October 6, 2019 :: YouVersion Event

Genesis 15:6 ESV

A. God made a covenant with His people...

Genesis 15:18 NLT

1. God made a covenant with Adam for Adam and Eve.

Genesis 2:16-17 NLT

2. God made a covenant with Noah for Noah and his family.

Genesis 9:8, 11 NLT

3. God made a covenant with Abram, later to become Abraham, for Abraham and his children and their children.

“So the Lord made a covenant with Abram…”

4. God made a covenant with Moses and a whole nation.

Exodus 19:5-6 NIV

5. God made a covenant with David and a whole nation and anyone who was allied with Israel…all pointing to Jesus.

2 Samuel 7:8-16 NLT

6. God made a covenant with all of us through Jesus!

Hebrews 12:24 NLT

B. What is a covenant or a testament?

As described on page 27, Core 52:

1. A covenant is a legally binding agreement between two parties.

2. The greater of the two parties established the conditions.

3. The conditions specified the rewards if the agreement was kept and the punishment if it was broken.

4. The covenant was typically ratified by a blood sacrifice showing how serious it was. Here is Abraham’s covenant:

Genesis 15:9-18 NLT

5. The two halves of the sacrifice symbolized the two parties in the agreement. If either broke the agreement, they deserved to die like the sacrifices. The smoking oven or flaming torch represented God’s holiness and His guidance. All the aspects of the covenant agreement were predictors of things to come!

C. Why is all of this important to our present day?

1. We are in a covenantal relationships with God.

Galatians 3:29 NLT

2. Jesus filled all the previous covenants.

Hebrews 8:6 NLT

3. The condition of every covenant is faith! Faith is a “walk in the light” and is more clearly understood by using the word faithful rather than faith. Faith is a belief; faithful is a commitment.

Romans 4:16-17 NLT

D. Faithful to our God in our agreement...

“The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through us. God calls us to His service and places tremendous responsibilities on us. He expects no complaining on our part and offers no explanation on His part. God wants to use us as He used His own Son.” – Oswald Chambers

1. God is faithful in temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

2. God is faithful when we are faithless.

2 Timothy 2:13 NLT

3. God is faithful to forgive.

1 John 1:9 NLT

4. God is faithful to protect us.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 NLT

5. God is always faithful.

Hebrews 13:8 NLT

6. And God calls us to be faithful.

Hebrews 11:6 NLT

7. God calls us to be faithful in trials.

James 1:22 NLT

8. God calls us to be faithful in His will.

Hebrews 13:21 NLT

9. God calls us to be faithful in all circumstances.

Philippians 4:12-13 NLT

10. God calls us to be faithful to our hope in Him.

Hebrews 10:23 NLT

A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition

(Contemporary Version)

I am no longer my own, but Yours.

Put me to what You will, place me with whom You will.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be put to work for You or set aside for You,

Praised for You or criticized for You.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and fully surrender all things to Your glory and service.

And now, O wonderful and holy God,

Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer,

You are mine, and I am Yours.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

Let it also be made in heaven. Amen.