Honolulu Bible Church
Evening Worship Service
April 5, 1998

THE COVENANT OF GRACE

"I WILL BE YOUR GOD AND YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE"

Sermon #3 - An Introduction to the Covenant of Grace

The Unity and Diversity of the Covenant

INTRODUCTION - So far in our studies of the Covenant of Grace, we have seen that there is one main focus in Scripture, one main promise, and one means whereby the Lord communicates that promise to us. We have also endeavored to define the idea of covenant as a relationship which God has made graciously with man, binding Himself to us in His promises. This evening we shall once again take a general look at this subject by studying the unity and diversity found within God's covenant of grace.

1) THE COVENANTAL AND THE DISPENSATIONAL APPROACHES TO SCRIPTURE - Basically, there are two ways of looking at the whole of Scripture. The Covenantal approach takes the Bible as a complete book for all of God's people through all of time. The Scriptures speak of one covenant, which is prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New. The Bible also speaks of only one people who receive the promises of God's covenant. The Dispensational approach places a great division between the Old and New Testaments. In this view, there are two groups of people, Israel and the Church. Both are separated from each other by completely different covenants. It is the Covenantal view of Scripture which we have been supporting in our studies. This is the view which teaches that the Bible is to be taken as a whole, for all believers in every generation. We are not simply New Testament Christians. The people of God are both Jewish and Gentile believers from Old and New Testaments and we are all bound together by one person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and one promise, the Covenant of God's Grace. In Ephesians 2:11-16, Paul emphasizes the fact that Gentiles, who were once excluded from the promise of the Old Testament covenant, have now found a place under that covenant in Christ. Jew and Gentile believers have now been made one in Christ. It is especially the language of Ephesians 2:12 that we want to note this evening, for it makes a point about the unity and diversity found within this covenant of grace. In Ephesians 2:12, Paul calls the Covenant of Grace, "the covenants (plural) of promise (singular)." The unity of God's covenant is seen in the singular word "promise," for here we see that God has made the same promise over and over again in Scripture, "I will be your God and you will be My people." The promise has never changed. Yet we find the word "covenant" in the plural, for God revealed Himself several times to men in Scripture, making a variety of covenants with each of them. The promise never changed, nor did one covenant wipe out the preceding one, instead, God built on each preceding covenant, adding more and more information about His promise to men. God comes to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David in different covenants, yet He is always making the same promise. He progressively reveals Himself to these men, yet all of these covenants are actually one, held together by the same gracious promise.

2) THE GREAT UNITY WHICH EXISTS WHEN WE LOOK AT THE VARIOUS COVENANTS WHICH GOD HAS MADE WITH MEN - Tonight we will only consider the major Old Testament covenants - the Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic, and then compare them to the New Covenant in Christ.

A) THE UNITY BETWEEN THE ABRAHAMIC AND MOSAIC COVENANTS - In Genesis 15:13-16 we read of one of the places where God confirms His promises to Abraham. It is in this passage that the Lord informs Abraham about the history of his seed. The descendants of Abraham will be strangers in Egypt, in bondage for four hundred years, but God will eventually bring them out. Here we see that in the Abrahamic promises, God is not just speaking to Abraham, but is including his people, especially those who will later go through the Exodus. Thus, what God is saying to Abraham is not going to be any different from what He is going to say to Moses and the Israelites. In Exodus 2:23-25, we read of God hearing the cries of the Israelites in their slavery. Yet why does God hear their cries? It is because of the covenant which God made with Abraham. God's entire involvement with the children of Israel during the period of the Exodus was a result of the promise and covenant which He had made to Abraham. Some have tried to say that the covenant made with Moses was entirely different from the promises made to Abraham, yet this passage shows us that God's working with Moses and the Israelites was actually founded on the promises God had made to Abraham. In Exodus 6:1-8 we hear God speaking directly to Moses. This is the Mosaic covenant, yet once again we find that the promises are simply a reiteration of God's promises to Abraham. Thus we see, there is no break between Abraham and Moses.

B) THE UNITY BETWEEN THE ABRAHAMIC, MOSAIC, AND DAVIDIC COVENANTS - When God speaks to David, He does not throw away the covenants which He had made with Abraham and Moses, and start all over again. In II Samuel 7:1-13, David desires to build a house for the Lord. Yet instead of David doing it, a son of David will build the house. Though Solomon is the son who builds the Temple, we also know that a greater son of David will come and build the true Temple of God. This Son, according to God's promises to David, will also sit on the throne of David forever and ever. Naturally, this is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Davidic covenant. Yet read how David responds to this gracious promise in II Samuel 7:18-22. David ties in the history of Abraham and Moses, seeing no interruption in the promises and covenants which God has made in the past. In II Samuel 2:23-29, David repeats the old promises, tying in Abraham and Moses with himself. Though different facets of the promise are revealed under each man, the covenants still are one.

C) THE UNITY BETWEEN THE ABRAHAMIC, MOSAIC, DAVIDIC, AND THE NEW COVENANT IN CHRIST - In the Communion service, Christ calls the wine in the cup "My blood of the new covenant" (Matthew 26:28). If the New Testament brings a new covenant, what happens to the promises to Abraham, Moses and David? Are they all done away with in Christ? Has something completely new erased the covenants of the past? Not at all! The word "new" when it is used in reference to Christ's covenant can be translated, "refreshed, renewed, reformed." Certainly with the coming of Christ, the old covenants have been radically changed. The old covenants were but types and shadows. The promises to Abraham, the worship system of Moses, the kingdom of David, all of these were pictures to be fulfilled in Christ. Yet the New Covenant in Christ did not erase the old covenants, rather it built upon the old promises and fulfilled them. The New Covenant is actually the culmination, the grand finale of all the covenants. In Jeremiah 31:31-34 we see that the New Covenant actually brings together the Abrahamic and Mosaic promises. God will put His law in their minds and hearts (Mosaic) and He will be their God (Abrahamic). In Ezekiel 37:24-28, we see all three of the main covenants bound together in the New Covenant in Christ. God promises one Shepherd over Israel (Davidic), they shall walk in His ways (Mosaic), and He shall be their God (Abrahamic). Once again we see the great unity in all of Scripture through the covenants and promise of God.

3) THE UNITY OF THE COVENANTS SEEN IN THE PEOPLE TO WHOM THE PROMISES ARE SPOKEN - Throughout the Bible, God has never changed the ones to whom He has addressed His promise of grace to. In the Abrahamic covenant, God is speaking to Abraham and his descendants. In the Mosaic covenant, God is still speaking to the seed of Abraham. In the Davidic covenant, David, the seed of Abraham, and his line become rulers. When the prophets speak of the coming of the New Covenant in Christ, the message is given to the seed of Abraham. Finally, when we come to the New Testament, we see that Christians are called the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:29). The true Israel, the true Jew, has always been those who have followed the faith of Abraham. Thus, even Gentiles are engrafted into the promise of the covenant (Ephesians 2:11-13). Christians are, therefore, not to consider themselves just New Testament people. Instead, we have a glorious history and heritage, stretching throughout the entire Word of God. The promise has always been the same and as the covenants were made with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and finally fulfilled in Christ, we see the great diversity and the wonderful unity for God's one people throughout all of time.

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