The Covenant of Works
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Intro:
Scripture Intro:
The end of Ezekiel set the stage for this series...
an overview of Covenant Theology
Covenant is a concept that is all over the Bible,
yet, it has goes often overlooked in modern understanding of the Gospel.
And that is a travesty.
B/c the understanding of God’s covenant with his people is essence
of our relationship with him.
Scripture Reading (“Please stand…”)
When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—
then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.
The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Pray...
Intro:
Intro:
the whole Bible is about God’s one, unified, unfolding plan of salvation through the work of our Savior Jesus Christ, expressed through covenant.
What is a Covenant?
What is a Covenant?
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God Binding Himself to His People
Bond
In Blood
Sovereignly Administered
Harrison Perkins
Covenant theology is about knowing how we relate to our Maker and Redeemer and especially how we, as sinners, might know that we are accepted in his sight and have the guarantee of his eternal love. (Harrison Perkins)
God’s Faithfulness
God’s Promises
Harrison Perkins
When our unchanging God makes a promise, then God’s promise is also unchanging. (Harrison Perkins)
He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.”
Covenant is the basis by which God’s love flows to us.
Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity.
Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
What is the Covenant of Works?
What is the Covenant of Works?
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Many people call this the Covenant of Creation...
but essentially,
this is God’s covenant with Adam...
That on the condition of perfect obedience...
He and humanity would have eternal life.
Lets clarify two things about this title for this covenant.
First, some people would say that this was not a covenant.
Why? b/c the word isn’t in Genesis 1-3.
Therefore, how can we say it is a covenant?
But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.
Interestingly, God’s relationship with creation is described as covenant.
“Thus says the Lord: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time,
then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers.
God is saying that he made a covenant with creation...
and it is unbreakable.
Therefore, his covenant with his people is unbreakable.
Secondly, “works”
This is based on the the obedience of Adam...
but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t grace.
God was under no obligation to allow for this arrangement...
Even though Adam’s work (obedience) keeps him in the promise...
It as God’s grace that even allowed for it.
Also, Covenant of Grace...
doesn’t imply no need for works.
Instead, salvation is by grace.
Why does this matter for us?
Why does this matter for us?
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1st Adam
2nd Adam
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.
For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Close in Prayer
Close in Prayer
Closing Song:
Closing Song:
“In Christ Alone”
Jesus is the centerpiece of Covenant Theology.
All things point to him
His person
His work
For our salvation
Benediction:
Benediction:
