Understanding the Purpose of Covenants | Bishop Rosie S. O’neal

all right come on get your Bible in your

hand who got the old school Bibles lift

them up in the fellowship hall too

everywhere old school okay new school

phones in the light what wait a minute

some of y'all know wait a minute where

the phone new school people look at the

Bible on your phone where the folks say

I need it on the screen Pastor i a okay

that's all right we're going to put it

up there I ain't mad at you all right

we're going to be beginning today now

today's lesson is kind of like a hybrid

so I just struggled and battled so we

going do the best we can to keep it

moving right because you can't you can't

teach on something this Broad in one or

two weeks amen so it's going to take all

year amen so all we going to start with

today is just understanding the purpose

and power of Covenant part one amen so

you know and I'm so thankful I I've got

to stop worrying about and I love my

note takers but I think I got freed up

in one of my shouts on watch

night because I would be so stressed in

my S it slow enough so they can write it

down and I need to and I've just been

wearing folk out with that because they

can go back and watch it so just go on

through and sit down right You' been

trying to tell me ain't

you you need to listen to your husband

okay so I'm doing better okay well we're

going to get it together today come on

lift them all up whatever you have say

this is my Bible this is my Bible it is

God's word it is God's word it reveals

to me it reveals to me God's will God's

will therefore therefore it is the final

Authority the final author to which I

submit to which I subm to settle all the

issues settle all the issu of my life of

my it is the standard the stand of my

conduct of my conduct and the basis the

basis of All my expectations all my

shout it out I am I am what it says I am

what it says I am I possess I possess

what it says I possess it says I and I

can do and I can do absolutely

everything absolutely everything it says

I can do it says I can turn and tell one

of your neighbors I know that's right I

know right now just cuz I said I was

going to speed up don't mean put 20

minutes on the clock y'all messy back

there in that sound booth now they got

six hours up somebody playing a

joke all right so in Hebrews chapter 6

Hebrews 6 · chapter mention

in the NIV verse 17 and 18 says because

God wanted to make the unchanging nature

of his purpose very clear to The Heirs

of what was promised he confirmed it

with an oath or with a

covenant huh yeah yeah he said I don't

want you worrying about it here it is

here's a covenant it's almost like a

guy's grinning at your ladies and

blinking and you're excited that's sweet

a date you're excited that's sweet going

out you're excited that's sweet you even

get a ring you're a little bit more

settled but you still that wedding

day y'all just dropped off like that

once you have that wedding day and you

got that other ring come on that thing

is different now now ladies don't settle

and then start looking bad you

understand you nails and looking amazing

the whole dayon period Then he wake

up don't do him like that don't settle

like

that but there is a level of security

once the contract has been

signed huh oh yeah so we want to

understand that's what God was saying he

said I want you to be sure of it same

thing you see a house oh man that's nice

I'd like I'd like to get that house and

know like when we were buying land

course I'll never forget we were trying

to buy land we would thought we were

going to buy over now where Wells Chapel

Church of God in Christ is so remember

we had the Exodus banquet planned we're

all excited they had sent the contract

I'd signed the contract and I was young

I didn't know a whole bunch of stuff I

didn't notice they hadn't signed it

I figured if they sent it it would have

I didn't even think about it so I signed

it we done playing the banquet we had uh

Dr Bernard Grant you remember we were

all dressed up they cute sequins my

split was a little high but I was

working I'm growing I mean it was way up

here children it was way way moving on

so so we're getting ready to go in get

you know I'm getting ready to start the

banquet and I get a phone call they

changed their mind

so you can best believe when we got

ready to buy this

land no I want y'all to sign it first

then when we sign it then I can settle

and relax that's what a contract an oath

or a covenant is for cuz it settles you

so it says because God wanted to make

the unchanging nature of his purpose

very clear to The Heirs of what he had

promised he confirmed it with an oath or

Covenant God did this so that by two

unchangeable things in which it's

impossible for him to lie we who have

fled could take hold of Hope the one

offered to us excuse me offered to us

may be greatly encouraged this we have

this hope as an anchor to our soul so a

covenant let's talk about it let's talk

about it what's the purpose what's the

power of a covenant what is it first

here's a long definition a covenant is a

binding oath contract agreement between

two parties watch now cut by

sacrifice anybody about well maybe you

can't tell if you're about to get

