Covenant Faith in March Madness

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For any sports fans or more specifically college basketball fans in the room, what are we embarking in the beginnings of? March Madness.

I know there are DUKE fans in this room with high expectations for the tournament. And if you are a UNC fan like me, we were just happy to get a ticket to the dance.

I’m not ashamed to be a UNC fan. Hey Listen, the DUKE/UNC basketball rivalry is one of the greatest rivalries in sports. Both historic franchises and both have a quite a history of being number 1.

My favorite UNC team was the 2005 team, which is tough because there are so many to choose from. 2005 UNC team coached by the legendary Roy Williams and was made of the likes of Sean Maye, Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, and Marvin Williams. None of whom had particularly dominant NBA careers, but together they put together one of the most dominant runs a college team has ever put together. They finished the season 27-4, ACC champs and entered the tournament ranked number 1. Thats not to say there wasn’t dramatic hard fought wins but this team was characterized by its balance of talent, chemistry, and resilience.

In the final 2 minutes of the championship game against illinois, they were tied 70-70, but the dominance of Sean Maye off the boards rebounding and scoring, led UNC to a 75-70 victory.

Pastor Ross UNC had an incredible team that year ranked number 1, its not exactly madness that they won a championship that year.

Well why do they call it March Madness?

It’s because there is a bracket of what used to be 64 teams, now 68 teams participate in a winner take all tournament. Your ranking does not give you a spot in the championship round, only winning all the games gets you there.

Every year there are upsets, high seeded teams being knocked out even in the first 2 rounds. Millions around the USA bet money on their filled out brackets only for it to be ruined very quickly by the inevitable upset specials.

Since the tournament had expanded to 64 teams only Villanova has won the tournament as an 8 seed in their bracket or lower. But several teams over the years have made it to the final four on an 11 seed.

Only once in 40 years of the 64 team tournament did all 4 number 1 seeds make it to the Final 4. That was 2008 where UNC came up a little short, but ended up winning it all the next year in 2009.

My point is, although often teams with high rankings do well, there are still many upsets, and unpredictability in the tournament. Duke fans I wouldn’t put all my faith in that number 1 ranking.

Pastor why are we talking about college basketball from the pulpit? Because like March Madness’s guaranteed unpredictability, the Bible tells us that the end of times will also be filled with chaos, upsets, and unpredictability.

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Jesus said,

Matthew 24:4–8 ESV

And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

I’ve heard evangelist after evangelist try and predict the outcomes of the final days as if we can pinpoint exactly how things will transpire. The context of what I read in scripture is that we cannot predict every nuance of the final days except to know that things will quite uncomfortable for those in God’s remnant, those who keep the commandments of God, those who keep their faith in the covenant promise which God has made with his believers, that one day Jesus will come in the clouds.

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Jesus said:

Matthew 24:9–14 ESV

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

I had great appreciation for Pastor Josue’s message last Sabbath, you see because he made the point that although life is scary, and our next days not guaranteed. And although we see corruption and wickedness throughout our world, we also can know that God is still in control.

Jesus says before the end comes, the gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed around the world. He says His end time remnant must endure the madness and uncertainty. Today we are going to break down how we can have resilience, uphold each other, and share the good news even in the midst of present darkness.

Before we go further, lets take a moment to pray.

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There is no question about that times are certainly unique right now in our world, in our country, and in our communities.

And its hard not to get caught up in the madness.

That being said, I think as is most times, there are two distinct ditches we can fall into, there is one, where we don’t pay any attention to warning signs, and write it off embrace being desensitized, as there always seems to be something happening, but you know its not affecting me, carry about business as normal.

The other ditch is full go embracing sensationalism, hysteria, panic, fear-mongering, reading more click bait articles more than the Word of God.

While the Bible warns us of the end of days being an exceptionally difficult time in Earth’s history, I would suggest also times of great trouble has marked God’s people throughout Earth’s history. God has proven faithful time and time again even in the midst of trial and tribulation. And there has always been and will always be those people, I described 2 Sabbaths ago as the caretakers of the remnant message.

The signs of the times are real brothers and sisters, but I do have an alternative reaction to them that is not fear based. It is that we can experience our faith being confirmed. If we have believed in a time of trouble, but knowing what is to come following that time, does having prophecy fulfilled not give confirmation to our faith?

