In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of following the Word of God rather than the traditions of men. He encourages listeners to carefully study the Bible and listen to the teachings in sequence to avoid misunderstandings. The speaker also highlights the significance of covenant in the Christian walk, using the example of Jonathan and David's covenant in the Bible. He suggests that salvation itself is a covenant and urges believers to share this understanding with others.

When anyone receives revelation in the Word of God, it sometimes conflicts with what he has previously been taught. This causes you to have to deal with old traditions or wrong teaching. These tapes may contain some new light from God's Word, and it may be opposed to some traditions you have previously learned. Therefore, follow through these messages in your Bible, in sequence, in order that you may be able to make a choice for the Word of God, rather than the traditions of men. This is tape number two in a series. We urge you to listen to all the tapes in this series, in numerical order, so that the whole teaching can be received and understood. Listening to a part of this series, or to the tapes out of sequence, can lead to a misunderstanding of the nature, the intent, and the importance of this series. Alright, now, I want you to say it because a man doesn't have to be as bad as he can be for the devil to be his father. Are you hearing me? Alright, now look. You walk according to the course of the world. You walk according to the principle of the power of the air, of the spirit that's now working in the sons of what? Disobedience. Is that the opposite of obedience? Among them, we too all... What's that next word? Formerly. Now, it may be different in your Bible, but you follow. Those of you who have a translation like mine, then you need to shout it out so everybody else can hear it. Formerly. Among them too we all formerly lived... What did we live in? The lust of our flesh. We formerly lived there. Now listen to me. If you don't... I'm stressing these for a point because we're going to come to a central point in just a moment. It says you formerly lived in the lust of your flesh. Is that right? I say, is that right? Alright, you formerly lived there. You formerly walked according to the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and boastful pride, right? You formerly walked according to the nature of the devil, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Does it say you indulged them? And were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. Now go with me to chapter 4, verse 17. This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk... Would you say that word with me? Walk. Salvation and covenant is a walk. That you walk, you walk no longer... Now look, he's going to describe something. No longer just as the Gentiles also walk in the futility of their mind. Now here's what happens to you. Being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the what? The life of God. Because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their hearts. How many of you see that? And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, to the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. Alright? Now, are you hearing a description of somebody the way they used to walk? I say, are you hearing a description of somebody? Is that a description of somebody walking and living for themselves? Alright, now I want you to just don't even follow with me, but I'm going to read the verses again, and I want you to listen carefully. Listen carefully. Don't let your mind drift. Don't think because we just went over. Listen carefully. Being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that's in them, because of the hardness of their hearts, they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. And you formerly walked according to the course of the world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience. You lived in the lust of the flesh, and you indulged the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath. Now let me tell you what God calls that description. Ephesians 2. Notice carefully. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 12. Remember that you were at that time, that is, while you were living with that kind of a life, you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded, everybody say excluded, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the what? Covenants of promise. How many of you see that? Now, we're learning something about covenants through the back door. If you live like that, if you live satisfying your flesh desires, if you indulge the flesh, if you live in the darkness of your mind, if you don't take your thoughts captive, if you live for what you see, if your ears participate in things that shouldn't be, if your mouth speaks utterances with your lips, but your heart's far from God, you are a stranger. Is that what we just read? I said, is that what we just read? So what would it mean to walk in covenant then? Well, turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. If those things indicate what covenant isn't, if living for yourself, if living in the selfish desires of your own heart, now listen to me, please listen to me, please hear me, I want you to hear this. Don't think you can please yourself with bitterness, greed, selfish ambition, bitterness, revenge, outbursts of temper, anger. Don't think you can walk and live in those things, even in the secret places of your home where nobody else sees. God says if you walk pleasing yourself and your flesh, you are a stranger to the covenants of promise. You're not in covenant with God. Now let me ask you, is that what we read? I'll say, is that what we read? Alright, now listen. What then does walking in covenant mean? 