married cuz you know folk talk so all

right well just listen if you're about

to get married I always said don't spend

a zillion dollars on your

wedding you understand cuz what are them

D them people don't care you going to

wish you ain't paid for them doves when

them first when the tax bill on your

vehicle come

in that's that bill you always forget

about a't it but you know what I realize

but it shouldn't be as easy as walking

down the street

either no it needs to have some

sacrifice in it cuz it'll make you think

about that thing first oh look at you

got quiet

now it shouldn't be haphazard to enter

into a covenant requires

sacrifice usually blood but always

something

precious because the Covenant has

privileges promises rights and

responsibil yes indeed the Covenant is

intended to produce confidence Clarity

and carefulness good God Almighty one

more time for the folk in S3 a covenant

is a binding oath contract agreement

between two parties cut by sacrifice

usually blood but always something

precious it has privileges promises

rights and responsibilities and that

Covenant is intended to produce

confidence Clarity and carefulness see

we got to learn today our

society is weak in a lot of ways cuz we

don't hold to

nothing folk lie like they

breathe they lie like they change draws

y'all not having church with me today

it's the first Sunday I'd not have to

work this hard

we just we we we don't have a concept of

keeping our

word we're a mess because of it used to

be our word was our bond amen you know

my my grandmother I've been blessed my

grandparents all uh my grandfather's my

grandfathers died earlier both of my

grandmothers Liv quite a while and of

course my daddy's mother lived to be 104

but I remember asking her I think she

was about 98 and I was saying

BMA you about to be 100 pretty soon what

what what are the secrets she said R

say be kind and tender your own business

and let other folk

alone that was one of the things so I'm

that that'll help you right there thank

you for attending may the Lord bless you

just do that here but the other thing

she said Courtney I thought was huge

trust God's word and make good on

yours trust God's word and make good on

yours we've got to embrace again the

power of what we say we're going to do

covenants are given so that people can

be at ease it can be something you're

settled on so if I don't have any faith

in what you say

Amen

okay one of the things that I loved

about the the the story of the Hebrew

men is when they were getting ready to

be thrown in the fiery furnace the king

kept trying to give them chances cuz he

didn't want to do it he said well I told

y'all you're supposed to bow down to

this thing and if you hear the music he

said well didn't y'all hear the

music he said yeah we heard it he said

well maybe you wasn't ready was it that

you weren't

ready and they finally said King we are

not careful to answer you in this matter

in other words we don't need to rethink

it we already decided how we going to

live and if the way we've decided we're

going to live means we die then we

decided how we going to live and die but

we're not changing our

mind we have to develop into a people

again who do what we say my daddy said I

mean what I say and I say what I mean

because that's the premise of

Covenant we got to get to the point

where we really do it y'all there are a

couple things that Covenant ought to

produce in us the first thing is

confidence ought to produce what

confidence when go we oh God we will be

studying during the fast the Covenant

with Abram the Covenant with Noah all

this other kind of stuff we will be

focusing beginning probably February on

the Everlasting Covenant that he set

with you I don't mean to throw stuff out

early tra I try not to do it lady Trac

but if you

understood that there is God cut his

Covenant the Everlasting Covenant he cut

it you could say with you but it won't

with you it was with himself for you if

you understand that then your failures

don't change his

Covenant he decided independent of Your

Action that he was going to love you all

the way through this thing what the

church we going to have my God and if

you really mess around and get a hold of

it if you really it's because people say

well do you believe in Eternal salvation

or eternal security this is what I

believe about it I don't

believe I believe we have the will to

walk away from anything we choose to

right so there is a point where I can

say in my will I don't want to be

bothered God and God will honor that but

I don't believe I can slip up if I am a

sincere believer in Jesus I don't

believe I can slip up fail or sin and

and look up and I'm in hell I don't

believe that because that's not the

nature of Covenant come on oh I'm oh we

going to go through it see and you again

remember I taught you years

ago when a person when the floods are

going on and people are being swept away

what's the first thing that the fire

people do The Rescuers they don't jump

necessarily in there they secure

themselves they go ahead and make sure

they're secured so when they reach you

they're not depending on you it's not

both of y'all for yourselves they

already know as long as you hold on to

them they're secure God does not send us

