Teaching at DLTC 2-23-08 by Billie Johnson         

As believers we need to think about what we have with Christ.  Too often we accept what the church teaches without examining it.  Let’s examine what we really have with God through Christ.  When we bought our business we had to have a legal document that gave the particulars of who was buying and who was selling and the privileges and responsibility of each.  A legal document is much like a covenant. We don’t talk much about covenants today but it is an agreement only more serious and is a legal document also. It takes at least two parties to make a covenant. When I read about Abraham and God making a covenant I didn’t really understand what it was all about.  The cut open sacrifices, the flame going down the middle, what was that all about? 

Let’s look at Genesis 15:7-19 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, 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. God was setting the stage for a covenant-cutting ceremony. The word ‘Cutting’ covenant’ was used because the animals were split open. We know that a covenant requires a sacrifice of blood and this is shown here.  There are places in the Middle East where this is still done today. In order to make this covenant God humbled himself to accept an inferior role.  There are ancient records that indicate the inferior party would walk between the bleeding pieces of split animals, and take an oath of loyalty to his superior.   They would say “May the gods do so to me as I have done to these animals if I do not fulfill the terms of this covenant!” 

Back to verse 11:  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 (God) 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 (the people that lived in Canaan) is not yet complete.” This is a prophecy from God to Abraham about what will happen to his descendents for 400+ years.  Verse 17:  And 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.  The words, ‘a smoking oven and a burning torch’ are just a figure of speech.  This was God himself, the glory of God the Shekinah that passed through the pieces of the animals.   ¹⁸On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land.  God’s oath was unconditional and unilateral.  There was nothing required of Abraham except to believe.  This covenant is a model for the New Covenant in Jesus Christ.  God again was the one who was unconditional for us.  We only have to believe. The main two covenants we’re concerned with are the Abrahamic Covenant and the New Covenant.  Jesus said, “This is the new testament, the new covenant in my blood.”   He was making a new covenant.  We’ve seen how Abraham made a covenant.  Abraham’s covenant involved a relationship with God. Our covenant also involves a relationship with God through Christ. Galatians 3:29 if you are in Christ then are you Abraham’s seed according to the promise.   Gal 4:3 ³Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. ⁴But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” We are sons of God not just children, children don’t have authority; grown ups do.  We need to grow up and use the authority that God has given us.   Too many times we have an Old covenant mindset which comes from the Old Testament.  We think “God is out there somewhere” and we recognize that we lack something.  We think we have to have more of God, more of the Holy Spirit, etc. We feel we don’t have what we need.  We need more money or a better job.  A New Covenant mindset tells us that we do have everything we need.  We are complete and perfect in Christ. We must begin to walk out these things that have been put in us.  One difference between an Old Covenant and the New Covenant is that we change our thinking so we are walking as a New Creation.                   

As I taught on the New Creation last month we learned that our spirits are created new when we are born again.   That new spirit needs to percolate down into our mind and will and emotions.  We start to do the works that Jesus did.  Those works are not for us but for the glory of God.  He is glorified by us healing the sick, casting out demons, and telling others about the good news of what Jesus has done in us.                     

Recently I had to go to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned.  I’ve used the same dental hygienist for many years.  Pam was busy scraping and cleaning when one of the office persons came in and said here’s a message for you, Pam.  She finished the area she was doing and then read the message.  I believe she is a Christian but I don’t know how deep her walk is with the Lord. She exclaimed, “O my God!”  I asked what was wrong.  She said that one of their best friends had just died.  He was her husband’s very best friend.  I immediately put my hand on her arm and asked if I could pray.  She didn’t say no, so I asked the Lord’s comfort and help for her in this time and prayed for her.  She was quiet after I prayed and continued to clean my teeth.  After a bit she excused herself to go and blow her nose.  She came back and said the tears were interfering with the mask she had on.  She then started to talk about this John who had died.  She said he was of Catholic background but didn’t believe the Bible.  He thought it was just something someone had made up, just myths.  He was a good person and always gave to others though.  She said he recently had been studying Buddhism. She said her husband was also searching like John was and was very much like him in thought. She continued to talk and of course I just listened as her hands were in my mouth!  When I could say something I said that Buddha didn’t rise from the dead.  Later in the conversation I said there was proof of Jesus being raised from the dead.  She listened and hopefully she had some information to give to her husband.  Several years ago I would never have thought to have a conversation like that but because I have continued to grow and renew my mind I was bold enough to say something, praise God.  He was glorified through that conversation. Some people think that we have to work our way into heaven as this John must have because he did good things.  But we know that we are made righteous by our faith.            

