247 - The Covering Brought by the Blood Covenant#
247 - The Covering Brought by the Blood Covenant
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The topic we are sharing is: The Covering Brought by the Blood Covenant
Genesis 3:14-21
14 The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals; you will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” 20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. 21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! As we begin a new week, we want to come before You first to receive Your provision, believing that we are people who have a covenant with You. You have made a covenant with blood, allowing me to be accepted and pleasing before the Father. In this new week, may we live with Your words, carrying the power of Jesus Christ, living a victorious life with this authority. Help us receive Your personal nourishment today. In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
Looking at our text today, after Adam and Eve failed, why did God have to kill an animal to offer a sacrifice and make garments of skin for them? China is a very special country, primarily characterized by the color red, especially during the New Year when every household has spring couplets and lanterns...
All are dominated by the color red. Do you know why? From now on, we will take several weeks to share some things about the New Year. The Chinese New Year is related to the Passover in the Bible; there are some similarities between them. Many people like the color red, which is actually the color of blood. In the Bible, blood is the covenant between God and us.
In the past, many people established oaths with blood, known as blood covenants. Why use blood to make a covenant? This all started with the Bible. After Adam sinned, God made a covenant with blood, using the blood of an animal to replace their sins and establish a covenant. God looked at them through the blood, so He could accept them.
If we look directly at Adam and Eve, are they not sinners? It is obvious they are guilty, but after they offered a sacrifice, God accepted them because their sins were temporarily covered by the blood of the animal. This is also a foreshadowing of our Lord Jesus offering Himself as a sacrifice. When Jesus offered Himself on the cross, He shed His precious blood, which also forgives our sins, reconciling us with the Father forever. Moreover, the covering of Jesus' blood is eternal and permanent.
Thus, the Bible refers to this as atonement; the blood of Jesus atones for our transgressions. So today, through this blood, believe that you are accepted by the Father. When you accept Jesus Christ, you have a covenant with the Father. He is willing to bless you, and you can live a life different from the world through the Father’s strength.
Let’s see what kind of covenant this blood brings us. Adam and Eve fell for the devil's trick; initially, God had given them the best, but they did not understand or recognize it, thinking there was something better. So the devil deceived them into eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which symbolizes the law, making them live for themselves.
In reality, they were to live by God, who provided everything for them. Now we are doing the same thing; before believing in Jesus, we lived by ourselves. After believing in Jesus, God has already given us the best, so we receive God’s blessings every day and live out this blessing.
Genesis 3:7 says, "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths."
Brothers and sisters, why did God kill an animal to make clothes for them? It is because they needed it. Why do we pray to God? Because we have needs, not because God has needs. Many people say, “What if I don’t pray?” If you don’t pray, God will not lack anything. Prayer is because you need it.
Why did God send Jesus to us? Because we need Jesus. Why does God love you? Because you lack love, so God sent His Son to love you. God is always providing for us, including after Adam and Eve sinned; God was still providing for them. Their thought was: I can use a leaf as clothing. This is temporarily acceptable, but what is needed is not a temporary covering. So God killed the animal, took its skin, and made clothes for them.
Brothers and sisters, please remember, the things God asks us to do in the Bible are precisely what we need. Why do we need to believe in Jesus? Because we need life. Why do we rely on Jesus? Because we need Jesus to bless us. It is not that Adam and Eve thought the clothes looked good, so they made them; rather, we all need them, so God gave them the best clothing.
Because they believed the devil's words and violated God's words, their spirit was severed from God, and judgment was automatically initiated. In fact, this is two covenants. Initially, God made a covenant with Adam and Eve: I will bless you, you will manage all things, and you will bear children and fill the earth. This was God's blessing for them, but they abandoned this covenant, forsaking the beautiful grace covenant God gave them, listening to the serpent's words, eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. From that moment, another covenant was initiated, which is what we now call the law covenant.