out into the world to tell them about

Jesus if we got to be scared that

everything we do is going to send us to

hell I'll just wait until a real clap

comes

it's a confidence he says it here in

Hebrews

6 he said I didn't want you sitting up

wondering every day if you going to make

it

in I didn't want you afraid to

die once you had accepted his plan now I

ain't talking about playing with

God yeah okay I say and you walk off you

ain't studying God you ain't thought

nothing you're not trying to do no I

ain't talking I'm not talking to you I'm

done my people who really felt an

understanding I need God Jesus you got

to come and you got to save me cuz I

need saving I can't fix

this and you open up and you learn the

plan of God that God gave His only

begotten son that whosoever would

believe in him wouldn't have to perish

but could have everlasting life you give

your all to him as jacked up as it is as

messed up as it is I got more hands up

and Overflow what y'all doing you

understand you give him your everything

he takes that in and he secures you and

as long as you be a Christ follower I

don't care how many times you stumble

you stay on the

path oh you you don't hear me y'all

don't hear me if I stay on the path my

Pew even I fall on the path when they

come by checking the path to get us all

I'll be right there I may be on my knees

but I'll be right there may be bruised

but I'll be right there the trick is

don't let the de excuse me the issue is

don't let the devil trick you to get off

the

path he said I'm coming back for a

church if I get out the path the

family but the Covenant he cut he said

look let me tell y'all something he said

I wanted you to know this so so much it

could be an anchor to your soul he said

I want you to be so confident in the

Covenant that I cut that I'm going to

love you that I have engaged myself and

connected myself to you that I got a

contract with you that you don't see it

but you got a ring on your finger if you

said yes to

Jesus oh y'all not here you you don't

see it but it's up

there oh it's kind of like when the

folks that's when they they not playing

no games they get married they say well

let's go on and make this thing real cuz

you can lose a ring they go to tattoo

the ring on the F on the finger and they

all do that I said y'all know they not

playing I said shuck man them tattoos

hurt all the people that tell you they

don't hurt they lying I got one it

hurt he said but I want you to be

secure I don't want you scared every

night you may know you have a un have a

a thought of doubt you think now he

don't love

you come

on anything you know about love is a

scratch off on to what God has for you

for real man I the way I love my kids

the way I I love my family the way I

love as as much as it can be consuming

it ain't nothing compared to the way God

loves

us okay let hit you in a minute let me

show it to you in your Bible 2 Samuel

real fast real fast 23 this thing blew

me away right here second Samuel this is

hilarious especially when you realize

who we talking to

David just David talking

rather David who stayed home from the

battle let his other folk get killed so

he could tag one of his uh soldiers

wives got her pregnant then sent the guy

so he could get killed so people

wouldn't understand how many months

it's that

David uh-huh I know sweet psalmist of

Israel he had so many folks he was

tagging it was

scary now that doesn't give us a license

we'll find find it out we'll study it

amen but I want you to listen to his his

posture near the end of his

life and the reason he has it is because

of his level of confidence in the

Covenant I had to go back and study the

chapter cuz I said this can't be David

talking listen to this pick it up in

verse uh two no verse one

hurry Oh chapter 23 I love a church to

the holl out what chapter we in

2 Samuel 23 these are the last words of

David the Oracle of David Son of Jesse

the Oracle of the man exalted by the

most high this is in the NIV he said the

man anointed by the god of Jacob listen

to him talk about himself Israel singer

of songs Talk do the spirit of the Lord

spoke through me his word was on my

tongue yeah the god of Israel spoke the

rock of Israel said to me when one rules

over me in righteousness when he rules

in the fear of God he's like the light

of the morning at sunrise on a cloudless

morning like the brightness after the

rain that brings forth the grass from

the earth this is what blew me away and

he said is not my house right with God

ha has he not made with me an

Everlasting Covenant arranged and

secured in every part oh my God will he

not bring to fruition my Sal salvation

and Grant me my every

desire who in the heck is saying

this I know this can't be

David not David who had clowned so bad

so many

times David said yeah i' I've had some

bad experiences Bishop I I ain't do

everything I should have done he said

that's he said he said but but he made a

covenant with

me okay okay I know it's hard for you to

hear because again this is not for us to

be messy at all when you get grateful

enough for your security it'll make you

want to live

right but but we have to acknowledge

that for for many of us we were taught