Let’s take a look at faith for a minute.  Galatians 3:7-14. ⁷Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. ⁸And the Scripture

, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gos

pel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” ⁹So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing

 Abraham.  We like Abraham are blessed through our believing God.  

 It’s not just Abraham’s direct bodily descendents that are to be blessed but we know that the Jews believe that.  It is those who believe in God like Abraham did, through faith.            ¹⁰For as many as are of the works of the

 law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”  This tells us that we are unable to keep the whole law.  If we mess up on just one part we have sinned in all of it.   ¹¹But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” ¹²Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”¹³Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us ¹⁴that

the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. What is the promise that Jesus would give the Gentiles (us)?  It is of course that we receive the Holy Spirit through our faith.  We can’t do it any other way.  We can’t work our way into heaven.  Jesus was not only our New Covenant maker he was the one who took all the curses recorded in Deut 28 with him as he hung on the tree so all those curses are not applicable to us.   There are blessings recorded there as well as curses but read them sometime and think about what our Lord did for us! As I mentioned before we have to grow up into the Word of God.  We renew our mind as we grow up.  Our spirits don’t grow.  It is our mind, our soul that grows up. That new recreated spirit is perfect.  That new spirit happened when we got born again.  Now our work is to get our mind to line up with our spirit. As we take the promises of the Word, we start to walk them out and we become partakers of his divine nature, II Peter 1:4.  We have that divine nature in our spirit but we have to get our souls lined up with them.  You see someone sick and your will steps forward and yes, God wants me to do this. The soul is recognizing what needs to be done through the mind.   Then you lay hands on the sick, that’s using your body to bless someone with power from God.  This is lining your soul and your body and your

OLD COVENANT MINDSET COMPARED TO NEW COVENANT MINDSET 

   Heb 11-3  ¹God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time

 past to the fathers by the prophets, ²has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.” God spoke through the prophets to the fathers, patriarchs under the Old Covenant.  But in these last days He spoke through His son, Jesus.  He is still speaking to us because we are still in the last days. 

 II Tim 3:16 ¹⁶All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable

 for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped

 for every good work.”  Scripture is given for our benefit  we know that but we’ve got to use it.  Heb 1:3 also says that Jesus is the “brightness of his glory.”   He is the express image of God’s person.  God’s person is really His character so Jesus is the perfect reflection of God’s character.  He perfectly reflected God’s character to us.  We are to reflect Jesus! 

          Better promises / New Covenant           

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.” It seems like there are two god but there are only one. The Old Testament didn’t reflect all of God’s character but it reflected the justice and holiness of God.  God had to deal with man based upon how a just and holy God had to deal with fallen man whose sins were not dealt with.  Man was allowed a connection with God by having his sins atoned or covered.  But God couldn’t deal with sinful man the way He wanted to because man’s sins separated him from God.  BUT in the New Testament (Covenant) God was able, through Jesus to treat man like He wanted to.  Once Jesus came and was resurrected, and man received the Holy Spirit, God could treat men like they were innocent because Jesus was there to bear the penalty for their sins.  Through the Holy Spirit we have an open access to God

.  Heb 8:6 says ⁶But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry,

 inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.”  We need a New Covenant mindset to operate in New Covenant.  It is hard to try to operate in the New Covenant with Old Covenant mindset using the Old Covenant rules and regulatins.  Many Christians try to do this.  We have done it too but are realizing we need to change how we think, talk, and act.

