Sermon Tone Analysis

Today’s message is an interactive message.

Not meaning that you can yell or throw things at me but that you will get much more out of the message today if you have a bible and follow along.

Remember that scripture is God’s own authoritative interpretation of his redemptive acts through the agency of human authors.

Last time I spoke I covered some basic ideas about prophecy.

Some simple things to keep in mind that might help you in your study.

Especially the Old Testament.

I also mentioned that covenants Are a large part of gods program.

Why should I care about covenants?

Because if you have a good understanding of the covenants of the bible you will have a much clearer grasp of what god has done and why, what he is doing and why, and what he yet will do and why.

But first something else, God did not create us and this universe simply to have a sandbox to play in.

there was a purpose and plan for it all.

let’s now enter our plane and fly up to about 30000 feet, look out the window down at god’s creation and ask, what is the big broad overview of god’s plan for his creation of course including us.

We need to understand how it started - Gen. 1:26-28 observe some things easy to overlook

Slide 1

On day 6, everything said is important

1. note made in gods image,

2. twice told man made to rule over earth and everything in it.

Rule – have dominion, reign, rule, apparently gods’ intention was for man to rule with him under his authority over the administration of the earth god created, little kings under the big king

3. fill the earth – multiplication - never to be confined just to the garden, always meant to be over the entire earth.

4. Subdue the earth - Ruling also included subduing the earth – conquer, subjugate, keep under subjection

Word about subduing the earth, today gets a bad rap

Understand that man subjugating the world under the guidance of God in a sinless environment would never result in something destructive or harmful, but only positive, the purpose of subjugation is not destruction

Psalm 8

Sounds like what we just read in genesis, A creation psalm explaining gods intent during creation for man.

A picture of what things were like when God created

Notice

1. verse 5, little lower than angels?

Man made in the image of God but a little lower than angels yet crowned with glory and honor

2. Verse 6 - Ruler over everything god has made, reinforces Gen. and gods plan for man’s creation.

Note - Everything under his feet, reference to creation

Remember, man made in the image of God, a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor, and having everything under his feet at creation

But man fell from this state and entered a new condition of both sin and death upon us and a curse upon creation.

Therefore, all things have taken a darker turn.

Rel. with God severed.

Rel. with one another filled with conflict.

the idea of subduing the earth, although still our task has taken a darker turn.

Now our every effort to subdue the earth usually results in having to destroy something to attain something because the curse makes the world uncooperative with our efforts.

We are totally out of harmony with God, others, and the earth

Understanding the beginning is vital to understanding gods program even at 30,000 feet because it explains gods’ intention

Heb.

2:5-11

1. Angels not created to rule creation

2. Note the quotation of psalm 8 – our condition at creation

Everything was under our feet, all creation subject to us,

3. but now it is not that way, why the fall, we are not worthy of a rule over creation as we are now.

4. But we also see Jesus, he was made like us, by suffering death vicariously for the rest of us he was crowned with glory and honor.

One of the things we are missing since the fall

5. Now he is able to restore many sons to the same glory we had at creation but lost at the fall, because he has become one of us

I Cor.

15:24-28

Jesus must reign until all enemies are vanquished, both material; and immaterial, he does it as our representative pointed to in verse 27 referencing psalm 8. in order that we might be restored to the position we had at creation where we were both crowned with glory and honor and also had all creation under our feet.

Jesus must reign first

Rev. 22:1-5

End of verse 5, reign, let that sink in, reign, rule, to be king, we have come full circle, not Jesus, not angels, but us

God created something beautiful, we destroyed it, and now God has restored both us and the creation and the end is just like the beginning, we will rule over creation with God as the sovereign king now with all things under our feet, with glory and honor as little rulers under God, why because Jesus has paid the price for us to gain back our authority over creation.

Gods plan when viewed from 30000 feet is a kingdom restoration plan

Ruling in beginning and ending over gods’ creation under his ultimate sovereignty.

Kings under the ultimate sovereign king, it is an earth-oriented plan, Heaven is not sitting on a cloud playing a harp.

From what little we have in scripture in seems the final kingdom is even more glorious than the first one.

Now let’s come down to 5000 feet and look again at the interval between the start and the end and ask what vehicles did God use to get us to the ultimate restoration of all things.

It did not happen in a vacuum.

We will find that it took time and pain.

And it is still underway.

But here is what now comes in to view

Slide 2

Promises gen.

seed of the woman to crush the head of the serpent

Floods Noah, a restart was necessary, not damage control, reshaping of earth necessary.

Followed by a promise of stability in our environment until the end so god’s kingdom plan can go forward

Confusion of language Babylon, force filling the earth

People Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Mary, Paul, martin Luther

Nations Israel, Assyria, Babylon, united states

Covenants – ab.

Mosaic, new, Davidic, major drivers of the kingdom plan

Prophets add to understanding of the plan, fill in additional facts about how the covenants will work out in the future, along with calling for present repentance and impending judgment

First coming of the Messiah - Jesus - most important part, central, nevertheless a vehicle to achieve the ultimate outcome

Second coming – staged events like first coming, includes both staged judgments, restorations, and resurrections

All these are vehicles, spaced over many years, and designed by God and necessary to move a destroyed creation to a restored creation

Let’s move down now and land our plane.

Now we are face to face with people and nations.

Relationships, intrigue, good decisions and bad decisions and the consequences of them.

But nevertheless, all working together to bring about the culmination of God’s kingdom plan

We are each individually part of gods kingdom plan.

Whatever niche you find yourself in.

It is part of gods kingdom plan which was designed for you to make a difference.

Today we are going to look at one covenant god used as a very key vehicle in his plan.

Remember the promises of the covenants are simply vehicles that energize and drive the kingdom program and the prophets add insight progressively into how the fulfillment will take place.

Covenants are vehicles.

They take place within boundaries.

Gen. 1:26-28 compared to Rev. 22:5 is the boundary.

The covenants become the conduit for God blessing through Israel all the nations on earth

There are four major covenants that you need to be aware of because they are key to god’s kingdom program when working at ground level

Slide 3

Show the four – if we view gods kingdom plan as a 1000-piece puzzle, the covenants would be the vehicles making up the frame.

That is how important they are to the whole

Slide 4

A covenant is a sovereign pronouncement of God by which He establishes a relationship of responsibility (1) between himself and an individual, (2) between Himself and mankind in general, (3) between Himself and a nation, or (4) between Himself and a specific human family.

Slide 5

Some other points about covenants:

1. Covenants are key to understanding gods plan of restoration

2. Covenants are key to understanding the messages of the prophets -they are intimately connected to the messages of the prophets, prophets speak in relationship to the promises of the covenants

3. covenants are intricately connected, they do not exist in separate orbits