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. 

Nathaniel R. Martin

Prayer as an Ordinary Means of Grace: Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon Idea: Prayer is a means of grace through which God builds up the church as we commune with Him in the name of Christ and the power of the Spirit. 

Introduction: Just a few weeks ago, we reflected on the early church’s priorities in corporate worship from Acts 2:42. Among the ordinary acts they devoted themselves to was prayer. 

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Ac 2:42.)

The picture we are given is much more than prayer being relegated to a mere transition between more meaningful moments in the worship service. Prayer was and should be a central part of every corporate worship service. 

As Acts continues, prayer plays a primary role in all the church does. The church’s dependence upon God and seeking of God are always expressed through prayer. The church’s boldness, power, and effectiveness are always the result of prayer.

Prayer is primary because it is an ordinary means of grace through which God builds up the church as she communes with Him in the name of Christ and the power of the Spirit. That will be my main point this morning. 

I want to show this in two ways. First, I want to speak generally about prayer as a means of grace. I want to remind you that the Lord Jesus commands prayer and so expects of us. I also want us to survey several texts that remind us that the promises of God accompany prayer. 

After that, I want to consider how prayer is a means of grace for us with a particular example. I want us to think about how God builds the church up as we commune with Him in the name of Christ and in the power of the Spirit, from Ephesians 3:14-20, one of the richest prayers in the New Testament. 

Before we dive in, it is worth asking a more basic question: What is prayer? I want to share a robust definition of prayer that I came across this week in my reading, and a straightforward definition. 

The robust definition comes from Charles Hodge, a theologian who was the principal of Princeton Theological Seminary in the 19th century. It is beautiful, so now you have to hear about it. 

“Prayer is the converse of the soul with God. Therein we manifest or express to Him our reverence, and love for his divine perfection, our gratitude for all his mercies, our penitence for our sins, our hope for his forgiving love, our desires for his favor, and for the providential and spiritual blessings needed for ourselves and others.”

That is a rich definition of prayer, and if you listened carefully, it taught you all the essential components of good prayer. When we pray, we are to adore God for who He is, confess our sin in light of God’s goodness and holiness, be thankful for all God’s grace and goodness to us, and seek the Lord for all the blessings needed for ourselves and others. 

A few months ago, one of our dear brothers approached me after one of our services and told me he was having difficulty in his prayer life. He didn’t know where to start or what to pray for. I encouraged him to remember the acronym A.C.T.S. 

A stands for adoration. Start your prayers by adoring God’s beauty, glory, and majesty. 

C stands for confession. In light of God’s glory and holiness, we acknowledge our sins, confess them, and rest in the finished work of Christ. 

T stands for thanksgiving. We follow confession by giving thanks to God for his grace, salvation, spiritual blessings, etc. 

S stands for supplication. We ask God for all we need, and we intercede for others. We make requests for ourselves and others. 

The simple definition is this: prayer is talking to God. It is simple, but think about all that this simple definition takes for granted. If prayer is talking to God, God must be personal and welcoming of communion with us. This is amazing. In prayer, the one, true God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit, who created all things from nothing by His Word, gives us his attention. And he does so, not as a king hearing the desperate pleas of a peasant but as a Father who delights in his children seeking his presence and provision. 

Prayer is commanded by the Lord Jesus 

The church was so devoted to prayer because prayer was commanded by Jesus and expected of followers of Jesus. 

We read the Lord’s Prayer earlier in the service, and in Matthew 6, Jesus expects that his disciples will pray. 

“And when you pray…” (Matt. 6:5) 

“But when you pray…” (Matt. 6:6)

“And when you pray…” (Matt. 6:7) 

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart .” (Lk 18:1)

This command to pray is reinforced in Paul’s letters. 

“Devote yourselves to prayer.” (Colossians 4:2) 

“Pray continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) 

We could also survey the numerous examples of Jesus praying privately, with his disciples, and for his disciples. If we want to be like Jesus, we must be people of prayer. Prayer is commanded for the good of God’s people, and so we should devote ourselves to it. It is a means of grace, and although it is a command, it is also an invitation to receive blessings from God as we commune with him. 