the gospel in a way to make us feel like

we could never achieve it so we would

spend all of our time scared we were

going to hell and we could never achieve

the Destinies that God had for us God

God gave d a cut a covenant with David

and David with all of his mess said let

me tell y'all something I'm about to die

but I know this is all right here for me

God still going to bless me as I'm on my

way out he going to make sure every

desire is Tak on my way out even though

I've messed up a zillion

times why because of a

covenant now y'all that's let that sit

for a second let me show you another

place go to Second Corinthians I just

want to show you what what happens we'll

we'll be talking about Covenant

conscious later but this is the power of

a covenant to bring

confidence that ain't nothing but

confidence that you hear out of

David So something there there must be

some element that we have

missed we don't know the strength of

this thing watch this in second Cor I

love this text this text tickles Me 2

2 Corinthians 7 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 7 watch this in

verse two this is Paul writing the

church at Corinth receive us we have

wronged no man we have corrupted no man

my God we have defrauded no man God

y'all that is

comedy that's comedy or

Covenant okay here's the issue how Paul

going to say receive us we have wronged

no man right you are writing to a church

where half the members are in jail cuz

of

you it was Paul who held the coat while

some of the folk was stoned stepen was

stoned to death and Paul said do let me

hold that my back hurt a little bit I'll

hold your coat for you going to get

it and you going to write the same

folk okay you you you not are you did

you understand me are you understand

what I'm

saying you kill my

family and then you going to write me a

year and a half later talking about

receive me I ain't never wrong

nobody brother Larry somebody lying some

something is

confusing no what Paul is saying he said

I'm so aware

that he made me brand new he said I'm

not trying to be flippant about what

I've done he said but the point is I'm

so

identified with the Covenant that he cut

for me the one that says your sins and

your iniquities well I remember no

more y'all okay it's going to catch your

lad next week he said he said you have

to understand there's a confidence that

Paul walked in how did he get it cuz God

cut Covenant with

him he understood that the Covenant was

a bigger

issue than even the things he had done

in his

life this is why the enemy doesn't want

you taught on

Covenant this is why because when you

start understanding that the love of God

has been fixed to who you are which your

not always everything you ought to be

self but he somehow found a way to

commit himself in a covenant to you

regardless of your behavior not that we

should be messy he said but I I just

love you so much I even put Grace in

there for when you did

Sin if you choose me God said I chose

you but if you mess around and choose me

back I will cut Covenant with you your

Cho oh Abraham believed God and it was

accounted to him for righteousness God

said I've so securely placed you in

me that you don't have to sit and wonder

is it going to be

okay you say I already know it's going

to be all right I don't know how but

it's going to be all right oh no I serve

a covenant keeping God there's a

confident and see that's what God told

me he say as we study throughout the

course of this year he said there's a

confidence that you going to see in the

people of God you going to start going

for things that you used to back away

from you talk anybody ever talked

yourself out of stuff cuz you said no

not me cuz I done oh honey listen how

many how many done that go to put the

other hand up cuz God going to deliver

you this year hey yes he is yes he is

because we going to see it over and over

and over and over and over in the

Bible there's confidence there when I

have Covenant Paul said you can receive

me I not right wrong no man I ain't

defrauding

nobody and my parents still in jail tell

them I said hello I'll be by to visit

hey in fact my Minister probably have me

there too don't

even so identified again and I'm not

talking about being

flippant but I'm talking about

understanding the power of the blood of

Jesus something is paid for is paid for

I said if something is paid for it's

paid for I said if something is paid for

for is paid for hallu he paid for all my

sin good

God I stand before him this is the thing

that's so significant I stand before him

guilty but

blameless oh y'all don't feel like going

to the movies come here Double

Jeopardy I'm guilty remember that scene

y'all know that scene that lady uh

what's Ashley Jud was in prison and that

other lady she said I'm going to give

you the best advice of your life do your

time keep your mouth shut she said then

when you get out of prison don't do this

don't go and do this this is an example

you got to tell the Saints

today this is what an

example when I tell you you got you got

to do she said when you get out you go

kill him you can stay in the middle of

MRA and can you believe how crazy folk

are with that stuff in New

Orleans people need a covenant they need

