Nathaniel R. Martin

The New Covenant Fulfilled: Hebrews 9

Sermon Idea: The New Covenant of grace is fulfilled by the sacrificial death of Christ, purifying the people of God for the presence of God once and for all. 

Introduction: One of the most beautiful pictures of God’s redemptive plan in the New Testament is the temple curtain being torn in two when Jesus dies on the cross. 

37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mk 15:37–39)

The crisis of the biblical story, and thus the crisis of human history, is the separation that sin has brought between God and those created in His image. The most significant consequence of Adam’s sin was being exiled from the garden. How is it that sinful people can enter again into the presence of God? 

The Bible is the true story of God restoring a people to dwell, live, and worship in his very presence. It is a story about God’s kingdom, where He rules and reigns over His people through covenant. 

The people of God dwelling in the presence of God was the fundamental purpose of the covenants that God made with Abraham, Israel, and David, through which God could fulfill his promise to deliver the promised seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15) who would crush the head of the serpent, establish a New Covenant, and open a way into God’s presence once again. 

This journey back into God’s presence was sewn into the very fabric of Israel’s worship. When God instructs Israel to build the tabernacle, he commands that cherubim be sewn into the curtain that separates the holy place from the Most Holy Place. When Solomon builds the temple, cherubim are sewn once again into the curtain which hangs before the Most Holy Place. 

This is so fascinating because God set cherubim to guard the garden. The presence of cherubim in Genesis 3 signals that the presence of God is not accessible to the sinner. 

 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (Ge 3:23–24, garden)

“And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. (Ex 26:31, tabernacle)

And he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it. (2 Ch 3:14, temple)

Both the tabernacle and the temple curtain represent God’s work in restoring a people to His presence. Every year on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter into the Most Holy Place, atone for the sins of the people by shedding the blood of a spotless sacrificial lamb. 

The curtain represented the work of God in restoring His presence among the people, but it also represented the separation that was still a reality. Only the High Priest could enter through the curtain, and while that cherubim-marked curtain remains, it signifies that the holy presence of God is not accessible to the sinner. The Old Covenant was good and gracious in many respects, but it could not bring the people of God into the presence of God. 

This is why the tearing of the curtain is so significant. Through the sacrificial death of the spotless lamb, Jesus Christ, the way has now been made open. The tearing of the curtain symbolizes the removal of the cherubim from the entrance to the garden. The angels no longer guard the presence of God, because a way is now open through the Son of God, whose death establishes a New Covenant of grace. 

In Hebrews 9, the author demonstrates how the New Covenant, established by the death of Jesus Christ, fulfills all that the Old Covenant anticipated through the types and shadows of the sacrificial system. 

The New Covenant of grace is fulfilled by the sacrificial death of Christ, purifying the people of God for the presence of God once and for all.

As we consider this passage together, I want you to hear how God has brought us into His presence through the death of Jesus Christ. When we gather on the Lord’s Day, we are not a people at whom God looks from a distance. He invites us again to be in his presence through our Lord Jesus Christ, to hear his Word, and to commune with us. We experience that not through Word and Spirit, and one day we’ll experience it in full. 

If you’re here this morning and you’re not a Christian, I invite you to consider that access to God is possible through faith in Jesus Christ. It is the only way by which our sins can be forgiven and the only way we can become like the God in whose image we have been created.

I.) The earthly, preparatory nature of the Old Covenant (Hebrews 9:1-10)

Everything about the Old Covenant—the tabernacle, temple, and the sacrificial system—was given as a grace to life in the promised land. It pointed forward through types and shadows to greater realities, but everything about it concerned earthly things. Notice how the author of Hebrews described the Old Covenant in Hebrews 9:1. 

Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. (Heb 9:1)

The earthly place of holiness refers to the tabernacle. To call it earthly is not derogatory, but to say that the tabernacle was a holy place on the earth. As such, it is pointed forward and prepares us for a greater reality, a better sanctuary: not one of the earth, but of heaven. 

The author of Hebrews summarized the structure and furniture of the tabernacle. The key here is to note the two sections of the tabernacle: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. 

2 For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, 4 having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. 5 Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. (Heb 9:2–5) 

What the author then does in verses 6-10 is show how the priestly service of the Old Covenant cannot bring the people into the presence of God. This is achieved by highlighting the repetitive nature of the priestly work in the tabernacle and noting that only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place. 

6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. (Heb 9:6–7)

Notice the language that emphasizes the priests’ never-ending service. The priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties. The High Priest enters the Most Holy Place once a year to offer the sacrifice of atonement. All of these things—the earthly nature of the tabernacle, the repetitive service of the priests, the division of the two holy places—indicate its inability to bring people into the presence of God truly. 

8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. (Heb 9:8–10)

There is a lot to note, but I want to highlight two primary points. 

The first is the way the author of Hebrews identifies the Holy Spirit as the one who indicates the temporary and preparatory nature of the Old Covenant. God, by His Spirit, intended for the Old Covenant to point forward and foreshadow the new.

The second is that the primary problem with the sacrificial system was that it could not purify the worshipper, and so it could not bring people into God’s presence. They were good sacrifices for the purpose that God instituted them, for life in the land, but they could not purify the worshipper, finally deal with sin, and usher people into the presence of God. 

In all these ways, the Old Covenant points forward to the New. When God fulfills his promises, a sacrifice will be made once; it will purify the worshipper and bring them into the presence of God. 

II.) The heavenly, permanent nature of the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:11-22)

The death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God incarnate, and the shedding of his blood established a New Covenant of grace, fulfilling all that the Old Covenant merely pointed to. 

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption (Heb 9:11–12)

To highlight the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice, his priestly work, and the New Covenant he establishes, the author of Hebrews identifies three things that Jesus does. 

1.) He entered once into the holy places. Unlike the priests who served regularly, and unlike the High Priest who entered the temple only once a year, Jesus entered the temple only once. The New Covenant of grace not only has a heavenly sanctuary, but a permanent sacrifice. 

2.) He entered not by the blood of bulls and goats, but by his blood! He is the atoning sacrifice! The author of Hebrews reflects later on the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice in 10:12-14. 

12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Heb 10:12–14)

3.) His sufficient sacrifice through which he enters into the heavenly sanctuary secures eternal redemption! The result is that Jesus does what the Old Covenant priests and sacrifices could not do: purify the worshipper and bring them into the presence of God! 

 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Heb 9:12–14)

The New Covenant promises made in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel regarding the forgiveness of sin and the purification of the sinner are fulfilled in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. The Old Covenant sacrifices could make one ceremonially clean by purifying the flesh, but the sacrifice of Christ purifies the whole person. 

When I was in High School, I was required, as I am sure many of you were, to read Macbeth by William Shakesphere. There is a scene in this famous play that captures the effect of guilt on the human conscience more effectively than any other I have seen or read. 

In short, Lady Macbeth conspired with her husband to kill King Duncan with the hope that her husband, a general in Scotland, would become king. Spoiler alert: They kill King Duncan. They both suffer from guilt for this, and Lady Macbeth in particular begins to sleepwalk.

She imagines she is trying to wash Duncan’s blood off her hands, saying:

“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” She believes she still sees Duncan’s blood on her hands and cannot cleanse herself of the guilt. No matter what she does, the guilt remains, and no matter how much she tries, her conscience remains stained. 

The gospel of Jesus Christ, and only the gospel of Jesus Christ, is the remedy for the guilt-ridden conscience. It is the remedy for the power of sin in our lives. It is freedom from the guilt and condemnation that our sin has brought upon us. Through the gospel of Jesus Christ and his shed blood, we are purified, forgiven, and freed to serve the living God. 

Since Christ is the better and greater sacrifice for sin, since he is the great High Priest who has entered into the heavenly sanctuary, he is the mediator of the New Covenant. 

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. (Heb 9:15)

God fulfills his covenant promises in Jesus Christ, the mediator of the New Covenant of grace. The inheritance promised to Israel in the land pointed forward to an eternal inheritance, life in God’s presence as the people of God in the New Heavens and New Earth (Hebrews 11:10; Rev. 21)

Peter also makes the connection between the New Covenant and the promise of inheritance. 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, (1 Pe 1:3–4)

The New Covenant of grace, although first promised in Genesis 3:15 and then preached to Abraham in Genesis 15, was further revealed through types and shadows of the sacrificial system and was not formally established until the death of Jesus Christ. Just as the shedding of blood ratified the Old Covenant, the shedding of blood was needed to ratify the New Covenant.

18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (Heb 9:18–22)

The point is straightforward. The death of Jesus and the shedding of his blood establish the New Covenant. His blood is superior to lambs, bulls, and goats, because he is the very Son of God in human flesh. The blood of Christ has been shed, the New Covenant of grace has been established, and the forgiveness of sins is available through faith in Christ. 

This is why many hymns frequently mention blood in their lyrics. It is the blood of the New Covenant, shed in the death of Jesus Christ, that purifies us, forgives our sins, so that we might enter into the presence of God.

III.) The present and future grace of the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:23-28)

These truths about the heavenly and permanent nature of the New Covenant have numerous implications for the Christian life and the church’s worship as we gather each Lord’s Day. As a church and as individual believers, we live with the blessing of present grace and have the promise of future grace. What is the present grace of the New Covenant? If we consider all that the New Testament teaches, it encompasses all the blessings of salvation; however, we can be more specific. 

For the author of Hebrews, the present grace of the New Covenant is taught in reference to Christ as our great High Priest who has entered into heaven on our behalf. 

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf (Heb 9:24)

For Christ to appear in the presence of God on our behalf means that those whom Christ represents are accepted into God’s presence. Through Jesus Christ, we are not only saved from God’s wrath, but we are invited into his presence. This is the truth we sing about when we sing Before the Throne of God Above. 

Before the throne of God above

I have a strong and perfect plea:

A great High Priest whose name is Love,

Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on his hands,

My name is written on his heart.

I know that while in Heav’n he stands

No tongue can bid me thence depart,

Christ has entered into the very presence of God on our behalf. We are not only accepted but also invited, through faith in Christ, to draw near to God. This is why the immediate application given by the author of Hebrews is to draw near to God. 

21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Heb 10:21–22)

It is why the encouragement in the Epistle of James is genuine and not theoretical. In Christ Jesus, believers can draw near to the presence of God. 

 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (Jas 4:6–8)

Beloved, do you live your life this way? Are you someone who draws near to God by listening to His Word and responding in prayer? Is the gathering on the Lord’s Day a priority, so that you can draw near to God’s presence? It is no surprise that the immediate application of “draw near” in Hebrews 10 is a command to be committed to gathering to the local church. 

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Heb 10:24–25)

That is the present grace of the New Covenant. Jesus Christ is our great High Priest who brings us into the very presence of God. What is the future grace? 

But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Heb 9:26–28)

The future grace of the New Covenant is that those who are in Jesus Christ only await salvation at the return of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, our sin has already been judged. In Baptism, our sins have been buried in the grave, and we’ve been resurrected with Christ to new life. For the Christian, what we await is not judgment, but salvation—the completion and the consummation of all that God is doing. 

so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Heb. 9:28)

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was so sufficient in dealing with sin and the New Covenant so gracious, that the second coming of Jesus has no reference to sin at all—only the salvation of those who await him and the judgement of those who reject him. 

The New Covenant of grace is fulfilled by the sacrificial death of Christ, purifying the people of God for the presence of God once and for all.

For so many of us, that is our story: we have been brought into the presence of God through our great mediator, Jesus Christ. 

If you’re here this morning and you’re not a Christian, or you’re here and not you’ve been merely pretending to be one, listen to the inescapable reality of verse 27, And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…

Death is the result of sin, and sin separates people from the very presence of God. Sin can only be forgiven, separation from God can only be restored, and death can only be defeated through faith in Jesus Christ. Please don’t carry your sins with you to the deathbed, don’t carry them into judgement. 

Trust in Jesus Christ through faith, bury your sins in the waters of baptism, and be raised anew with an invitation into God’s presence. Be among those Christ comes to save who are eagerly waiting for him. 

Let’s pray.  

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Promise of the New Covenant: Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon Idea: The promised new covenant is the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan in Jesus Christ, the seed of the woman, who mediates a better covenant of grace. 

Introduction: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Je 29:11)

These hopeful words from Jeremiah 29:11 are among the most frequently quoted verses in the entire Bible. You can find numerous high school and college graduation cards with these words engraved on the inside. They’ve been stitched or printed on the blankets of newborns. It is a popular verse featured on coffee cups, magnets, and T-shirts. It is the Old Testament equivalent to John 3:16. 

Christians can read these words, apply them, and be blessed by them. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Israel, is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. All of his words are good for us. 

That said, we will benefit from them the most when we remember the context in which they are given. 

The promise of Jeremiah 29:11 comes not at a time of celebration like that of a graduation or the birth of a newborn baby. They do not come as words of affirmation after the nation’s success and prosperity. 

Far from it. These words come to God’s people in their lowest valley and their darkest hour. 

When we last left off, God had covenanted with David and promised him an eternal kingdom, an eternal throne, and a descendant who would sit on that throne forever. God will fulfill these promises, but they will be fulfilled through a faithful and obedient king, one who is like a son to the Father.

The problem that follows is that unfaithful kings and unfaithful priests too often represented God’s people. There was a prosperous season under the reign of David’s son Solomon, who built the temple in Jerusalem. He, too, would fall, seduced by the false, foreign gods of his wives. Things get worse when Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, fails to listen to the concerns of the people, and the kingdom is divided into two. The northern kingdom maintained the name Israel, while the southern kingdom was known as Judah. 