Or would we behave as God’s people wandering in the wilderness. Piggy backing off Pastor Josue last week, soon after experiencing the miraculous protection of the parting of the red sea, and being rescued from slavery at the hands of the Egyptians, what do the God’s people do at the first sign of hunger?

They complain and are quick to romanticize/idealize their experience in Egypt remarking weren’t we atleast well fed in Egypt? Moses gone for a little over a month communing with God, and in that time, his people had already resorted in building and worshipping a golden calf.

You know it probably wasn’t Moses finest moment throwing down and breaking the tablets God had written the Ten commandments on…but seriously can you blame him for the outburst.

God had given his people every reason to trust and have faith, and this just being the example, His people forgot the the covenant over and over.

My friends today, yes we live in uncertain times, and there is plenty of reason to pay attention, but is God not still God? Does he not hold the keys to our future. I believe that most of us here trust God while living in plenty. Will you trust him still if we live without? Will you remember God’s covenant and have faith?

Covenant? Pastor Ross can we quickly review what that entails?

I tend to like Ty Gibson’s Biblical definition of what covenant is.

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“Covenant, in a nutshell, is omnidirectional love: love between God and humans, love between humans and humans, and the creation over which they have charge.” (The Sonship of Christ -Ty Gibson)

If you read the book of Hosea, we get glimpses God’s covenant defined and also the pain of covenant breaking.

See how Isaiah articulates this idea:

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Isaiah 24:5–6 NKJV

The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left.

Human history, and certainly the history of God’s people are fundamentally characterized by covenant breaking. Ty Gibson describes, “We are a race defined by relational dysfunction, a race of victims and victimizers, a race of non-lovers. Covenant is a relational word. To live covenantally is to live for all others in faithful love. Covenant breaking occurs when individuals live for self.

So God became human in order to live out the relational terms of the covenant for us, towards us, in us, and as us.

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Isaiah 42:6 ESV

“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,

Malachi 3:1 closing out the old testament calls the messiah that would come, “the messenger of the covenant.”

The Messiah Jesus who came and walked this Earth, was God confirming his covenantal faithfulness to the human race.

God is seeking to complete the relational link of covenantal faithfulness between himself and the human race, in essence restoring relational integrity within humanity so the love flowing from Him to us might finally also flow back. Covenant has always been a two way street. God has been faithful, His people do not have that track record.

Thats a lot of words to suggest God’s people largely failed in maintaining their faithfulness to God leading up to the Savior’s coming.

Now here is where you and I come in.

We have to address something that many of our brothers and sisters amongst other denominations do not fully align with an Adventist interpretation of covenant.

Its the idea of Old Covenant and New Covenant. There are many who subscribe to a New Covenant theology where God’s law is done away with.

But we can easily break that down. There is context to be understood. Many will quote Paul in various texts throughout the NT seemingly talking about the law no longer binding and because of Christ’s sacrifice we are no longer under the law.

1ST question, which law are we talking about? Are we talking about the Levitical law, or the law of Moses—-religious duties, sacrifices, dietary restrictions, social behaviors, priestly conduct, sexual taboos. The levitical law had its place and context for His people and in many ways still does. But its emphasis on practice, especially in regard to animal sacrifice were pointing Christ’s sacrifice. Even the strict adherence to the Levitical law was NEVER to be confused with earning Salvation. At Christ’s crucifixion, Paul is telling us the things people have become overly obsessed about such as circumcision just don’t hold the same weight anymore, and hes especially talking to the Jewish background Christians who are struggling to adapt to the new Christian identity that isn’t a slave to laws anymore.

If we are talking about the Levitical Law there is certainly an evolution, or better put a higher understanding that Christ alludes to as well when Pharisees attempted to hold he and his disciples to standards they were never intended. Jesus taught the Spirit of the law over the legalistic letter of the law the religious leaders had been aspousing.

And if some of our brothers in other denominations are suggesting New Testament authors are suggesting it was the ten commandments were done away with, if thats the law being referenced, i have yet to come across the person who has issues with any of the commandments except for the 4TH commandment, the very commandment that begins with “Remember.”

What is the Adventist interpretation of Covenant?

