Covenant: God Pursues
How have you responded to complete betrayal?
How would God respond to our betrayal?
God responds to sin with grace that points to Jesus Christ
1). Pursued Adam and Eve 2). Spoke 3). Taught 4). Covered 5). Sent Away 6).
- God promised Jesus was coming to replace Adam and restore covenant
- 1 Corinthians 15:45 “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
The Problem of Evil
If God is all powerful, all knowing, and all good why is there suffering and evil?
1. There is no God – Atheism
2. God is not all powerful – Finite Godism
3. God is not all knowing – Evolutionary Godism, Open Theism
4. God is not all good – Pantheism, Panentheism
5. There is no suffering and evil – subjectivism, Buddhism
6. God is not done yet so live by faith, not sight – Christianity
Romans 8:28 we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Genesis 50:20-21 you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear
Weavers loom analogy
What is a covenant?
Genesis 17:7 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.
Leviticus 26:12 I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.
- The word covenant appears hundreds of times in the Bible. The Hebrew word “hesed” is translated covenant love, loving kindness, mercy, steadfast love, loyal love, devotion, commitment, loyalty, patience, or reliability.
- The Jesus Storybook Bible calls covenant, “Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.”
8 Things Covenant Reveals About God
- Relational – God is personal/relational/covenantal and invites us to join Him
- Gracious – God owes us nothing
- Sovereign – God initiates & we respond
- Lord – God terms “Behold I am establishing my covenant with you…”
- Holy – “cutting a covenant”
- Loving – blessed to obey
- Just – consequence or curse
What is the Adamic Covenant? (Hosea 6:7; Genesis 1-2)
- mediator – Adam & humanity
- blessings – life, children, provision
- conditions (or curses) – Tree good & evil = death
- sign – Sabbath
- covenant community – marriage
- promise of Jesus – Dragon Slayer
What is the Noahic Covenant? (Genesis 6:8-9, 9:8-17)
- mediator – Noah & family/humanity
- blessings – given grace for life, children, no flood
- conditions (or curses) – no murder
- sign – faith (internal) & rainbow (external)
- covenant community – family
- promise of Jesus – Savior
What is the Abrahamic Covenant? (Genesis 12:1-3; 17:1-14; 22:16-18)
- mediator – Abraham & family/humanity
- blessings – son, land, nation, Jesus (Gal. 3)
- conditions (or curses) – obedience
- sign – faith (internal) & circumcision (external)
- covenant community – family
- promise of Jesus – Blessing to the nations
What is the Mosaic Covenant? (Exodus 3:4-10; 6:7; 19:5-6)
- mediator – Moses & Israel & humanity
- blessings – freedom to worship
- conditions (or curses) – obey Law
- sign – faith (internal) & Passover (external)
- covenant community – holy nation, kingdom of priests
- promise of Jesus – Liberator & Law Fulfiller
What is the Davidic Covenant? (Psalm 89:3; 2 Samuel 7:8-19)
- mediator – David
- blessings – king & kingdom
- conditions (or curses) – sin = consequence
- sign – faith (internal) & throne/Temple (external)
- covenant community – kingdom
- promise of Jesus – King of Kings
What is the New Covenant?(Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 26:26-29)
- mediator – Jesus
- blessings – salvation, Spirit, eternal life
- conditions (or curses) – repent of sin & faith in Jesus
- sign – faith (internal) & HS in us, Baptism, Communion (external)
- covenant community – marriage, family, church
Jesus
- Jesus is a better Adam who did not sin & regained all that Adam lost.
- Jesus is a better Noah who brings judgment of sin, salvation by grace, and a new world.
- Jesus is a better Abraham who is the blessing to the nations of the earth.
- Jesus is a better Moses who has conquered our Pharaoh Satan, liberated us to worship, & fulfilled the law for us.
- Jesus is a better David who is seated on a throne ruling as the King of Kings coming again to establish His kingdom forever.
What is the role of a covenant head?
Malachi 2:10,13-14 Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?…And this second thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.
Ephesians 5:23 “the husband is the head”
- You are in covenant with God and He’s your Head (New Covenant)
- You are in covenant with your wife/family & you’re the Head
- Jesus Christ is the perfect example of a male head
Covenant Head
- Singular headship
- Plural leadership
- The head bears additional responsibility
- The head takes responsibility even when they are not at fault
What’s the difference between a covenant and a contract?
Contract vs Covenant
Between 2 people Between 3 people
I seek my will We seek God’s will
You serve me We serve each other
Performance is recorded No record of wrongs is kept
Failure is punished Failure was punished at the cross
Win-lose Win-win
A professional relationship A personal relationship
A Covenant & Contract are like two hands = you need to use both
3 Kinds of People
- Win at work & lose at home
- Lose at work and win at home
- Win at work and win at home
2 Kinds of Relationships
Great problems arise when we confuse covenant and contract
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