The kings in Israel did not lead faithfully, nor did the kings in Judah. To emphasize this point to the reader, a recurring theme is found throughout 1 Kings. The language isn’t always identical, but the fact is the same. 

And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. (1 Ki 15:3)

He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin. (1 Ki 15:26)

The people need a faithful, righteous king. They need a faithful, righteous priest. 

Both the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom fell into idolatry. They were covenant breakers and would feel the weight of the covenant curses. 

In 722 B.C., the Lord raised up Assyria to conquer the northern kingdom (2 Kings 17:6-23) and take the people into exile. 

In 586 B.C., the Lord raised up Babylon, which conquered the southern kingdom (2 Kings 25) and took the people into exile. Babylon not only took the people into exile, but also set fire to the king’s palace and destroyed the temple.

Where is God? What has happened? The kingdom is divided, Israel and Judah are in exile, and the temple has been destroyed. 

This is the context in which God gives the famous words found in Jeremiah 29:11. Amid exile, grieving the consequences of their sin, God speaks hope into the darkness. God does know the plans He has for His people, and He will keep all of His promises. Israel and Judah will not be left in exile; instead, they will be reunited. 

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.” (Je 30:1–3)

Although this is good news, it is accompanied by even greater promises in the books of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah. Days are coming when God will not only restore His people, but also establish a new covenant that is different from the old covenant that the people broke. God’s people and the nations to be blessed through them need a covenant that they can’t break, an unconditional covenant, a covenant that can circumcise the heart rather than the flesh. 

The first gospel promise subtly made in Genesis 3:15 is explicitly promised in Jeremiah 31. With the coming of the promised seed of the woman would come a new covenant. 

The promised new covenant is the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan in Jesus Christ, the seed of the woman, who mediates a better covenant of grace.

Next week, we will explore the fulfillment of the new covenant in Jesus Christ, but this morning, we want to reflect on the promise of the new covenant. To do that, we’ll reflect on the need for the new covenant, its newness, and the nature of the new covenant. 

I.) The need for the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-32) 

The text makes it clear that the new covenant is needed because Israel and Judah have broken the covenant God made with them. 

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 (Je 31:31–32)

The old covenant was gracious in many ways, but it was not the covenant of grace. The nature of the old covenant can be summed up by the maxim, “Do this and live.” The blessings of the covenant were conditional on Israel’s obedience. 

I am the LORD your God. 5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD. (Le 18:4–5) 

The perpetual problem throughout the Old Testament was not the Old Covenant itself, but rather the stubborn and rebellious hearts of the people, who struggled to keep the covenant. Since Adam’s fall into sin, the human heart has been dead and in bondage to sin. The Old Covenant does not address that problem because it was not designed to. It could not provide the inward change of a new heart. 

What is needed is a covenant that can affect and change the people from within. They need a new covenant, to be circumcised in their heart rather than the flesh. 

As Israel and Judah are suffering the consequences for their perpetual failure, God promises a covenant that will provide its members with the ability to keep it. 

II.) The newness of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:33-34) 

Before we discuss how the new covenant is new, I would like to clarify that it is indeed a new covenant. It is not a renewal of a former covenant; it is new in substance. After the author of  Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34 in full in Hebrews 8, we are told that the old covenant is now obsolete. 

In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. (Heb 8:13)

The Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants will find their fulfillment in what God will do in the New Covenant. What is it, then, that is new about the new covenant?  

1. A Promised New Nature of God’s People 

In the Old Testament, one became a member of the Old Covenant by being born and/or receiving the covenant sign of circumcision. It was based on natural, biological birth. The result was that the Old Covenant community was a mixed community. It was made up of faithful members who loved the Lord and believed his promises and others who were covenant members by birth and circumcision, but whose hearts were stubborn, rebellious, and far from the Lord. 

The new covenant promises that every member will be a believing, faithful member whose heart has been changed to desire and be able to keep God’s law. God will write his law on the heart of every new covenant member. In other words, God will change the members of the new covenant within by His Spirit.

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. (Je 31:33)

This promise is similar to the one prophesied in Ezekiel 36, in which God promises to give His people a new heart of flesh. 

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Eze 36:26–27)

This is none other than the promise of the new birth, the regenerative work of God by His Spirit to bring people from spiritual death to spiritual life. This is how one becomes a member of the new covenant community: by being born again through faith in Jesus Christ. 

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (Jn 1:12-13)

2. A Promised New Structure of God’s People 

Unlike the Old Covenant, every member of the New Covenant will know the Lord from the least to the greatest. 

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. (Je 31:34)

This is significant because in the Old Covenant, the Spirit of God was not poured out on all the people. God put His Spirit on prophets, priests, and kings, but not on the entirety of the people in the covenant. So there was a difference in both access to God and knowledge of God under the Old Covenant. 

In the New Covenant, God will pour out his Spirit on every member, so that they are born again and indwelt by the Spirit. Every member will have the same access and knowledge of God, because the Spirit of God will indwell every member.  Knowledge of God will no longer be limited through the mediation of human prophets, priests, or kings, but all will know the Lord from the least to the greatest through the one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). 

These two points are essential for determining the proper participants of New Covenant signs of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. If the New Covenant is made up of born-again believers, it is not a mixed community. In that case, only professing believers should receive the New Covenant sign of baptism, and only baptized believers should partake of the covenant meal, the Lord’s Supper. 

As Baptists, we believe in believer’s baptism not only because infant baptism is never described in the New Testament, nor is it ever prescribed, or commanded. Those are fine points, but the primary reason for believing in believer’s baptism is that the newness of the New Covenant demands it. In the New Covenant, you enter not by natural birth, but by the new birth, and only those born again should receive the New Covenant sign of baptism. 

3. A Promised New Sacrifice for God’s People

In the New Covenant, the nature of God’s people is transformed. Hence, the structure of God’s people changes, and this is all possible because there is a new sacrifice for God’s people—a better sacrifice that definitively forgives sins. 

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. (Je 31:34)

I love the way Samuel Renihan explains the deficiency of the Old Covenant in dealing with sin. 

“The Old Covenant had a sacrificial system that forgave sins in the context of Cannan. But the Old Covenant could not forgive sins in the court of heaven.” 

As the author of Hebrews makes clear, For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. (Heb 10:4)

The better sacrifice is the sinless substitute, Jesus Christ. It is his one-time sacrifice that fulfills the entire sacrificial system that pointed to him in types and shadows. 

 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Heb 10:10–14)

From this better and perfect sacrifice come all the salvific blessings of the New Covenant—justification, regeneration, adoption, sanctification, and glorification—all of which are found in Jesus Christ, the mediator of the New Covenant. 

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Co 1:29–30)

The promised new covenant is the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan in Jesus Christ, the seed of the woman, who mediates a better covenant of grace.

When we put all this together, we can say that the New Covenant is superior to the Old because…

  1. The New Covenant has a better mediator (Heb. 8:6) 
  2. The New Covenant has a better sacrifice (Heb. 9:6-10)
  3. The New Covenant has better provisions (the Holy Spirit, Ezekiel 36:24-28) 
  4. The New Covenant has better promises (a new heart, Ezekiel 36:24-28)

We’re now left to make one final observation: What is the nature of the new covenant? 

III.) The nature of the new covenant 

As we’ve studied the biblical covenants, I have made a point to emphasize both the unconditional and conditional elements of each one. Have you noticed what is missing from Jeremiah 31:31-34? There are no conditions. There is no “if you will.” Only, “I will.” 

The New Covenant of Grace is freely offered to anyone who repents and believes in Jesus Christ. In the New Covenant, all the works needed have been provided by our faithful savior, Jesus Christ. He is the perfect, obedient Son, and because he fulfilled his mission in obedience to the Father, even to death on a cross, what is offered to us is grace, the grace of God in Jesus Christ. 

For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (Jn 1:16–17)

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Ro 6:14–15)

Jeremiah 31:31-34 is not the formalization of the New Covenant; rather, it is a promise of the New Covenant. 

When Jesus broke the bread and lifted the cup with the twelve disciples, it was the New Covenant he was referencing that would be fulfilled by his death, burial, and resurrection when he said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. (Lk 22:19–20)

There are only two groups of people here this morning. Some need to remember the great grace of the New Covenant because they’re members of God’s people in Jesus Christ. Remember, reflect, and respond with gratitude. Others need to repent and believe in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, reconciliation with God, and membership in the people of God under the New Covenant. 

The promised new covenant is the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan in Jesus Christ, the seed of the woman, who mediates a better covenant of grace.

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Davidic Covenant: 2 Samuel 7

Sermon Idea: The Davidic Covenant develops God’s holy nation into a kingdom dynasty, governed by God’s law, through whom God will bring about the seed of the woman —a son of David —who will fulfill all of God’s promises. 

Introduction: William Golding’s debut novel was published in 1954, about a group of young boys stranded on an island after a plane crash. No adults are present, so these young boys have to govern themselves. There is no righteous moral authority, no righteous moral leadership—just the boys doing what is right in their own eyes.

Ralph tries to lead with the help of a young boy named Piggy, but the other boys challenge Ralph at every turn. Piggy is eventually killed, and Simon, another young boy, is murdered after warning the group that the supposed “beast” they all fear on the island is the wickedness in themselves as they turn against each other. At the end of the book, Ralph is on the run for his life, but is saved by the arrival of a naval officer who spotted smoke and fire coming from the deserted island. 

The Lord of the Flies is a dark tale forced upon many high school students, which reflects on the fallenness of human nature and the chaos that ensues when the moral leadership and societal structures are removed. 

Israel’s history after the Exodus and the giving of the law is one of both faithfulness and failure. The faithfulness comes from God, who fulfills his promise to bring Israel into the land of promise. The book of Joshua tells the story of the conquest of Canaan and then the allotment of the land among the twelve tribes of Israel. 

It does not take long, however, for a new generation of Israelites to forget their history and ignore God’s law. Rather than being a light to the nations, they became like the nations. 

The book of Judges narrates the same sad cycle: Israel sins, God disciplines them by allowing a foreign power to oppress them, the people cry out for mercy, God in covenant faithfulness raises a judge to deliver them, and once saved, the people start disobeying all over again. 

Samuel Renihan captures the essence of the problem well: “There is no centrality, no leadership, no cohesion to the nation. And there is a very important statement in Judges, mentioned a few times throughout the book, including the last verse of the entire book. “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25).

All of this and more is the context of the covenant God makes with David. Israel needs not only a king, but also a God-chosen, righteous king who can rule and reign faithfully over God’s people. 

The Abrahamic Covenant set apart a particular people through whom God would bring the promised seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, who would fulfill all of God’s promises.

The Mosaic Covenant develops God’s set-apart people into a holy nation, governed by God’s law through whom God will bring the promised seed of the woman, Jesus Christ.

The Davidic Covenant develops God’s holy nation into a kingdom dynasty, governed by God’s law, through whom God will bring about the seed of the woman —a son of David —who will fulfill all of God’s promises.

Before we can appreciate the Davidic covenant, we need to remember that he was not the first king of Israel. This brings us to our first point: the need for a faithful king is the context of the covenant. 

I.) The need for a faithful king is the context of the covenant (1 Samuel 8-16)

God had given Samuel as a judge over Israel, and he is faithful to his task with one exception. In his old age, he fails to discipline his sons appropriately when they become judges of Israel after him. The Bible tells us they did not follow the way of Samuel, but they took bribes and perverted justice. (1 Samuel 8:3)

This leads to Israel asking Samuel to appoint a king over Israel. 

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them (1 Sa 8:4-7)

It will be helpful for us to remember that God reiterated to Israel numerous times that kings would come from them. First to Abraham in Genesis 17:6, then again to Jacob in Genesis 35:14, to Judah as Jacob blesses his sons in Genesis 49:10, and in the laws to Israel in Deuteronomy 17. In doing so, there were essential particulars that accompanied that promise. 

The first particular was that the king of Israel would be from the tribe of Judah.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him;  and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. (Ge 49:10)

God will give Israel a king, but that king will come from the tribe of Judah. 

The second particular is found in Deuteronomy 17, in the law to Israel about kings. 

“When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. (Dt 17:14–15)

Can Israel ask for a king? Yes, but it will be a king that the Lord chooses from the tribe of Judah. 

Israel has no interest in waiting on the Lord, nor do they care if their king is from the tribe of Judah. They want a king like the nations, and even after Samuel warns them against demanding a king in this way, they ignore his warning and again demand a king like the nations.

Saul became the first king of Israel, and it was a failure. Saul proved to be prideful and disobedient to the Lord in numerous ways (1 Samuel 13-15).  

Are there not several lessons for us here? It is always better to wait on God, rather than taking matters into our own hands. You can pursue the right thing in all the wrong ways. How might we avoid this mistake? The best way to do that is to know the Bible well. God had given clear instructions about kings in the law. Israel disregarded those instructions and lived to see the consequences of that disobedience. Fundamental to living faithfully before God is to know His Word and to trust that his commands are for our good.  

The need for a faithful king is the context for God’s choosing of David and the covenant that God makes with David. 

Ultimately, the Lord rejects Saul and raises a shepherd after God’s own heart, David from the tribe of Judah, to be the king of Israel.

The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” (1 Sa 16:1)

Think with me for a moment about the mercy, grace, and faithfulness of God. Israel does not deserve a king after God’s own heart, but that is what God gives them in David, even as Israel rejects the LORD by demanding a king of their choosing, God remains faithful in bringing about all of his promises. 

