Stronger & Better, Part 1: How God Works (Pastor Ron Termale)
God puts His seal or mark of blessing on us.
God commanded the high priest Aaron to utter a special blessing over the Israelites (Num 6:22-27).
The apostle Paul tells us that we were marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit when we came to believe in Jesus, and therefore, that we are God’s own people (Eph 1:13).
Blessing flows from Zion, which is the place where God’s House, or the Church, is located (Ps 128:5-6).
God works through covenant (agreement). His covenants are how His blessings come into our lives.
One of God’s first covenants is His unconditional promise to never flood the earth again. God says that the rainbow is a sign of this agreement (Gen 9:11-17).
Most of God’s covenants in the Bible are conditional ones. They are “if-then” agreements, where if we do something, then God will do something in return.
God says that if you pay attention to His commands and carefully obey them, then you will be the head, not the tail, and you will always be at the top, never at the bottom (Deut 28:13).
Jesus also says that the key to receiving all the blessings that God has for us is to seek first His kingdom (Matt 6:33).
Adam broke the first covenant between God and humans that humans could live forever in paradise so long as they did not eat from the one tree which God prohibited. Adam and Eve’s decision to eat from the tree anyway brought the curse of death on mankind.
However, Jesus came to break that curse of death. Jesus has made a new covenant with us where we have new and everlasting life again through His work as a mediator between us and God (Heb 9:15).
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD NOTES
