Sermon Transcript:All right, well, I'm so glad you have come to gather with us this morning. Or if you're watching online or listening later, I had not obviously any awareness of what was going to be going on in the world stage at this moment. But one of the things that we're working through is different life lessons. And so one of the things I wanted to work through this morning, and I've been preparing for all week, is that idea of covenant. What did it mean that God had covenanted with his people in the Old Testament? What does it look like that he covenants with us now. And so we'll brush on the topic of Israel, in terms of how we understand that nation state in the ancient world and how we understand the people today, and so you don't get all your questions answered, I can always be available afterwards. But hopefully, this will be something that edifies us this morning, as we think about this idea of covenant community. Well, think about what we all sort of are aware of, and know about love and commitment to each other. And even we think about marriage. And we love movies. And we love movies that are of the romantic flavor. Now, they've sort of fallen out of favor in recent years, mostly, what we have is a lot of what I call crass comedies. But there was a time not too long ago for those of us that grew up and cut our teeth in the 80s and 90s. Or even further back into movies of the 60s that had a romantic spin on them. And they always ended with some sort of, you know, great and glorious reunion so that you could live live happily ever after. So I want to remind you of a couple of these things that may be iconic to you and to me, so this one right here, Pride and Prejudice. Again, a movie that came out in the early 2000s, when one of the first movies that I remember my wife and I going to see them before we were married. So you got this idea that they come together here. Finally, after the culmination of this movie, maybe another image that you're familiar with, is pride in I mean, Princess Bride, we've shown this movie here before, it's just quintessential sort of fun and adventure and romantic, this idea of riding off in a white horse with your true love. And again, this is the end of the movie, let's think about maybe this one is maybe more your favorite Beauty and the Beast, right. And so this, this idea that this this man, this hunk of yours would turn into this beautiful prince, and you'd have all this money and there would be a great party and you'd be having a great dress on and he would look wonderful as well, again, something that happens at the end of the movie. And oftentimes when we thought about our own marriage vows, we often thought about maybe this is what it'll be like in this will be the dream, I can't believe this is what I have gotten. But what we come to realize is that anytime we have these moments in our life, however great and glorious they are, they are the beginning of a relationship. And then what comes afterwards. So what is important, though, is that we come together, and we think about something like marriage, that it's not merely a contract, and we'll talk about the difference when a contract and a covenant. The covenant is what what do we mean when we say the word covenant, here's a good sort of general definition I think we can work with a covenant is a chosen relationship in which two parties make binding promises to each other mean like this is for real, like we're gonna do this, for real, whatever it is, it is opposed to a contract, a contract has certain binding, you guys maybe are aware of this, when you get a hold of a cell phone contract is no one else has to buy you out of that in order for you to get a new phone or, you know, you've been in a house contract. And there's a lot of signatures that go into getting into those and getting out of those. Those can be binding legally, we understand this in terms of even marriage documents and divorce documents, and it has certain promises and obligations, right, and a prenup agreement or whatever. But here's the deal about contracts, contracts have no relationship. That's very important. Because again, this is what separates believers and Christians and along the Judeo Christian value system of understanding that it is covenantal. Covenant is relational. It is relational. Not only that a covenant is a chosen relationship. Again, I think about this in terms of marriage, we're going to talk about this in terms of God and church community. And I know not all of us are married or even called to be married. I understand that. But just this whole idea that we understand that marriage is often sort of the best picture or symbol that we have here on earth to understand that sort of covenantal relationship. So it is relational. There is no such thing as two people who are married in any sort of covenant relationship that don't have some sort of relational aspect. Covenant is a chosen relationship. Hopefully you chose that one that you're with if you are married. So that is the idea that you enter into this. Not out of somebody forcing you but it is a chosen relationship andIt always includes some promises, right of faithfulness or clinging to each other. And you can think about this in terms of our wedding vows that have traditionally been said for hundreds and hundreds of years. But we have to ask ourselves, where did this concept of covenant come to us? And does God covenant with us? And what does that mean? Some would argue, and