Prayer is accompanied by the promises of God 

1. God promises to hear us 

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (1 Jn 5:14–15)

2. God promises peace 

in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Php 4:6–7)

3. God promises mercy and grace 

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb 4:14–16)

If this is all we said, it would be enough to establish prayer as a means of grace. God, by the Holy Spirit, bestows the blessings secured by Christ to his people through prayer. God hears us, offering peace, mercy, and grace. 

I want to spend the rest of our time basking in the truths of Ephesians 3:14-20, which I think is the richest prayer in the New Testament and the prayer that teaches us very specifically how God builds us up through prayer. 

Paul makes three main requests as he intercedes for the Ephesians, and they are identified by the word “that.” 

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father… (v. 14) 

  1. that…he may grant you to be strengthened … and so Christ may dwell in your hearts (vv. 16-17a) 
  2. that  you…may have strength to comprehend…and to know the love of Christ (vv. 17b-19a) 
  3. that you may be filled with the fullness of God (v. 19b)
     

To make it applicable to us, we can say it this way. Prayer is a means of spiritual strength, a means of knowing the love of Christ, and a means to grow in the fullness of God. 

I.) Prayer is a means of spiritual strength (Eph. 3:14-17a) 

Prayer is the means through which God bestows the gracious blessing his people in Christ through the Spirit. In verses 16-17, Paul speaks of God’s glory as a depth of riches. In other words, there is an exhaustive source of strength for the people of God. That source is the riches of God’s glory, and we can further share in these riches through prayer. 

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (Eph 3:14–17)

In prayer, the Spirit of God strengthens believers in their inner being. This means that no matter how weak or fragile the physical body becomes, in Christ, believers can continue to be strengthened, renewed, and refreshed by the Spirit. This is a very similar idea to 2 Corinthians 4:16. 

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. (2 Co 4:16)

The result of this strengthening, according to verse 17, is “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” 

Of course, this does not mean believers don’t have Christ dwelling in their hearts before praying this way. What Paul says about the Ephesians is true for every believer in Christ. 

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Eph 1:13–14)

Although this is true of every Christian, we don’t always fully realize it and live in light of it. Prayer, then, is a means that God uses to strengthen us by his Spirit so that our lives may increasingly experience the benefits of having Christ dwelling in our hearts. 

We can think of it as a deeper awareness of and thankfulness for the gracious reality that Christ indwells us. That deeper awareness and thankfulness come by the strengthening work of the Spirit in prayer.

Illustration: Dad’s house growing up vs. Dad’s house after marrying Candice. 

When this happens, we can think of our life as Paul thinks of his life in Galatians 2:20. 

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Ga 2:20)

II.) Prayer is a means of knowing the love of Christ (Eph. 3:17b-19a) 

This next point has frequently been a topic of reflection, meditation, and sheer astonishment in my own life. The reason for that is that Paul speaks of the love of Christ in such a way that it is beyond our comprehension. The love of Christ for the church and for every believer is so immeasurably great that we have to actually seek the Spirit’s help through prayer just to understand it. 

that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (Eph 3:17–19)

Prayer is a means by which God roots and grounds our life to be nourished by the love of Christ. You can think of a tree with deep roots by a flowing stream of water. The deeper the roots, the stronger the tree. The more nourished the tree, the healthier it is.

Through prayer, we come to comprehend the immeasurable greatness of Christ’s love for us. The love of Christ has breadth, length, height, and depth. There is nowhere to ascend to find the end of Christ’s love for the church. There is nowhere to descend to find the end of Christ’s love for the church. You can go as far as the East is from the West, but you’ll not see the limit of Christ’s love for the church. 

When you think about Christ’s purity, holiness, and greatness, and then your impurity and sin, there is a temptation even in the Christian life to wonder how Christ could love us. But he does and does so immeasurably. 

This passage reminds me of one of my favorite confessional articles. In Article 26 of the Belgic Confession of Faith on the intercession of Christ, the confession offers encouragement to any who would have any fear because of Christ’s greatness. 

“But this mediator, whom the Father has appointed between himself and us, ought not terrify us by his greatness, so that we have to look for another one, according to our fancy. For neither in heaven nor among the creatures on earth is there anyone who loves us more than Jesus Christ does.”- Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 26

The more Christians comprehend the immeasurable greatness of Christ’s love for them, the more they have real knowledge of it, and they’ll experience more joy and thankfulness, be less inclined to sin, and be strengthened against temptation. 

