Cutting the Covenant of Worship | Bishop Rosie S. O’neal

uh verse one says and the Sabbath was

passed Mary Magdalene and then some

other ladies mared and mother James

salom brought sweet spices so they could

come and anoint me in verse n now when

Jesus was risen early the first day of

the week he appeared first to Mary

Magdalene out of whom he cast Seven

Devils you like I said I didn't intend

to share on anything as I have been

consecrating and studying on Covenant

this year's theme is Covenant

conscious uh you you you have this is

going to be a great

year somebody better pick that up in the

Holy Ghost I said this going to be a

great

year now life always going to be life

and you understand what I'm saying but

that Pastor said that said when life

start life and God always been

Garden so you know people people

transition people go through challenges

life gets strange and what Pastor say

said what is it money is funny and

change is strange and people is are nuts

you understand what I'm saying but

through all of that God is going to

bless us with an incredible year and I

believe it is because as we delve into

the truth of

Covenant that we ain't you know Covenant

is this this and you know here I am

already this binding agreement between

two parties cut by sacrifice off in

blood that brings confidence Clarity

watch

now and

carefulness here it is again you'll hear

it all year long so if you don't write

it you going to make it confidence is a

covenant is a binding agreement between

two parties that is cut by sacrifice

which is often blood

BL okay that brings confidence Clarity

and

carefulness now here's the

thing today we want to talk about

cutting Covenant the Covenant of

worship I don't know if you've been

picking up on it but God has been

drawing us closer in worship he's been

calling us as individuals to become more

focused in our time with him yes and

because of that thank God for those

three

claps he let me know that he's going to

bless us in unusual

ways I I I I you just have to pick it up

if you can in the Holy Ghost here's the

thing that God is going to have a favor

on us that is unlike what we've

experienced before because there are

some things he reserves for those who've

cut Covenant to worship

that means that worship is not just

something that begins when the music

starts for me that means that there is a

covenant that I will cut with God

prayerfully you will cut with God today

well I'm going to say tonight I'm

focused there that he will cut with that

we will cut with him today that says God

I am going to enter into a binding

agreement with you that for the rest uh

I feel so oh my God I feel the Holy

Ghost for the rest of my life you can

know of assurity that I am going to both

declare and demonstrate my love

Allegiance obedience and submission

because I'm going to be one that

worshiped you I won't just give you the

note card but I will write you the

letter every time I get a chance I will

take time to give you the

worship this is personal remember praise

and worship or worship and praise or

whatever is not a it's not a female

thing it's not a male thing it is a

human thing when you acknowledge that

God is God and you are not it is he that

has made you and not you yourself come

on we are his people and the Sheep of

his pasture so God we enter into your

courts with Thanksgiving into your

presence with praise we come before

we're thankful unto you we bless your

name I Will Bless The Lord at all

times his praise shall continue this is

the Covenant he's calling us to cut with

him again it's this binding agreement

between two parties that is cut by

sacrifice amen folk too quick now oh

yeah yeah yeah yeah no no no no I this

thing is so serious it's kind of like if

you going to buy a real house you can

talk all day long what you going to buy

you ain't putting no money down ain't

nobody trying to hear nothing you got to

say they're not taking it off the market

until you have cut

working yeah you got to cut you got to

cut something there's got to be a cut

there got to be a sacrifice that se

seals the seriousness you say you have

it's a binding agreement between two

parties cut by sacrifice often blood

that brings these three things and boy

what a great time we going to have all

year long looking at the confidence that

the Covenant brings looking at

Clarity that's such a preaching point

and the carefulness that it works in us

God wants you as an individual not

y'all yeah he doesn't want just the

praise of everyone he wants the praise

of every one

you got to get

that cuz we say it but I don't know if

we really take it in I don't want to

rock to cry out for me right okay but

that means Church watch this that that

that means I have to be intentional that

I bless him for what he done for me that

I'm not just riding off the f f the the

fact that songs are being sung am I

singing the song and am I singing the

song to him under within the cont text

of my

life Psalm 95:6 says oh come let us bow

Psalms 95:6

down and kneel before the Lord our maker