I think this is a good point that the idea of covenant really goes back to creation itself, that God covenants with humanity to say that, that I will be your God, and you will be My people, and I will put you in a garden, you will have perfect fellowship and relationship with me. But we know that that was broken really quick. And again, the language of covenant isn't using Genesis chapter one through three. But you can see that idea already there at creation, what I want to do is I want to talk about a couple of covenants that we see in the Old Testament, maybe give us some understanding of what that has to do with us today, and then move us into the New Testament or what's often called the New Covenant. So let's start with Noah already referenced Genesis chapter one through three, which Genesis means the beginnings is the first book of the Bible, you may be familiar with Adam and Eve, who represent humanity, but you've quickly get to know Him. Now, why is the story of Noah brought about and you, of course, maybe know about Noah's ark, and the idea that animals are kept on the ark and Noah and his family. But there's a covenantal relationship going on here. And this is early on in Genesis, that the world has gotten darker and darker and darker. And God wants to preserve a family. And here's how he does it beginning in verse eight, this covenant with Noah, then God told Noah and his sons, Chapter Nine of Genesis, I hereby confirm my covenant with you. So here's this language that's going to be important for our study today, with you and with your descendants, and with all the animals that were on the boat with you, the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, every living creature on earth. Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures. Never again, will a flood destroy the earth. Then God said, I'm giving you a sign of my covenant with you. And with all living creatures for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is a sign of my covenant with you and all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds. And I will remember my covenant with you. And with all living creatures, never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth. Then God said to Noah, yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I'm confirming with all the creatures of the earth. You like how the Old Testament is written for memory, so that we understand and for emphasis and repeated what is going on here. A couple of things to think about with this new a covenant or the covenant with Noah, it is preserve a human race by protecting a family and the animals on the ark, while flood what it destroys the other parts of the earth. It is a covenant of preservation. It's new beginnings for humans on the other side, and this will be continued to have life until the end comes. So this idea that God will never again destroy the Earth in the same way that he will never again flood the earth. It is now a promise for us. And when we look to the sky, and we see rainbows and I know we hear no pasa we don't see him very often because of the lack of rain. But we are to remember the promise we are to remember the covenant and even God himself. As he interacts with us his creation is remembering His covenant when he looks down on us and sees that rainbow. That's one covenant that you may be familiar with in terms of a story and an interaction. Another covenant is this idea of covenant with Abraham. And again, we're gonna see is we're gonna see a storyline through the scriptures of how God deals with his people and how he blesses them. How does this work? Genesis 17. Still in the first book in the Bible, it goes like this when Abram because his his name before he gets a name change was 99 years old. So if you feel like you're in the room, and you're not useful anymore, you're useless or you've passed your time you have not. The Lord appeared to him and said, I am El Shaddai God Almighty, serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you by which I will guaranteed to give you countless descendants. In this Abram fell facedown on the ground. Then God said to him, this is my covenant with you. I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. What's more, I'm changing your name. It will no longer be Abram instead you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations and kings will be among them. I will come firm my covenant with you and your descendants after you from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant I willalways be your God, and the God of your descendants after you, and I will.I will be your gun, I will, I will give the eternal land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner to you and your descendants, it will be their possession forever, and I will be their God, then Abram, then God said to Abraham, your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant, you and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. And here's what's important, you'll begin to see a thread, a theme, aligned through Scripture that goes from the Old Testament and really into the new and this whole idea that those who are part of the Covenant, obey God obey His Word and obey his long primary things. In the Abrahamic covenant. The covenant with Abraham, is that Abraham isn't picked because he's somehow the smartest or the most influential guy in the world, I want you to see that, even in his day and age 99 was old, has been whatever word you want to use, or think