There is not a single person in this room who doesn’t need to have a deeper knowledge of Christ’s love. There is not a single person who doesn’t need more joy, gratitude, and strength against temptation and sin. 

“The love of Christ is held out to us as the subject which ought to occupy our daily and nightly meditations and in which we ought to be wholly plunged. He who is in possession of this alone has enough.“- John Calvin

Prayer is the means through which God, by his spirit, strengthens us to comprehend the love of Christ.  

III.) Prayer is a means of growing in the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19b)

The third and final request is that the the Ephesians would be filled with the fullness of God, “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”(Eph 3:19)

Prayer is the means that God uses to mature us into the fullness of who he created us to be and who he has redeemed us to be in Christ. Two verses in Ephesians shed light on what Paul means. 

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (Eph 4:12–13)

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Eph 5:1–2)

Allow me to make this applicable. God, who can do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, could mature us without prayer, but he won’t. It is his will that the children of God grow into the fullness of God as they sit in his presence. That is how we grow into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, and it is how we learn to be imitators of God as beloved children. We seek the presence and provision of our Father in prayer. 

Prayer is a means of grace through which God builds up the church as we commune with Him in the name of Christ and the power of the Spirit. 

The Lord Jesus commanded it, so the Lord expects us to pray. God’s promises accompany prayer. It is the means to spiritual strength, knowing the love of Christ, and growing into the fullness of God. 

So let us respond to the Word of our Lord the best we can. Let us pray.

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Resurrection and the Christian Life: Romans 6:5-11

Sermon Idea: The Christian Life is resurrection life, dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

Introduction: The Bible contains some powerful conditional phrases. You may not think about conditional phrases much, and that’s ok, but when we allow ourselves to hear them, they can be rather sobering. Let me give you a few examples. 

14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. (1 Co 15:14)

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Co 15:17)

19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Co 15:19)

With three powerful conditional phrases, the apostle Paul tells us that our entire Christian faith, ministry, and labors are in vain if Christ is not risen. Those are phrases that pack a punch. 

Oh, but if he is, God has made him both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). If he is, all who confess with (their) mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in (their) heart that God raised him from the dead, (they) will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Ro 10:9–10)

I suspect we all understand the importance and centrality of Jesus Christ’s resurrection for the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, there is no Christian faith. I suspect we also recognize the importance of the resurrection for salvation—without the resurrection, there is no salvation. 

I wonder, though, if we have reflected adequately enough on the importance of the resurrection for the Christian life. What connection is there between Christ’s resurrection from the dead and our life as a Christians? How does the resurrection of Jesus inform how we now live? 

Of course, there is a deep, powerful connection between the resurrection and the Christian life because the Christian Life is resurrection life, dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

The foundational doctrine that supports this connection and which is so important for understanding nearly everything said in the New Testament about what it means to be a Christian is the doctrine of union with Christ. Every Christian is spiritually and mysteriously united to Jesus Christ by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and through faith. 

One of the best descriptions of this doctrine comes from Paul’s personal testimony in Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Ga 2:20)

This union with Jesus Christ is how we gain access to the benefits and blessings of salvation. 

The Sixteenth-century Protestant Reformer, John Calvin, was right when he wrote, “We must understand that as long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from him, all that he suffered and died for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value for us…All that he possesses is nothing to us until we grow into one body with him.”

In Romans 6, Paul develops the practical implications of union with Christ for the Christian life. He begins by highlighting our union with the death of Christ in Romans 6:1-4.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Ro 6:1–4)

Paul is answering forcefully any and all who would suggest that the grace of God in salvation is a license to sin. He says in the most emphatic terms, “By no means!” 

The reason why we are not to use God’s grace as a license to keep sinning is that through faith, every Christian has been united to Jesus in his death. How can we who died to sin still live in it? (Rom. 6:2) 

We are not to live in sin, but because of our union with Christ, we are to “walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4) 

So far, though, Paul has only connected the believer with Christ’s death. How can we walk in newness of life? 

This morning’s text supports the main idea Paul wants to communicate in verse 4: Christians are to walk in the newness of life. Union with Christ is not only with his death but also with his resurrection. The Christian life is resurrection life, dead to sin, and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

My hope this morning is that you’ll be reminded of the great grace and power at work within us. We’ll be stirred to walk in the newness of life all the more because of our blessed union with Christ. 