let's worship Him and bow down John 4:23

John 4:23

says God is seeking for worshippers so

last about two weeks ago God gave me a

lesson that talked about how he wants

our worship to be

purposeful and so we kind of looked at

it from the context of when we come to

church but it's really bigger than that

every day that I get up in the every day

that my eyes open and I know where I am

every day that my mind is aware that

this is another day that the Lord has

blessed me with every time I realize

that I'm in my right mind and I'm I'm

somewhere and I'm laying on even if it

ain't a bed if I'm laying on a couch if

I when I wake up in in the morning I

have to be purposeful that I will arise

and give him praise that God if you had

not given me this breath I would be gone

on but as long as I have breath in my

body I want to tell you thank

you that's

purposeful that's before I check the

phone that's before I answer

anybody that's before I say too much

even to B that's before anything take

place

God I want to tell you thank you I

purpose to praise you oh Lord I ain't

got to ask nobody what to do when I

realize I got life health and strength I

don't have to ask anybody what I need to

do when I get up and I can walk or I you

understand you say well what happened

when you couldn't walk when I had my

foot up in the air but I could at least

look at my foot y'all ain't talking to

me you're not talking to me no matter

what may be acting funny in my body

there are more parts that are doing well

that are going a wrong so I still want

to thank him oh God and I'm purposing

that do you understand what I mean why I

said that I mean like this thing is like

for real

serious and then he told us to make sure

it's passionate don't nobody want no dry

worship if it's all that hold on to it

then that's how I would do it cuz you

know I can be a little shady a little

little petty Lael over here I can you

act like you don't want to give me

something and I you know my thing is

well you hold on to it baby I'm going be

all right which probably has more

attitude than needs to be but when it

comes to God I don't want him to ever

feel like I got an issue with giving him

praise I don't listen I don't want God

to ever see we confuse the verse in

Hebrews 13:15 that says by him therefore

Hebrews 13:15

let us offer the sacrifice of praise and

what we do is we get up and talk to me I

know you're tired I know youve been

through so much but give him a sacrif

that is not what that

means no no no no no that is not what

that

means no he's saying by him by Jesus

offer the sacrifice not the I don't want

to do what I'm going through so much but

here you go no offer the thing that now

replaces all the blood sacrifice in the

Old Testament because it ought not be

hard when you think of all that God has

done and when I think about everything I

didn't do that I said I would ain't got

no real people up through the middle

when when I think of all the ways I

failed God or messed up opportunities

and he still covered me he still kept me

he still blessed me he still

strengthened me it ain't hard at all to

tell him thank

[Applause]

you I wish I

would so I say I wish I would walk up in

the house he built for me sit on a chair

he he let me buy eat food he gave me to

eat and act like I don't want to say

thank

you I'm making a a a a

serious Covenant

agreement I don't know about everybody

else but you can look for big light girl

to be here giving you the glory I don't

care if they sing songs I don't like I

don't care how loud if it get that loud

stick tissue in my ear Jesus but I

intend to give you praise I'm not going

to let anything come between this cuz

this is a covenant not just a

promise didn't I just say something

doc I declared and de demonstrated love

Allegiance obedience and submission to

the Lord should be a covenant and that's

what God is looking for he wants to get

married

tonight God want to get married with

this

thing he want he wants a

covenant he wants something that says no

this is

permanent I'm not still trying to figure

it out no this is permanent I'm going to

be a

worshipper I'm going to be the person

that comes in purposefully passionately

watch this and offer personal worship

yes even in the day while they were

singing so there was a point and and

Pastor TR was leading us and he said you

write your letter to God now so you

can't just say you know my hallelujah or

whatever belongs to okay cool but what

is your Hallelujah based on so then I

start running down through my year thank

you Lord that when I thought my heart

was going to bust into two watching my

son and my daughter grieve over the baby

being go that you kept them and

strengthened them and kept my mind and

kept B and kept John I want see and

until you can talk through it oh Lord

see your Hallelujah is a note until you

attach what you've been through to it so

when I'm standing up there I'm telling

them the whole story that's why you

can't holler all through worship cuz

some stuff if you telling it personally

enough you can't say it that

[Applause]