of when people are that old. But here he is, at this old age, and God wants to do something with him, not because he's the sharpest tool in the shed, but because God freely in His grace and wisdom, bestows love and grace on him. And that Abraham himself responds in faith. So that says, that's important too, as we think about our relationship with God and what covenant means. But what are the primary things of this covenant, the idea of offspring, that you'll have children who will come to know God, because of your obedience and faith, that you will have land, that you will have a literal land and we often think of as the land of Canaan that was there, that becomes the Land of Israel, and that this will be a universal blessing. The all these things are important because they do play themselves out in New Testament believers. For those of us in the room, there may be a few people in the room are listening those online, who are ethnic Jewish descent, but for the most of us were of non Jewish ethnic descent. So what does this have to do with us? Well, what we see is that all the promises of God are yes, in Christ, Jesus, Jesus Christ Himself, came to earth as a Jewish man. And what did he come for he came for the entire world. So what you're gonna see is you're gonna see this covenant, these blessings, not only be for a certain group of people, ethnic Israel, people, but ultimately for the whole world. That's why you may have gone to a church that they sang the song of father, Abraham, having many children, and you felt like you were one of them, and so is everybody else, because it's that whole idea that we become children of Abraham, because we serve Abraham's God, and that Jesus himself when he came, he says, Before Abraham was, I am that sort of language of that I existed before Abraham did. And this whole idea that not all children of Abraham or Abraham, what that means is that whole concept that it's the spiritual children, it's those who follow Abraham's God. And this is ultimate universal blessing that you're going to begin to see that God chose Israel, he chose Abraham in this passage, so that he and his descendants would be a blessing to the world, not so they could just have things for themselves. Next covenant wants you to see is the covenant with Moses. We are referenced this whole idea of how God when he dealt with Moses in the burning bush, how did he reveal Himself to Moses, the God of your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jacob is the one whose name becomes Israel that we think about in terms of a nation state and a people group. But here he is, he's dealing with Moses. And that story of Moses is primarily told in the books of Exodus. That's the second book of the Bible, the exiting of Egypt, Leviticus, Numbers, and then Deuteronomy, it's the retelling of the law. So that's what we're going to look at when we think about this covenant that God made with Moses, who represents God to the people. Here's what it says. He says, understand this, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for 1000 generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love Him and obey his commands. But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject Him. Therefore, you must obey all these commands, decrees and regulations I'm giving you today. If you listen to these regulations, and faithfully obey them, the Lord, your God will keep his covenant of unfailing love with you, as he promised with an oath to your ancestors. So these are great promises. And these are glorious promises, but you're already may be feeling a little bit of a burden a little bit of I don't know if I can do all that. I'm hearing you read from the Bible and I'm feeling a little bit of a weight and inadequacy and let that stay for right now because Jesus is going to come and talk about that in the new covenant. But this whole idea here is that we understand that covenant people are peoplewho obey God and follow God? Because He is the true God? Or I mentioned it. But in case you didn't catch it, this whole idea of Israel, where does Israel come from? I mean, we literally are talking about a country of prayed about a country of Israel. But where did all that sort of come from? That whole idea that again, Jacob, his name was changed to Israel, Jacob of the Old Testament, this is Joseph's father, and he had many sons and daughters as well. But he had many sons, and they become what's called the 12 tribes of Israel so that when Moses leads the people out of Egypt, and they go and settle into the promised land, they settle into a land broken up by their by their tribes of Israel. Because why? Because God made a covenant with them goes all the way back, that he was going to give them a land and that he would be their God, and they will be a blessing. And I'm sure you understand these things. And that even Israel being chose itself is all grace. I want to understand this, because sometimes we get all confused about this thing about God's chosen people. And so what does that mean? And again, we've already sort of said that most of us in this room are not ethnic Israelites. So So why we've been talking about this and thinking about this in 2023, not only is it still a world issue, but it's that whole idea that God chose them to be a blessing to the nations, that through Israel, we would come to know the Messiah. That's the point. And it was all grace. So when you think about where we're gonna end, later on, and we talked