The Adventist interpretation of the New Covenant is an understanding of the law, grace, and Jesus’ ongoing ministry. Lets break it down:

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1. The New Covenant is a Renewal, Not a Replacement

We do not believe the New Covenant is an entirely new agreement that replaces the Old Covenant — rather, it’s a renewal of the covenant God made with His people. The core principles remain the same:

    •    God’s law is still valid.

    •    Obedience is a sign of faith and relationship, not a means of earning salvation.

WE cite Jeremiah 31:31-33, where God promises to write His law on people’s hearts — showing that the law wasn’t abolished but internalized.

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Jeremiah 31:31–33 ESV

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

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2. Jesus as the Mediator (I hope our sermon series on Hebrews last fall hasn’t already been forgotten)

We as Adventists emphasize Jesus Christ as the mediator of the New Covenant or renewed covenant, fulfilling the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant. His death and resurrection provide forgiveness and redemption, making salvation available to all.

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Hebrews 8:6 ESV

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

— Jesus mediates a better covenant with better promises.

    •    The sanctuary services in the Old Testament are seen as symbolic of Christ’s heavenly ministry. We believe Jesus is now in the heavenly sanctuary, interceding for humanity (Hebrews 9:24).

Hebrews 9:24 ESV

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

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3. The Law Still Matters — Including the Sabbath

A distinct Adventist understanding is that the moral law (Ten Commandments) remains binding under the New Covenant, especially the fourth commandment — the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11).

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    •     God’s law is eternal and reflects His character.

    •    Romans 3:31 — “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.”

Sabbath-keeping is a sign of loyalty to God’s covenant. Jesus observed the Sabbath and never abolished it. Not only that He taught us the spirit of the Sabbath and its purpose. He challenged the oppressive function of the Sabbath which the religious leaders of his day had perverted.

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4. Grace and Transformation

While the law is upheld, we as Adventist Christians stress that humans are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), not by works. The New Covenant offers forgiveness and spiritual transformation through the Holy Spirit.

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Ezekiel 36:26–27 ESV

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

— God promises a new heart and spirit.

    •    This transformation enables believers to follow God’s law joyfully, not out of obligation but as a reflection of Christ’s character in them.

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5. The Everlasting Covenant

As Adventists we connect the New Covenant to an overarching “Everlasting Covenant”, which we believe spans from Eden to eternity. The New Covenant is seen as a fulfillment of God’s original plan to restore humanity through Christ.

    •    Revelation 14:12

Revelation 14:12 ESV

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

describes end-time believers as those who “keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus” — embodying both law and grace.

Conclusion

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My friends do you believe in this everlasting covenant between God and His people? If we do, we can have confidence that no matter what happens here on this planet we can have assurance that God is in control and has not forgotten about us.

I’ve said this before, but sometimes I think ultimately when we pray we are bringing unconsidered information to God when we pray.

“Hey God I am suffering, Hey God my loved one is going through this.”

We are not educating God when we pray. No we go to God with our petitions but in referent submission to Him. We petition him out of praise to Him. Pastor that doesn’t make sense. Yes it does. Why pray to Him at all if we do not believe He is all powerful? That He sees from a vantage point and lens we do not see from.

My friends as believers in Jesus we are in covenant with Him.

About a year and half ago, members of our stewardship committee began our Arc Covenant project. Our desire as a church to become debt free. One conclusion we made is that the church had already made a covenant with the Lord by building the Arc over there. This project wasn’t a new covenant being established it was a reminder to our members we were already in covenant with the Lord and was a renewal of that fact. And in direct response to this renewal to the pact this church had made with the Lord, we have seen sacrificial giving from you and we have been cutting down that debt much faster than before.

My friends I pray you will cling to the promises God has made that one day coming in the clouds Jesus will come and take us from this sin riddled world, a place where there will be no more death, fighting, cancer, injustice and all the other unpleasing things marked by sin. Remember your promises made at baptism, those who have taken that plunge that you desire to live for Him and will seek His forgiveness and accept his grace when we do fall short.

Don’t let the marching closer into the days madness of unpredictability, hysteria, and uncertainty as cause you to lose our covenant faith in a God who has always followed through on His promises.

Cling to the promises of God!