loud I start saying God and thank you I

had the surgery on my foot I wish I

hadn't had it didn't do what I wanted it

to do and it still hurts but you know

what God I want to thank you cuzz I can

still walk on this foot so my H that's

what when I'm saying hallelujah I'm

saying thank you that you're keeping me

with joy even though I've had some

disappointments I've had some regrets I

want to thank you that you understanding

what I'm saying it's

personal and then it's prophetic because

it's based on who I know him to be by

Revelation not the way I see the

situation right

now God wants us to cut a covenant of

worship that that you

individually make the

commitment to worship him every day and

see the thing about a covenant is oh I

wasn't going to talk on it oh see it

gives you Clarity too see I wasn't going

to go through this cuz this all next

year but it gives you Clarity see when

you're in a covenant you don't have to

keep see situational ethics I'm doing

way too much situational ethics are when

you wait until you get in situations and

try to feel your way through what you

going to do a covenant says while I'm

thinking clearly and ain't no other

influence I have made a permanent

decision about what my behavior is going

to look like no matter what happens so

that when I get in the Heat of the

Moment I don't have to recheck what I'm

going to do come here three Hebrew boy

that's why they said we're not careful

to answer you in this matter cuz we

already made a covenant with our God on

how we were going to handle this so you

can cut the fire up if you want to it

ain't going to change my praise cuz I'm

not promising to praise them I'm cutting

a

covenant prach

[Music]

[Applause]