about our own relationship with God, Himself, it's all grace. And Grace is getting something that we didn't deserve, and we didn't earn that he chose us in him. But for the foundation of the world is what Ephesians says, it's the same way with Israel. It's not that they're smarter or more sophisticated than the other nations. It's that he chose God Himself, chose to bestow His love and grace upon them.That's the Mosaic Covenant or what's often called the Israel covenant, chosen there in Deuteronomy, I could have picked other passages that is the retelling of the law. We're through the first five books of the Bible, what's called the Pentateuch. Let's go to the covenant of David, which is often what Israelites think of when they think of Jerusalem and sort of the heyday of that nation state. So the covenant with David is this right here, and again, we're talking about King David, that story of David and Goliath if you like timeline if you like history 2000 BC circa right Latin circa there about 2000 BC for Abraham 1400 BC for Moses about 1000 BC for David again affirmed by multiple multiple Archerd archeological digs, then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron, and told him we are your own flesh and blood. In the past, when Saul was our King, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel, and the Lord told you you will be the shepherd of my people Israel, you will be Israel's leader. So they're at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel, and they anointed him king of Israel. David was 30 years old when he began to reign and he reigned 40 years and all he had reigned over Judah, from Hebron for seven years and six months and from Jerusalem, and ran over all Israel and Judah for 33 years. Again, if you want to know the story of David, it's primarily in first and second Samuel, as well as other passages, what's the point of this? It's this continuity of these promises that he's given already to the people of God. But it is a distinction, because David now is going to be a king and ruler in a physical, literal place, Jerusalem. And there's going to be a building of a temple, sometimes called Solomon's temple that his son builds and that Jerusalem in this day, about 1000 BCE, and there abouts becomes the most powerful nation in the known earth at that time. Now, let's be real clear that Israel in the Old Testament, is what we often call theocracy. And I don't want to just use big words, some use big words, but it's that idea that God and government were together intertwined. And that's how we understand Old Testament Israel. We don't live there anymore. And so there's going to be a difference in the distinction we get to our understanding of Israel today, because we live in a democracy in Israel itself as a democratic government. But I just wanted to make sure we understand sort of what's going on here in the Old Testament. And oftentimes, when Israelites, people of Israel, think about the heyday of what they want to go back to or return to, in terms of the nation state of Israel and that city on Jerusalem, they think about the Davidic years, the years of David being king. That's why when Jesus comes, he doesn't come on a white horse, he comes on a donkey. That's why when Jesus comes, he doesn't come to set up a throne in Jerusalem. He comes to set up a heavenly kingdom. And this whole idea here, this would have confused and baffled people in Jesus's day and continues to baffle people in this day. Why? Because Jesus came and Heis bringing forth what's called a new covenant. Let's look at Jeremiah 31, verses 31 and 30. For the day is coming, this is from the prophet Jeremiah, he is looking towards this new covenant, this new day that we are living in the Church Age, the day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah, this covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors. When I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I love them as a husband loves his wife says the Lord. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days says the Lord, I will put my instructions deep within them, I will write them on their hearts, I will be their God, and they will be my people, and they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives saying, you should know the Lord for everyone from the least to the greatest will know me already says Lord and I will forgive their wickedness and I will never again remember their sins. What in the world is going on here? It's the covenant community. It's the covenant people of God, that what Jeremiah promises and what we now live in, and what many of us have experienced in this room is new life, that our hearts were awakened were quickened to the things of God. And so therefore, we now know God's word and law. And we know we can't keep it perfectly. We already talked about how, even though God talked to Noah and Abraham and Moses, and David, that even those rules those laws, they were too much for them to keep perfectly. And so what does God say I'm going to do something new. Now, I want you to understand this is a new covenant. There is a distinction between Judaism and Christianity, even though some of the values and the moral system is the same. There is a difference here. If you go to Israel today, you can see the distinction. And the difference is that those are coming to what a wait on maybe some sort of future king and leader and those that come to stand and all that their King and leader came through here to