Untitled Sermon

Have you guys as kids ever made a pact with your firends. You promise that you would do something or not do something specific.

My counsins and I were very close and we noticed that our parents, our mothers who were sisters and the rest of out aunts and uncles were always fighting about something dumb and would refuse to get together for important events like Thanksgiving, Christmas etc. We hated it so much because it negatively affected us so one day we made a pact that we will not become like our parents, we wouldn't let disagreement and that kinda stuff drive us apart.

As a society we rely on promises to continue to exist, they are at the center of so much.

We work for companies and give them our time and effort relying on their promise that they will pay us for our effort.

We pay insurance companies money expecting that they would fufill their promise and pay up if an accident were to ever occur.

We pay taxes expecting our government to protect us from other nations trying to harm us.

Banks lend us money to purchase homes expecting us to keep our promise to pay back what we owe.

We make firends and share secrets with them and there in that there forms an unsaid expectation for your friends to keep your secrets safe and to look out for your interest.

Even more, Brandon just proposed to Cosmina. They are going to walk down the aisle and promise what? That they will love each other, in sickess and in health, for richer or for poorer, till death due them part.

All of these are examples of promises, contracts of sorts or another word that can be used is a covenant. All of these

All of these examples happen because of a certain events and its usually between at least two parties who want to agree to a specific outcome.

Covenants also happen in the Bible and the most important ones are between God and His people.

There are a few important things to remember about contracts

Each side has a promise to uphold.

If either side does not keep up their end of the bargain then there are consequences which are spelled out.

If you dont do hold up your end then this will happen

If I dont hold up my end then this will happen

Again, the goal is for both sides to get their desired results.

The difference between contracts and covenants are

Contracts usually are an exchange for property, usually relating to money.

Covenants relate to human lives themselves.

Contracts are based on profits and self interests

Covenants call for self giving, sacrifice and loyalty

Contracts are temporary

Covenants become permanent bonds even through many generations.

Q: Who know what the first covenant that God made in the Bible?

We recently went over it.

Genesis 9:8–17 ESV

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 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. 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.” 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: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 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. 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.” 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.”

Q: From what we discussed about covenants. What do you see?