What is the difference between these two covenants? Although it was not called the law covenant at that time, it was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. What is the tree of life? It is God providing everything you need; God supplies and protects everything for you. But when you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it represents something else: you want to rely on yourself, to obtain everything God originally wanted to give you by your own efforts. So everything became very bitter, and at that time, they were severed from God.
So God said, “You will certainly die on the day you eat from it.” It is not that today you sin, and then God judges you, and you die; when does judgment begin? The moment they ate, they already realized their problem. It is not that they ate and then found nothing wrong, and then God came and said, “Did you eat?” and then cast a spell to make them see their nakedness... It was not like that; the moment they ate, they already realized their shame, and at that time, God had not yet come to find them.
So brothers and sisters, when a person is willing to live under the law by relying on themselves, they are already living under a curse and lack. This was Adam and Eve's choice. At that time, they were filled with a self-centered mentality, unable to see God's grace and glory. I also believe that our ancestors, before the fall, did not see their nakedness as shameful. Perhaps they did not wear clothes like we do now, but they were filled with God's glory. However, they did not recognize God's grace. After they sinned, when they saw their shame, they used leaves to make skirts to cover their bodies.
So when a person falls into the law, the first thing they see is their own problem: lack. After Adam and Eve sinned, they saw many problems; the first was their nakedness; the second was that life became very empty, and they began to feel that God would judge them. Is this a mistake?
How many people today still have this mistake? They dare not come before Jesus because they feel Jesus will judge them, condemn them, and kill them... So when they have problems, they would rather solve them themselves. After sinning, they still rely on themselves to solve them. The world tells you a method: do more good deeds to cover your sins; some religions tell you that if you accumulate virtue in this life, you can resolve grievances from your past life...
These are all human ways. But God's way is: come to me, and I will cover your sins. Hallelujah! So when you come before Jesus, He will cover your sins; He will completely solve your problems. Because of their sin, when God saw them, He announced five curses and judgments.
Let’s take a look. First, God cursed the serpent. In Genesis 3:14, the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals; you will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.”
The Bible must be discerned; you must determine to whom this statement is addressed. Do not apply all the words in the Bible to yourself; that is incorrect. Many words in the Bible are spoken to the unbelievers, many are spoken to believers, many are spoken to the Jews, and many are spoken to the Gentiles. We must distinguish these.
To whom is this statement addressed? It is addressed to the serpent, so you cannot say it is addressed to you. Today, many people insist that as long as it is a word spoken by God in the Bible, we must obey it. What about this statement? Should we obey it? No, this is not spoken to you; why should you obey it? It is said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you will be cursed,” and how does the serpent walk? It crawls on its belly. Today, do you see all snakes crawling on their bellies? This proves that God's judgment has already begun and is still effective today. Do you crawl on your belly? No, this statement is not addressed to you.
This is the first judgment: God cursed the serpent.
The second judgment is against Eve. In Genesis 3:16, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Looking back at this scripture, let’s think: Before Eve sinned, was there pain in childbirth? We are making a hypothesis here; at that time, they did not have pain in childbirth because pain itself was not within the scope of God's blessing. It was only after they violated God's words that they experienced the pains of childbearing.
Today, similarly, after you are saved from the world and return to Jesus Christ, you can also be liberated from this. In 1 and 2 Corinthians, there are such promises. So you must believe that some things are spoken to those under the law in the past, but they do not apply to you now.
The third judgment is against Adam. In verse 17, God said to Adam, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.”
From the time Adam sinned until today, men must toil for a living... Let’s think about it: Before Adam sinned, did he need to toil for a living? The Bible clearly states that the fruit on the tree was always there; he did not need to weed, water, or fertilize... because God was responsible for everything.
But they abandoned this right, choosing to say, “I will work hard to live.” So when he chose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he effectively chose the second path: to toil for a living from the ground. The problem is that after he sinned, the entire ground was cursed along with him, and the ground was cursed, resulting in thorns and thistles. This also indicates something else: there were no such things in the past.