give them the hope that the world has Jesus turned the world upside down. But is it fulfillment for sure. But it is something new here is the result of I don't want to just use big words and fancy language, the result is a regenerate covenant people, what does regenerate mean? It's that whole idea of being reborn, especially in a spiritual or moral sense. You think about Nicodemus when he went to Jesus in the middle of the night in John chapter three, and he asked him, What must I do in order to know God, and Jesus, like you would know of all people, because you're studying the Scriptures day and night. You don't have to enter your mom's womb and then come out again, if a Nicodemus was thinking, or he was saying that at least,that you would bend your heart,that you bend your heart that you have bow your knee to the God of the universe, and that he himself would give you a new heart. This is what it means to be regenerate, and that we now live as people who have been forgiven, but rest assure, on the other side of forgiveness, we live different. Now, that's important, because oftentimes, we just want the sunset marriage, don't we? Right? And then when it doesn't go well for us, why we went out, we can do this in friendship as well, boy had a great friend, we had a great time, and we do all these fun things, but then it got hard, because he or she offended me or, or it just got too hard because of life, or I just drifted away from God, church or relationship or whatever. But we understand that when God changes our hearts, that we are a different people that we've been marked. That's why we wait on baptism in this church until people have decided to walk with Jesus. This is a distinction among other churches you may have be aware that other churches practice baptism at infancy, okay? And what I'm saying is, is when you do that, you're not really fully getting the idea that I see in the New Testament scriptures, this new covenant that says, There will come a day when people will choose, I follow Christ, I repent and believe I want that forgiveness for my sins. And in that moment that goes through the waters of baptism, but rest assure, that's the beginning of the relationship. That's not the culmination. That is the beginning of the relationship.Why do we avoid this though? We avoid commitment. Okay, let's just be honest around the room. We avoid commitment when we avoid this even covenant to language. I mean, I don't know how you, you know, grow a church or whatever. But I'm sure you don't just keep talking about promises and covenanting together and doing hard things together. But it's this idea of why do we avoid commitment? We want the blessings think about this. You and I want the relational blessings. We remember Michael Keaton, Mr. Mom, this is an old 80s reference. I understand that some of y'all may not know who Michael Keaton was, but before he was Batman, he was Mr. Mom. I'm not sure why he's so unhappy here. But but anyHe lays he's taking all three kids out from the front porch and a classic 80s moment. But we want some version of that we want men helping out around the house, we want them, helping out the kids and all this kind of thing. We want that sort of family environment. I think about this one from my childhood years going way back growing pains. I don't know if y'all remember this one and how they'd have to solve things, there were several movies, or several shows like this, whether it was the Waltons or Andy Griffin before this, or whether it was some version of this in an 80s, where they'd sit around the table, this are family ties, where they would have to solve things. And you would see some sort of talk about homework and food and mom and dad would have to come together. So we want some version of this, or we want some version of this with a significant other at the end of our life, like at the end of the notebook where we see them looking back on their love story. And we see that they're able to hold hands and die with one another. Now we all say we want some version of this. And I understand this may not be your dream, you may have other ways in which you process what the good life is or what the dream is for you. It may not just be relational stability you long for, and it may look completely different than us, I understand that. It may be financial stability, but here's what we know. Here's what the Scriptures tell us. And here's what we know, practically, none of that comes without commitment and covenant. None of that comes without commitment and covenant people do get to enjoy nice cars and nice vacations and nice homes. And I'm not saying that should be your aim. We here have our aim as the glory of God. But understand that once you get your life in order, and you begin to connect yourself with the God of the universe, and you begin to understand and walk as one who is forgiven, that things start working out for you, relationally and financially and all these other ways of blessing, though it's hard. And we understand that those of us who walk through real relationships together and real financial putting away of some things so that we can have and say yes to others. How do we covenant together here at Life Church, we talked about this over and over again, that we want to continue to be a place that makes it easy for ordinary people to connect with God. That's our mission statement stated, given to me long time ago. But we understand that in order to maintain that in order to be that