I.) The Christian life is dead to sin (Romans 6:5-7) 

Since we are united with Christ’s death, we will be united with his resurrection. 

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin (Ro 6:5–7)

Paul says we will be raised one day, just as Christ was raised from the dead. That future assurance is not only the essence of Christian hope but also the fuel for the Christian life in the present. Those who will be physically raised in the future are spiritually raised now through faith in Christ. 

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him (Eph 2:4–6)

The result of dying and being raised with Christ is that he old self that was in bondage to and guilty of sin has been crucified. This means that the Christian life is dead to sin! What does it mean to be dead to sin?

Paul explains that being dead to sin means being set free from slavery. 

When Chris Tomlin wrote his version of the classic hymn Amazing Grace, he added a chorus. 

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

The Christian life is dead to sin, so it is free of sin’s penalty and power. 

The Bible makes it clear that the penalty for sin is separation from God and, ultimately, death. When Adam and Eve fell, they were expelled from the garden. Sin disrupted and fractured their free access to God’s presence. Although they did not die physically right away, they suffered the spiritual death that sin brings. The penalty for sin is death. 

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ro 6:23)

The gospel’s good news is that those who are in union with Christ are dead to sin and so free from sin’s penalty. We now experience the presence of God through our mediator, Jesus Christ, and although we will all still taste physical death, we have the hope of resurrection. 

Before Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead, he told Martha,  I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. (Jn 11:25–26)

This resurrection Sunday, we must believe that union with Christ means being dead to sin and being free from sin’s penalty. We need to let the amazing freedom of the gospel lead us to greater obedience out of gratitude. 

Not only are we free from sin’s penalty, but we are also free from sin’s power. That is the primary focus of Paul’s encouragement with the words, “…so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.”

 Being dead to sin means that sin can no longer master the Christian. We have been released from its realm, no longer in its bondage, and freed from its power. 

This is why Paul can say in verse 12, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions,” and in verse 14, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

At this point, we need to note something very important. Although we are currently free from sin’s penalty and its power, we are not yet free from its presence. Sin and its influence will remain with us until that final day when God makes all things new. 

We are free from sin’s penalty and power, not from its temptations, nor from the spiritual enemies that wish us harm.

14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death (Jas 1:14–15)

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Pe 5:8)

What’s the point? The Christian life is dead to sin’s power, and so must continually put sin to death as long as it remains present in our lives. We are redeemed but not yet glorified, so we live the Christian life by striving to become more of what God has already declared us to be.   

What the Bible calls us to is what many in the Christian tradition have called mortification. We are to mortify our sin by putting it to death. By grace and in the power of the Spirit, we are to deny temptation, discipline our spiritual lives, and kill any and all sin that remains with us. 

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming (Col 3:5–6)

13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live (Ro 8:13)

Passages like these led the Puritan John Owen to say, “…be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

We do not kill sin to become dead to sin and right with God. We continue to kill sin because we are right with God, united to Christ, and the power of sin no longer has mastery over us. 

Given the gravity of these commands, it is good for us to reflect on whether we are actively putting sin to death in our own Christian lives and what it may look like if we are not. 

The Christian who is putting sin to death is aware of their vulnerability and seeks to limit opportunities for temptation. 

When I was in college, I was required to read Homer’s The Odyssey for a Great Books Seminar. It is a long epic poem about a character named Odysseus. At one point in the journey, Odysseus learns of the Island of Sirens, which he must pass by. The island was filled with siren singers who would sing a beautiful song, certain to lure men to their death. 

In her classic book on Greek Mythology, Edith Hamilton describes the sirens this way: “These were marvelous singers whose voices would make a man forget all else, and at last their song would steal his life away. Moldering skeletons of those they had lured to their death lay banked high up around them where they sat singing on the shore.”

Odysseus is a perfect example of what not to do in the face of temptation and sin. He commands everyone except for himself on board his ship to fill their ears with wax. He wants to hear the song, so he ties himself to the boat and commands his comrades not to let him get away, no matter how much he attempts to do so. 

