Why a Covenant?
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Image
Image
Covenant is not a common word in our society. Instead, we use words like contract. We may use words like an oath or promise. We might even talk about “the deal”. In our culture, covenants are not common. For better or for worse, we are more of a contract society than a covenant society. We want contracts that are professional that provide very specific guidelines. Covenants can be very specific and detailed. But, they carry the weight of two main ideas: relationship and responsibility.
Marriage is still a perfect example of this. During the wedding ceremony, the husband and wife do not sign a contract that determines the percentage each person will have to do laundry, wash dishes, walk the dogs, catch small insects that will surely murder the entire family, who will take the trash, or a million other specifics. Instead, we vow to enter into a covenant relationship that carries certain responsibilities. We promise in sickness and in health, I will be there. We promise for richer or for poorer, I will be there. Whatever this life throws at us, we will be in it together.
Need
Need
Saints, the previous four sermons I have preached have tried to answer four foundational questions that every member of Colgate should ask. In our final sermon, we need to one more question, “Why a covenant?” I mentioned during my second sermon that we would have a covenant renewal ceremony at the completion of this sermon series. This sermon is aimed at asking why would we do that. It is my hope, that like a marriage ceremony, we will see that church membership is a public declaration between God and humans saying, “We are in this thing together.”
Organization
Organization
Creation Covenant
Noahic Covenant
Abrahamic Covenant
Mosaic Covenant
Davidic Covenant
New Covenant
Sermon in a sentence:
Sermon in a sentence:
Church membership is covenantal because the Bible is covenantal.
Creation
Creation
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
The Covenant at creation is:
God initiated a public covenant relationship with his creation
Humanity is to bless creation
Some argue there is no covenant at creation. There is not enough time to address this fully. See God’s Kingdom Through God’s Covenant and Hosea 6:7
7 But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.
People say God created humans for relationship. And that is true but also almost a lie. That often turns into people having this view of God as though he needs his creation for fellowship and relationship. He does not! That’t the beauty of the Trinity.
But, it is true that God created the universe to be in relationship with his creation. God created man so that we could “know him and enjoy him forever” as the Westminster Catechism says. I see it all the time, people say they have a close relationship with God. And what they mean is they try to do good things. But saints, if your relationship with God is not growing in closeness to God and blessing his creation, you don’t have a good relationship with God.
Let me very practically and sincerely ask you, “What is your relationship with the Triune God like?” If you are not growing with the Lord and being a blessing to those around you, you are not in God’s will. You are actually growing in enmity with God.
Noahic
Noahic
17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
Establish my covenant- heqim berit. This could better be translated to “reaffirm” my covenant. God did not create a new covenant with Noah. Instead, He reinitiated the covenant that Adam failed to keep again with Noah.
7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.” 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
God reestablishes (he reinitiates) the covenant he made with humanity to have the relationship they should have had in Eden.
God calls Noah, this new Adam, to be a blessing to the world.
God gives Noah (and all of creation) a sign of this covenant.
A covenantal relationship with God will often come with trials and tribulations. It would be often easier to not have a relationship with God in the culture you are in. Yet, despite all the trials, your relationship with God is for your ultimate good.
This relationship should manifest in a public display. Is your covenantal relationship with God visible?
Abrahamic
Abrahamic
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 15 - God cuts the covenant with Abraham by putting him to sleep and walking through the animals that were cut in half.
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” 9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.
God initiated the covenant with Abraham.
God called him to be a blessing to the nations and to live righteously
God gave him a sign of the covenant to publicly remind his people and signify to the world the relationship God had with his people.
Mosaic
Mosaic
4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
God called Israel out of Egypt and initiated his covenant with them.
God called his people to live in relationship with him and be a blessing to the world because of that relationship.
1 Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.” 3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
The Covenant is ratified with a public sign with stipulations.
12 And the Lord said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ” 18 And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
God gave the people a continual sign of their covenant
Davidic
Davidic
2 Samuel 7
God has given David rest from his enemies. David considers the temple or the house he has made for himself. He also recognizes that God’s house is still the mobile temple. God does not have a permenant house. Therefore, David plans to build God a house. However, God is more interested in establishing the house (the royal lineage) of David. God will provide a son of David to be on the throne of Israel forever.
God initaited this covenant.
God picked David over Saul.
David was thinking about ‘houses’ but God was thinking of seed
This is a public covenant
David’s anointing
David’s rise before Israel
Nathan delivers this message
God gives David a sign - sons who will be kings.
New
New
31 “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, 32 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. 33 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. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
REPENT and BE BAPTIZED is the common call in the NT.
John the Baptist and Jesus keep saying it.
Acts 2 - God sends his Spirit on the people as prophesied in the OT.
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
God sends his Spirit to draw his people to himself. God initiated his relationship.
There is a public call to entrance into this new covenant as a relationship with God and his people.
There is a public sign of the entrance into the covenant.
Baptism is the sign of a member’s entrance into the covenant. The Lord’s Supper is a sign for the continual status of being in the covenant.
14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
1 Corinthians 11
Paul also gives us instructions on the partaking of the Lord’s Supper in the church as a normal and ongoing practice.
God gave the church a public sign to demonstrate their covenant relationship with God and another.
Conclusion
Conclusion
I want every practice, habit, belief, policy, procedure, etc… to be based on the Bible. I want a biblical reason for the why and what around here.
Saints, I am convinced that public covenant ceremonies between God and his people for the benefit of his creation is as biblical as it gets. If that is the case, let us be biblical!
*Read Church Covenant*
Application
Application
Come into a covenant relationship with the Triune God today! Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!
Pray. Sign the church covenant if you are comfortable.
