant

4. Christ’s Covenant (New Covenant)4. Christ’s Covenant (New Covenant)

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1. Noah’s CovenantGenesis 9:12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me

and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

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2. Abraham’s CovenantAfter Abraham obeyed God in offering Isaac on the mountain, God said:

Genesis 22:17 “…blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.

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3. Marriage CovenantMalachi 2:13 And this is the second thing you do: You cover the

altar of the Lord with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. 14 Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the Lord has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant. 15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. 16 “For the Lord God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.”

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3. Marriage Covenant cont.

Proverbs 2:16 To deliver you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words, 17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God.

Matthew 19:6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Marriage is not just an agreement between two people. God has revealed to us that marriage is a covenant and that He Himself joins each marriage union.

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4. New CovenantCovenants were the foundations upon which God built

relationships with and governed His people. God made covenants with key people in the bible:

- Adam- Noah- Abraham- Jacob- Isaac

- Moses- Priests - David- Solomon

God wanted a better way to have fellowship with his people.

This required a new Covenant!

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4. New Covenant cont.Jeremiah 31:31“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— 32not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

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4. New Covenant cont.

5 Key points of the New Covenant promise

1. God’s law is written on our hearts

2. We are God’s chosen people

3. We shall all know God

4. No partiality with God

5. Our sin is truly forgiven; wiped out completely!

Jeremiah 31:33... I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

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4. New Covenant cont.Hebrews 8:6 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. 7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant…

Because God has bound himself to this covenant, we know from His track record that he will NOT break the covenant! He will be faithful.

So what happened to the old covenant?13In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete.

Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

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4. New Covenant cont.Hebrews 10:3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every

year. 4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

8Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second.

Colossians 2:14 ...And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

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4. New Covenant cont.Significance of Blood

Hebrews 9:18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” 21Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

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4. New Covenant cont.Leviticus 17:10 ‘And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the

strangers who dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’

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John 6:53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.

God was reserving this special memorial for the New Covenant!

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The 9 steps seen in the New Covenant1) EXCHANGE COATS OR ROBES. We put on His righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." He takes our sins upon Him and we take His holiness for ours. What an exchange!

2)TAKE OFF BELT: He protects us and provides us with protection. Ephesians 6:13-17 "Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day...

3)CUT THE COVENANT: Jesus was not only the one making the covenant, but he was also the sacrificial lamb.

4)RAISE RIGHT ARM & MIX BLOOD: Jesus was both man and God. He was holy and also human. As we have the shed blood of Jesus Christ applied to our hearts, His blood cleanses us from all sin and we are also made holy. Our lives are forever intermingled with His.

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The 9 steps seen in the New Covenant5) EXCHANGE NAMES: Jesus took on the name, "Son of Man” and we

take on the name Christian.

6) MAKE A SCAR: Jesus has the scars of the nails in His hands and the feet and the spear in His side. We have the circumcision of the heart.

Romans 2:29, "But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God."

7) GIVE THE COVENANT TERMS: Jesus gives the terms of the covenant in the Bible. We must possess an obedient faith.

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The 9 steps seen in the New Covenant8) EAT MEMORIAL MEAL: 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26, "For I

received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, `This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, `This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."

9) PLANT A MEMORIAL TREE: The cross that Jesus died on was the tree that the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on and it still is a memorial of His covenant with us to this day.

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4. New Covenant cont.Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on

the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

– Trampled Jesus underfoot

– Counted the blood a common thing

– Insulted the Spirit of grace

But we serve a merciful God!

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4. New Covenant cont.2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the

Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

What is His Promise? Jer 31

1. God’s law is written on our hearts2. We are God’s chosen people3. We shall all know God4. No partiality with God5. Our sin is truly forgiven; wiped out completely!

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Summary

1. God went to great lengths to relate with His people

2. Covenants were established from early on as a way for God to give his word to man and have a relationship

3. Covenants are binding; some for eternity

4. God loves you so much that He sent His only son to establish a New Covenant filled with great promises

5. He wants you to be in that Covenant!