new minds but what she told her was once

you have paid the debt of something you

can't be charged for it again so watch

this when Jesus paid for all your sin

you still wondering whether God took

your ability to do this or killed this

person or you thinking that God did that

to punish you you're not understanding

Covenant God punished Jesus on the cross

for our you okay you still do I need to

walk God took it cuz well Pastor you

don't understand I did some stuff before

I got saved and you know I I made a girl

go get an abortion because you know I

didn't want to so now I'm struggling and

and you think it's

God act like that ain't how we

thing no that's not

God it said he laid Upon Jesus the

iniquity of us all and then it pleased

the Lord to bruise

him now if you walk up and slap

me then when I shoot

you that's not God

what that's not God God punishing you

that's a set of events you set off in

the

earth

preacher no let me use a better example

thank you lady Tracy

I'm let me use a better

example I do that to see if y'all

listening mostly

so okay if you go spend all your money

on the

lottery and then can't pay your

bill that's not God judge punishing

you you spent your

money that won't God taking your car

back that was a lack of

payment I'm just trying to be

clear but when I understand that he laid

upon him the iniquity then I'm not

sitting around wondering is my hardship

right now punishment from

God God already punished it and God

don't mess with double jeopardy he

already laid it on him oh it's going to

get you this year but a covenant also

produces

Clarity produces what Clarity see this

is this is the thing that I love when

you are in

Covenant and when you understand that

it's an oath it's a

contract it settles a lot of issues you

don't even have to think about

it

okay you promised them people okay here

it is the shoes you've been waiting on

okay I ain't got to go that

far a certain watch you

saw that thing is pretty some watches

you just what time is you just tell them

the time other watches they ask you what

time is it you tell them and say thank

you for

asking cuz it caused me to

look right okay so you see this watch

you really like but you already promised

to pay something you are in Covenant you

told them people when you got that

card that you were going to pay them on

the 18th of the

month that was the promise when you got

the

card so you understand the power of

Covenant and the purpose of it is to

help bring Clarity so when you seem to

have options if you have a covenant you

really don't have an

option so it don't make no difference if

they dro the

price cuz I promised I'm in a covenant

to pay this

bill so I don't have to sit and rethink

everything that's right Dr shandelle got

on the wedding R Chris got hers on

so he don't have to ask no questions he

shouldn't somebody walking up the to

Pastor christe grink blinking and and

and you know doing their muscles all

that she she doesn't have to go

into now if if they just start

dating boy this church is

funny that's why I try to tell y'all

stop acting married you've been going

out for two

weeks no I'm not washing nothing yet no

no don't take your shoes off here we are

not that

close I don't want to see them coins

until until I at least got one

ring but if you're just dating you still

have

options you may have to think he's an

intellectual he's like a

jock that's fine

dating but you got that big diamond ring

on Sean don't he expect you to be able

to think about what you going to cook

because that decision should already

have been made look at the

clarity y'all some sweet people though I

love

there is a text in Joshua chapter 9 and

Joshua 9 · chapter mention

I'm going to have to tell you the story

it's too juicy I'm going to preach on it

later but I love the story for those

that like to go back and I hope that's

mostly everybody Joshua 9: 15-20 tells

the story about a tribe and can I

because I don't remember the people's

names and I'm not going to turn to it so

can I make it like belore and and

Greenville so there was a tribe that

live how far is

belore oh no no okay 30 minutes away

Snow

Hill tarb Burl I feel a tar Burl in my

spirits any tar burans hey hey hey okay

well these folk lived in tarbor and in

Joshua chapter n so they about 20 25

minutes away give or take 30 uhhuh so

they lived in tarbor and the people of

God were Israel was in greeville so they

were like turn folk in taror said the

hand of the Lord is on the people of God

they going to kill us we need to go and

pretend we from a long way

off so you know what they did they went

and got old clothes it's in the Bible

it's hilarious story they got old

clothes beat up shoes they got bread

found stuff with mold on it and then

they said look Dusty look bad then they

went over to green and said to the

people of God said look we come from a

long

way this bread with this mold was fresh

when we

left and now we're way out here we don't

even know where we are just lying they

say so make a league or a covenant with

us that you won't kill us so the people

of Israel that this is where we'll learn

they the Bible said they didn't pray

first but I want you to say something so

they made the Covenant with them what'