Israel immediately feels God’s kindness and mercy after God chooses David, who stands in for Israel, as a giant Philistine, Goliath threatens the people of Israel. The language used to describe David’s defeat of Goliath echoes not so subtly God’s gospel promise in Genesis 3:15. 

And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. (1 Sa 17:49)

Could this be the one? Has God fulfilled his promise to the seed of the woman in a king from Judah? 

David, like Noah, Abraham, and Moses before him, will prove to be a godly but imperfect man. David is not the promised seed of the woman, but the covenant God makes with David promises that the seed of the woman will be a son of David, and that’s no small thing.

God is revealing his one, eternal redemptive plan through his covenants. This brings us to our second point: an established throne and the promise of God’s presence are the blessings of the covenant. 

II.) An established throne and the promise of God’s presence are the blessings of the covenant (2 Samuel 7:1-13)

In 2 Samuel 7, David desires to build a house, or a temple, for the Lord. David is unsettled by the fact that he lives in a house of Cedar, while the ark of the Lord dwells in a tent, a reference to the tabernacle. 

As good as David’s motives appear to be, it is essential to remember that you cannot outdo the Lord. We can serve him, worship him, and praise him, but we cannot out-bless him. 

In response to David’s plan, the Lord makes several covenant promises to David in 2 Samuel 7:8-16. Some of these promises will be realized in David’s lifetime: his name will be made great, an established place for the kingdom of Israel, and rest from Israel’s enemies. 

Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. (2 Sa 7:8–11)

God fulfills these promises. David’s name is made great, the kingdom is established under his rule in the land, and Israel experiences rest from their enemies. 

David’s son Solomon later would reflect on God’s faithfulness and testify that not one word of God failed.  “Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. (1 Ki 8:56)

We cannot afford to miss, however, that God makes several promises to be fulfilled beyond David’s lifetime in 2 Samuel 7:11-13, 16: God promises David an eternal throne, an eternal kingdom, and a descendant who will sit on David’s throne forever. 

Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (2 Sa 7:11–13)

And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever (2 Sa 7:16)

What puts kingdoms in jeopardy is the uncertainty of childbirth. Human beings have little control over the sex of their children. The continuance of a royal throne is dependent upon the continual birth of a son, who can inherit the throne. 

The covenant that God makes with David promises that his kingdom will be eternally established. David and his descendants will have sons to inherit the throne, or perhaps a descendant who will live and never die. 

The eternal nature of these promises means they are unconditional. God will be faithful to his covenant promises and be true to his word. However, just as we have seen with the Abrahamic covenant and the Mosaic covenant, there is still a condition. 

All of God’s covenant promises will be fulfilled, but they will be fulfilled in one, obedient descendant of David. 

III.) Keeping God’s law is the condition of the covenant (2 Samuel 7:14-17) 

In between the unconditional promises of God is a condition that gets to the heart of the gospel first promised in Genesis 3:15.

I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. (2 Sa 7:14–15)

The covenant leaves open the possibility that any given king of Israel can be disobedient, covenantally unfaithful, evoking the discipline of the Lord.

In Deuteronomy 17, the law makes it clear that Israel’s ability to stay in the land experiencing God’s covenant blessings is dependent on the obedience of the king. 

“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel. (Dt 17:18–20)

Unfortunately, Israel experienced the consequences of unfaithful, disobedient kings throughout its history. Israel experiences God’s discipline as they were exiled from the land not once, but twice. The Old Testament leaves readers longing for a faithful king. 

The covenant promises are unconditional in one respect, but conditional in another respect. 

The condition of the covenant is that it will be fulfilled not only by a faithful father but by an obedient son! 

The New Testament makes it clear that Jesus of Nazareth, born to Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, the son of David, who now sits on David’s throne, is that faithful and obedient son. 

The book of Matthew opens very purposefully with a genealogy of Jesus, “The book of genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1) 

It is this son of David that God declares, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

Unlike David, who fell with Bathsheba, unlike Solomon, seduced by the gods of the nations, and unlike every sinful king after them, Jesus always did what pleased the Father. 

And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” (Jn 8:29)

Jesus is the faithful and obedient son of David, the promised seed of the woman in whom all of God’s promises are fulfilled.

God’s people forever have a righteous king, so that the church never has to settle for doing what is right in our own eyes. 

The best example of how to respond to a sermon like this is given to us by the Apostle Peter, who in Acts 2 preached that the resurrection of Jesus proves that God has made him both Lord and Christ. 

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 

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. (Ac 2:36–38)

God has kept his promise through his faithful, obedient. That son now sits on the throne of an eternal kingdom. Will you share in its blessings? Will you be among his people? 

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Mosaic Covenant: Exodus 19-24

Sermon Idea: The Mosaic Covenant develops God’s set-apart people into a holy nation, governed by God’s law through whom God will bring the promised seed of the woman, Jesus Christ. 

Introduction: There are some words that, upon hearing them, do not evoke feelings of comfort or joy. For example, consider the word exam—a perfectly fine word, except we probably associate it with something unpleasant. Whether it be a math exam or a rectal exam, neither of these things is very pleasant. 

We might also consider the word work—another perfectly fine word—but I’m willing to bet it does not evoke thoughts of comfort and joy. Whether it’s housework, yardwork, or homework, these tasks are mundane and not particularly enjoyable. 

What about the word “law?” What thoughts or feelings are evoked when you hear that word? Old Testament scholar Carmen Imes says most of us don’t perk up when we hear the word law, especially the Old Testament law.  

She writes, “Laws are dry and tedious, and they take away freedoms we’d rather have. Laws keep us from parking in the most convenient places and require us to take off our shoes at airport security checkpoints. Silence your cellphone, and no flash photography and don’t chew gum and don’t bring in ourtside food or drink and keep your hands and arms inside the car. This is why Moses’ response to the law catches us off guard.”

Consider, for example, Moses’ reflection on receiving God’s law in Deuteronomy 4. 

See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? (Dt 4:5–8)

This passage serves as a beneficial summary of so much of what I want us to understand about the covenant God makes with Moses and Israel. 

Notice that the statutes and rules that the Lord commanded were to be done, “in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.” What land is Moses referring to? The land that was promised to Abraham and his descendants: the promised land of Canaan. The law is given to govern God’s people for life in the land. 

Also, notice that as God’s law governs his people in the land, it serves as a testimony to the nations about God’s greatness and goodness (Deut. 4:6-8). If Israel faithfully obeyed God’s law in the land, it would be a light to the nations, reflecting God’s character. Through Israel, God will make himself known to the world.

The Abrahamic Covenant set apart a particular people through whom God would bring the promised seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, who would fulfill all of God’s promises. 

The Mosaic Covenant develops God’s set-apart people into a holy nation, governed by God’s law through whom God will bring the promised seed of the woman, Jesus Christ.

The goal of this morning is consistent with the previous weeks. We cannot be exhaustive, and should not intend to be. Much of what could be said will be left unsaid. Instead, we want to understand how the Mosaic Covenant relates to the covenants which came before it, and how it prepares for those that come after it, and how it progressively reveals God’s redemptive plan.

To do this, we’ll trace the three major movements of the covenant in Exodus 19-24: the context of the covenant is redemption from Egypt, the conditions of the covenant are God’s law, and the ratification of the covenant is through the shedding of blood. After that, we’ll consider the function of the covenant, which is the governance of Israel’s kingdom and worship. 

I.) The context of the covenant is redemption out of Egypt (Exodus 19:1-6)

The context of the Mosaic covenant is the redemptive event of the Old Testament—God’s redemption of Israel out of Egypt. 

while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 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; 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.” (Ex 19:3–6)

As God had foretold, Israel lived in Egypt for 400 years (Genesis 15:13-16). Although they experienced some prosperity and peace during the life of Joseph, the majority of the time was spent in harsh slavery. God redeemed them out of Egyptian slavery through Moses and a series of plagues. The defining plague was Passover, where the angel of death struck down the firstborn sons of Egypt while passing over the houses of Israel because they were covered in the blood of a spotless lamb. 

The people to whom God gives his law are a redeemed people, delivered from bondage to belong to God. What is important to remember, especially in our series, is that God’s redemption from Egypt was an act of faithfulness to His covenant promises to Abraham. Numerous passages in Exodus link God’s redeeming of Israel to his promises to Abraham. 

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant…I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.’ ” (Ex 6:3–5, 8)

To say, then, that the context of the Mosaic Covenant is God’s redemption out of Egypt is to say that the Abrahamic Covenant is the context of the Mosaic Covenant. They are linked. God gave the Mosaic Covenant, and God’s laws are to govern the people in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

God is always faithful to his promises. The God who kept his promise to Abraham and Moses is the same God who has made promises to us in Jesus Christ. He will not forget us, friends. He will not forsake his church. 

Paul tells us in Titus that the church is, “… waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Tt 2:13-14). We will undoubtedly have to wait for that day to come, but we do not have to doubt if it will come. The God Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God who remembers his covenant is our God in Christ Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He will remember his promises and be faithful to them. 

The faithfulness of God precedes the giving of the law, and that means the grace of God precedes the giving of the law. We cannot stress this point enough. The Mosaic Covenant, with all its commands, statutes, and rules, comes to a people redeemed by the grace of God. Grace precedes law. 

‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant (Exodus 19:4-5)

Grace is the motivation and foundation for obeying God’s law. They are to obey God’s law first because they’ve been redeemed and set apart as the people of God! 

God’s faithfulness to the Abrahamic Covenant and His redeeming grace from Egypt are the context for God’s Covenant with Israel. However, the covenant itself contains specific promises for obedience and curses for disobedience, contingent upon Israel’s obedience to God’s commands. 

This brings us to our second point: the conditions of the covenant are God’s law. 

II.) The conditions of the covenant are God’s law (Exodus 20-23:19)

God’s laws are the conditions of the Mosaic Covenant. If Israel is going to experience the promised blessings of God, it must keep and obey the law of the covenant. This is a covenant arrangement that Israel accepts. Look at Exodus 19:7-8. 

So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” (Ex 19:7–8)

The laws in the Mosaic Covenant were designed to govern Israel’s life and worship in the land conditionally. If they obey, they will experience God’s blessing in the land, but if they disobey, they will experience the curse of judgment, such as exile from the land. Consider Deuteronomy 30:15-18. 

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. (Dt 30:15–18)

As Samuel Renihan explains, “Based on the laws, the promises, and the threats of the covenant, the Mosaic Covenant is a covenant of works for life in the land of Canaan…Insofar as Israel obeys the Mosaic law, they will enjoy guaranteed blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant. Insofar as Israel disobeys the Mosaic law, they will experience the guaranteed curses of the covenant.”

What are the laws of the covenant? The answer to that question is found in Exodus 20-40, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. We can’t cover that much ground, so we’ll have to summarize the law of God in a manner fitting for a sermon like this. 

Historically, the law of God has been understood and explained by three divisions: moral law, civil law, and ceremonial law. I would like to briefly explain these divisions, provide a brief scriptural warrant for them, and then reflect on their importance. 

  1. The moral law is based on the very righteous character of God and is unchanging. It is summarized in the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17. The Ten Commandments can be thought of as made up of two tables. Commandments 1-4 are the first table concerning man’s relationship with God, and commandments 6-10 concern man’s relationship with one another. This is why Jesus rightly says that loving God isthe greatest commandment, and the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself. 
  1. The civil (judicial) law consists of laws that govern Israel’s life in the land as a nation. These laws are the Ten Commandments applied to specific cases pertinent to the life of Israel in the land. Examples of these laws are found in Exodus 21-23. 
  1. The ceremonial law consists of laws that govern Israel’s worship. Laws regarding the construction of the tabernacle, the sacrificial system, the feast days, and festivals are ceremonial laws. Examples of these laws can be found in Exodus 25-30. 

Along with the support for this division from Exodus: moral law (Exodus 20), civil law (Exodus 21-23), ceremonial law (Exodus 25-30), texts like Deuteronomy 4:13-14 make the same division. 

And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone. And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and rules, that you might do them in the land that you are going over to possess. (Dt 4:13–14)

The Ten Commandments, together with the civil and ceremonial laws, are the laws of the covenant that Israel must obey to experience life and blessing in the land of promise. 

There is a lot that we could say here, but let’s at least reflect on the kindness and mercy that God’s law brings to Israel. Without the ceremonial laws, for example, Israel would not have lasted long in the promised land. The law is a grace that allows God’s dwelling place to be among His people. Let’s consider Leviticus as an example. 

Exodus ends with a dilemma. The tabernacle is built, and the glory of the Lord indwells it. God’s glorious presence so fills the temple that not even Moses can enter the tabernacle. 

And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. (Ex 40:35)

Leviticus is God’s merciful solution to this problem. The sacrificial system (Leviticus 1-7) and the priesthood (Leviticus 8) established by the Lord enable Israel to approach the tabernacle, atone for their sins, and live closely with God in the land as His people. 

It is important to remember, though, that this kindness and mercy are for a particular reason: life in the land. This sacrificial system does not cleanse or offer forgiveness for sin. It does not provide salvation. As the author of Hebrews tells us, For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Heb 10:4)

The priesthood, the sacrificial system, and the tabernacle are types and shadows of God’s gracious new covenant of grace. Every lamb sacrificed on the altar casts a long shadow, the substance of which is the slain lamb of God on the cross. The tabernacle filled with the glory of God points forward to the very glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, the Word who became flesh and dwelt ( or tabernacled) among us. (John 1:14). 