 An Old Covenant mindset is always looking for God to speak through another person.  Do you have a word for me? In the Old Testament it was usually the prophet that spoke for God.An Old Covenant mindset will always be trying to earn or deserve God’s blessings rather than believe that everything we get from God, we get by grace.An Old Covenant mindset person will state that they do things by grace but will prove that they believe everything is by works by how they do things and how they talk.  An Old Covenant mindset will be afraid that God is either mad at them for something or will get mad at them if they mess up.  So they are afraid to try anything.  They are afraid to do anything without an express leading to do so.  Some preaching has been from an Old Covenant mindset so some teaching from the pulpit is: Don’t do anything without permission or you will get in trouble. Many people want God to tell them specifically what to do and when to do it, rather than realizing that God has already told us what to do and gave us examples of how to do it in the New Testament in Jesus!   We just need to put what we learn into practice.  Specific things we may need will be given as we go and do. As I have been used in prophecy I usually ‘see’ the words or a phrase in my mind and as I speak it out then more comes.  So God supplies more as we step out and speak or do what he says. It’s the same thing in the walk of faith.Here are the contrasts:         

Old Covenant                                     New Covenant

Find God, see what He’s doing.          God is in you all the time 

The battle is the Lord’s.                      We have weapons; we do battle 

 Here’s the plan, Lord, bless it.             He will bless whatever we put [our hand to, in accord with the Bible]

I am a God chaser.                              God is chasing us – he has found us  Don’t know what God wants to do      He’s told us in scriptures

Pull God down                                   God is in us,

                                                          Holy Spirit has been [poured out]

Ask the Holy Spirit to come                 He is IN us, has come already

Is a shadow                                          Is the real thing.  It’s NOW

The Holy Spirit doesn’t need to come or fall, He has been poured out and is in us and works thru us.  We are co-laborers with God.  Sometime we hear a great sermon based on New Covenant thoughts and then get up and sing a song that is filled with Old Covenant thoughts like trying to call God down or pleading with the Holy Spirit to come.   Some of our songs try to blend Old Covenant mindsets with New Covenant mindsets.  We need to be aware of what we are saying and singing.  I used to sing Come, Holy Spirit, but now I can’t do that ‘cause I know He is in me already.  One of the songs we sang tonight had the words, “I’m desperate for you” and we changed them to “I love you, Jesus” because we have him.  We shouldn’t be desperate for him.  He is in us already!  Yes, unbelievers can be desperate for him but as believers we are not desperate.  It’s like the old contract or guarantee that Don talked about.

Lord, what do you say about our New Covenant? “Yes, I have a New Covenant for you and you are in IT. The Old has been replaced.  When you replace something you don’t need to use it any longer.  You have outgrown it like a garment.  But don’t give it away, it can still be used as a background, a history but not the living document that you need.  My Spirit will direct you since you have direct access through Him.  Continue to grow and stretch your spiritual muscles!”  I will, Lord.

How are some of the ways we can continue to grow in our New Creation life and New Covenant way?  JGLM has a new State Director for the state of Wisconsin whose name is Timothy Jorgensen.  He has written a book which Curry Blake recommended to us.  We got the book which is called Spirit Life Training.   It is an awesome book.  I’d like to share with you some of his ideas.  He is able to put into words what we do but often we are not able to articulate what we are doing.

Here are a few things from the book.   He mentions that there are barriers to growing up in our spirit life.  The number 1 barrier is not wanting to take direction from someone else – and that may be God himself!  If a person can take direction they can get past the barriers to:

 1. Train the emotions: For many years I lived in my emotions. I didn’t know that I could train them.  David talks to his emotion in Ps 42:5 “Why are you cast down O, my soul? And why are you disquieted within me. Hope in God for I will yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”  We need to speak to our emotions and tell them what we want them to do, stop being full of fear – I will not be afraid. We make the choice of what emotions we allow to dominate our thoughts! As I told about our friend we prayed for.  She needed help to get out of that fear. Sometimes others can help us.

2. Deal with memories: Is 43:25 “I, even I, am He who will blot out our transgressions for my own sake; and will not remember your sins.”  God remembers his word.  We need to remember it also. We can cry out to him for good memories!  He can help us replace the bad memories and have a clean slate to do his works. God doesn’t remember it why should we?