Christians who put sin to death don’t act like Odysseus. They grow in their self-awareness and attempt to avoid temptation. When they become aware of sin in their life, they quickly confess, repent, and pray for the grace to change. There is a growing hatred for sin in their lives and a growing desire for holiness in its place. 

What might a life look like that is not killing sin? I want to offer you four quick descriptions of someone who may not be killing sin. 

1. You may not be killing sin if you’re growing more defensive about your habits and life patterns. 

2. You may not be killing sin if you often deflect conversations from spiritual things. 

3. You may not be killing sin if you’re easily distracted and unable to tend to your own spiritual life. 

4. You may not be killing sin if you’re growing distant from your local church and its gatherings. 

How is your walk with the Lord this morning? Which description is most apt for how you seek to follow Jesus day by day? 

Friends, the Christian life is dead to sin. Let us not coddle sin, manage sin, or entertain sin. Let us crucify it by grace and in the power of the Spirit.

II.) The Christian life is alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:8-11)

8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Ro 6:8–11)

There is a deep, powerful connection between the resurrection and the Christian life because the Christian Life is resurrection life, dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

Our shared union with Christ doesn’t simply crucify the old self that was in bondage to sin, but gives us a new life in the power of Christ’s resurrection. This has great implications for our Christian faith as well. Just as we are commanded to kill sin because of our union with Christ’s death, we are called to walk in the newness of life because of our union with Christ’s resurrection. This has often been called vivification. 

We need to kill vices and cultivate virtues. The Christian life consists of dying to sin and living unto righteousness. 

In other words, we don’t just want to kill greed. We want to grow in generosity. 

We don’t just want to kill bitterness. We want to grow in mercy and forgiveness. 

We don’t just want to kill lust. We want to grow in love and purity. 

This is why, after Paul tells us to put off the old man, we are to put on the new. 

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Col 3:12–14)

How does vivification happen in the life of the Christian? How are we continually renewed to walk in the newness of life after killing sin? 

As you might expect, the answer is rather ordinary and involves God’s means of birthing and strengthening our faith. There is no secret to renewed life in Christ, no acceleration program, and no guru who can lifehack your sanctification. 

There is the Word of God and the promise of God’s Spirit to work through the ordinary means of grace corporately and privately for our good and his glory. 

Those who are being vivified by God’s Spirit are immersed in the Word of God, devoted to prayer, and prioritize Christian fellowship and friendship. 

Beloved, you are united with Christ, and the power of his resurrection is at work in you. We can and should walk in the newness of life.

The Christian Life is resurrection life, so let us die to sin and live unto God in Christ Jesus. 

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Ordinary Means of Grace: The Lord’s Supper

Sermon Idea: The Lord’s Supper is a means of grace through which God builds up and nourishes the church with his promised presence. 

Introduction: In a recent and delightful book by Baptist historian Michael Haykin, I learned of a communion hymn written by Charles Haddon Spurgeon. It is called “Jesus’s Presence Delightful,” and it beautifully communicates what I hope to show us this morning. 

Amidst us our Beloved stands, 

And bids us view His pierced hands;

Points to His wounded feet and side. 

Blest emblems of the crucified

What food luxurious loads the board, 

When at His table sits the Lord!

The wine how rich, the bread how sweet, 

When Jesus deigns the guest to meet!

If now with eyes defiled and dim, 

We see the signs, but see not Him, 

O may his love the scales displace, 

And bid us to see Him face to face 

Those beautiful words express a particular understanding of the Lord’s Supper as a means of grace through which the Lord Jesus ministers to his people with his presence. You can hear in the title, “Jesus’s Presence Delightful” and in the lyrics “amidst us our beloved stands,” “bid us view,” “Points to his wounded feet,” “deigns the guest to meet” an unapologetic belief that the person who is primary in the Supper is Christ Jesus. It is his table, his Supper, he provides the bread and wine, and he defines their significance.

It is in this spirit that I offer this sermon this morning, so that we will joyfully embrace the Lord’s Supper as a means of grace through which God builds up and nourishes the church with his promised presence. 

In order to do that, I first want to explain briefly the origin and meaning of the Lord’s Supper. The bulk of our time, however, will given to thinking about how the Lord’s Supper is a means of grace. If all I say this morning is old news to you; I trust that as lovers of Christ, you’ll appreciate reflecting on such rich truths again. 