With the conditions of God’s law stated, the covenant can be ratified through a ceremony. 

III.) The ratification of the covenant is by the shedding of blood (Exodus 24:1-18)

God’s law has initiated this covenant and communicated the covenant conditions. Now it is time to ratify that covenant. God calls Moses and the seventy elders to come near the mountain. Moses is the only one, as of now, who goes all the way up. He then descends to communicate the law to Israel. Israel then agrees to God’s conditions and commandments. 

 And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do. (Ex 24:3)

After the acceptance comes the ceremony. Let’s look at Exodus 24:4-6. 

 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 (Ex 24:3–5)

First, Moses built an altar just as the Lord instructed, and the young men of Israel offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings. The burnt offering would have been consumed with fire, and the meat would have been eaten. 

Moses then uses the blood from the sacrifices to purify the altar and the people. 

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.” (Ex 24:6–8)

Note that before the sprinkling of blood is the second reading of the book of the covenant and a second agreement by Israel. They accept God’s covenant, God’s conditions, and affirm that they will do all that he has said. God initiates this covenant, but Israel does respond in affirmation and agrees to all its terms. 

The presence of the altar represents the presence of the Lord. The sprinkling of blood on the altar and on the people officially covenanted them together. The blood purifies Israel because the sacrifice is an atoning sacrifice and ordains them for their mission as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. 

Jesus uses this language as he shares the Last Supper with his disciples. 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Mt 26:27–28)

Jesus is saying that he is about to perform a new exodus, a deliverance from the bondage of Satan, sin, and death. 

Jesus is saying that he is about to ratify a new covenant, one that is not confirmed by the shedding of animal blood, but his own blood. This is the blood sufficient for the forgiveness of sins, for the new covenant is superior to the old. 

God’s law has been communicated, the conditions have been agreed to, and the covenant has been confirmed with the shedding of blood. What happens next is truly the point of everything. God’s people in covenant with him are about to commune with him. 

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. (Ex 24:9–11) 

In covenant with God through the shedding of blood, they can behold God and have communion with Him in His presence. I don’t know what all they were allowed to behold, but it couldn’t have been more than Moses, so it is veiled to a degree. 

The Lord’s wrathful hand is not raised against them because they are there by God’s invitation. Communion follows the covenant made with blood. As the Scriptures end, we learn of another meal in God’s presence. The meal that all will share will be sprinkled with the blood of the new covenant. We will be there by God’s invitation. 

IV.) The function of the covenant is the governance of Israel’s kingdom and worship 

The function of the Mosaic covenant was the governance of Israel’s kingdom and worship. It governed the people, the priesthood, the prophets, and the king. 

In other words, the Mosaic Covenant is tightly wedded to the nation of Israel specifically. For that reason, the Mosaic Covenant is temporary and, in the providence of God, becomes obsolete once God’s purpose for the nation of Israel reaches its fulfillment. 

In the words of Samuel Renihan, with the coming of Jesus Christ and the new covenant of grace, the kingdom of Israel gives birth to the kingdom of Christ, and the Old Covenant gives birth to the New Covenant of Grace.

In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. (Heb 8:13)

*Give a clear gospel call and invitation*

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Abrahamic Covenant: Genesis 12-17

Sermon Idea: The Abrahamic Covenant sets apart a particular people through whom God will bring the promised seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, who will fulfill all of God’s promises. 

Introduction: Although it seems we are far from Christmas, it is fast approaching. And as uncommon as it is for churches to sing Christmas hymns in the middle of the blazing heat of Summer, I nearly requested that Pastor Aaron make a special exception for today. There is one famous Christmas hymn, written by the great hymn writer Isaac Watts, that includes a verse very fitting not only for our study this morning but for the entire sermon series. 

Joy to the World is one of the most beloved Christmas hymns; no doubt, many of you could sing it from memory. Every year, as I sing that song, I am moved by verse 3. 

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make his blessings flow

Far as the curse is found

Far as the curse is found. Ever since Adam and Eve’s fall into sin, the curse has taken a prominent place in the biblical story. God curses the serpent (3:14). Although Adam and Eve are not personally cursed, they must live in a cursed world. As a result, there will be conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. There will be conflict between man and woman (3:16). Adam’s sin has also brought a curse upon the ground and over creation (3:17).

The presence of sin and death marks the curse of creation in its very being, as dead bodies are buried in the ground. When Cain kills Abel, God references the curse of the ground. 

10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. (Ge 4:10-12)

The curse that sin has brought is not only to each person but to the entire creation. This is why Noah’s Father, Lamech, hopes Noah is the promised savior to come. 

29 and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” (Ge 5:29)

These descriptions tell us that no ordinary hero will do. No ordinary effort will suffice. If salvation is to come, it must come from one who can make his blessings flow as far as the curse is found. 

God’s covenant with Abraham is a pivotal step in the revelation of God’s redemptive plan, as it provides a direct response to these curses and offers specific promises to be fulfilled through Abraham and his descendants.  

The Abrahamic Covenant sets apart a particular people through whom God will bring the promised seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, who will fulfill all of God’s promises.

To understand this, we will examine the Abrahamic covenant through three key developments: God’s promises initiate the covenant, God’s ceremony confirms the covenant, and God’s command of circumcision expands the covenant. 

I.) God’s promises initiate the covenant (Gen. 12:1-7)

Before the Genesis account of Abraham, there were no distinct people of God. Israel was not a people or a nation, to make no mention of a kingdom. God is going to call Abraham from his country and family to create a distinct and particular people from him. 

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.” (Ge 12:1–3)

There are three promises that God makes to Abraham at the beginning of this covenant. However, before examining them, notice that God is taking the initiative. The story of Scripture is about God’s sovereignty and redemptive grace. God calls Abraham out from his home country and chooses to make him into a great nation. Just as God extended grace to Adam and Eve with the promise of the seed of the woman, and just as Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord, so God chose and called Abraham by His grace. God is gracious, and our salvation from before eternity to the end of time is by grace and grace alone. 

Not only does God call Abraham from his country, but he also makes three promises to Abraham as he initiates this covenant. God’s promises to Abraham can be summarized as offspring, land, and blessing. 

The first promise God makes to Abraham is that he will have offspring. God’s promise to make Abraham into a “great nation” (Gen. 12:2) is the promise to give Abraham descendants. He is going to have a son, and his descendants will be numerous, beyond counting. 

If you have been with us throughout our study, the promise of offspring should recall God’s promise to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15. The first gospel promise is about offspring—the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent. 

When God reiterates the promise to give Abraham offspring throughout the Old Testament, we get a clearer understanding of just how significant this promise is. 

In Genesis 17, which we’ll look at later, God’s promise of offspring is expanded. Abraham will not only become a great nation, but he will be the Father of a multitude of nations, and kings will come from him. 

I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. (Ge 17:6)

The nation that God is creating through a covenant with Abraham will become a kingdom. God will rule over his people in a kingdom established through covenant. 

In Genesis 22, God not only says that the descendants of Abraham will be as numerous as the stars in the heavens and the sand on the shore, but that Abraham’s descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. 

I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies (Ge 22:17)

Now that is interesting language! I love how Tom Schreiner ties this all together.  

“The children of Abraham would multiply and rule on the earth by defeating their enemies. The seed of the woman, in other words, would be the children of Abraham (Gen. 3:15), and they would rule over the Serpent and his offspring.”

The second promise God makes to Abraham is that Abraham’s descendants will inherit a land. God calls Abraham to go, “to the land that I will show you” (Gen. 12:2). The land that God will show Abraham is the land of Canaan, and it is promised explicitly to Abraham’s offspring in Genesis 12:7. 

Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” (Ge 12:7)

Now, remember, a consequence for Adam and Eve was to be exiled from the garden. They were removed from the land where God dwelt with his people. Now, God promises to give a particular land where he will dwell with his people. 

After Israel settles in the land of Canaan, God dwells among his people in the temple, which points to and anticipates God dwelling with his people in the New Heavens and the New Earth in eternity. 

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God (Re 21:3)

Lastly, God promises to make Abraham a blessing and, through him, to bless all nations. 

 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.” (Ge 12:1–3)

This is the ultimate purpose of God in making this covenant with Abraham. The promise of offspring and land is a specific way that God blesses the nations. It is through Abraham, this particular people, that God will bring the promised seed of the woman. Salvation to the nations is at the heart of God’s covenant with Abraham, and salvation for the nations can only be accomplished through Jesus Christ. 

The Kingdom of Israel and the covenants made with Israel are to be mere servants in bringing about the promised seed, Jesus Christ, and the new covenant he will bring. Once he comes, the Kingdom of Israel and the Old Covenant made with them find their fulfillment. 

Paul tells us that Jesus Christ is the seed of Abraham, the promised seed of the woman. 

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ, (Ga 3:16)

To receive the promised blessings of God, one needs to be more than a physical descendant of Abraham. The promised blessing comes through one’s relationship to Abraham’s descendant, Jesus Christ. Through faith in Jesus, anyone from any nation may become Abraham’s offspring.

26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Ga 3:26–29)

It is essential, then, to think of God’s covenant with Abraham in two ways. It is, first and foremost, a covenant of earthly promises and blessings. It concerns a particular people in a specific place who will experience God’s blessing as they obey His covenant commands. All of Abraham’s natural offspring are in this covenant. God fulfills all of these promises: offspring, land, and earthly blessing.

Within this covenant, though, is revealed more of the gospel promise. God is going to bless the nations through his offspring. God fulfills these promises in Jesus Christ, so that Abraham will have spiritual offspring through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. 

There is, however, a significant problem. Abraham does not have a son. How is God going to fulfill his promises to Abraham when he doesn’t even have a son of his own? What confidence can Abraham have that God will keep these promises? 

This brings us to God’s ceremony that confirms the covenant in Genesis 15. Please turn in your Bibles there.

II.) God’s ceremony confirms the covenant (Gen. 15:1-21) 

The promises that God made to Abraham are formalized into a covenant through a ceremony. What prompts this ceremony is Abraham’s concern over his childlessness, so God makes a vow to fulfill all of his promises. 

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he beleved the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Ge 15:1–6)

Before God makes his vow, the text tells us that Abraham believes God, and it is counted to him as righteousness. Abraham is saved not because of his works or obedience, but solely through faith in God’s gospel promises. He looked forward to their fulfillment in faith, and we look back to the cross and resurrection through faith. Just as Abraham was counted righteous through faith, so we can only be righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. 

But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Ro 4:23–25)

Friends, the way to righteousness before God cannot be found in our best days or our best works. It can only be found by casting ourselves completely in faith on Jesus Christ alone. 

Let’s return to Genesis 15. To make this covenant vow, God instructs Abraham to bring a heifer, a goat, a ram, a turtle dove, and a pigeon. God then instructs Abraham to cut the heifer, goat, and ram in half and to lay the pieces parallel to one another. 

With everything prepared, the ceremony can now take place. The actions that God takes formalize and confirm the covenant made with Abraham. Let’s look at verses 17-21. 

17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land (Ge 15:17–18)

To understand the significance of this, we must comprehend what the covenant ceremony represents. In this ceremony, the cut-up pieces represent the judgment that would fall on the members who broke their covenant commitment. By walking through the pieces, the person is saying, I am staking my life on my ability to keep my covenant promises, and if I break them, may I be like these cut-up pieces. 

Here is what is interesting. Abraham does not walk through these pieces. We only read that a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch pass between the pieces. This is remarkable because smoke and fire are often associated with the presence of God in the Old Testament. 

God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush (Ex. 3:2). God’s glory descends on Mount Sinai, covering it with a cloud of smoke (Ex. 19:18). And most interesting, God leads Israel through the wilderness by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day (Ex. 13:21). 

God commits himself to these covenant promises. God stakes more than his reputation, but his very being and life on his faithfulness. The idea, of course, is that God can’t fail to keep this covenant. Not only that, but these particular promises are unconditional. God will fulfill them despite any unfaithfulness that may come from Abraham and his descendants. 

God initiates the covenant by making three promises regarding offspring, land, and blessing. The covenant is confirmed by God’s ceremony where God makes covenant commitments. 

Despite the unconditional nature of God keeping these particular promises, Abraham and his offspring will have responsibilities and covenant conditions that they are to keep. Let’s look at Genesis 17. 

III.) God’s command of circumcision expands the covenant (Gen. 17:1-14)

God calls Abraham and his offspring to obey whatever covenant commitments God commands. 

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.” (Ge 17:1–2)

God’s unconditional promise to keep his covenant does not exempt Abraham and his offspring from total, blameless obedience. What are the covenant commitments that God commands? 

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. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” (Ge 17:9–14)

Participation in the earthly blessing of the covenant was conditional on obeying this command to circumcise every male on the eighth day. Circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant, and it symbolizes two realities. 

First, it marks off Israel as the particular covenant people of God. Circumcision identifies one as an offspring of Abraham and a member of the covenant people, inheriting all the blessings associated with that membership.

Second, it symbolizes the threat and curse of disobeying the covenant. Listen to the language of Genesis 17:14 carefully, “Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” 

This command points forward to what God does in the heart of those who place faith in Jesus. On the cross, Jesus was cut off for us. Through faith in him, we are “circumcised without hands”—that is, born again by the Holy Spirit. 

In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, (Col 2:11)

In the New Covenant, circumcision is fulfilled and is no longer binding as covenant law to define who is and is not a member of God’s covenant people. 