3. Use your sanctified imagination:   Some would say the imagination is of the devil. But we can use it for God. We can use our imagination to prepare us for those things that God wants us to do.  Heb 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Imagination and Faith work closely together.  Athletes train by using their imagination to see every move to be perfect.  We can train our souls to be aware of what the Spirit is telling us and to do it.  Example:  I saw in my mind a car crash but didn’t tell Don about it.  It happened almost like I had seen in the spirit.  If I had been aware of how much the imagination can be used in godly ways I would have told him and we could have prayed against it.  I believe God was telling me to be aware but I missed it by not accepting what I saw in the spirit or in my imagination. We can use it in godly ways.    

4. Accept what your intelligence doesn’t understand yet:  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths.”  We need to learn to ask God questions and then to listen to his answers.  It can be as simple as asking his help in getting from one place to another.  Don has experienced this. When he was traveling in Colorado Springs and didn’t know the place he was to go to.  He asked the Lord for directions and kept listening and turning when he said turn until he reached a place where it seemed to his mind that he had gone too far.  He stopped and phoned (this was before cell phones) and found out if he had continued to listen to what God was saying he would have reached his destination without having to make that phone call. God can give us information.

5. Make your flesh (body) obey you when it is distracted, tired or hungry!    Your body is not king over you! But too often we live like it is.  Luke 16:11 paraphrased says that if you are not faithful in natural things God can’t trust with you true spiritual riches.  Jesus’ first temptation in the wilderness was for the body – he was hungry.  Satan said make these stones into bread.  We need to learn to command our bodies to be obedient to our will.  We are in charge not our body. When I was working and had get up even though I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay in bed longer.  I used to say, “O.K. leg move I’m getting out of bed right now!”  We do this even more so in healing when we speak to an organ and tell it to be well.

6. Force you Will to take control of your being:     Your will uses the two most powerful words in the language:  YES and NO.  You choose who you will be obedient to:  God or Satan.  ”Therefore submit (your will to God).  Resist the devil (with your will) and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.  How do we strengthen our will?  Use the word of God to make your will stronger: David said, “I WILL bless the Lord at all times and his praise SHALL continually be in my mouth!” Talk to yourself.  Use your mouth to declare what you decide to do:  I WILL not focus on negative thoughts.

7. Praise God with all your energy:     Your spirit knows the way to God, release it.  Sometimes you have to do it through a shout, a declaration, through the movements of your body in dance in singing.  “With my soul I have desired you in the night.  By my spirit within me I will seek you early;” Isa 26:9a  Praise God with abandonment.

8. Pray in the spirit loud with all your heart and vocal expression:     As John G. Lake said, pray in the spirit loud and long.  “For he who speaks in tongues does not speak to men but to God,” Let the words pour out like living water from the midst of you. Make them loud, it revs up your spirit.  Let your emotions also be a part not just saying the words. As I speak I let the emotions come out.  [Spoke an example of tongues.]  Put your emotions in it, use vocal expression in tongues.  

9. Say NO forcefully to the devil:     Use your will to react forcefully with a “No, Satan, I refuse that pain that you are trying to put on me.”  NO, I will not accept those thoughts of fear.  I choose to look at the bright side.  Paul said, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful.  All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any,” I Cor 6:12. Once in a while I have tingling in my hands. When it first happened I was scared stiff.  I’ve found out that this is because of a pinched nerve in my neck and I can massage it out.  This happened the other day and I immediately said, “No, Satan, you are not going to do that to me again.”  I commanded it out and massaged my neck and it went away in a few minutes.  

10. Say Yes freely to God:     Yes, Lord I will do what you tell me to do.  Yes, I will glorify God in my body by keeping it in good shape.  Yes, I will exercise it so it can be free to be able to help to touch others for God.  Yes, I will not eat those things that my body can’t take.  Yes, I will keep my body pure.  All these are saying yes to God.           

He goes into more detail of course but the book is very readable and easy to comprehend. This is a training center so I’m suggesting a resource that you can get.