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 14. For the love of Christ does what? Restrains or controls us. What restrains or controls us? The love of Christ. But now listen to me. Have we seen that if you have the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the boastful, selfish, self-centered nature and pride of life that's in your heart, then the love of God is not in you. Have we seen that? Then what we could say is that the love of the world is in you and the love of God cannot constrain or control you. Is that right? Alright, now let's see what happens here. Having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died, and he died for all, now here's covenant, that they who live should no longer live for themselves but for him. How many of you see that? I say, how many of you see that? That is the very nature of covenant. Are you with me? You see, let me tell you what covenant does. I want you to go with me to an illustration of covenant in the Old Testament. 2 Samuel chapter 18. 1 Samuel chapter 18. And many of you may have seen this illustration of Jonathan, David, and Mephibosheth. But I want you to see this. We're going to look at it, and I want you to think about what we've said thus far. What does sin do? What does sin destroy? It destroys your love relationship with God. Can you build up an idol if you build up an idol in your heart? When you hide yourself from that, and the emptiness, you try to cover the emptiness. How many people have you known that have had their love relationship destroyed with God because they're walking in sin? Now listen, they may not be committing adultery. They might not be getting drunk. They might not be beating their wife. They might not be lying and cheating and stealing. They might be doing some of the church's respectable sins, like just loving the world. You know the church has respectable sins, don't you? Just loving the world. You know, they look good. But you know what they do? They participate in church activities so they can hide themselves from the emptiness and the fear. And so they're not challenged from that position. They build up idols of doctrines and traditions of men that they place on the inside of their heart so they can defend their carnal, selfish position. You know, I have gotten more opposition from the tapes I get on the carnal Christian than anything I've done. All I say is there's no such thing. I even say that Christians can do some carnal things. And all I say on those tapes is that they won't stay there and they won't live in it. When they find out it's not like God, they'll repent. I'm not even saying Christians can't do some real carnal things. As a matter of fact, I can read in the Word of God where some great men of God did some very, very carnal things. But I don't see any of them that stayed in it. You see, people want to protect carnal, fleshly living so they can go to heaven and just lose a few heavenly rewards. But the surprise is their eyes get opened in hell. They don't go to heaven. My covenant is first and foremost a walk of death. Are you hearing me? You can't get into Christ Jesus unless you die to your Lordship and you come under His Lordship. It's a walk of death. Now, it's not just an act, but it's a continual walk of Jesus being Lord. You see, God wants your whole heart. Now, listen to me carefully. When God gets your whole heart, when you walk under the Lordship of God, you walk into a covenant relationship with Him. You give Him your whole heart. But now, notice what happens. It happens to everybody who's walked with God. You get down the road a little bit in that walk and you find out there's some areas of your heart He doesn't have. Now, if He really has your heart, what are you going to do? You're going to give Him those areas. And you think you've walked down the road a little bit longer and you find out something else. There's some more areas in there He doesn't have because the more you walk with Him, the more you see in Him, the more holy He becomes and the more unholy you see yourself. But you keep looking to the grace and you repent and you keep getting those things right. Now, listen. When you walk like that, then He has your whole heart. You know why? Because everything you see in your heart that conflicts with His will, you choose His will and you refuse the lust of the flesh. Are you hearing what I'm saying? In that way, God has your whole heart. It's a walk with Him. Alright, now listen. Covenant is a covenant of love. God's love is never destroyed, but we destroy our love relation with Him when we sin. Are you with me? Alright, now we're going to look at a love story that's an illustration of our walk with God and I want you to see how important covenant is when they make covenant. 1 Samuel 18, verse 1. Now, it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David. And Jonathan, he did what with him? He loved him as what? As himself. He loved him as himself. And Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because, why? He loved him as himself. Now, why did they make this covenant? Because of love. Alright, now I want you to see what they did. And Jonathan stripped himself of, what did he strip himself of? He stripped himself of the robe that was on him and he gave it to David with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt. Now, there's several things. We're going to look at some of them. Some of them we're going to miss. We're not going to cover, but we'll cover every one of these things this week. When a person made covenant, there's several things they did. They exchanged robes. They exchanged belts. They made a covenant mark. They made a covenant sacrifice. They had a covenant meal. They made a covenant oath. They exchanged names frequently. Now, we don't see all of that right here. And then they would exchange weapons. Now, we do see that here. Now, we're going to see every one of those things this week in the making of covenant. But I'm only going to cover part of them now. Now, here's what would happen. They exchanged robes and they exchanged belts and they exchanged weapons. Is that what we see happen to Jonathan and David? Alright, now we're going to see what takes place. When you exchanged robes, you were literally exchanging identities. Now, here's why covenant