City Harbor Church – Hampden, Baltimore, MD

Intro to Bible Covenants

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Amos 3:3

 

1.     Covenants are the framework for understanding God’s dealings with man.

2.    The Covenants are the basis to understanding the Bible.

3.    There is an attack on covenant truth in society today.

4.    Our lives are determined by covenants and our response to them.

 

Core Details

 

What is a covenant?

Between people

  • Treaty, alliance, league (Gen. 14:13, Ex. 23:32, 34:12 & 15, Joshua 9:6-16)
  • Constitution, ordinance (2 Samuel 3:12 & 13, 5:3, Jer. 34:8-18)
  • Agreement, pledge (2 Kings 11:4, Hosea 10:4)
  • Alliance of friendship (1 Samuel 18:3; 20:8, 23:18)
  • Alliance of marriage (Prov. 2:17, Mal. 2:14)

    •  

    Between God and people

    • Alliance of friendship (Psalm 25:14)
    • Divine constitution or ordinance with signs or pledges (Gen. 9:9-17, Ex. 2:24)

      •  

      Amos 3:3 – ‘Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? ‘

      Covenant is commitment and agreement

       

      Who Originated the covenants? God

      God is a:

      • Covenant-Making God (Gen. 6:18, Gen. 15:18, 17:2, 2 Sam. 23:5, Jer. 31:31-34, Isa. 55:3, 61:8)
      • Covenant-Keeping God (Deut. 7:9, 2 Chr. 6:14, Ps. 111:5 & 9, Rom. 1:31)
      • Covenant-Revealing God (Psalm 25:14, Deut. 4:13)
      • Covenant-Enabling God (Eph. 2:4-13
        • The same God who Makes, keeps & reveals Covenants also enables people to fulfill their part.
          • What is a covenant? Hebrew: Be’rith = Binding and Loosing
          • Connected with covenant.
          • Join to another party, contained obligations and stipulations
          • Used of divorce (breaking of covenant)
          • Bind: bring into covenantal community
          • Loose: remove from covenantal community

            •  

            How a covenant works:

            A treaty is only valid when there are guidelines which give the boundaries and the parameters for that agreement.

            The keeping of covenants is only possible when there is relationship between the two parties.

             

            Must be a balance of commitment and relationship/friendship

            Commitment
            Friendship
            Stipulations
            Peace
            Requirements
            Brotherhood
            Judgments
            Mutual understanding
            Legal Side

             

            Balance

            People who only take the commitment side become legalistic and people who only take the friendship side refuse to listen to the law. (we tend to gravitate to one side or the other)

            • There cannot be an offense between the parties making and agreement
            • There must be desire on both sides for a solution

              • A balance of Commitment & Relationship brings comfort

              Purpose of a Covenant

              A covenant helps to define more clearly the nature and extent of the relationship between the different parties.

              Dependent on communication, otherwise, one or both sides can take things for granted

               

              Parts of a Covenant

              • Words
                • Promises/Blessings Lev. 26, Deut. 28, Eph. 6:1-3, II Peter 1:4
                • Terms If you ____, I will _____Lev. 26:4-9
                • Oath Heb. 6:15-17
                  • “A promise”
                  • Mans swears he will keep the promise
                  • Book (written record, tablet) Ex. 24:7-8, Heb. 9:19
                    • Longstanding permanent record of words spoken
                    • Often more than on copy, given to participating pirates
                    • Maybe why two tablets of commandments (one for God, one for people)
                    • Blood
                      • Sacrifice Rom. 12:1-2, Heb. 10:29
                        • Wages of sin was death
                        • Life come from the Blood
                        • No remission of sin without the shedding of blood
                        • Mediator Heb. 12:24, I Tim. 2:5
                        • Sanctuary, the place where the sacrifice is made  Gen. 12:8, Heb. 13:9-12
                          •  Met with God at the altar
                          •  Patriarchs built altars
                          • Altars in the patriarchs age were the sanctuary
                          • Temple became the sanctuary
                          • Seal
                            • Tangible representation that the covenant is still in effect
                            •  Intact seal meant he document was official
                              • Signet (Authenticity), Used to seal document (signet ring)Esther 3:10-12
                              • Token (Ongoing witness, guarantee), Gen. 9:12-14, Eph. 1:13,14
                                • Rainbow
                                • Circumcision
                                •  Revelations 6: Lamb handed book with 7 seals – the revealed testament of God
                                  • Foundation for God’s Covenant with Man.
                                  • The Earth is the Lord’s and all within… (God’s property)
                                  • God did not barter with people when making covenants
                                  • We can accept or reject God’s will. We can’t change it.
                                    • If we accept it, we are blessed
                                    • If we reject it, we will be cursed
                                    • (In Covenant Relationship to god) We are not free to choose how we live out our lives, we are slaves to God

                                      •  

                                      “God has given us the ability to choose, but He has never given us the right to choose evil”

                                       

                                      1st Covenant in the Bible: Edenic Covenant

                                       

                                      Words

                                      Promise of Blessing

                                      1. Created in the image of God
                                        1. Shadow, model, similar. The qualities of God in Man
                                        2. Be fruitful & multiply
                                          1. Natural & Spiritual
                                          2. (synonymous with the outworkings of your life)Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:20
                                          3. Subdue the Earth
                                            1. “Subdue” Adam was to subdue Satan (to keep sin away)
                                            2. Genesis 4:7 – ‘You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” ‘
                                            3. To Have Dominion
                                              1. Rulership over creation
                                              2. The Garden was to be extended throughout the whole earth
                                              3. Spiritual authority
                                              4. To eat herbs & fruit (eating meat was not allowed until Noahic Covenant)
                                              5. Till the ground
                                                1. We were created to work!
                                                2. Terms
                                                  1. Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
                                                    1. One commandment
                                                    2. In breaking one, broke all (James 2:10)

                                                      3. No matter what I break, I’m violating the will of the Father

                                                       

                                                      Blood

                                                      • Implied
                                                      • Adam’s rib
                                                      • Sacrifice was not redemptive: man had not sinned.

                                                        •  

                                                        Seal

                                                        • Tree of Life (taken)

                                                          •  

                                                          The Choice

                                                          Obedience or disobedience

                                                           

                                                          Summary

                                                          This covenant stands unique as it is the only covenant made with man before the entrance of sin. It declared God’s creative purpose from man including covenantal relationship, character, dominion, fruitfulness and eternal life upon obedience and faith. The fall of  man necessitated the revelation of the redemptive covenants to bring this covenant to fulfilment. This was particularly made possible by the New covenant, which restores to man all that was lost in the Edenic covenant.

                                                           

                                                          Thread that is present throughout the Bible – God wants to reconcile Himself to sinners, we can live at peace with God.

                                                           

                                                          So what do I do?

                                                          • Ask God to reveal the depth of His Covenant with you
                                                          • Take time to think about what we lost when we broke the Edenic covenant.
                                                          • Read further scriptures on the topic from your notes
                                                            • ...more
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                                                            City Harbor Church – Hampden, Baltimore, MDBy City Harbor Church