14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. (Ga 6:14–15)

Theological Reflections on the Abrahamic Covenant 

  1. The Abrahamic Covenant contains both unconditional and conditional elements. God’s promises to the nation are unconditional, but they are conditional at the level of the individual. Failure to be faithful to God’s covenant would result in being cut off from the land. 
  1. The Abrahamic Covenant serves as the foundation for the Old Covenant. It is a covenant first and foremost about an earthly people, land, and blessing. 
  1. The Abrahamic Covenant contains promises of the gospel, a new covenant of grace, that will be fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the promised seed of the woman. 
  1. The Abrahamic covenant provides a particular people and place to bring about the seed of the woman. This is Israel’s purpose, and once Christ comes, Israel and the covenants of Israel (Eph. 2:12) are fulfilled. 
Nathaniel R. Martin

The Noahic Covenant: Genesis 6-9

Sermon Idea: The Noahic Covenant is a promise to preserve creation so that God might fulfill His redemptive plan through the promised seed of the woman, Jesus Christ. 

Introduction: I have heard preachers occasionally poke fun at children’s lessons and coloring books on the flood that focus only on animals, the ark, and the rainbow, all the while overlooking God’s wrath and judgment in bringing the floodwaters against sin. That’s fine, I guess, but there is something more critical missing, and that is how God’s covenant with Noah connects with the big story of the Bible in a way that’s centered on Jesus Christ. 

One notable exception to this is Sally Lloyd-Jones’ excellent little book, The Jesus Story Book Bible. In her conclusion to the flood story, she points children to the new beginning God made with Noah, but also the greater need for Jesus, who was yet to come. 

“It was a new beginning in God’s world. It wasn’t long before everything went wrong again, but God wasn’t surprised; he knew this would happen. That’s why, before the beginning of time, he had another plan—a better plan. A plan not to destroy the world, but to rescue it—a plan to send his own Son, the Rescuer.

After God promised that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head, people began to expect and hope for the birth of this Savior. 

Eve seems to possess this hope when she says in Genesis 4:1, “I have gotten a man from the help of the Lord.” Cain proves to be anything but a savior as he kills his brother Abel. The promised deliverer is still needed. Who will he be? 

Noah’s father, Lamech, clearly is hoping for a future deliverer and wonders if his son might be it. In Genesis 5:28-29, we read, “…he fathered a son 29 and called his name Noah, saying, ‘Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” (Ge 5:28-29)

Do you hear the hopeful expectation of a savior? In the early chapters of Genesis, numerous themes emerge, but two stand out prominently: the havoc that sin has brought upon creation and the hope for a deliverer. Creation is no longer a paradise but has been corrupted by sin. If paradise is going to be regained, God must fulfill his promise to bring about the savior who will crush the head of the serpent. The storyline of Scripture is more, but never less than, an eager expectation for the promised seed of the woman. 

Lamech hopes that Noah will be the one who brings relief from the work and painful toil that sin has brought. Might this be the one? 

Noah will not be the seed of the woman, but he is a type that points forward to the savior to come. Noah is a righteous man amid an evil generation. God is going to work through this one righteous man to bring about the salvation of the world. How?

God is going to bring the seed of the woman through Noah, and the covenant God makes with Noah in Genesis 9 guarantees his line will continue until the seed of the woman arrives. Even still, Noah will prove to fall short and sin just as Adam did before him. Noah is not the promised seed of the woman, but his obedience and his failure point us to the need for the savior to come, Jesus Christ. 

This morning, we aim to explore the connection between God’s covenant with Noah and God’s eternal, redemptive plan, as revealed in the Bible and centered on Jesus Christ.  

The Noahic Covenant is a promise to preserve creation so that God might fulfill His redemptive plan through the promised seed of the woman, Jesus Christ.

That is what I am to show you this morning, and I hope to achieve that with three points from these chapters: God’s judgment of wickedness is the context of the covenant, God’s new creation commission sets the terms of the covenant, and God’s preservation of creation is the promise of the covenant. 

I.) God’s judgment of wickedness is the context of the covenant 

(Genesis 6-7)

The Bible does not sugarcoat the state of creation and the wickedness of humanity after the Fall. Things have progressively gotten worse so that Noah and his family are a faithful remnant living among a wicked generation. 

Time does not allow me to discuss Genesis 6:1-4 in detail, because it’s a minefield of interpretive problems, and if we enter, we may not emerge unscathed. I do have opinions, and I’m happy to share them whenever we preach through Genesis or in private conversation. For our purposes, we only need to consider verses 5-8. 

5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. (Ge 6:5–6)

This is not a description of unintentional mistakes, slip-ups, or errors. It is not a description of a small segment of the population. Humanity’s wickedness was great on the earth. The language is comprehensive and total. 

Tom Schreiner says, “Evil had become a tsunami that had swept away all goodness: ‘every intention,’ ‘only evil,’ and continually.”

The wickedness of humanity rightly evokes God’s judgment, which sets the context for God’s covenant with Noah. 

When the text says that the Lord “regretted that he had made man” and was “sorry that I have made them,” it is language that communicates God’s judgment on the wickedness of humanity in a way we can understand. It does not mean that God has made a mistake, nor that He regrets it in the same way we do. The Bible tells us that God is not like us and that he doesn’t have regret. 

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should 

change his mind (Nu 23:19)

29 And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” (1 Sa 15:29)

What is clear is that God declares his intent to judge the wickedness of the world, and that judgment is total except for one family.

“I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:7-8)

God, being faithful to his promise, will bring salvation through judgment. Noah has found favor in the eyes of the Lord. In other words, he has seen the grace of the Lord. God is going to bring judgment but save Noah and his family by grace, through whom he will preserve his promise to bring about the seed of the woman. 

God saves Noah by instructing him to build an ark large enough to accommodate his family and the types of animals that God instructs him to gather. 

 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. (Ge 6:12–14)

Noah obeys all the commands that God gives him. God then shuts Noah’s family in the ark, and then the rain comes. 

21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days. (Ge 7:21–24)

Judgment washes over creation, but Noah’s family is saved inside the ark of God’s grace. The ark serves as a type of our salvation. Just as God’s grace saves Noah from God’s wrath while safely in the ark, we are saved from God’s wrath as we are united to Jesus Christ, the ark of our salvation. 

If you’re here this morning and you have not taken seriously the reality of God’s holiness and righteousness. If you have not reflected on the gravity of your sin and your standing before God in light of sin, you need to. 

Just as the ark was the only refuge for Noah and his family from the waters of judgment, so faith in Jesus Christ is the only refuge for sinners from the judgment to come. 

Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew that the judgment that will accompany His second coming will come rushing like the floodwaters in the time of Noah. 

38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man (Mt 24:38–39)

Are you safely abiding in the ark of our salvation, Jesus Christ, or are you at risk of being swept under the waters of judgment?

The Apostle Peter says that baptism corresponds to the ark which saved Noah and his family. Baptism does not save us by itself, but it is a pledge by all those who have been saved through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Pe 3:20–21)

The context of God’s covenant with Noah is the total judgment of wickedness that points forward to the final day of judgment. God’s salvation of Noah in the ark points forward to the salvation that is only found in Jesus Christ. 

The catastrophic and comprehensive nature of this judgment places the covenant in its proper perspective. 

II.) God’s new creation commission sets the terms of the covenant (Genesis 8:20-9:7) 

The floodwaters subside because God blows the wind over the water. Genesis 8:1 tells us that God remembered Noah. God had not forgotten or misplaced him. To say that God remembered Noah is a way of saying that God acts graciously toward Noah in faithfulness to his promise. 

But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. (Ge 8:1–3)

With the waters receded, Genesis presents Noah as a New Adam of a New Creation. There are numerous connections in the text to make this point, but I want to focus on the most explicit. Noah is given the same mission that God gave to Adam. Look with me at Genesis 9:1-3. 

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. (Ge 9:1–3)

Noah and all those who come after him are to be fruitful and multiply. They exercise dominion over creation, especially animals, which, in our fallen world, will often fear human beings. There is, however, a key difference. Adam and Eve were meant to be fruitful and multiply to extend God’s garden-temple all over the world. They were to fill the earth with faithful, righteous image bearers of God. Noah cannot do this. That was lost when Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden. 

When God gives this commission to Noah, the curse of sin has already tainted all of creation and every human being. Noah is to be fruitful and multiply to bring the promised seed of the woman.

There is another element to this covenant because of the fall. To preserve life and restrain evil, God institutes human societies or governments to protect life and execute justice as a restraint for evil. 

4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. (Ge 9:4–6)

For God’s promise to be fulfilled, life is valued and protected. The purpose of government is to protect life and restrain evil that threatens life. The consequence for a crime as heinous as murder is capital punishment, reinforced and nuanced later in the Mosaic Law. 

What God institutes here in Genesis 9 is the foundation for Paul’s teaching about the God given authority of earthly governments to wield the sword of justice. 

3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. (Ro 13:3–4)

Samuel Renihan explains this connection well. 

“In the Noahic Covenant, human societies therefore have two basic and related jobs: to preserve life, and to preserve family…As a result, any society or government that corrupts the family or murders the innocent is a government in direct treason and disobedience to the God of the universe. They are abusing the sword entrusted to them by turning it on the innocent, rather than the guilty.” 

God is the God of life, and his people are to follow him in valuing the dignity of life. We follow him in speaking on behalf of vulnerable life who cannot speak for themselves, whether it be innocent life in utero, non-verbal image bearers, or even the poor and marginalized when appropriate. 

God brings salvation through judgment. Noah is the second Adam commissioned to be fruitful and multiply. Through Noah’s obedience to that command, God will preserve a holy line to fulfill His promise to provide a Savior, the promised seed of the woman.  

God’s judgment of wickedness is the context for the covenant. God’s new creation commission set the terms of the covenant. Now let’s close by reflecting on the promise of the covenant.

III.) God’s preservation of creation is the promise of the covenant (Genesis 9:8-17) 

20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. (Ge 8:20–22)

This promise is reiterated in Genesis 9:11, and it is referred to as a covenant. 

 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.” (Ge 9:10–11)

The covenant that God made with Noah, which remains in force today, is to preserve the creation so that He can fulfill all His promises through the seed of the woman, Jesus Christ. This covenant is much more than a promise not to flood the earth. It is a promise to pass over sins, to be patient, to preserve creation, assuring that salvation will come through Jesus Christ. 

This means that you can trust God to keep his promises. Four out of the eight occurrences of the word “covenant” have the possessive pronoun “my” before it. 

18 But I will establish my covenant with you (Ge 6:18)

9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, (Ge 9:9)

11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, (Ge 9:11)

15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. (Ge 9:15)

This is a covenant that God binds himself to. He is obligated to keep it for the sake of his reputation. This covenant will be kept no matter Noah’s failure or those after him. It depends on God. 

A covenant sign accompanies this promise. 

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.” (Ge 9:12–17)

As many scholars have noted, there is no Hebrew word that directly translates to the English term “rainbow.” The word used here is bow, as in a weapon used in warfare. God has set His bow of wrath in the sky, pointed upward toward heaven, as a sign that promises to preserve creation and fulfill His promises in Christ. 

The Noahic Covenant is a promise to preserve creation so that God might fulfill His redemptive plan through the promised seed of the woman, Jesus Christ. 

This is the only biblical covenant that the New Covenant has not fulfilled. It remains in force today and will continue until Christ returns. On that day, God’s grace and patience will reach their end. Salvation will be completed for those in Christ, and judgment will be meted out to those in rebellion against Christ. 

God’s judgment of wickedness in the flood story reminds us of God’s holiness and justice. It reminds us to take sin seriously and reflect on the one refuge from his wrath—the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Noah obeyed God and built the ark, here is the command to repent and believe the gospel. 

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Covenant of Grace Promised: Genesis 3:15

Sermon Idea: God’s eternal redemptive plan, a covenant of grace, is revealed to Adam and fulfilled by the promised seed of the woman. 

Introduction: Graeme Goldsworthy tells a story about an Australian Sunday School teacher who felt her lessons had become a little too predictable. She feared this predictability would lead to boredom, so she decided on a new tactic. 

The following week, she stood before her five-year-old class and said, “Who can tell me what is gray and furry and lives in a Gum tree?”

The children, surprised, said nothing. 

“Come on,” she said, “someone must know. What is gray, furry, lives in a gum tree, has a black leathery nose, and beady eyes? 

Still no answer. 

She repeated herself, nearly giving up until one little girl raised her hand. 

The teacher smiled and said, “Yes, Suzie?” 

Suzie answered, “I know it’s Jesus, but it sounds like a Koala!”1 

One of the challenges of preaching the Old Testament is to do so in a way that is faithful to the text and centered on Jesus Christ without being simple and predictable. 

We aim to connect the dots in a way that allows the progressive nature of God’s revelation to be fully felt. That said, when it comes to faithful reading of Scripture, the Sunday School answer is the correct answer: I know it’s Jesus. After all, this is how Jesus himself taught us to think about the Old Testament. 

26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Lk 24:26-27)

46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (Jn 5:46–47)

The Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, from the seed of the woman to the slain lamb on the throne, are about Jesus Christ. As Mitchell Chase reminds us, “Jesus treasured the Old Testament, and at the same time he was—and is—its treasure.”

The promise that God gives to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15 is known as the protoevangelium. It is the first form, “proto,” of the gospel promise of grace, “evangelium.” At the center of that promise is the seed of the woman who will crush the head of the serpent. 

The rest of the Old Testament is about the hope of this promised seed. That is why we are pausing to think about this verse in depth. In just a few words, God prepares us for conflict, foreshadows the cross, and promises the covenant of grace in which we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. 