is a walk of death. Because here's what we're saying. If this brother and I made covenant together, it means, if we were to make covenant together right now tonight, here's what it would mean. All of his debts, all of his liabilities, and all of his assets are no longer his. They now belong to me. Likewise, all of my debts, all of my liabilities, and all of my assets no longer belong to me. They belong to him. Because we no longer live for ourselves. I now live for my covenant partner and my covenant partner now lives for me. Does that sound like a walk of death to you? Does that sound like dying to myself? Is that something you'd enter into lightly with someone? Alright, now let's stop and think about this just a minute. It just so happened that God the Father entered into a covenant with us? No. With Jesus. Let me tell you why. This covenant was so serious. As a matter of fact, we'll see tomorrow night about Abraham making a covenant and here's what they frequently did. They had a sacrifice. And I'll go over this tomorrow night, but very quickly, they'd take the sacrificial animal, cut it in two, lay half the pieces here and half the pieces here, and then they would begin to make a figure eight and they would walk through those pieces. You'll see in the Bible, you ever see a place where God says, lest I carry you in pieces? Have you ever seen that in the Bible? It's all throughout the Old Testament. You know why he says that? He says, lest you break covenant. That's what it means. When you tore the pieces, you broke covenant. If you violated the pieces, because here's what they did. As they walked a figure eight through those pieces, they would stop in the middle and they would give the oath, terms and curses, the blessings and the oath and the terms of the covenant and the cursings of breaking covenant and they'd say, God, so do as unto me as to these pieces if I break this covenant with my covenant partner. Does that sound serious? You know what it meant? It meant death. Alright? Now, if you were to enter a covenant like that with God, here's what that would mean. That would mean there'd be no opportunity for mercy, there'd be no opportunity for grace and there'd be no opportunity for forgiveness because the minute you transgress faithfulness to God, as much as he is faithful to you, you would be worthy of death instantly. How many of you would like to enter that covenant? But here's what happens. We'll see this. Abraham never walked through the pieces. The Lord Jesus Christ walked through the pieces on his behalf. And guess what he did? He was just as faithful to the Father as the Father was to him. He fulfilled covenant on our behalf. Are you with me? Alright, now. But now I want you to notice something. We still have a responsibility of keeping covenant. Are you with me? Now, let's see what God did through Jesus. I said that when you exchange robes, you exchange identities. Did that happen in a covenant relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, we see in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 23, 2 Corinthians 5, 21, that he who knew no sin was made to be sin on our behalf that we might become what? The righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Here's what God did. God took his robe of righteousness off and he put it on us and took our robe of sin and put it on Jesus. And for that reason, covenant was made. You literally exchanged identities with God. All of his assets become your assets. All of his liabilities and debts become your debts. But he didn't have any. He literally didn't have any. Mark 1 Samuel 18 because we're going to come back there. Put a pencil, a piece of paper. Better not put your pencil there. You may want to mark something. Put something there to mark it and turn with me to Colossians 2. Colossians 2, verse 9. For in him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form and in him you have been made what? Complete. We're in Colossians 2, verse 10. And in him you have been made complete and he is the head over all rule and authority and in him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. King James says in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh. Verse 12. Having been buried with him in baptism. Does that sound like death? Buried with him in baptism in which you also were also raised up with him through faith in the working of God who raised him up from the dead. Now look at this. And when you were dead in your love relationship in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh he made you alive together with him. Does it sound like the exchanged identities? I say does it sound like the exchanged identities? He made you alive together with him having forgiven us all our transgressions. He not only exchanged robes but let's see what he did with the debts and the liabilities. Having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us and he has taken it out of the way having nailed it to the cross. He took the debts and he took the liabilities. Are you with me? I say are you with me? Alright. Now, not only did they exchange that but now let's see what we've got to do. If we're exchanging identities turn with me to Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13. Now, you can begin to understand some phrases that you read in the New Testament. Let me give you a couple of them. Put off the old man. Put off. And everybody look at me. And put on the Lord Jesus Christ the robe of righteousness. Remember those phrases? Put off the old man. Put on the Lord Jesus. How many of you remember reading that? Let's see what happens. Did we say covenant is a walk of death? Now, if you really have put on the Lord Jesus Christ let's see what you do. Romans chapter 13. Verse 11. And this do knowing the time that it is already the hour for you to do what? Awaken from sleep for now salvation is near to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Notice carefully. Let us behave properly as in the day not in carousing and drunkenness not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality not in strife and jealousy. But what's those two words? Put on. Put on who? The Lord Jesus Christ and if you put the Lord Jesus Christ on what will you do? You'll make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. How many of you see that? Now let me tell you something. Is that covenant? Now listen to me carefully. If you are making provision in your life for the lusts of with God that's not a good place to be. You are out of covenant with God. Now I won't shake you up with this because I want you to think about it. Because here's what that means. I don't know how many men I've talked to that have a lust problem and spend hours upon hours before the television set. Now don't say well he's going back to that old holiness preaching about getting away from the television says well I'll tell you something we need a little bit of that holiness preaching. But I want to tell you something. I want to tell you something. I'm not on a crusade against television. You do what you want to. But I'll tell you what I am a crusade against. I'm on a crusade against somebody coming and wanting to get rid of a demon of lust and set before that box and feed it night after night after night. I can't do anything for them. They're making covenant with the devil. They're making provision for the lusts of the flesh. And they're not in covenant with God. I can't do anything anyway. God has to meet them in covenant to break that bondage but he can't meet them because they're making provision for the lusts of the flesh. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Now I want to ask you a question. What's your weakness that the devil keeps drawing you into and what kind of provision are you making for him? Are you with me? When you exchange the roads he takes all your debts and your liabilities but you make no provision for the lusts of the flesh. Is that clear? It doesn't say you don't walk in the lusts of the flesh although that's what it means. It says you don't make provision for it. You see, recently my wife and I went on a vacation first time this has ever happened to us. Not the first time we'd ever gone on a vacation but it's the first time it ever happened because we walked outside. We just got there that night and we walked outside and we went to supper that Sunday night and Monday morning we walked outside and I happened to look down and the van wasn't where I thought I parked it. And so I thought well I must have parked it somewhere else but the more steps I took the more I realized that's exactly where I parked it. And then I looked down and I saw glass down around the parking lot and sure enough we found out they had busted a window and stolen the button. That's a strange feeling. But see I didn't make any provision for that. But if I had left the door unlocked and the keys in the ignition would I have made provision for the thief? You see you're going to get tempted. You're going to get tempted. There's going to be some times possibly when the devil may even rob you of some things and you don't even know how it happened. Which is covenant God sufficient. Are you hearing what I'm saying? I mean let's take the area of healing for example. Healing is in the covenant. But there are things we don't know about healing yet. Are you with me? Let's put it this way. There's things I don't know about healing yet. I don't know about you. I don't know. I just don't know. I don't know why some people get healed and some people don't. I'm absolutely convinced as well as I know my own name. It's the will of God to heal. But I don't have all the answers. But I know this. I can still rest in the provisions of my covenant keeping God. Are you with me? But now if I'm leaving keys in the ignition and the door unlocked for the enemy to come in and rob and steal I can't avail myself even of the healing provisions. Are you with me? You hear what I'm saying? Nor can I avail myself of any other promise that's there if I'm making provision for the loss of my flesh. Because I'm not walking in covenant with God. Now how many of you are with me? Are you hearing what I'm saying? Alright. Now what I want you to do then is I want you to turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 12. 2 Corinthians chapter 12. Now I said that as we saw Jonathan and David exchange, did they exchange robes? Let me ask you did they also exchange belts or girdles? Alright, now let me tell you what that stood for. The exchange of belts or girdles meant that I exchanged strength. Well, here's what God does. Now I want you to listen to me carefully. God exchanges His strength for your strength. God takes your strength called weakness and exchanges it for His strength called power. And He's willing to make that exchange with you. I want you to read with me about Paul and his thorn in the flesh. Oh, there's so much debate and argument over Paul's thorn in the flesh. Would you like me to tell you what it is? Would you like me to tell you what it is? I don't know. I don't know what it was. All I know is it was a messenger of Satan sent to buffet him because that's what he said. But now let me tell you where the emphasis is wrong. Everybody's trying to argue over Paul's thorn. That's not the point. Look with me. Chapter 12, 2 Corinthians. Verse 7. And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations for this reason to keep me from exalting myself there was given me a thorn in the flesh. All I know is it was a messenger of Satan to buffet him to keep him from exalting himself. Is that what it says? Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me and He said to me, My grace. Now what is grace? The power of God to do His will. He said My grace is sufficient for you for power is perfected in what? Weakness. Does God say I exchange strengths with you? Now notice what he says. Most gladly therefore. Now notice this. Everybody says, Well Paul just said most gladly I'll just rejoice in my weaknesses in my infirmities. That's not what he said. He said most gladly therefore I will rather boast about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me. I like what the King James says that the power might rest upon him. Are you hearing what I'm saying? That's the issue. That's the point. Whatever the thorn was, whatever it was, Paul didn't have to stay in his weakness. He became weak that the power of God might be exchanged through covenant that the power of God might rest upon him. Now how many of you see that? I say how many of you see that? Okay. Now so the issue is God made an exchange. Turn with me to Isaiah 40. Isaiah 40. Isaiah 40. Isaiah 40 verse 28. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, he does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the who? To the faint or weary, and to him who lacks might, what does he do? He increases strength or power. Does that sound like an exchange to you? Do you see what it meant when they exchanged girdles? Is God in covenant exchanging strength for weakness? Is that what the word says? Does he promise to do that in covenant? I don't have many of you talking with me. Alright. Now notice this. He's either gone to sleep or gotten mad. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might, he increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength, or as it literally says, exchange strengths. That's the literal Hebrew in the message. They exchange strengths. Now are you listening? It says they'll mount up with wings like eagles, they'll run and not get tired, they'll walk and not become weary. How many of you see that? Now let me tell you what's wrong with that. That's covenant, and you can go to any bookstore and probably find a plaque that says that very thing. It's a very popular saying, and you can find you a plaque, and you can mount it on your wall, but it won't work as long as you're living for yourself. Because it is a covenant message and a covenant time. Are you hearing what I'm saying? You can't be living in your strength and exchange with your strength. Covenant is a walk of death. Are you with me? Alright. Now, I want you to turn with me back to 2 Samuel. I ask you to mark that 1 Samuel. I ask you to mark that place. 1 Samuel chapter 18. We've got just a few more scriptures we're going to cover before we dismiss. 1 Samuel chapter 18. Did I say covenant was a walk of death? Now I mentioned some things, and we're going to cover some more. I mentioned that it's an exchange of robes, identity. It's an exchange of strength. It is also an exchange of enemies. But before we look at the exchange of enemies, I want you to see something. I want you to see how serious this relationship of covenant was. Now, you remember the story of Jonathan and David and Mephibosheth. Or Jonathan and David and Saul especially. Jonathan will Saul's son. Now notice what happens. Rather than turning to verse 18, turn with me to verse or to chapter 20 chapter 22. 1 Samuel chapter 22. Now here's what happens. Now I want you to see this. Whenever you made covenant with someone, it meant that all of your liabilities, debts, and assets became your covenant partners and likewise theirs yours. Are you with me? Are you with me? Not only that, but all of your enemies became your covenant partner's enemies and his enemies became yours. Alright, now listen to me. Jonathan and David made a covenant with one another. But Saul, Jonathan's father is out to kill David. If they are in covenant with one another, Jonathan and Saul, when he kills David, he will also have to kill his own son, Jonathan. And notice this. Saul doesn't know anything about the covenant and all of a sudden somebody tells him and in 1 Samuel 22 verse 7 he says, and Saul said to his servants who stood around him, Hear now, O Benjamites, will the son of Jesse, who is the son of Jesse, David, will the son of Jesse or David also give to all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? For all of you have conspired against me, so that there is no one who discloses to me when my son makes a covenant. How many of you see that? He's saying, I would have made you commanders of thousands and hundreds and yet you lied to me. He's walking in fear because he's suddenly realizing his son has made covenant with his enemy and that means that he becomes the enemy of his son and it has shaken him. Are you hearing me? That he's so filled with hate and so filled with murder and jealousy and envy that he can't stop himself because a root of bitterness has taken over his heart. I want you to see how serious Jonathan and David took the covenant. Turn with me to the 20th chapter of 1 Samuel. Let's see how serious it was to them. Did I say it was a walk of death? Now I want you to see what happens. David doesn't know how angry Saul is with him for sure and so he asks his covenant partner Jonathan to go to Saul, his father and to find out if he's angry with him and to report back to him and tell him. Now here's what he says in 1 Samuel chapter 20 verse 6. If your father misses me at all then say David earnestly ask leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city because it is the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family. So he says if Saul misses me tell him I've gone to Bethlehem. If he says it is good your servant shall be saved but if he says it's good then David says I'll know I'm safe but if he is very angry know that he has decided on evil. Now look what he says. He's going to plead with him. Don't read the next verse yet because I want to tell you where we're going. He's going to plead with him now and David's going to say something to him. He said now Jonathan I want you to go find out from Saul whether he's mad or whether he's willing to accept it. But Jonathan don't betray me. I want you to examine me Jonathan and see if I've broken covenant with you. And if I have broken covenant then here's what I want you to do. Notice what he says. Verse 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant for you have brought your servant into a what? A covenant of the Lord with you but if there is sin or iniquity in me put me to death yourself for why then should