y we're introduced to Mary

Magdalene in Luke chapter 8 we find out

Luke 8 · chapter mention

that she's a

woman that had been demon possessed a

woman from magdala the western shore of

Galilee

I like her I like her a

lot she had a covenant I don't know when

she cut the Covenant I don't know when

she did but I know she did because her

Covenant see if I if I well I'mma

worship God okay what do you do then

when he don't seem to be doing nothing

for you if any of that changes it it

ain't a

covenant come on here okay but we jump

ahead to the marriage if if you say you

going to be there and then one of you

get

sick what did you make a

covenant or was it just a loose casual

commitment but a covenant says it's

lifelong and it's binding and it doesn't

even oh you're doing too much there's a

there's a bilateral Covenant and there's

a unilateral Covenant the bilateral

Covenant says we both have

responsibilities so we will cut this

Covenant we will both walk through the

sacrifice we will walk through the blood

or sacrifice and we will declare that we

will uphold our part you'll be happy to

note on this New Year's Eve at noon

you'll be happy to know that there are

some covenants in Scripture that are not

bilateral on that God actually made

watch this a actually made some

covenants with us that were unilateral

where we had no part to play in it at

all where he just said I'mma Be Good to

you no matter what where he said oh

didn't he say it no he said no I'mma put

a rainbow in the sky to tell you I ain't

going to never destroy the Earth again

not because y'all won't get trifling

again but I just decided that in myself

and that's the same God oh I feel like

preaching that said I'm going to be good

to you oh y'all didn't catch that you

missed it you missed it not based on

what you do but based on the fact that

he just good like that I want to thank

him for setting a covenant with me a

unilateral Covenant that's just based on

him and him alone come on Mary Magdalene

stop Mary

Magdalene she also entered into a

unilateral

Covenant which is what God is calling

for

tonight today

that our covenant not be based on what

he going to do right but I'mma Be A

worshipper don't make no difference

what I'm going be a

worshipper if it's cold

outside I'm a worshiper if they come

through with the check I need I'm a

worshiper if they come get the car I'm

still a worshiper if the doctor says we

can't find it no more

I'm a worshipper but if the doctor

shakes his head I'm still a worshipper

because I'm cutting the Covenant that

God you can depend on me to open my

mouth to lift my hands to focus on your

goodness and I mean no matter what

comes God wants us to cut Covenant let

me just be through here Mary

Magdalene cut a covenant to worship a

unilateral Covenant I know it was Tracy

because in Mark

15 I see her doing a few things in Mark

15 I noticed that her worship involved

watching if you read verse 40 and 41 I

think I got me somebody yeah if I read

verse 40 and not but should be reading

since I'm over time there were women

looking on a far off you see it yeah

there were women looking afar off among

whom was Mary Magdalene now bear in mind

that Mary Magdalene was at the

cross watch this and Jesus didn't say

nothing to

her how long can you

worship if he ain't said nothing in a

while I just need a few folk to be to

church today I don't know I see y'all

but can can L can we still worship him

when he's speaking to the folk around us

because Mary Magdalene was there and

Mary the mother of Jesus he talked to

the one beside Mary Magdalene but he

didn't talk to her but my Covenant ain't

based on whether he keep talking to me

Gwen my Covenant is he said all he

needed to say when he said for God so

loved the world that he gave his only

begotten son he ain't got to say nothing

else for my hands to stay in the oh Lord

okay I'm sorry I'm sorry I was thinking

it was

night but see her watching look at it

read 40 and 41

hurry yeah yeah there were also women

looking on a far off upon among whom was

Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of

James the Les and of Joseph salom who

also when he was in galile followed him

and ministered unto him they gave to him

and many other women which came up with

him unto Jerusalem she was watching her

worship involved watching now watch this

now watch this so we we went to lunch

yesterday uh me and and Pastor Christie

and Pastor Trev so we sitting there and

we had a an enthusiastic

Surfer and for those that don't know I'm

somewhere on that Spectrum for sure and

so a lot sometimes too much can over

stimulate

me and so he was just oh he was there

now he was there and but the Lord

brought him back up to me

today said because if somebody keeps

looking at your glass to see what you

got watch my mother J watch this now

keep staring you drop your fork they

looking uhhuh and then you getting ready

to take a bite your last bite and they

got their eyes near about half down your

throat while you trying to get that last

little bit that you done scraped up with

that bread they're nosy if all they

doing is

noticing but if they're watching like he

was watching he wasn't watching to see

how much of my drink I was drinking to

be nosy but he was watching so that if

it got too low he could run and go get

me some more I wish I had me somebody he

was watching to see if I drop my Fork

then he can run and go get me another

one there's a part of worship that means

you watch so you can serve I keep my

eyes open not so I can say how come they

not praising but in case the Lord want

