Now what are covenants? Has anyone ever made one? Covenant literally means a pact, a contract, an agreed upon plan to which both parties subscribe. Let me give you some examples of different covenants you can make. Blood brothers are two close people who make a covenant by mixing their blood together. I think I remember attempting this once when I was young. I don’t do well with blood or cuts, so I think I had a pushpin or something, and squeezed my finger so that just a small dot of blood came out. We’ve come to learn how unsanitary that is, but the principle act was in the belief that once you did it, and your blood was exchanged, you would be friends for life! What about marriages? The secular view of a marriage is that it is a binding contract between husband and wife. Christians believe it’s a binding commitment between themselves and God. In marriage, how is the covenant created? The two express interests, and they both have something the other wants. There’s the exchange of something, a gift- rings, words- vows, and even a signed documentation of a commitment to one another. “Hesed” in Hebrew and “Agape” in Greek is a love that says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” When we enter into a covenant of marriage we change our last names. We give people our last names, and we pass on our name. Each participant takes the other's name on himself. A person's name represents his individuality. This exchange of names demonstrates a death to being an "individual." Remember that a covenant is the union of two people. In a covenant you are no longer concerned only with yourself. Covenants, or binding agreements, are something we all encounter. Whether getting your driver’s license, entering into a work agreement, or even a relationship.
You may be asking, “Pastor Sean, God doesn’t exchange anything with me so why is this important?” Let me remind you that from the very beginning God has been a part of us. Even today, right now, at this very moment, we do have something that reminds us that we are God’s creation. Do you know what this thing is? It’s our breath! Even in our living we have a part of God, and if you breathe deep enough you will even hear yourself breathe part of God’s name! Each breath we take reminds us of our creator. When Jesus came and died for our sins he made a new covenant with us. The New Covenant is God's commitment to give His people His Spirit so they can obey Him. His law has not changed. What God commits Himself to change is the human heart. He will enable those entering the New Covenant with Him to willingly and wholeheartedly obey His laws. Remember, God did not find a fault in His law under the terms of the Old Covenant. See, in the Old Covenant the Israelites were to obey the Ten Commandments of the Lord and the Lord in turn would protect them and be their God for forever. The fault was in the self-centered and rebellious thinking of the people. God's law and way of life remain an integral part of the New Covenant. The New Covenant requires a genuine change in the heart and mind that can be accomplished only through the transforming power of God's Spirit. The Israelites, they wanted to serve God, but because of the condition of their heart they weren’t. They couldn’t do it on their own, they couldn’t resist! So God makes this new covenant with us where His Spirit empowers us to put to death the deeds of the body, the evil works of the flesh such as adultery, fornication, hatred, jealousy, anger and selfishness. When we have God's Spirit dwelling in us, it enables us to have an attitude of enthusiasm, and from the heart, wanting to submit to God and follow His lead. The major difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is in the promises God makes. The New Covenant is, in a sense, an expansion and renewal of the promises He made in the Old Covenant. The greatest promise of the New Covenant is eternal life. The Old Covenant made no provisions for people to receive eternal life. However, under the New Covenant, "He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit which dwells in you" Romans 8:11. Having God's Spirit makes it possible for us to receive God's gift of eternal life. The physical blessings of the Old Covenant, such as prosperity and protection, cannot compare with the far greater blessing of immortality available to us under the New.
There are many of us who feel unloved, unwanted, and feel like there is no way a loving father can exist. I want to tell you that Jesus came for you! In the Kingdom of God there is none unloved. As we look into the word we see His love language, this covenant language to us used all throughout the Word! Genesis 17:7, Hebrews 13:5, Ruth 4:7, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:11. Covenant language is a love language from God to you! And it is to remind you that you can trust a God who will never abandon you! We will never be left alone, and we can never be rejected by God. There are no longer any terms of the covenant. They are unconditional. The new covenant is a covenant of Grace! God can’t break it and you can’t earn it. It’s freely given. Do not “name” yourself anything less than God does. You are His child!