The fourth judgment is that the ground is cursed. The ground will produce thorns and thistles for you. If you have ever farmed, you will find that after weeding, it does not stop growing forever, year after year it keeps growing because the ground is cursed.
The fifth judgment is that you will surely die.
Adam must die; by the sweat of your brow, you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return. Could Adam and Eve bear this? The days before were so good, and now suddenly everything is lost, and they have to rely on themselves. It seems that they have no way out. In this process of judgment, God still gave them a promise. Although Adam and Eve sinned, God did not abandon them, nor did He curse them to die. Although they suffered, God still opened a way for them.
Today I also want to tell you: even if you have sinned, God will not abandon you; God still provides a way out for you. You must first come before Him, and He will surely give you a way. Hallelujah! All people, when under sin, where is our way out? First, let’s see where Adam and Eve's way out was; this is a wonderful promise.
In verse 15, the Lord said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
This is a promise. Our God will send the offspring of the woman to save Adam and Eve and their descendants. What does this mean? The offspring of the woman is not plural; it does not mean that a woman has many children. Here it is a singular term, referring to a specific person in Hebrew.
Now do you know who it is? Jesus Christ. So at the beginning of the judgment, God gave Adam and Eve a way out. The Lord said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers.” This proves that the serpent's offspring has the seed of the devil, the kind of poisonous snake; is there such an existence? Indeed, there is. They will be enemies with the offspring of the woman. Those people do not accept Jesus; instead, they become tools of the devil. Before we accepted Jesus Christ, we were enemies of God, opposing God. The Bible clearly states this, yet we insist on doing so... Ultimately, it is we who suffer losses.
Our enemy is only the devil, not the person you can see. The offspring of the woman will crush your head; the offspring of the woman refers to Jesus. Jesus will crush his head, and he will strike Jesus' heel. How is this accomplished? Once the head is pierced, it is doomed.
This is a foreshadowing; one day Jesus will completely crush the head of the devil and defeat him, making him a complete failure. The devil will have a counterattack against the offspring of the woman, but his counterattack will only strike His heel, which has already been accomplished on the cross. When Adam and Eve sinned, God gave them a promise that pointed to the future on the cross, where the offspring of the woman would bear the sins they both committed. How could Jesus bear their sins? Jesus had to shed blood and sacrifice Himself to bear their sins.
At that time, God used a foreshadowing, which was the sacrificial system. God killed the first animal; we do not know what it was, perhaps a cow or a sheep. Personally, I think it might have been a sheep, and there may have been more than one because one sheep could not make an entire garment. This foreshadows our Jesus Christ.
When this animal was killed, its skin was stripped off. Think about it; at that time, God was doing this as an explanation to Adam and Eve: Do you know that this animal is innocent? It has not sinned, but why must it die? Because you have sinned, it must take your place and cover your shame.
Without it, your shame would be exposed, but today you can cover your shame with its skin. Adam knew in his heart that this animal was innocent, and the lamb replaced him, covering his shame. We wear the robe of righteousness of Jesus Christ; it is this robe of righteousness that when God looks at you, there is no shame because it is all covered. This was explained to Adam and Eve from the very beginning through this animal.
Some might say, how do you know they did this? Let’s look at verse 21: The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Where did this skin come from? It was not created by God; it was the skin of the animal. We must remember that Adam and Eve, because they were avoiding God, lost God's glory. They were ashamed to see God in their nakedness. Their method was to use leaves as clothing, but this was not the best solution. Brothers and sisters, all methods used by people in this world to appear righteous before God are temporary and not accepted by God. Only God's way is accepted by Him, and that is precisely our problem. Many times we use our own methods, which may seem effective at the time.
Think about it; at that time, they were not wearing clothes, felt ashamed, and used fig leaves to make skirts. It was too simple; this was easy. But is it a long-term solution? No. I do not deny that human methods can sometimes yield immediate results, and we may feel that these methods are good, while God’s methods seem slow...