they do but they didn't what uh-huh but

they did make the

so about two weeks later somebody

say they ain't from fall off I got a

cousin live down the

street said nuh they from a long way off

I'm telling you right now there go Ricky

Right There Ricky stayed down he stay in

tarbo I was born not

F watch this and they found out that

they had been tricked into the Covenant

and when war broke out

though they had to fight and protect

tarbor even though they had been

tricked the people said we shouldn't do

that they tricked us the princes or

leaders said but we cut Covenant so we

don't need to think about it we don't

even have to try to meditate we ain't

having no meetings we don't need to open

no conversation on it that's right we

said we were protect them and that's

what we're going to

do oh y'all okay let's bring it up

did you see the movie Con

Air okay Nicholas in Nicholas Cage yes

all right so he's this he's this really

good-natured ex-military man that loves

his wife somebody was trying to come for

her they got in a f a fight he

accidentally killed the guy he goes to

jail he gets the opportunity to get out

it's his time he been in there seven

years whatever time for him to get out

they put him on a plane to go somewhere

to release

him some other convicts take over the

plane they have't he has the opportunity

to get off the plane to go to his wife

sound like the the modern day Uriah

doesn't it the opportunity to go to his

wife and be with his little girl and put

all of that behind him but one of his

military Brothers is on the plane a

black guy and he can't get off and he

knows nck cage if he leaves him he's

dead and there's a scene in it where he

says if you talk to my wife he was

teared up he said tell her she was my

hummingbird but I can't leave a man

behind so for him it was clear it's not

that he didn't love his wife but he also

had made a covenant you can't I can't

leave him behind I can't trade his and

that other the guard's Life For Mine I

can't if I got to die then I got to

die we need to be people of

Integrity

okay we got to close up y'all see we

just this is the introdu turn to tell

your neighbor this is the introduction

intruction this weekend next

introduction

introduction Covenant this binding oath

contract agreement between two parties

cut by sacrifice usually blood but

always something precious has Privileges

and Promises rights and responsibilities

and it produces confidence Clarity and

carefulness let's look at carefulness

and we'll be done when you are in a

covenant it means that you have

accepted that there is a part that you

play y'all here yeah Covenant ought to

mean something to you you got church

Church Covenant

amen okay you join the military where

are my military

folks all right amen come on thank God

for our military

folks that's a covenant to put their

life on the

line all right you have Covenant of

friendship marriage I mean all kinds of

covenants that we will look at over the

course of the year but when you are in

one you take it seriously you know so it

was funny something happened last last

year as you go to 2 Timothy 2 something

happened not not last year last week so

last week we have watch night right oh

my God we're just going in shouting

whole nine yards was it on yeah it was

it was no it was when Pastor Bailey

preached still a shouting good time my

God I go to the

office and I look down and my engagement

ring cuz you know Bae got me uh

beautiful Marquee and then he got my

little band around

it the diamond was gone out of

it I said now I I said I don't see that

well wait a minute let me get some sit

there surely when I look at this I took

a picture and blew it I said I know my

diamond is in there I just maybe it was

gone oh my God Mom I was like what is

happening and I just I almost felt dread

you know how you you know you

something's done done something and your

stomach instantly gets upset I was

texting Taurus said

Bae the diamond out of my ring is

gone now y'all see how many people in

here it was like this then we had had

Services

two when I tell you the odds of finding

that diamond I mean cuz I don't even

know when it

happened cuz I don't take my rings on

and off like that like you know the same

J I don't take it off it better be real

cuz cuz it's going to in the shower with

me and outside with me it's going to be

for t-shirts dress clothes don't

matter I said oh my God it's gone so I'm

thinking he's got to go buy a diamond

he's going to be so agitated I cannot

believe it he going to be like you so

wild with stuff and rough you just beat

on stuff so I'm going through all of

these changes in my mind cuz I didn't

want to text him with that let me tell

you what he

did I couldn't believe it I have laughed

really I can't tell you how hard I've

laughed Taurus got

up came in this whole

building and found that

diamond I mean how is that even

possible I mean what are we talking

about he walked in back in there and

said I think this is it I

said and I said well give it here and I

put in tape and everything and send it