We might summarize the sermon idea in this way: God’s eternal, redemptive plan—a covenant of grace—is revealed to Adam and fulfilled by the promised seed of the woman. 

I.) The gospel promise comes through conflict 

As Aaron taught you last week, the first gospel promise is given when God curses the serpent. 

14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your 

offspring and her offspring (Ge 3:14-15)

We may not think of enmity and conflict as being good news for us, but we need to remember that God promises this as he curses the serpent. The promise of enmity is hard news for us, but devastating news for the serpent. 

Sinclair Ferguson helpfully notes that the promise of enmity, “…is an 

indication to Satan that he has not actually won. He thinks that because he’s overcome Adam and Eve, that perhaps the whole victory is his. And so, God is forewarning him in this judgment that he has a fight on his hands, that the seed of the woman, those who are faithful believers, will continue to withstand the seed of the serpent…”2

The painful enmity that the seed of the woman must endure is seen immediately in Genesis 4, when Cain kills Abel. These boys share the same biological mother, but one worshipped God rightly and the other opposed God by killing his brother Abel. Cain was the seed of the woman struck down by the seed of the serpent, Abel. 

Yet even here, the seed of the woman perseveres despite the enmity with the seed of the serpent.

25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord. (Ge 4:25–26)

The Old Testament story is not a record of natural, neutral historical events. It is the record of an ongoing conflict between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of God. From Pharaoh instructing Hebrew Midwives to murder newborn Hebrew boys to Herod seeking to murder male children in Exodus under the age of two in the Gospel of Matthew, the seed of the serpent attempts to find and destroy the seed of the woman. 

Jesus reinforces this to us in the Gospels when he refers to the Pharisees and the Sadducees as “a brood of vipers.” (Matt. 3:7; Luke 3:7). He does so again in John 8, calling those seeking to kill him, saying in verse 44, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’sdesires (Jn 8:44). These are not random, harsh words by Jesus, but an allusion to the distinction between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.3  

If you’re here this morning and you are not a Christian, how does this resonate with you? How will you reflect and respond to God’s revelation that, apart from Christ, you are the seed of the serpent? 

We pray that your reflection will lead you to respond with repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. It is through faith in Jesus that we become children of God. 

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (Jn 1:12)

It is through faith in Jesus that we are “…called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Pe 2:9)

Beloved saints in the room. Hear this promise of conflict not in fear, but in hope. The church will face persecution, trials, and difficulties. As long as the Lord tarries, we will remain in a cosmic battle. 

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Eph 6:11–12)

8sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Pe 5:8–9)

We need to hear these words and believe them. Yet, we also need to remember that the promise of enmity in Genesis 3:15 is to tell Satan that he has not won. Jesus tells us in Matthew 16:18, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Mt 16:18)

Beloved, the church may struggle. The church may suffer. The church may be persecuted, but the church will be built, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

Paul encourages us in this way: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Ro 16:20) 

The promise of the gospel comes through conflict, but it is fulfilled on the cross. 

II.) The gospel promise is fulfilled on the cross 

After the promise of conflict comes the promise of victory: he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (Ge 3:15)

The seed of the woman will bruise the head of the serpent, but will suffer a wound himself, “…and you shall bruise his heel.” You do not need a medical license to understand that a wound to the head is significantly more serious than a wound to the heel. 

There is going to be one seed of the woman, the seed of the woman, who will strike a fatal blow on the head of the serpent through his suffering. That suffering is endured on the cross. 

As the Old Testament anticipated God’s suffering servant, the Messiah, it told of him being crushed for the sins of his people. 

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, 

he was crushed for our iniquities; 

the punishment that brought us peace was on him, 

and by his wounds we are healed. (Is 53:5)

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, 

and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, 

he will see his offspring and prolong his days, 

and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. (Is 53:10)

The New Testament tells us that it was through the cross that Jesus defeated Satan. The cross was the strike to Jesus’ heel and a crushing blow to Satan’s head. 

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Heb 2:14–15)

This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Col 2:14–15)

The promised seed of the woman, the Messiah, was the Son of God incarnate who lived in our place, fulfilling the law we could not keep, and then he died on the cross, paying the penalty for sin we could not pay. 

In that one, substitutionary sacrifice our sin is paid, Satan is crushed, and death is defeated. 

The gospel promise comes through conflict, is fulfilled on the cross, and is mediated through covenant. 

III.) The gospel promise is mediated through covenant 

Up to this point, you may be wondering how exactly God’s first gospel promise in Genesis 3:15 relates to our study of the biblical covenants. God always relates to his people through covenant, and this is no exception.

” A Covenant can be defined as follows: a covenant is a chosen relationship in which two parties make binding promises (and obligations) to each other.” 

If Genesis 3:15 is the first gospel promise, then it is the first promise of a covenant of grace. By the covenant of grace, I mean the covenant under which God saves every believer who places their faith in Christ and applies all the benefits of Christ’s finished work to them. 

Moreover, man having brought himself under the curse of the law by his fall, it pleased the Lord to make a covenant of grace,wherein He freely offers unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ…-  Second London Baptist Confession 7.2 

This covenant is revealed in the gospel; first of all to Adam in the promise of salvation by the seed of the woman, and afterwards by farther steps, until the full discovery thereof was completed in the New Testament;-Second London Baptist Confession 7.3

For those who remember, we said something very similar in our introductory sermon. Let me read what I said then as a reminder.

Adam disobeyed, and all of creation was cursed. However, even as God cursed all of creation, he promised a future covenant, not of works but grace. In Genesis 3:15, God promises that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. 

All the covenants that follow are God’s way of fulfilling that promise, which is not fulfilled or realized until the New Covenant ratified by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the seed of the woman. 

Here is why this is important. The way that you understand how God brings and administers this covenant of grace makes all the difference in determining your understanding of the church. 

Many in the Baptist tradition have argued for approximately 400 years that the covenant of grace is promised in Genesis 3:15 and progressively revealed through the subsequent biblical covenants; however, it is only the new covenant, mediated by Jesus Christ, that constitutes the covenant of grace. 

The Abrahamic covenant is a gracious covenant of promise, but it is not the covenant of grace. 

The Mosaic covenant is a gracious covenant of promise, but it is not the covenant of grace.  

The Davidic covenant is a gracious covenant of promises, but it is not the covenant of grace. 

These covenants together are what the New Testament refers to as the “Old Covenant.” 

The New Covenant is the covenant of grace formalized and mediated by Jesus Christ.  

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant (Heb 9:15)

Right now, I merely want to plant that particular seed.  As we walk through each covenant in the coming weeks, we will gain a deeper understanding of how God progressively reveals His one plan of redemption, this covenant of grace, and how it impacts our lives as a church. 

  1. Graeme Goldsworthy, Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000) X. ↩︎
  2.  https://learn.ligonier.org/podcasts/ask-ligonier/what-is-the-protoevangelium Accessed June 15th, 2025.  ↩︎
  3. James Hamilton, “The Skull Crushing Seed of the Woman: Inner-Biblical Interpretation of Genesis 3:15” SBJT 10/2 (Summer 2006) ↩︎
Nathaniel R. Martin

The Creation Covenant: Genesis 1-2

Sermon Idea: The creation covenant reveals God’s purpose for humanity, who were created to represent God on earth as his image bearers. God makes this covenant with Adam, promising life & rest in God’s presence for obedience and death for disobedience. 

Introduction: The most crucial part of any structure is the foundation. When the foundation is flawed, the structure will be flawed—this is true not only of architecture, but also of our spiritual lives. Jesus makes this connection in Matthew 7. 

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Mt 7:24-27)

The foundation of our understanding of the Bible and the foundation for understanding ourselves is the doctrine of creation. In Genesis 1-2, we come to know God, ourselves, and the purpose of the world. A thorough understanding of human dignity, human sexuality, work, marriage, and many other topics is found in these two chapters. 

I want to mention this because my purpose is very particular this morning. I want to set the scene of creation only to focus on God’s covenant with Adam and the purpose of the world. That means there are many good things I cannot discuss. 

My purpose this morning is to discuss creation in general and the covenant God makes with Adam in particular. 

The Bible assumes and takes for granted the existence of the one, true, and living God. 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Ge 1:1)

In one verse, the Bible establishes what the Christian tradition has referred to as the creator-creature distinction. God transcends creation, not being part of it nor in any way dependent on it. All that exists is from him and for him. He gives creation its purpose and meaning, including, above all, the creation of human beings. The point of Genesis 1-2 is straightforward: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of Israel—is the one who created all things by the power of His Word. 

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Heb 11:3)

As the creation narrative progresses, God declares judgment on what he has made. 

Five times we read, “And God saw that it was good.” (Gen. 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25) 

When God creates humanity, his creative work reaches its pinnacle. It is only after the creation of humanity on day six that God looks at all that he has made and declares, “…it was very good.” (Gen. 1:31) 

It is God’s creation of and purpose for humanity that results in God making a covenant. As a reminder, we defined covenant in our intro sermon as a chosen relationship in which two parties make binding promises (and obligations) to each other.”

The word “covenant” does not occur in Genesis 1-2, but the concept is undoubtedly present. Not only that, but later biblical texts also reinforce the idea that a covenant was established at creation. 

1.) In Genesis 2:4, the name LORD (YHWH) is used. As later Israelites read Genesis, they would have most certainly understood this as the name of the covenant Lord (Exodus 3:13-15). 

2.) Adam is not only given commands, but promises for obedience, and curses for disobedience. Had Adam obeyed God in the Garden, it would have resulted in eternal life (Gen. 3:22-24; Rev. 2:7), but disobedience would have brought the curse of death (Gen. 2:17; 3:16-19). 

3.) Later Biblical texts refer to Adam transgressing God’s covenant,But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me. (Ho 6:7)

4.) In the New Testament, Paul consistently and repeatedly compares Adam and Jesus as two representatives of humanity. It is difficult to think of Christ as the head of the new covenant without also considering Adam as the head of a covenant in creation.

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous (Ro 5:18–19)

The creation covenant reveals God’s purpose for humanity, who were created to represent God on earth as his image bearers. God makes this covenant with Adam, promising life & rest in God’s presence for obedience and death for disobedience.

This morning, we will study God’s covenant with Adam in Genesis 1-2 by discussing the goal of creation, the purpose of the Garden, and the promises of the covenant. 

I.) The Goal of Creation (Gen. 1:26-31)

As Genesis 1 progresses, it becomes clear that what happens on the sixth day is the most significant. All of creation leads to the moment when God makes man in his image. God creates the world so that his image bearers will dwell there as faithful representatives of God’s rule and reign. Look at verses 26-27 with me.  

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. (Ge 1:26–27)

Human beings are unique in that they are created in God’s very image and likeness. Both men and women, together—equally yet complementary—represent God on earth. This is fundamentally what it means to be created in God’s image and likeness. We are his royal representatives on earth.

This understanding of the image is reflected in the Psalmist’s interpretation of Genesis 1:26-28: “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.” (Psalm 8:4)

Note that crown, glory, and honor are descriptors of royalty.

Old Testament scholars have noted a remarkable historical fact that sheds some light on this. Kings in the ancient Near East would place statues, images of themselves, in regions to represent their authority and rule. 

This is why I don’t go on long vacations. I’m afraid David is going to plant a statue of himself on the front lawn and declare himself the king of Waldo Hill! 

I like how one book describes the image of God. 

“…when God declares human beings to be his image-bearers, he is establishing the fact that they are to be his visible representatives in the created world. As such, they are to function with a derived authority as God would act and rule over the created order as God himself would.”

The goal of creation is for God to establish his kingdom, his rule and reign, through his image-bearers. As God’s image-bearer, Adam is to exercise dominion over the fish of the sea, birds of the heavens, over the livestock, and every creeping thing on earth. 

We learn something significant in verse 28, though. God’s purpose is not to have one man, or even one couple, represent and worship him on earth. He intends for the entire world to be filled with his image-bearers who worship him and describe his rule and reign on earth. God wants the whole earth to be one big temple, where God’s presence dwells with his people.

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. (Ge 1:28)

Adam has a mission: to extend the presence of God’s rule and reign over the whole earth. To accomplish this, God graciously provides Adam with a helper for him and an institution—marriage— in which they can safely give themselves to one another for the accomplishment of that mission. 

Two brief application points regarding this. 

1. The worthiness of God to be worshipped. 

2. The honor and dignity of human beings. 

This mission has to begin somewhere. That brings us to our second point, the purpose of the garden. 

II.) The Purpose of the Garden (Gen. 2:5-15)

God plants the garden to be a microcosm and prototype for what God intends all of creation to be: a temple where God rules as he dwells with his people. The garden will serve as an initial place where Adam will serve as God’s representative. 

8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed (Ge 2:8)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it (Ge 2:15)

Adam isn’t just to exercise dominion like a king, but he is also to worship the Lord and serve as a priest. The language and images used to describe the garden are remarkably similar to those used to describe the tabernacle and the temple. Not only that, but Adam’s job description is language used to describe the work of priests. 

We hear the language “work it and keep it‘ and think that Adam was a farmer. To be sure, Adam cared for the garden, but these words, when paired together, do not connote agriculture but priestly service. An excellent example of this is found in Numbers 3:6-10. 

6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. 7 They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. 8 They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. 9 And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. 10 And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.” (Nu 3:6–10)

Adam is to exercise dominion and subdue the earth. By God’s authority, Adam is a king in the garden. He is to work and keep the garden as a priest. It is Adam’s job to make sure nothing unclean enters the garden. Adam does this primarily by obeying God’s command in Genesis 2:16-17.