Human methods are like those fig leaves; although they may work at the moment, they will create endless problems. Many times, when we try to solve problems, we create more problems. But when God solves your problems, there will never be any subsequent issues. This is actually two ways of living. Today I am speaking about this because we have a covenant with God. Jesus Christ has covered all our sins, and today we can live by God, using His methods. Please note that this was the first time God covered the sins of Adam and Eve with the blood of an animal. Similarly, He uses the blood of His only beloved Son, Jesus, to cover our sins, and this is forever.
Hebrews 9:11-12,
11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands—that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves; he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
What does this passage explain? It shows that in the past, under the old covenant, they used the blood of goats and calves for atonement. But when Jesus Christ offered Himself on the cross, He used His own blood for atonement. You will find that both have a common point: both use blood for atonement. Why can blood atone for sin, but other things cannot?
Let’s look at a verse, Leviticus 17:11, For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
The Bible tells us very clearly: because the life is in the blood, it can atone for sin. The term atonement here, in the original language, is used as covering. Now do you understand why the blood of animals could cover the sins of those people, and God no longer scrutinized their sins?
Once a year, the high priest would bring all the blood of the sacrifices for the people into the Most Holy Place and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. When God looked at the people through the blood on the mercy seat, He said, “The sins of the people have been forgiven.” It is through this blood that God looks at the people. Today, our Heavenly Father also looks at you through the blood of Jesus. When He looks at you through the blood of Jesus, can He still see your sins? No, He cannot.
So you must have this assurance; believe that the blood of Jesus brings you atonement. The original meaning is that it brings you covering, covering all your sins. Know that you are accepted by God before Him, accepted by God. When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost their union with God, but through the blood covenant, God declared: through this blood, I restore my relationship with you. That blood will bring them beautiful fellowship and joy.
Hebrews 10:28-29,
28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
What does this mean? Many people do not look at the context and randomly interpret it, saying, “You may be saved today, but if you sin again, the blood of Jesus cannot cleanse you, and you will wait for hell.” If that is the case, does it prove that the blood of Jesus is limited? The Bible tells us clearly: is the blood of Jesus powerful, or is our sin powerful? The blood of Jesus can cover our sins. There is no sin so great that even the blood of Jesus cannot cover it; if so, it proves that God's power is insufficient.
Why do some people ultimately receive more severe punishment? Let’s take a look; He used two examples. The first is the law of Moses. If a person violates the law of Moses... if a person knows the law of Moses and deliberately violates it, on the testimony of two or three witnesses, they die without mercy. The law reveals human sin, and the outcome is death.
Now look at this, how much more is it similar to the above? It is just a step further. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot? How do you trample the Son of God? The following also says, treating as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them. How many people today treat the blood of Jesus as a common thing? What does treating it as common mean? Let’s first look at how long the blood of animals under the law of Moses lasts. It lasts for a year, that’s right, once a year, the high priest enters the Most Holy Place to atone for the people.
The efficacy of Jesus' blood is eternal, but how many people believe that the blood of Jesus for your atonement and covering is permanent? Many people think it is only for one day; some even think it is not even for a day: “I just committed a sin; I must quickly confess to God; otherwise, I cannot be called a child of God, and God will start to punish me, judge me, and kill me, and not let me go...” This implies that the blood of Jesus is ineffective. Is that the meaning?
Treating as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them... through the blood of Jesus, have you been sanctified? The scripture clearly states: the blood of the Son of God sanctifies you; this covenant is a covenant that sanctifies you, established with the blood of Jesus for you. But they treat this blood of the covenant that sanctifies them as common, meaning it is not as good as the blood of the animals in the old covenant. Then we might as well go back to offering sacrifices; the blood of bulls and sheep has a one-year efficacy, but relying on the blood of Jesus, it does not even last a day. This clearly shows that they treat the blood of Jesus as common.