For the rest of you, I pray that this morning is a real encouragement that allows you to view the Lord’s Supper as more than just a celebration that the church observes. I hope that you’ll leave here with a deeper love for God in Christ because you have a deeper understanding of the benefits of the Lord’s Supper in and for the church. 

So let’s refresh our memories as to the origin and meaning of the Lord’s Supper. 

The Origin of the Lord’s Supper

22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” (Mk 14:22–25)

The origin of the Lord’s Supper is the transformation of the Passover meal by Jesus. As Jesus partakes of his last Passover meal with his disciples, he gives the meal new meaning in light of his impending death, burial, and resurrection. Passover was and still is for many the annual celebration for God’s deliverance of Israel out of Egypt. God judged the firstborn sons of Egypt, but graciously provided a substitute for Israel. They slaughtered a lamb without blemish and marked their homes with the blood of that lamb. So when the judgment of God came, it passed over all the homes covered by the blood of the lamb. 

Jesus’ choice to institute the Lord’s Supper at the time of Passover places his sacrificial death in the place of sinners at the center of observing the meal. So as believers in Christ partake of the bread and wine they are remembering the sacrifice of Christ in their place and the satisfied wrath of God that passes them over because of the blood of spotless lamb, Jesus Christ. 

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the church was faithful to observe this Lord’s Supper as primary part of worship. 

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Ac 2:42)

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Co 11:23–26)

Paul makes it clear that the church is to observe the Supper in obedience to Christ and the church’s participation has rich meaning. So before we talk specifically about how the Lord’s Supper is a means of grace, let me first review what our participation means. 

  1. We remember- When Jesus institutes the Supper he says plainly, “do this in remembrance of me.” So when the church gathers to observe the Supper, we remember Christ’s death in our place and his shed blood for our sins. It is a gift that God would provide a regular practice for us to remember in a tangible way, using multiple senses the truth that not only saves us but sustains us. 
  1. We fellowship- As the church observes the Supper, the many members of the body of Christ are united in fellowship with one another because they take from one bread and one cup.

17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Co 10:17)

The regular observance of the Supper is a visible act of worship that rejects rugged individualism. It confesses belonging to Christ and to his people. It is how the many individual members recommit to being one body in Christ as demonstrated by sharing one bread and one cup. 

  1. We proclaim- The Lord’s Supper, like baptism, is a visible word. As we participate in the breaking of bread we proclaim the death of Christ and as we take the cup we proclaim the shed blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins.  

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Cor. 11:26)

As food for thought, no pun intended, we should consider if our practice of observing the Supper appropriately symbolizes fellowship and proclamation. Do we take from one bread visibly expressing our unity in Christ? Is it visibly broken before the congregation to proclaim the crucifixion of Christ before our eyes again and again? You may be tempted to think these things don’t matter, but we lose something important when we lose the symbolism the New Testament says has theological significance for us as a church. 

  1. We anticipate- As we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we look back in remembrance and forward in hope. Listen again to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians, “26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Cor. 11:26)

The Supper further instills hope in the church, as we are directed to look forward to Christ’s return. 

It also serves as a dress rehearsal for our future dining with the Lord at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. 

7  Let us rejoice and exult 

and give him the glory, 

for the marriage of the Lamb has come, 

and his Bride has made herself ready; 

8  it was granted her to clothe herself 

with fine linen, bright and pure”— 

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 

9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. (Re 19:7–9)

  1. We give thanks- Before breaking the bread and passing the cup, the Gospel writers tell us that Jesus gave thanks. As we partake in the Supper we are to prayerfully thank God for his gracious provision for us in the gospel and in the ordinance given to us as a means of grace. For this reason, the Lord’s Supper can be called the Eucharist which is simply a transliteration of the greek term for thanksgiving. Partaking in the bread and the cup should protect the church from ungratefulness and cynicism. 

Remembrance of Christ and the forgiveness of sins, fellowship and unity in the body of Christ, proclamation of Christ’s death, anticipation of Christ’s return, and thanksgiving for all the blessings God gracious provision in Christ. This is the rich meaning of the Lord’s Supper from the perspective of our observance of it. 

Thinking about the Lord’s Supper as a means of grace means that must go beyond its meaning as we participate, but consider what God is doing while we observe the Supper in faith. 