me to walk up to them and encourage them

in the Lord I'm not looking around to

see honey they got pieces of paper all

over the floor you just knows it

but if I know this paper on the floor

and I run to go pick it up that's a part

of my worship I'm cutting a

covenant second thing I noticed I

thought was

significant was her Covenant of worship

her

unilateral Covenant of worship involved

waiting no it's right on down there look

at at verse 61 it's in the same chapter

she's waiting y'all know Joseph of

arthea had gone to beg the body of Jesus

huh so he said that we we want to be

able to have

it yes see this is part of my worship he

said we need the body of Jesus so he

went and begged it so the Bible said

verse 61 what it say

Doc Lord yes oh okay what' I say oh I

done gone back to other chapters he was

sweet with it though he didn't even say

nothing that's cuz it's Matthew

2761 I could say you supposed to been in

the flow with me but chances are I

should just admit I didn't give you the

right

verse Matthew

2761 yeah yeah and then and there was

Mary de Magdalene There She is again now

he they done took a pause in the story

they took a pause in the story because

Joseph went to beg the body and then he

going to work on he wanted to do some

stuff she didn't go

home but I if you were reading it out of

verse 61 especially out of the message

it says she stayed there and sat over

against

looking she didn't have to be

intricately involved in everything but

she still won't leave him

she was willing to wait on his

body I don't even know where God is at

times but I'm willing to wait on you I'm

willing to stay in my place I'm willing

to do what you told me

last cuz it's a part of my word this is

a covenant this ain't a how I feel about

it

thing she just waited

there you don't have to see him

moving God I ain't got to see you moving

I want you to go on and move now cuz I

can't worship and not be honest but what

I feel has nothing to do with the way I

function because my functioning posture

was set when we cut Covenant I cut a

sacrifice and made a covenant with you

to be a worshipper you saved me I'm

going to worship you oh my god Worship

the Lord thy God him only shall you

serve oh I promise and Beyond promise I

cut Covenant she waited on him then if

you go back to Mark 16 it says verse one

they came to offer sweet spices third

thing I noticed in her worship was she

wrapped

him in worship and

spice tears and spices she wrapped him

she brought her personal stuff this is

what she brought what' I say this is

what she brought I it's one thing to try

to offer what you brought

right I got to offer what I bring she

brought her spices she brought her

spices that she had worked on that she

had dealt with she had to bring her

spices from her testimony am

amen you don't what the song say you

don't know my

story you don't know the stuff I've been

through you don't know the nights I

battled things you don't know the

mornings I had to deal with failure in

my face you don't understand no that I

know them so when I come here I ain't

trying to ride what you do I ain't

trying to jump in behind yours I'm

bringing my own spices now you need to

understand how real this is because

Joseph had already wrapped him read your

Bible but you're wrapping him don't mean

he don't want my

spices you're rapping him okay y ain't

going to have church with me your dance

don't mean I don't need my dance your

Hallelujah don't mean I shouldn't give

mine you can't give him mine I got to

bring my own

spices because here's the thing my heart

shifts when it's personal and his heart

shifts I started to bring y'all the

picture of me and TJ at at the

wedding he told me we were going to

dance to this song I said we going to

dance that's okay dance Bishop it's okay

so I had on my little burgundy dress and

stuff they told me the colors and so I'm

trying to do my thing right I want to

look good and you know and so we were

going to dance so even when we walked in

cuz I told them my both my boys y'all

going to walk me in the church I don't

want no random Usher no no offense to my

ushers you understand what I'm saying no

I'm the one that had you oh no I've been

the number one woman in your life your

whole life you going to walk me up to a

and sit me down to help me remember that

I'm no longer number one and I need

visual

reminders right so we're walking in

we're just grinning and laughing and we

go through the ceremony now I didn't

never I hadn't been to a I hadn't been

to a reception in probably 30 years so I

thought they only last about an

hour cuz back in our day you ain't want

to have no long reception I don't care

about none of y'all I've been I've been

a virgin a long time I'm ready to go y

sorry for bringing that in anyway

so we get ready to dance and so we're

still just laughing he said come on I

okay so we're dancing and I was good I

knew the song he had told me the song so

I had listen to it mama you know

something something something something

and I was fine until he pulled back and

started singing it to me

wasn't I fine I was fine the whole time

but when he pulled up and said mom

you're the key to my heart when I tell

you I all but threw up right there on

the dance

floor because it was I heard the song

and was

dancing but when he shifted to

intentionally make me

feel what was being

sung it touched me in a way I didn't

even know was crying it hit that fast

and God said it's the same with

you DeMarcus and the praise team can

sing their faces off but it ain't till