The following says, and insults the Spirit of grace. Brothers and sisters, what is the Holy Spirit for? Grace is to give grace, but how many people insult the Holy Spirit like this: “Be careful; if you can’t remember your sins, pray and let the Holy Spirit reveal your sins.”
Is the Holy Spirit doing this? The Holy Spirit is giving you grace; He is letting you remember that you have already become holy through the blood of Jesus. Through the blood of Jesus, you have already been accepted by God. Through the blood of Jesus, today you are reconciled with the Father. He reminds you of all the words Jesus has spoken to you, and you know you are a son. This is what the Holy Spirit does; we must not misunderstand the Holy Spirit.
You think, how much more severe will the punishment be? Is it not that both aspects are misunderstood? The first is that they do not know what the blood of Jesus brings them; the second is that they do not know what the Holy Spirit does. We must understand this point: the efficacy of the blood of Jesus is eternal. From Adam to Christ, the Bible is full of records of how God establishes covenants with blood to revive His people. Here are a few examples for you.
In Genesis 8:20, Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of all the clean animals and clean birds and sacrificed burnt offerings on it. Did God establish a covenant with Noah using blood? Why did he offer sacrifices? Through the sacrifices, he was reminded of the covenant with God.
Next, in Genesis 17:10, “You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you for you and your descendants.” Circumcision, in today’s terms, is the cutting of the foreskin, which also requires blood to flow; it is also a blood covenant.
Next, after God issued the commandments, Moses gathered the people and offered a calf as a sacrifice. In Exodus 24:8, Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Although they lived under the law at that time, there was still this sacrificial system. Brothers and sisters, if there were only the Ten Commandments and no sacrificial system, the people would all die; no one could stand before God. But through this sacrificial system, through the blood of the sacrifice, they could restore their relationship with God. Today, through the blood of Jesus, we have eternally restored our relationship with the Father, so your sins are eternally covered. There are many more.
In Genesis 21, Abraham made a covenant with Abimelech, killing seven ewe lambs as a sign of their covenant. You must know that from Genesis to today, God has established covenants using blood as evidence. Our covenant with the Father is based on blood. When will you see this evidence? When you take communion, you will remember again that this is the covenant Jesus made for you, allowing the Father to accept you forever. Hallelujah!
Let’s look at a very practical example, Genesis 4:3-4,
3 In the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD, 4 and Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering.
Let me ask you a question: Abel and Cain were born of Adam, right? Who invented the sacrificial system? How did they know to offer sacrifices? It was Adam who told his children. So how did Adam know about sacrifices? Before Adam and Eve sinned, did God mention anything about sacrifices? Did God say, “Every year at this time, give me seven rams, seven ewes... and then offer them before me, and I will be pleased”? God never said that.
This proves that it only appeared after Adam sinned. After they sinned, God killed an animal and made garments of skin for them. It was at that time that God established a covenant with Adam, which was the sacrificial system. Adam knew he had made a mistake, so he told his sons: you must do this. These two sons certainly knew the significance of it, but their reactions were completely different.
Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. Did Cain not know to offer an animal with blood for the covenant? He knew; otherwise, he would not have been angry. Why did he not offer? Cain and Abel represent two different types of Christians living: one lives by relying on himself, doing whatever he wants, having the words of God but unwilling to listen, saying, “You can say whatever you want.”
For example, attending church on Sunday is something that as children of God we should do. Why do we do this? Because you need it. God is not saying, “You must worship me to make me feel comfortable.” No, God does not lack this; we lack it. We must rely on God’s strength to live in the new week, so on the first day, we come before God to draw from His strength, living according to His words, precisely because we have needs.
However, many people say, “It doesn’t matter; I can go or not go.” Is this not the same way of living as Cain? “Why pray to God when something happens? I don’t think it’s necessary.” That is just your opinion; it does not mean God recognizes this.