I.) The Lord’s Supper is a meal of covenant blessing and renewal 

The Lord’s Supper is a covenant meal, so that every time we partake in it God reassures us of the promises of the new covenant and we renew our covenant commitment to God in response to his grace. The association between the Lord’s Supper and the new covenant is strong in the Gospels.

“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)

24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. (Mk 14:24)

20 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 22:20)

If you’ve studied Exodus you’ll know that the old covenant was ratified by the shedding of blood followed by a covenant meal. All of these passages in the Gospels echo Exodus 24:1-11 where God instructs Moses sprinkle the blood of sacrifice on the alter and on the people of Israel. After this they ate and a drank in the presence of God. 

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.” 

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 24:7–11)

Just as both blood and a covenant meal ratify the Old Covenant, so the new covenant is ratified by the blood of Christ and the meal of Christ, the Lord’s Supper. 

This means that every time we partake in the Supper, God assures us again of his promises in the new covenant. To take the bread and the cup in faith is to hear again that we’re in Christ, our sins are forgiven, and we know the Lord. 

It is also a means of grace, though, because as a covenant meal, it provides the opportunity to renew our covenant commitment to the Lord. Every time we partake of the bread and the cup in faith, we reaffirm our allegiance to Christ. It allows us the opportunity to put off sin and renew our commitment to Christ, not empowered by self-discipline, effort, or works but powered by the grace of God promised to us in the Supper. 

The Lord’s Supper is a covenant meal and an act of covenant renewal, so it is a means of grace. 

II.) The Lord’s Supper is communion with the presence of Christ

We said earlier that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of the death of Christ, but it is more than a memorial. It is a means of grace through which we have communion with the presence of Christ in the Holy Spirit. 

Throughout church history, the question of how Christ is present in the Lord’s supper has been very divisive. The Roman Catholic Church believes that the bread and wine turns literally into the flesh and blood of Jesus. 

Lutherans say that bread and wine remain bread and wine but that the body of Jesus is still mysteriously present in them. 

Others say that the Supper is strictly a memorial. 

A more biblical and richer view than these three is that Christ is spiritually present, and all the benefits he accomplished for us are present in the Supper. This means that when believers take the bread and cup in faith, we share in a real communion with Christ, who is spiritually present. The bread and wine remain bread and wine, but by faith and through the work of the Spirit, we have communion with the body and blood of Christ. 

Where might we go for biblical support of this position? Look with 1 Cor. 10:16-17

16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 1 Co 10:16–17

The key word is “participation.” This is the Greek word Koinonia. Consider the way it is translated in other English versions: ‘sharing’ (NASB, CSB) and ‘communion’ (KJV, NKJV). To help us better understand what Koinonia may mean, we can consider an earlier use of the word in 1 Corinthians. 

9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship (Koinonia) of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Co 1:9)

So in the Lord’s Supper we have present (!) fellowship or communion in Christ’s blood and body. 

“If Paul is taking about a present communion with ‘the blood’ and ‘the body of Christ’ and if Christ is no longer dying or dead, then the communion he is referring to is communion with the living, exalted Christ now. This is present communion with the living and exalted Lord of glory. The communion must be with the present benefits procured by his broken body and shed blood, for his body is no longer broken and his blood has finished its shedding.” – Richard Barcellos

To observe the Lord’s Supper is to eat Christ’s provided meal at Christ’s provided table in his promised presence. 

III.) The Lord’s Supper is spiritual nourishment from the Spirit of Christ 

Since the Lord’s Supper is meal that signifies the body and blood of Christ, since it is remembering and proclaiming the gospel, since it is to hear new covenant promises and an act of covenant renewal, since it is communion with the promised presence of Christ—it is spiritual nourishment from the Spirit of Christ. Just as bread and wine offer physical sustenance to the body, so the Supper taken in faith is spiritual nourishment by the work of the Spirit. 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, (Eph 1:3)

The phrase “spiritual blessings” refers to the blessings bestowed by the Holy Spirit. They are spiritual blessings in that they are the blessings applied by the Spirit. The blessings signified in the Lord’s Supper are certainly blessings in the heavenly places. 

When we take the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Spirit indwells us, nourishes, strengthens and sustains us.