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Ge 2:16–17)

The timing of this command is worth noting. God gives this command to Adam before the creation of the woman. 

God gives Adam an explicit command. It is Adam’s job to ensure that God’s Word is made known, understood, and kept by his wife and his future children. Adam is also the garden’s prophet.

It is Adam’s job to make God’s Word honored and obeyed, so that proper worship can take place in God’s presence. 

Adam is a prophet, a priest, and a king. 

The garden serves as a testing ground for Adam’s mission. Can he be a faithful prophet, priest, and king? Can he be a faithful representative of God’s rule and reign? God’s command not to eat of the tree puts Adam to the test. 

This brings us to our final point—the promises of the covenant. 

III.) The Promises of the Covenant (Gen. 2:9, 16-17) 

We know that Adam is supposed to exercise dominion, be fruitful and multiply, and also be a faithful prophet and priest of God’s garden. What makes this relationship a covenant, though? The two trees in the garden symbolize the most prominent features of a covenant. One tree symbolizes the reward of eternal life and righteousness if Adam obeys. The other tree symbolized the curse of death if Adam disobeys. 

9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Ge 2:9)

The tree of life was a reminder of God’s promise to reward Adam with eternal life and righteousness. God’s exiling of Adam and Eve from the garden, the way the tree of life is used in the Revelation, and the curse of death for disobedience strongly suggest that eternal life would have been rewarded to Adam had he obeyed. 

1. Adam is expelled from the garden, and a Cherubim protects the tree. 

22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (Ge 3:22–24)

2. The presence of the tree of life in Revelation reinforces is being a symbol of eternal life. 

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (Re 2:7)

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Re 22:1–2)

3. Disobedience resulted in death, so obedience would have justly resuled in the reward of life. 

6 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Ge 2:16–17)

This covenant made with Adam is one of works. The reward is conditional upon Adam’s obedience. As Aaron will teach us next week, Adam fails this test and breaks this covenant.

God banishes Adam and Eve from the garden as a punishment for sin, but also as a means of salvation. They are not to return to the covenant of works. They are to look forward to a covenant of grace. Adam doesn’t need to lift his hands to eat of a tree. He needs to lift his eyes in hope of the one who will die on a tree.    

None of us can achieve eternal life by a covenant of works. We can only receive eternal life by way of a covenant of grace. Jesus brings that covenant of grace by his life, death, and resurrection.

Everywhere Adam failed, Christ succeeded. He is a true and better prophet, priest, and king who faithfully represents God as the image of God. I love the opening verse of Christ the True and Better which teaches us exactly that 

Christ, the true and better Adam

Son of God and Son of man

Who, when tempted in the garden

Never yielded, never sinned

He, who makes the many righteous

Brings us back to life again

Dying, He reversed the curse, then

Rising, crushed the serpent’s head

Give a clear gospel call and response.

Nathaniel R. Martin

God’s Redemptive Plan for One People in Christ: Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon Idea: The story of Scripture progressively reveals God’s plan of redemption through his covenants to have one, unified people in Christ Jesus. 

Introduction: I have loved roller coasters from a very young age. Numerous summer vacations were spent at Six Flags and Holiday World, and one memorable summer, we went to Kings Island, followed by two days at Cedar Point in Ohio. A roller coaster in Cedar Point ascends so high that if you could pause at the top, you could see across Lake Erie into Canada. That’s wild. 

My sister and I love the entire experience. There is a sense of anticipation as you enter the car and begin to understand your surroundings. There is an increasing tension as your back hits the seat, you incline slowly, and your insides prepare for the inevitable drop. You reach the top, and then in seconds, the tension disappears as you drop rapidly without a single stop until you reach the resolution, where the car enters the platform and the ride is over. 

What I am describing to you is the literal development of riding a roller coaster, but I could have changed a few phrases here and there so that the image of a roller coaster could be used to describe the development of a story. 

If there are teachers in the room, they are undoubtedly familiar with this. Every good story has a developed plot, beginning with setting and characters. The story is developed over a series of scenes throughout which there is rising tension and the development of some problem, conflict, or dilemma.1 

The story will then climax as the problem reaches its height. What will happen? How will this shake out?

Then there is the resolution in which the problem is worked out in some form or fashion as the story descends and the tension disappears. With the conflict gone and the resolution in play, lessons about how we now think, speak, and act in light of the story can be drawn. 

What kind of book is the Bible? How should it be read? There are many bad ways to read the Bible, more than we have time to discuss here, but what are some well-intended but misguided ways to read the Bible?

We might think of the Bible as an instruction manual. It provides principles and lessons for doing what is right, so we read and draw out those principles. Indeed, the Bible is God’s revealed truth that teaches us how to live in accordance with this righteousness, but the Bible is not an instruction manual and cannot be read like one. 

We might think of the Bible as a collection of wisdom. It consists of 66 books that are not really connected in any way but do contain wisdom for life. To be sure, the Bible contains wisdom. Wisdom literature is one of the major genres in Scripture, but we must not read the Bibe as a mere collection of unconnected and unrelated books. 

The Bible is not an instruction manual or a collection of wisdom; it is a single, unified, coherent story revealing God and his works from creation to consummation. At the center of this story is all God does in the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

How does this story develop? What are its major plot movements? One crucial way Christians have thought about the Bible’s story is by identifying four major movements: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. 

God creates the world and all that exists, including human beings in his image. All that God created was good, and human beings were created to live in God’s presence and in peaceful communion with him. 

Despite all of God’s goodness and provision, human beings rejected God as Lord and sinned against him. So all of creation falls under a curse and judgment, with human beings being separated from God’s presence and communion. 

God, in his love and grace, does not leave creation under this curse or humanity in separation from his presence. Instead, God graciously and mercifully works a plan of redemption that culminates in sending the Son, Jesus Christ, to live for us and die in our place. 

When Jesus is raised from the dead, this story has its resolution, and what remains is for this resolution to be fully felt in the consummation of God’s redemptive plan in the New Heavens and the New Earth. 

This is the true story of the world, without which we cannot understand why we are here, who we are, what is wrong with the world, and how it can be fixed. 

For the next 12 weeks, we will study this story through those four major movements and how the Bible reveals God’s redemptive plan. I want us to see how the Bible structures and unfolds God’s plan from Genesis to Revelation. In particular, we are going to see how the covenants in the Bible are the backbone, or skeletal structure, on which this entire story hangs. 

I can’t say it better than Dr. Stephen Wellum, “…Scripture is God’s own interpretation of his mighty acts unfolding his eternal plan that moves from creation to new creation along a specific covenantal storyline centered in Christ Jesus our Lord.”2

This morning, we will introduce this series by listening carefully to how Paul talks about God’s plan in Ephesians 3:1-13. We will start with the resolution and then go back to trace the story from beginning to end. 

Here is what Paul teaches us in Ephesians 3:1-13: the story of Scripture progressively reveals God’s plan of redemption through his covenants to have one, unified people in Christ Jesus.

I.) God’s eternal plan of redemption is to have one, unified people in Christ.

I want us to see that God has one plan, which is eternal and centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

In Ephesians 3, Paul begins to pray and identifies himself as a prisoner on behalf of the Gentiles, For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you (Eph 3:1–2)

Gentile means non-Jewish. If you’re here this morning and you’re not an ethnic Jew, then you are a Gentile. So here is Paul beginning to pray, identifying himself as the apostle—God’s appointed messenger to the Gentiles—and he pauses, stops praying, and digresses into an explanation of how the Gentiles—the nations—fit into God’s redemptive plan.

We take this for granted, but there is much to adjust to when Paul writes this. Throughout the Old Testament, God covenants with one nation, Israel, and sets them apart as his people. Everyone else belonged to the nations, were unclean, and apart from God’s presence and blessing. 

In the gospel, God reveals that his eternal plan was not to rule over one nation but over a redeemed people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.  

When God started saving the Gentiles in large numbers, early Christians faced the question of how to be the church! How can Jews and Gentiles be one body in Christ, and how is that lived out? Paul addresses these very questions in Ephesians. 

One way he does that is by appealing to the theme of mystery. In the Bible, mystery is not like a whodunit book or a mystery novel;  in Scripture, mystery refers to something that was hidden but has now been revealed. 

In verse 3, Paul says this mystery, “…was made known to him by revelation.” 

In verse 4, Paul refers to it as the mystery of Christ. The mystery has now been revealedbecause of who Christ is and what Christ has done. 

In verse 6, Paul defines the nature of the mystery. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (Eph. 3:6) 

The mystery of Christ, according to Paul, is that God’s plan was always to have one people in Christ Jesus, and that the Gentiles are not only members, but they are equal members of God’s people. Through faith, the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promises in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 

Paul says the same things with more dramatic flair in Galatians 3:28 

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise (Ga 3:28–29)

God has only had one redemptive plan for one people in Christ. God does not have one plan for Israel and another for people he calls the church. God’s one redemptive plan is from eternity and is worked out according to the counsel of his will. Listen to how Paul roots God’s plan in his eternal purpose. 

God made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (Eph 1:9–10)

Speaking of the mystery of Christ, Paul says. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph 3:11)

Along with God’s eternal purpose, Christ’s centrality is crucial for us to grasp if we are to understand God’s plan from eternity. God redeeming a people in Christ is not plan B but the eternal purpose of God. 

I’ve always loved football. If you have watched the game at any serious level, you know that the best Quarterbacks know how to audible at the line of scrimmage. They read the defense and change the play based on what they see. 

God ruling over a people he redeemed through Jesus Christ was not an audible because of human sinfulness. God’s salvation of the Gentiles was not an audible because Israel rejected the Messiah. 

Scripture unfolds God’s eternal plan of redemption, and Jesus Christ is the center of the plan. 

God…who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus (2 Ti 1:8–10)

I cannot stress enough how everything in the Bible prepares, points to, and preaches Jesus Christ. All of God’s promises find their amen in Jesus Christ, and God’s blessings can only be found through faith in Jesus Christ. Since Jesus Christ is the center of God’s plan, which is revealed in Scripture, understanding how Scripture unfolds this plan should be important for anyone who claims to love and trust Jesus Christ. 

That brings us to our second point.

II.) God’s eternal plan of redemption is progressively revealed in Scripture through his covenants. 

God’s eternal plan of redemption is not revealed instantaneously, but progressively over time. Paul states two different times in these verses that God has revealed the mystery of Christ with a clarity not known in previous times. 

4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit (Eph 3:4–5)

9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, (Eph 3:9)

Scripture unfolds God’s redemptive plan through a series of covenants, which find their fulfilment and end in the New Covenant mediated by Jesus Christ. 

Before we survey the major covenants in the Bible, it will be helpful to define the meaning of covenant. 

In the book we are giving away this morning, Tom Schreiner offers this definition: ” A Covenant can be defined as follows: a covenant is a chosen relationship in which two parties make binding promises (and obligations) to each other.”3 

The best example of a covenant in our time is marriage. In marriage, two people willingly make binding vows to one another. 

In Scripture, God works out his redemptive plan through a plurality of covenants. There are six major biblical covenants, and an understanding of how these covenants relate to one another is crucial for understanding God’s revelation in Scripture. 

1. Covenant of Creation (Gen. 1-2)

2. The Noahic Covenant (Gen. 6-9)

3. The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12, 15-17)

4. The Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19-24)

5. The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7)  

6. The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Heb. 8) 

We will unpack each of these over the next several weeks, but we should summarize the story briefly and then make a few points. 

At creation, God covenants with humanity. Adam and Eve are to be fruitful and multiply to fill the earth. They are supposed to exercise dominion over all of creation as God’s image bearers. This covenant included obligations. They were to eat of every tree except for one. Had Adam obeyed in all of these things, he would have inherited eternal life, but if he disobeyed, he would die. This is sometimes called a covenant of works because the covenant is based on Adam’s obedience or disobedience. 

Adam disobeyed, and all of creation was cursed. However, even as God cursed all of creation, he promised a future covenant, not of works but grace. In Genesis 3:15, God promises that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. 

All the covenants that follow are God’s way of fulfilling that promise, which is not fulfilled or realized until the New Covenant ratified by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the seed of the woman. 

When God makes the covenant with Noah, he promises to preserve creation until he can fulfill that promise. 

When God covenants with Abraham, God’s redemptive plan is in full swing. God sets aside a people for himself to bring about the future seed of the woman, a Messiah. 

When God covenants with Moses and Israel, God’s people learn of his holiness, righteousness, and law as they become a nation. This law not only sets them apart from other nations but also reveals that their sinful condition is just like the nations’—guilty and in need of a savior. They need more than the law; they need new hearts. 

When God covenants with David, the nation is now a kingdom, and God promises a true king, who will rule over his people justly and sit on David’s throne forever. 

Paul calls these covenants with Abraham, Moses, and David “covenants of promise” in Ephesians 2:12. 

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (Eph 2:12)

These covenants define the relationship boundaries between God and his people, but they also reveal God’s plan over time and point forward to all God will do in Christ and in the new covenant. Once Christ comes, all the covenants of promises find their fulfillment in the new covenant and are no longer binding on God’s people as covenants. 

 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace (Eph 2:13–15)

6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. (Heb 8:6–7)

Samuel Renihan uses the beneficial illustration of scaffolding and tarps to describe how the covenants of promise progressively bring about God’s kingdom through Christ. 