Cain offered the produce of the ground, which was actually correct, but when he did not offer the blood of an animal, God did not accept any of it. In Leviticus, there are five major offerings; you must first offer a burnt offering, which must be through the blood of an animal, allowing your relationship with God to be covered before your grain offering can be accepted. Just as the Israelites restored their relationship with God through the blood of animals, God saw you as a person in the covenant. This covenant lasts for a year; after a year, the covenant becomes invalid.
It is like signing a labor contract in a company; within that year, the person has responsibilities to the company, and the company has responsibilities to him. After a year, if the contract is not renewed, the covenant automatically becomes void. In the past, the Israelites also had this; after offering the animal, God saw you as a person in the covenant, so God blessed you, helped you, and listened to your prayers. These are all things God should do. If after a year you do not offer the blood of the animal, your sins will be exposed before God. What I mean is that Cain offering produce is not wrong in itself, but he should first resolve his sin problem with God. If he does not offer the blood of the animal first, everything he offers is not pleasing to God.
Think about it: if today we still carry sin and do good deeds, can people recognize it? For example, if a person has just killed someone and becomes a murderer, can he cover up his identity by doing good deeds? No, unless someone innocent dies in his place, can his identity be changed? Only then can he be recognized for the good deeds he does afterward. Cain's offering of produce is not wrong in itself, but if he does not first resolve his sin problem with God, everything he offers is not pleasing to God. Abel, on the other hand, was accepted by God precisely because he offered the correct sacrifice.
Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. Why is this so detailed? It proves that Adam had already told his children what they should offer. It is very clear that Cain could not possibly not know. Living according to God's way will bring you God's blessings. God first liked Abel and his offering; what is the reason?
Hebrews 11:4 has already given us the answer: By faith, Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith, he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith, Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
Abel, by faith, offered a sacrifice to God. What did Abel believe? Very simply: the blood of this lamb can replace my sin, can cover my sin, can atone for my sin. Because he believed this, when he offered it, God had already accepted this person. His inner faith was reflected in his actions. So when you pray to God, you should do the same. Hebrews 11 also tells us that when you seek God, you must first believe that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Whenever you pray, be sure that God will listen and answer, then your prayers will be effective.
Now let’s look at how Abel’s offering was better than Cain’s. It proves that Cain's offering was not terrible; it was also good, but Abel's was better (it was a blood sacrifice). Therefore, living under the law is good, but living under grace is even better. This way, you can correctly face those who live under the law.
Thus, he received a testimony of righteousness. How are we justified today? You believe that Jesus shed His precious blood on the cross, forgiving all your sins. Jesus covered your sins forever; He died for your sins and rose from the dead three days later. When you believe this, you are justified.
Abel believed this, so he was justified by God and received a testimony of righteousness. This is the testimony that God gave regarding his offering. So where is Abel’s faith manifested? It is in the blood on the offering. So when God points to the offering and says, “This is the testimony of Abel’s righteousness,” He is referring to the blood of the animal.
Today you know why you are justified by God? Our Heavenly Father points to the blood of Jesus and says, “This is your testimony of righteousness.” Then you are justified forever. He died, yet by this faith, he still speaks. He believed so, and God bore witness to him. So I have always believed that Adam and Eve must have told their sons about the sacrifices commanded by God, which is about a blood covenant. That is a symbol, a foreshadowing that all of us will rely on the redemption of Jesus Christ in the future. Both of these sons knew that God established covenants through blood.
So God asked Cain, “Why are you angry?” In Genesis 4:5-7, “But on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’”
What does this passage mean? If you do what is right, does it mean Cain's behavior is bad? Is Abel's behavior good? If it were based on good behavior, we would not need to offer sacrifices. Cain's behavior is bad because he did not have the correct faith; there was no blood in his offering, so God saw him as guilty. Why did God like Abel? Because the offering Abel brought had blood, so when God looked at him through the blood, he was forgiven and accepted by God. This is the difference in their behaviors. So, when a person has different inner faith, their outward behavior will also be different.