you bring me to your father? How many of you see that? You know what he's saying? He's saying this covenant relationship with you Jonathan is so serious. Go find out who your father stands but don't betray me. If I'm worthy of betrayal by having been unfaithful to you in this covenant then what am I worthy of? I'm worthy of death but put me to death yourself if I sin. Do you see how serious covenant was for them? Do you see how serious it is to God? Alright now notice. Here's what happened. Turn with me. Well look at verse 23. Here's the description of the covenant. Verse 23 As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken behold the Lord is between you and me forever. How long is that covenant going to be? Forever between Jonathan and David. Is that right? Look at verse 42 And Jonathan said to David Verse 42 Chapter 20 And Jonathan said to David go in safety inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord saying the Lord will be between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants how long? Forever. Then he rose and departed while Jonathan went into the city. Now notice this. The covenants between Jonathan and David. It's serious It's so serious that anyone who breaks it or allows sin to come in is worthy of death. Is that right? But I want you to notice the covenants not only between Jonathan and David but between them and their descendants. Is that right? Did we talk about a covenant relationship between God the Father and God the Son and his descendants or heirs joint heirs with Jesus Christ Are you with me? Alright now here's what happens. Jonathan escaped the lies of his father Saul but Jonathan's son Mephibosheth and the rest of the family didn't because all they ever heard coming out of Saul's mouth was hatred, bitterness anger, resentment, murder, jealousy, envy the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and his boastful pride of life and his love relationship was cut off and not only that but it affected his whole family because Jonathan and Saul are out on patrol and the Philistines come roaring down upon them and they're killed in battle but now David is left but David was not only in covenant with Jonathan he was also in covenant with the descendants and so David represents the Father and the Father David is looking for, searching for the descendants of the covenant partner to bring blessing on their behalf. Are you with me? Now notice what happens turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 9 read this story for yourself, I'm skipping a lot but I'm doing this to show you so we can go through quickly, I'm not wanting to just give history but I'm wanting you to see the importance of covenant are you seeing it? I say are you seeing it? Alright now listen to me, wouldn't it be interesting if we really understood that salvation was covenant and that this message and this walk of salvation was the walk of covenant? Why don't we tell people that when they come to the Lord Jesus? Why don't we understand not only the covenant blessings but the necessity of walking with Him with your whole heart Alright now listen when the message came that Jonathan and Saul were killed in battle it so frightened the household that they ran from their house to flee because they were afraid that David now with those two gone would come and murder the whole family and so there's little Mephibosheth five years old and so as they're running and fleeing the royal nurse stumbles and falls and Mephibosheth hits the ground and his legs are broken but he's taken on into a place in the desert called Lodibar, the word Lodibar means a place of no pasture, now here he is here's Mephibosheth he belongs in the palace of the king but he's living in a place of no pasture, a desert David inquires to find out if there's anybody left of the house of Jonathan and a man named Ziba who used to be Saul's servant tells him yes he has a son Mephibosheth he's in Lodibar in the desert and so Jonathan or David sends his soldiers to go get Mephibosheth and they bring Mephibosheth to the palace of the king and now notice listen to me David represents the father Jonathan who died represents the Lord Jesus Christ and you and I represent Mephibosheth and look what happens verse 1 2 Samuel 9 then David said is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba and they called him to David and the king said to him are you Ziba and he said I am your servant and the king said is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God and Ziba said to the king there is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet so the king said to him where is he and Ziba said to the king behold he's in the house of Mekar the son of Amiel in Lodibar then king David sent and brought him from the house of Mekar the son of Amiel from Lodibar and Mephibosheth the son of who Jonathan who does Jonathan represent Jesus who does Mephibosheth represent us and so Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself now let me tell you why he's called the son of Jonathan the son of Saul you were a descendant of another man before you became a descendant of the Lord Jesus you were the descendant of a man who lived for himself and he chose the way of rebellion his name was Adam you were a son of Adam because you were in Adam's loins and when you came to Jesus when Jesus Christ died on that cross we read it in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 for he who died died for all and so he represents having died for every person of the whole world are you with me? but then you have to make a choice you have to make a choice whether to come before him the king of glory or to live in a desert to live in a place of no pasture and so here he is now I want you to notice what Mephibosheth says notice carefully verse 6 and Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself and David said Mephibosheth and he said here is your servant and David said to him do not fear for I will surely show kindness to you for what reason? for the sake of your father Jonathan