to the jewelry store there's a

carefulness you you take it

seriously in 2 Timothy Chapter 2 verse4

2 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

in the Amplified listen what it says I

may not have told her in the Amplified

did I go ahead what does it say back no

Soldier when in service gets entangled

in the Enterprises of Civilian look all

the husbands leaning over looking at

where your ring

at you better not lose that one Ain that

right you better you better take yours

off cuz if you go ahead read it again we

got to go y'all stop holding up

service read baby second Timothy 2

verse4 no Soldier when in service gets

entangled in the Enterprise when you

have a covenant this is about being a

soldier in the army of the Lord but it's

about Covenant if I know I'm on a team

I'm on that

team y'all not talking to me if I'm a

member of the church I'm a member of

that church right if I'm in a

relationship I'm in a relationship come

on and if I am then I am careful about

it so I'm not going to entangle myself

with a whole bunch of

mess I ain't even going to put myself in

a

position to mess up the Covenant I have

in Dumber days but thank God I got a

better mind now look at this listen to

this in Deuteronomy 30:2 he said and I

Deuteronomy 30:2

do not believe that oh I meant to say

this Deuteronomy 30:2 let me tell you

Deuteronomy 30:2

this statement I typed it I don't

believe that there's something wrong

with this generation everybody trying to

act like this generation doesn't know

how to make a

commitment I'm sorry I just don't going

for that people been people been people

people were trifling way back and they

still can be trifling you had good folk

way back and you still got what we have

now is folk ain't been

taught let me telling me I got my kids

bad they ain't bad they half raised

now every now and then you stumble up on

something that's bigger than normal

methods can assist but that ain't what's

wrong with most of the

children Deuteronomy 30:2 watch this and

Deuteronomy 30:2

shalt return huh that's the only verse

you the only word you

got huh let me okay let me let me let me

that's okay she said wait minute that

don't sound right shalt return that's

the end of the verse verse two and shalt

return to the Lord thy God and shall

obey his voice according to all that I

command thee this day thou and thy

children you see it with all your heart

he said because what I want is you to

return to what I've asked of you what

most people don't get what most people

we it's not that we don't have it in us

we've not been taught we got to teach

them that you follow after what God said

uh uh uh come here come here come here

bring me your mind right quick we have

to teach them our kids we got to be

taught yeah to be careful if you say you

going to do it you're going to do it

that little boy promised his sister at 4

years

old that she would do that in his

honor he was careful to do

it Psalm 15 says it this way and I'm

done basically Psalm 15 says and I like

it in in in this NIV I spent some time

boy looking at these verses it ain't but

five verses in in it and said God who

going to abide in your Tabernacle the

the folks that walk upright but I like

this last thing verse four it says it

says the kind of people that are going

to be what I want them to be in these

days are people who in whose eyes a vile

person is condemned they just say I

can't I'm not going to play games with a

person that's just trifling and

nasty but he that honor them that fear

the lord he it is right here though King

James says he that sweareth to his own

hurt and changeth not y'all see that

y'all sleep already in other words the

person who keeps NIV said keeps his oath

even when it hurts I got to be careful

to do it no matter what I don't play

with it because if I said it I want to

be I want to be like God not I don't

want to be God I want to be like him if

he said it he going to do it if he spoke

it he going to do everything and bring

it to pass I want to be that same kind

of person because that's the weight and

power of Covenant it's to give us a

sense of security but also so to give us

Clarity and to make us careful when

Jesus was getting ready let me close it

up hand stuff off when Jesus was getting

ready to be tempted the devil say hey I

can give you I can give you everything

you want and you ain't even got to

suffer like that Jesus said let me go on

and deal with you real fast cuz I'm not

going to let you get that mess in my

head he said We Worship the Lord Our God

and him only shall we serve Jesus said I

made a covenant lo I come Hebrews 10 in

the volume of the book to do your will

father I'm not playing no games sat said

but I give it to you without hurting he

said no no no no no no I've already set

my mind on how this thing going to go

and no matter what it cost me I'm going

to do what I said let me tell you

something we're going to be much happier

people when we make the decision to

allow Covenant to work things in our

lives it's going to work a

confidence it gives us Clarity and it

ought to work of carefulness Jesus said