How might this change your perspective on observing the Lord’s Supper? Does it change your view of how frequently it should be celebrated? Does it cause you to prioritize being present when the Lord’s Supper is celebrated?

“Often, many Christians treat the Lord’s Supper as only an occasional occurrence when we think about the death of Jesus, but it is so much more. A visible sermon is heralded, and the Holy Spirit ministers the spiritual presence of Christ to the faithful participant. Oh what a joy, believer! Our souls are fed and our faith is nourished as we partake of this meal. What a feast, and what a Savior who does everything necessary to grant you a seat at the table. Christian, this is more than just a time to think about the cross; it is a very real feast with Jesus—a feast where your very faith is enriched, strengthened, and increased.” – J. Ryan Davidson

Nathaniel R. Martin

Let us Weep with You: Grieving Sisters, the Local Church, and Mother’s Day

After four years of trying to have a child, my wife exited the bathroom with tears in her eyes. The crushing blow of a miscarriage accompanied our first sign that she could conceive. I remember crying, holding one another, grieving, and praying. What I also remember is still gathering with God’s people, attending our small group, and being vulnerable with the church about our situation. I remember they prayed for us, loved us, and provided support for us. Most of all, I remember gathering in the presence of God and his people to be reminded of the grace of the gospel and the true nature of Christian hope.

Like all of life, Mother’s Day is a mixture of joy and sorrow. Life in a fallen world does not let us enjoy the former too long before we must face the latter. To be sure, churches can handle this poorly by not acknowledging both realities. It is not loving to acknowledge the oldest mother or the one with the most children without also grieving with those waiting in a season of infertility or mothers grieving the loss of a child. Having said that, we don’t want to overreact and wrongly believe motherhood isn’t worth celebrating. We can and should do both. 

The potential pain that Mother’s Day acknowledgments can bring may tempt some women to avoid their local church gatherings altogether. As this day approaches, I want to encourage these struggling sisters gently. I want to admonish those who may be tempted to avoid gathering with their local church to decide now that they will do so. Why should you commit to gathering despite the sorrow it may induce? 

  1. Go to testify to the sufficiency of God’s grace. Gathering on this difficult day testifies to the church that the grace of God is sufficient for the Christian life, even in suffering. When Paul pleaded with God to take away his thorn in the flesh, God responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9). Coming to church in weakness directs people away from ourselves to the power of Christ that rests upon us.
  1. Go to display and receive love from your fellow members. Gathering with the local church allows us to obey God’s commands to love one another. We are told in Romans 12:15, Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” In Galatians, Paul encourages the church to “…do good to everyone, and especially to those who are in the household of faith.” It’s a glorious testimony to the gospel of Christ to watch a grieving woman celebrate the blessing of another sister in Christ. It is a glorious testimony to the gospel of Christ to watch a mother with reasons for joy choose to weep with a sister in waiting or grief. Jesus told us the world would know us by our love for one another, and Mother’s Day presents a unique opportunity to love as a testimony to the power of the gospel in our lives. 
  1. Go to exemplify how the local church is central to Christian discipleship. The local church is God’s primary means for maturing disciples of Jesus Christ. Gathering with God’s people on the Lord’s Day is a command, and it is for our good (1 Cor. 11:17-22; Heb. 10:25). When a grieving woman gathers with God’s people, they exemplify an appropriate fear of the Lord born out of God’s loving grace to her. She exemplifies a belief that God’s commands to his people are good and that those commands are not optional based on how we feel at any given moment. 
  1. Go to testify to the nature of Christian hope. Gathering with the local church testifies to the true nature of Christian hope. All of us will suffer and struggle in some capacity. The Christian’s hope is not centered on the best version of our life now but is centered on Christ, who has promised to return to judge the living and the dead. He has promised resurrection life, and eternal blessedness in his presence. He has promised to wipe away every tear from our eyes and that sin and death will one day be no more (Revelation 21:1-5). Committing to gather with the local church testifies that Christ is our only hope in life and death. 

If you’re still waiting, grieving the loss of a child, or simply missing a dear mother whose long been with the Lord, sorrow will accompany your gathering with God’s people. It is because this is true that grieving sisters have all the more reason to gather with their church this Mother’s Day. Let us weep with you.