Some people believe that God is a God who blesses; they are willing to commit this week to our Lord, so they seek God and live according to God's way. They believe: even if today is busy with business, I am willing to come before the Lord first to hear His words, so this week I will be filled with God's wisdom, and God will not delay my matters. They put the Lord first, and the Lord will take responsibility for everything afterward. If they are still busy now: “No, I have to work harder to earn more…”
Is this relying on oneself? This is two different ways of living. When relying on oneself does not bring God's blessings or messes things up, do not blame God. I still say, even if today you do not come to the meeting, saying you are too busy, have no time to read the Bible, and no time to pray, I will not blame you, nor will I condemn you. But I want to say that if you can live better this way, then fine, but when problems arise, do not blame God. God's way is that you believe in Him and live according to His way.
Abel lived this way, but Cain did not. So God said, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” This means: you should also offer according to my way; let me see the blood of the lamb you offer. Is this not the difference? If you do not do this, what will happen?
Sin is crouching at your door. In Hebrew, there are two words that are completely the same; one is “sin,” and the other is “sin offering.” Here, translating it as “sin offering” is more accurate. It means that if you do not do what is right, what should you do? The sin offering is right at your door, proving that it is not difficult for Cain to get a lamb. If you offer this lamb before me, will you not be accepted?
It desires to have you, but you must rule over it. This shows that the sin offering has always been waiting; this is the real reason. Our Lord Jesus has always been waiting for you to pray to Him. Our Heavenly Father is always waiting for you to speak, but we have become very precious and find it hard to open our mouths, saying we have no time to pray, no time to read the Bible. This precious mouth cannot open, while the Lord Jesus is always waiting. This is the part we need to adjust.
The sin offering has already been crouching at your door; it has been desiring you, but you must rule over it. How do you rule over it? “Take it and offer it before me, and you will be accepted.” God says to those who are rebellious: “The choice is in your hands; you can choose between right and wrong.”
This also shows that our God never forces us; He is a God who reasons with us. You can reason with God; that is fine. The Bible has many places that show God gives people the freedom to choose. But if we live by faith, believing in Him and obeying His words, you will absolutely have the ability to overcome sin in your life, and you will live a victorious life in this world.
Today you must believe: the blood of Jesus brings you eternal covering; your relationship with the Father has been reconciled, and everything you offer afterward will be accepted by God. Do you still need to offer a sin offering? No, Jesus is your sin offering. At this moment, the thanksgiving offering you present to God will be accepted, and your offering will become a seed, and God will bless you even more.
Let’s look at the last passage, Hebrews 10:11-12,
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
This is what Jesus did for you on the cross. Today, you do not believe that Jesus can forgive your sins today and then it is gone tomorrow; this is eternal. Jesus offered once and sat down at the right hand of God, proving that the work of redemption and atonement is complete, so He sat down.
Today you live with the completed work of redemption of Jesus; when you live with this, know that God accepts you and that God protects you today. What should you do? When you encounter something, pray to Him, give thanks to Him, and seek Him. You will surely find Him. Hallelujah! As long as you are willing to pray to Him and give Him sovereignty, He is willing to take responsibility for all your matters. Because the covenant has already been established.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You! Through the blood of Jesus, we receive eternal covering. The efficacy of Jesus' precious blood is forever, so the peace between me and the Father is also eternal. Although Adam and Eve sinned, I was a sinner in the past, but now because of the blood of Jesus, I have been justified by faith. God's blessings are upon me; I am a person in the covenant.
Today I am willing to live with this covenant, willing to live according to Your way. Thank You and praise You! I believe You have blessed this week. Living according to Your way is easy and blessed. I believe this because Jesus has accomplished everything for me. Thank You and praise You! All glory be to You, in the name of Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!