“The Kingdom of Israel and its covenants were scaffolding around the kingdom of Christ and His covenant. Scaffolding and tarps give a general idea of something being built, but not necessarily a specific idea. They are not the final product, but they do contribute to the final product.”4

By carefully following God’s redemptive plan through the progression of the covenants, we can rightly see the unity of God’s plan, but also note the differences in each covenant. This will prevent us from submitting to commands and laws that are no longer binding, and help us understand how to live as God’s new covenant people. Some things never change because they’re founded in God’s righteousness. 

Other things change because God only commands them for a particular people for a specific time.

III.) God’s eternal plan of redemption displays the wisdom of God through the unity of the church. 

Let’s now return to Ephesians 3. God’s eternal plan of redemption displays wisdom through the unity of the church. 

10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph 3:10–11)

As God united Jews and Gentiles into one body in the church, God’s wisdom was known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places! 

The church’s diversity and unity proclaim God’s manifold wisdom to the Angelic powers. It isn’t simply that their culture and ethnicity were different (though they were), it is that before the gospel, these two groups were alienated and hostile toward one another. This is why Paul emphasizes that Christ has removed the “dividing wall of hostility” in Ephesians 2:14.

This new relationship is only possible because of God’s work in the gospel. It is what Jamie Dunlop calls a supernatural community and a compelling community.5 The diversity and unity of the local church only come from God’s amazing grace in the gospel, which can take two hostile, opposing groups and make them one in Christ. 

Today, in our ministry context, we should pray for a supernatural and compelling community at Waldo Baptist Church. We should pray that the Lord develops a culture at WBC that is multi-generational, multi-ethnic, and united in Christ and his gospel. We should foster more gatherings that are not age-segregated so that this type of community can develop and flourish. When our community at WBC only makes sense because God is real and the gospel is true, we will become a compelling community that is attractive to a fractured and broken world. 

Conclusion

Understanding God’s eternal plan of redemption through his covenants reminds us that the Biblical story is not a theory or a fantasy. God has kept his promise, and in the church, we have the incredible privilege of declaring through our unity that God has won in Christ. It reminds us of God’s faithfulness, the goodness of his will, and our true hope in Christ—all to the praise of his glorious grace. 

25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen (Ro 16:25–27)

  1. Jonathan Pennington, Reading the Gospels Wisely (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012) 174. ↩︎
  2. Stephen Wellum, Systematic Theology: From Canon to Concept (Brentwood, TN: B&H, 2024) 3934. ↩︎
  3. Thomas R. Schreiner, Covenant and God’s Purpose for the World (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017) 13. Parentheses added by me because Schreiner adds the word obligations on page. 14 ↩︎
  4. Samuel Renihan, The Mystery of Christ: His Covenant and His Kingdom (Cape Coral, FL: Founder Press, 2020) 187. ↩︎
  5. Jamie Dunlop, Compelling Community: Where God’s Power Makes a Church Attractive(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) ↩︎
Nathaniel R. Martin

Congregational Singing as a Means of Grace: Colossians 3:16-17

Sermon Idea: Congregational Singing is a means of grace by which the peace and Word of Christ dwell in the church as members teach and admonish one another through song.

Introduction: It was a war of words, with pamphlets written with conviction and in a tone we would describe today as harsh. Those aware of the controversy began forming opinions and taking sides. The divide became so public and problematic that in 1692, the Particular Baptist General Assembly addressed the controversy. 

One historian summarized the assembly’s work this way, “On the final day of the Assembly, a committee of seven pastors, appointed to examine the literature, returned a verdict indicating that several tracts had descended into name-calling, insinuation…In addition, they called for printed retractions on the part of several men involved, and named four books which they requested ‘that none of the Members of the Churches do buy, give, or disperse any of these books.”

What could cause such a division? What topic would attract so much attention, writing, and public debate? 

The debate was whether congregations could sing hymns in corporate worship. We take this for granted today, but early Baptists wrestled with this question as they sought to worship the Lord as regulated by the Word of God. 

Benjamin Keach was not the first Baptist pastor to encourage his congregation to sing in corporate worship, but he is remembered for his role in the hymn controversy. Keach argued that congregational singing was the church’s duty to worship God according to God’s Word. 

Isaac Marlow, a wealthy jeweler and layman, argued that the Bible contains no such commands and that singing was to offer worship unacceptable to God that was not in accordance with God’s Word. 

The problem for Marlow is that Scripture includes numerous examples of singing and commands to sing. This is why the church gathered to sing from its earliest days. 

In a second-century letter to the Emperor, a servant named Pliny reported his investigation into Christians and noted,  “…that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god.

From the beginning, the church has been a people who sing to God and one another. 

This brief trip down Baptist memory lane shows us that the worship wars are old. Thankfully, Marlow’s efforts proved unsuccessful, and many churches followed Keach’s example, believing that God not only provides us with models of congregational singing but also commands the church to sing to the praise and glory of His name. 

Given that we probably take singing for granted, it is worth asking ourselves a few questions. 

Why does the church sing? What should the church sing? Does it matter how we sing? Can we do whatever we want, however we want? If you instinctively and rightly believe that “no” must be the answer to that last question, then who regulates the what and how of the church’s singing? 

For Benjamin Keach and many before and after him, God regulates how the church worships, including singing, and God regulates the church’s worship by his revealed will in Holy Scripture. 

I want to form people and exemplify the idea that Scripture and doctrine drive practice. This is important because when we take Scripture and doctrine out of the driver’s seat, experience and preference step into it. When experience and preference drive practice, the church loses its ability to discern the difference between what is right and what is right in our own eyes. 

For the remainder of this morning, I want to prove two general points: congregational singing is modeled in Scripture, and congregational singing is commanded in Scripture. Once we’ve done that, I want to turn all our attention to Colossians 3:16-17 to understand how singing is a means of grace. We’ll close with three basic practical applications. 

I hope we’ll see that congregational singing is a means of grace, by which the peace and Word of Christ dwell in the church as members teach and admonish one another through song.

I.) Congregational singing is modeled in Scripture

Before we examine any examples of the people of God singing, it is worth considering how the Bible speaks of angels singing in the presence of God. 

The Book of Job, which scholars tell us is the oldest book of the Bible, describes angels responding to their creation with shouts of joy as the stars sang. 

7 When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7)

In Revelation, with Christ ascended and seated in heaven, the angels sing with one voice together. 

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, 

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, 

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might 

and honor and glory and blessing!” 

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb 

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Re 5:11–14)

The angels sing from the beginning of creation to the scene of heaven with Christ on the throne. 

When the people of God gather and sing praises to God, we join in with a heavenly choir already in session. A new song is already being sung. It is most appropriate for worship on earth to reflect the worship in heaven, and it does when the congregation sings. 

As for historical examples, we need to look no further than Israel’s corporate song of praise in Exodus 15 after God delivered them from slavery in Egypt and brought them safely across the Red Sea. 

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously (Ex 15:1)

With a unified and corporate voice, the redeemed people of God sing praises to God and one another. What do they sing? They sing about who God is, his character and attributes, and what God has done, the great salvation he worked for them. 

11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Ex 15:11)

13 “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have 

redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. (Ex 15:13)

Israel lifted their voices in song together because God had delivered them from Egypt through the shed blood of the passover lamb. 

How much more should the church gather and sing because we have been delivered from sin and death through the shed blood of God’s only Son? 

We don’t have the time to discuss the Psalms in detail, but it’s worth noting that there are several examples of corporate singing. Sure, there are individual Psalms of David and others, but even then, they would have been later sung by a corporate body. The Psalms are essentially the Bible’s hymnal. 

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! (Ps 95:1–2)

We could give numerous other examples, but we can say at least now that the Bible models congregational singing in heaven and on earth, by angels and the people of God. 

We need to see more than models, though. Is singing, and the singing of the congregation, commanded by God? 

II.) Congregational singing is commanded in Scripture 

Numerous commands are given for the people of God to sing in response to who God is and what God has done. Isaiah and the Psalms especially contain commands to sing. I’ll let Psalm 96:1-2 serve as an example, but know there are similar verses throughout Isaiah and the Psalms. 

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. (Ps 96:1–2)

Most pertinent for us, though, are the two New Testament texts that explicitly state that God commands his people to sing as a regular act of corporate worship.

As I read the following passages, I want you to note just how corporate the commands are.

be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Eph 5:18–21)

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16)

These are not suggestions. They are not mere elements of worship that could be disposed of or replaced by something else. These verses do not allow us to think of congregational singing as a neutral category in which we may or may not participate. 

There are several things that we could never do, but still worship God faithfully as commanded in Scripture. Congregational singing is not one of those things. For the church to no longer practice participatory, congregational singing would neglect an essential way God desires and commands to be worshipped. 

In Psalm 69:30-31, the Psalmist says that God is more pleased by singing than ceremonial acts of sacrifice. 

30 I will praise the name of God with a song; 

I will magnify him with thanksgiving. 

31  This will please the Lord more than an ox 

or a bull with horns and hoofs (Ps 69:30–31)

Congregational singing is modeled in Scripture. It is commanded in Scripture. Lastly, by zeroing in on Colossians 3:16-17, we’ll see that congregational singing is a means of grace.

III.) Congregational singing is a means of grace in Scripture 

In Colossians 3:16-17, Paul encourages the church to let the Word of Christ dwell in them richly. The Word of Christ is the gospel of Christ. The life, ministry, and worship of the church is to be gospel-centered, gospel-driven. 

I don’t want to assume knowledge of the gospel, so let me share it briefly. God is holy and righteous, and we were created to be in communion with him. In our disobedience and sin, we’ve separated ourselves from God with no way back by our works, efforts, or obedience. The Word of Christ, the gospel, is the good news of Jesus Christ, who is both God and man, who lived in perfect obedience to God and then died in our place, paying the penalty for our sins on the cross. He was raised from the dead and is now the ascended Lord of all. God offers forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life to all who repent and trust in Jesus Christ through faith. 

When the church gathers, the predominant focus should be the glory of God revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ and applied by the Holy Spirit. We are to fix our attention, eyes, ears, and hearts on God and all of God’s gracious works.

How do we do that? It may be tempting to read verse 16 and think that Paul provides two ways of letting the Word dwell in us: teaching, admonishing, and singing. A better reading, though, understands congregational singing to be how the congregation teaches and admonishes one another. 

6 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16)

Friends, the church gathering is not for us to have private religious experiences amidst a bunch of other people. 

To gather as the church is to gather for corporate worship, first for God’s glory and second for the church’s edification. 

God has commanded us to sing as a congregation, so that as we sing to him, we also sing to one another, driving and anchoring the truth of God’s Word into one another’s hearts. 

The direction of congregational singing is both vertical and horizontal. We sing praises to God and one another for God’s glory and the upbuilding of the church. 

There are numerous practical applications we can draw from this one verse, and I will share those in a moment, but first, I want to ask you a question. 

If God has commanded the church to sing corporately as a grace to one another, and it’s a way the church teaches and admonishes one another to keep following Jesus, is not the failure to sing a failure to love those we have promised to love as members of this church? 

Our church covenant makes it very clear what commitments members make to one another. It reads, “…so we do now solemnly covenant with each other, as God shall enable us, that we will walk together in brotherly love; that we will exercise a Christian care and watchfulness over each other, and faithfully warn, rebuke, and admonish one another, as the case shall require.”

Friends, we need to sing God’s truth to one another with a love and zeal that aims to help one another keep following Jesus, to remind one another of the sweet assurances of the gospel, and call our attention to the living hope that is ours in Christ. 

Sing! Sing to God and one another. Sing for the glory of God and the edification of the church.  

Applying Colossians 3:16-17

1.) Why we sing matters. 

We sing because God has commanded us to sing and because he is worthy of our praise. God is worthy of our songs simply because he is, but we also have many reasons to sing because of all God has done for us in salvation. This is why Paul says in verse 16 to sin, “…with thanksgiving in your hearts to God.” Why do we sing? Because God is worthy of our singing, has commanded our singing, and has done so much for us, proper thanksgiving includes singing. 

It is worth asking whether our hesitancy or apathy to sing is a symptom of a deeper issue. One theologian from the 17th Century wrote, “If the heart were more spiritual and joyous, we would more readily praise the Lord with joyful song and thereby stir up ourselves and others.”

2.) What we sing matters. 

If congregational singing is a means that the church teaches and admonishes one another (3:16), then the content of our songs matters much more than the melody and style of the songs we sing. That doesn’t mean those other things don’t matter; they do. It’s just that a beautiful melody with shallow lyrics will not edify the church. 

We should sing songs about God’s character and nature as revealed in Scripture, Christ and his finished work, and our great salvation as applied by the Spirit. We want robust, beautiful, singable songs the entire congregation can sing. 

We should also sing songs with lyrics and a tone representative of the range of the Christian life. We need songs of joy and lament, upbeat and slow, reflective songs. The Psalms minister to every possible human experience, and our songs should reflect the same. 

You can imagine a struggling Christian gathering and hearing their fellow members sing to them. 

When I fear my faith will fail

Christ will hold me fast

When the tempter would prevail

He will hold me fast

I could never keep my hold

Through life’s fearful path

For my love is often cold

He must hold me fast

3.) How we sing matters. 

If congregational singing is a means of grace intended to teach and admonish the church, then how the church sings matters. The primary instrument of the corporate worship gathering should be the congregation’s voice. 

Instruments are encouraged, but the accompaniment must be used wisely so as not to drown out the congregation’s voice. The instruments should accompany the congregation’s voice, not vice versa. 

Sing! Sing to God and one another. Sing for the glory of God and the edification of the church.