and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul and you shall eat at my table regularly and again he prostrated himself and said what is your servant that you should regard a dead dog like me he said I don't deserve to be here it's unmerited but I want to tell you something it is unmerited but now notice what he says you're not there because of who you are then verse 9 then the king called Saul's servant Zeba and said to him all that belong to Saul and all his household I've given to your master's grandson and you and your servant sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him you shall bring in the produce so that your master's grandson may have food nevertheless Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall eat at my table regularly verse 11 then Zeba said to the king according to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do so Mephibosheth ate at David's table as one of the kings and that's what God wants for you in covenant are you with me now I'm going to close with this but I want you to see something they not only exchange liabilities and assets they not only exchange strength but there was one other thing we saw them exchange weapons which means that we exchange enemies are you with me that means that not only does God say I will fight your battle and let you eat at the king's table as one of the king's sons not only will I erase your debts and your liabilities but I'll take on your enemies but now listen to me that's only when you're in covenant with God if you're in covenant with God not only does he take on your enemies but he take on his enemies are you hearing what I'm saying turn with me to James chapter 4 James chapter 4 James chapter 4 verse 4 you Adolphuses do you not know that friendship friendship with the world now if the world is in you is the love of God in you friendship now does it say I want you to see who he's talking about would you start with me in verse 1 what is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members you lust and do not have so you commit murder and you're envious and cannot obtain so you fight and quarrel you do not have because you do not ask you ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives so that you may spend it on your pleasures now is he talking to the world or is he talking to brothers the only promise that he gives that he'll answer their prayers is to those who are in Christ Jesus and he's talking to brothers and yet he's saying to them you Adolphuses what is an Adolphus is an Adolphus someone that's supposed to be married to one husband and yet she sleeps with others or he sleeps with others is that right who are you sleeping with the world the lust of the acts the lust of the flesh and the boastful pride of lying now notice what he says he says do you not know that friendship those who entertain the world those who make provision for the lust of the flesh the lust of the acts and the boastful pride of lying those people who make friendship with the world are in hostility toward God and it gets worse therefore whoever wishes now would you mark that word wishes or desires you see listen to me you may be resisting a whole lot of things outwardly but if in your heart you are wishing and desiring the friendship of the lust of the flesh to please yourself to live for yourself if you wish to be a friend of the world if inwardly that's your desire you make yourself what an enemy of God you know why because you've broken covenant with God and his enemies are no longer your enemies because his enemy is friendship with the world if you've got friendship with the world in your life you are not walking now I'm not saying you're not friends with some worldly people or that you don't go into the world that you don't witness I'm talking about the condition of the heart toward the lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh and the pride of lying are you getting what I'm saying if that's what you're making friends with if you're living in idolatry greed, selfish ambition any of those things idols in your heart you make friendship with the world and God becomes not only do you step out of covenant with God but God becomes your covenant enemy that's not good come with me to Philippians Philippians chapter 3 of Philippians chapter 3 of Philippians verse 2 beware of the dogs beware of the evil workers beware of the false circumcision for we are the true circumcision and we're going to understand this word circumcision before the week's over we're the true circumcision who worship, what does the true circumcision do? who worship in the spirit of God and what do they glory in? they glory in Christ Jesus and they put how much confidence? no confidence in the flesh that means they don't live for the flesh, is that right? verse 17 brethren, join in following my example and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us for many walk just a little bit, just a few many, and I'm telling you many are walking this way many walk of whom I've often told you and now tell you even weeping that they are enemies of the cross of Christ what's their end? whose end is destruction, why? because when you become an enemy you're no longer walking in covenant with God, your end is destruction whose God is their appetite their belly, what it means is their God is their own selfish lustful desires, what they want is what they choose, what they want to do is what they pick when the temptations come, they don't want to suffer in the flesh, they don't want to resist the devil they want some way to do it for them they want some five steps to victory they want some preacher to tell them how to walk in victory they want some sermon, some tape some message to do it they don't want to resist and deny themselves they want some way to live in their carnal selfish desires and still have Jesus but here's what he says whose glory is in their shame who set their minds on earthly things and what did he call them? enemies of the cross of Christ this concludes tape number 2 please proceed to tape number 3 where this message continues