you put the song in your mind and try to

sing it that God feels it like

that I just want to tell you there's a

covenant here's the last thing I want

you to understand

I'm going to skip on the way

out because this is a what kind of cant

a unilateral it's a what unal that mean

this I'm Not My Worship ain't based on

anything he does no I'm just cutting

this Covenant I got you I'm just cutting

this Covenant cuz he's

God okay but then how about he going to

haul off and bless me

anyway anyway I'll show it to to you in

Mark

Mark 16:9

16:9 and I'm

done my reward for being faithful to my

Covenant to worship is I get to witness

his power

first y'all ain't ready y'all ain't

ready read read read read Mark

Mark 16:9

16:9 preachers please take this

somewhere and preach this come on now

when Jesus was risen early the first day

of the week what he do doc when Jesus

was risen the early first day of the

week uhhuh what he appeared first W he

wait he

wait he what he appeared who did he

appear first to not Peter not the water

Walker no not Matthew who was so deep

could count everything all that stuff

not John the Beloved who kept his head

who he appeared to First you mean it

won't none it wasn't Thomas who got it

count of together wasn't none of them

who it get to First y'all Mary you

sitting you think people don't notice

you you ain't got to worry about nobody

noticing you H let him notice you come

on let me get back here with my Philip

sisters I ain't got to worry you ain't

got to understand my worship you ain't

got to appreciate how long I dance you

can laugh at the way I do it it don't

make a lick a difference because if I

warm his heart you know what he going to

do he going to appear to

me God said I'm getting ready to do

something in worshippers lives I'm

getting ready to bless you in ways you

going to see my power first you going to

see my glory god said I'm going let you

with witness the fact that you can have

a favor on you that makes no sense at

all they're going to say how'd you get

it because I made a covenant to worship

God a ain't ain't ain't going to

holl I'm

through if that don't do something to

your

soul he appeared to the one that had

Seven Devils

first folk will still be talking about

your past and God will be showing you

his

power good God

hey say

that but it's a covenant this all the

Lord want me to share with you today

it's a covenant it ain't an in and out

up and down Sometimes some no no

no when I got on my knees this morning I

said Lord you have kept me holy this

year see y'all don't know enough about

how to thank God for that stuff cuz you

ain't never been messy I thank God for

y'all are

amazing I said God you kept me holy not

just my lifestyle cuz that that wasn't

as big an issue but you kept my heart

holy when I could have easily went

astray thank God for that prayer do you

kept my heart and you let me be tested

to see

yes if while all of those things were

being said and attacks whether I could

stay focused now I did have a couple

moments but I'm talking to him about it

this morning and I said God I cut a

covenant with

you and I you know I've I've Got My

Sacrifice I said God I cut a covenant I

need you to know and I want to mark it

down

down I've always tried to praise you and

tried to worship hold n

yall I'm making a covenant you can

always expect to see

me giving you the

glory I'm cutting a covenant for it to

be purposeful and passionate you know

what I'm saying and it ain't even going

to be based on whether you blessing me a

whole lot in that season I ain't going

to let that see that's why it brings

Clarity cuz see that's why I'm telling

you sit situation as you try to figure

it out the moment no no no no when you

cut Covenant you done already decide it

so I don't have to rethink

nothing today what God is doing is

saying I want you to cut

Covenant that you as an individual will

be my

worshipper Satan got close

Lucifer in his pre Fallen state

and got lifted up then God w't worthy of

it no more he wanted to be

elevated so there was a

void of just that one there were other

Angels worshiping but I don't want him

to feel no kind of void not many times

as he done brought me out not many as

many times as God done kept my mind I

cut a

covenant to

worship let's just take a minute praise

just thank him today or talk to him in

some

way maybe you were like me and you were

kind of in andout

seasonal maybe some stuff happened this

year that upset you feel like it threw

off your spiritual

equilibrium but today let's formalize

the

Covenant with God cuz there are some

things he will do for us this year he

going to do some stuff for his Covenant

that

worshipers we going to see stuff like we

hadn't

seen we're going to witness his power

first I don't want to be the only but

I'm so thankful that he'll show me

first thank you Lord

to I bless him Lord we know it's like

2:00 in the afternoon but for us for

many who may not be able to come back

tonight this is their crossing

over so

Lord hear our heart

today we want to cross over as Covenant

worshippers ain't no games Lord even in

gangs Lord help us even in the earth in

gangs they have initiations man they

Lord they go through so much stuff and

that's supposed to be lifelong and

that's a gang that's

people Lord help

us that you have washed and saved and

kept and blessed and worked with and

covered and strengthened and healed and

reset and replaced and

refurbished help us to cut Covenant with

you to be

Eternal

worshippers not waiting till

heaven but we cut that Covenant right

now in Jesus

name

amen amen