Renewing Our Covenant with God

Covenant Sunday / Icawa yoMnqophiso

“CHOOSE THIS DAY”

Renewing Our Covenant with God

Covenant Sunday / Icawa yoMnqophiso Texts: Joshua 24:14–18

Joshua 24:14–18 ESV

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

| 2 Corinthians 5:17–21

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jeremiah 31:33 ESV

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.

Revelation 21:3 ESV

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

INTRODUCTION: WHY COVENANT SUNDAY MATTERS

Beloved in the Lord, today is not an ordinary Sunday. Today is Covenant Sunday — Icawa yoMnqophiso.

This is a solemn and sacred moment in the life of the church.

Covenant Sunday is not something the church invented to sound religious. It flows directly from the Bible’s understanding of covenant and from the church’s need to remember who we are and whose we are.

This service is not about New Year’s resolutions. Resolutions depend on human discipline. Covenant depends on divine grace.

We are not gathered here because we have been perfect. We are gathered here because God has been faithful.

Throughout Scripture, God’s people regularly paused to:

remember God’s saving acts

confess their failures

and renew their commitment to Him

Covenant Sunday gives us space to do that together.

Joshua once gathered Israel and placed before them a decisive question:

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15)

That same question stands before us today as we step into the year 2026.

1. GOD IS THE SUZERAIN: THE ONE WHO INITIATES COVENANT

To understand covenant, we must understand who God is.

In the ancient world, a suzerain was a great king — a ruler with supreme authority — who entered into covenant with weaker nations called vassals. The suzerain:

set the terms

demanded loyalty

and offered protection and provision

The vassal did not negotiate. They responded.

This background helps us understand the Bible.

In Scripture, God is the true Suzerain.

He is the sovereign King over all creation. He initiates covenant. He defines its terms. He binds Himself by promise.

Before Joshua calls Israel to choose, he reminds them of God’s story:

God called Abraham

God delivered Israel from Egypt

God protected them in the wilderness

God brought them into the land

Joshua teaches us this truth: Covenant always begins with God’s grace, not human initiative.

God does not say, “Promise first, then I will bless you.” God says, “I have blessed you — now respond.”

Church, before we recommit today, remember:

God kept you when you could not keep yourself

God provided when resources were low

God forgave when you fell short

God sustained your life up to this very moment

You are here today not because you were strong, but because God was faithful.

2. COVENANT REQUIRES LOYALTY: PUT AWAY RIVAL GODS

Joshua then speaks with clarity and courage:

“Put away the gods that your ancestors served…” (Joshua 24:14)

Covenant renewal is not sentimental. It is spiritual surgery.

In a suzerain covenant, the vassal owed exclusive loyalty. No divided allegiance was allowed.

Israel wanted God, but they also wanted the gods of the nations. They wanted protection without obedience. Blessing without surrender.

Joshua makes it clear: God does not share covenant loyalty.

Church, our idols today may not be carved statues, but they are real:

self-reliance

money and material security

cultural compromise and syncretism

fear of people

hidden sin and divided hearts

Covenant Sunday asks us an honest question:

Who truly owns my life?

You cannot call God “Lord” while serving rival masters. You cannot renew covenant while clinging to idols.

Joshua does not say, “Improve your behaviour.” He says, “Choose.”

Because covenant is a decision, not an accident.

3. COVENANT IS COMMUNAL: WE BELONG TO GOD TOGETHER

Joshua then declares publicly:

“As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

Notice three things.

First: Covenant is personal. “As for me…” — no one can choose for you.

Second: Covenant is household-shaping. Faith must be lived at home, not only in church.

Third: Covenant is communal. The people respond together:

“We also will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:18)

Covenant is not private spirituality. It is public belonging.

Covenant means we agree to:

walk together

worship together

correct and encourage one another

share in God’s mission together

This is why Covenant Sunday matters. It turns theology into lived communal obedience.

4. THE GOSPEL: THE SUZERAIN WHO BECAME THE SAVIOUR

Now we must be honest: Can we keep this covenant by our own strength?

The answer is no.

That is why Covenant Sunday must always lead us to Jesus Christ.

Paul declares:

“If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Here is the glory of the gospel:

The divine Suzerain did not destroy disloyal vassals. He came to save them.

In Jesus Christ:

the King became the Servant

the Law-giver bore the curse of covenant breaking

the faithful Son fulfilled what we failed to keep

Jesus sealed the New Covenant with His blood.

So today we do not say, “Lord, we will never fail again.”

We say, “Lord, we belong to You.”

Covenant renewal is not self-confidence. It is Christ-dependence.

CONCLUSION: WHY WE RENEW THE COVENANT TODAY

Church, Covenant Sunday exists because:

God has already bound Himself to us

Faith must be renewed intentionally

Belonging must be confessed publicly

This is not a moment of fear. It is a moment of grace.

God is not forcing us. He is inviting us.

As we enter 2026, God asks:

Will you walk with Me?

And today, we respond — together.