I'm not playing with that cuz I got to

be the lamb that's spotless yeah see

some of you if you understand what you

got going on in your future you'll

change some of the stuff you're doing

right

now let me tell y'all something how real

should I go with this real real real if

I had known that I was going to be this

large of a public figure i' have stayed

out of them little places where you got

them uh pornographic

videos

what I mean I who knew I was going to be

on TV like this

come on now I I wish I had never gone

that route anyway because pornography is

a very dark

world but the point was I got swept up

so a no sense you know I'm free now

wait hey hallelujah it's been years too

and I thank him but the point is had I

but known cuz everybody oh Apostle Peter

said I love her so de she said you need

to run for governor

cuz just as sure as I do it ain't like

I'm easy not to be seen right there

somebody going to pull up a video of me

coming

out now it'll be old it won't be nothing

in the last couple decades but it's

still

me if you knew what was in your future

you would start getting rid of the mess

out your life right now God got some let

me tell him God it ain't that God is

upset with you but our Behavior can lock

us out of certain

rooms we have three covenants and I'm

done three little things I'll just read

them we're asking every person

Fellowship S3 rooms everywhere you

are the three things we're asking the

members this year is to accept make a

covenant with God to accept

responsibility for making sure the

people in your circle are aware of the

love of Jesus and the life he

provides and you see what I'm saying in

my circle if I see somebody one time in

the grocery store I'm not stopping them

knocking the stuff out their hand to try

to get you know but if I see them every

week I ain't going to have none of the

folk I know you understand that know

know me and they don't know about the

love of Jesus and the life he provides

no I accept we got to accept

responsibility for our circles is that

all right amen all right second thing is

the Covenant to serve and sit oh y'all

see it up there I'm in the

way the Covenant to serve and sit what

does that mean okay you know that a part

of your faith is serving right but

here's the

thing we have to make a covenant to not

just serve but also to sit it don't seem

like a long way between up here and

right there but it's awful long way

and if you only

serve you you you could slip in a

deception because you feel like hey I'm

serve and so and so and so and you don't

even notice that the you're not in the

worship and that you're not hearing the

sermon as a

person if you only sit say well that's

why I Pastor that's why I had to be in

there for the word I had to be in there

okay well you going to get spiritually

fat and think you know more than

everybody and what happens is you begin

to critique the sermons and critique the

service we have to make the Covenant to

both serve and so on now I understand if

you're serving two Sundays and then the

next Sunday you were scheduled to go on

a cruise go on the cruise doc buy me a

sweatshirt I'm on my way to extra large

so just you know kind of weigh me out on

that thing right now I'm a 2X but just

kind of weigh it out but here's the

thing don't let your next time off well

I'm just going to be home

home not serving doesn't mean you don't

come you need to be I told my musicians

I said every night and then rotate one

y'all play all the instruments Anyway

come sit down here cuz you won't know

how sluggish you get until you have to

worship and you ain't used to doing it

you Al used

to amen so we have to have a covenant to

serve and now that means I also need

your Faith to believe for enough people

that we have teams that's

right we need to have a team of hornets

that when we got Carolina or Charlotte

Hornets and what and then well Panther's

struggling but

anyway normally huh no we ain't ain't no

Ravens in North

Carolina two

teams so instead of Team a it'd be like

team p

Team B would be like Team Hornets here's

the thing so on the Sundays when the

Hornets are working then all of what's

the other thing Panthers are in here

worshiping amen Here's the final thing

we want a covenant to be faithful to God

in our

tithing watch this no that's important

y'all that's important I don't want I

don't want us to be broke

people I want us to walk cuz it's a

covenant that's right of tithing and

to se sacrificially and in faith so that

we can raise our whole missions budget

at Resurrection seed yeah so what that

is we generally missions and Outreach

cost a little over $600,000 every year

we want to raise that on our

Resurrection seed Sunday amen can we get

in faith together to do that that's just

three things set responsibility for

those in your circle to know the love

and and the the life that Jesus provides

second thing make the commitment to

serve and sit releasing your face so

that we can at least have two teams and

then number three Covenant to tithe and

to se sacrificially so we meet our

budget can we do that amen