in order for the lights to be on for there be something for us to come to you to be a part of, to be a part of something like a church, which a church is made up of people who are worshipers of God, you know that right that that we come and we gather in this place, so that we may know him better than we may worship Him. Because many of us have gone through the waters of baptism and said yes to Jesus. And as we are committed, and as we covenant together, hopefully, seekers, people who are interested, people who are investigating will be able to appear in and look at that, and be ordinary people who can connect with God, because we're for real, like we're for real trying to live out this life of Christianity together. And so we have a life change team covenant that's been going on here a couple of years, that those who serve on any sort of team around here, we ask them to look over and sign it's not rocket science, this shouldn't be anything that is cultish or weird in any way. It's just saying that we are going to do this together, that we're going to bleed the Bible the Bible together. And it's going to be the final authority of all faith, that we're going to live in community as best we know how. Now we'll pursue this both formal and informal. We say this all the time that we understand that sometimes your time, and I'll pass on maybe longer short, but whatever it is, commit yourself to a local body of believers to a church, if it's not us, somewhere else, Christian conduct that we will strive to fight sin and live a life honoring to God, knowing that we do this from a position of victory, right? Like we're not we're not doing this because if we keep all the rules, okay, maybe God will accept us no, but because God gave us a new heart, because of the new covenant, that we're now able to conduct ourselves like believers, because he's making us new. And we're walking in this together, that we're not doing this alone, I think, well, it's in terms of serving. Those who are called by God and called to Christ will naturally want to serve his body and others. And many of y'all do that well and faithfully an idea of giving that that we move towards this, not only so that it can continue functioning be a church and a place that God's people can gather that because it does something for our hearts, when you realize that not all of my paycheck is mine, but it all belongs to him and I get back a percentage and a portion to him. This is what we have chosen to do, because let's remind ourselves what a covenant is. Again, it's kind of easily or most,most realistically seen in our marital relationships, the ones that that last night do this before God and others a covenant is a chosen relationship in which two parties make binding promises to each other. But I'm here to tell you that if you want to know what heaven on earth is like, it's like the church being the church, that you and I can have a community apart from community at any given time. A third of our church is made up of people who get their income from some sort of governmententity, whether it's a school system or you know, border patrol or military or otherwise. And so oftentimes we find ourselves here for a season, we may find ourselves here, unattached to any sort of family relationships that are here on the ground. That's okay, because the church can be the family of God for you and for me, but we've got to choose it. Like it's a willing choice that we can say, Yes, I want to be a part of that covenant community for as long as I'm in El Paso, whether it be long or short, and that's why you'll see people all the time when they make their vows to one another. And I know it's hard and it can be trying at times with where it is, it's still death does them part, understanding that they're bound to one another, until deathtakes that covenant away? Again, I understand there's reasons to break covenant there are I understand that with a church or with a marital relationship, I get that there's times to break covenant, but it's always meant to be a big deal. And we can't be a people who wander away and wander off and are finicky, or that we don't do the hard things of relationships and asking forgiveness and granting forgiveness and questioning things. And if you have problems going to the person if you need to worship you go worship, whether you feel like it or not, because this is good for us, because our hearts have been made new. And God will bless us and honor us in our going in and are doing that's what he's done for centuries. And I trust that he'll continue to do that he only takes until he takes us home. Let's pray.Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank you how you care for us, you love us. Father, I know that around this room, there are all kinds of versions and thoughts of dreams and desires. In the good life, whatever that means. Father, I pray that we find our hope and our strength in you, and that we move about this world from a position of commitment, and covenanting with you first,then makes its way into covenant community with others. Father, I pray for the people of Life Church. May You strengthen us, may you renew our commitment to you and to this church this day. And in the days ahead.We thank you we thank you for your word and for your covenants and how you didn't leave us wondering or wondering.Help us to worship father, you in a spirit of truthand just reality of what you've done in our hearts as you've taken many, many Hearts of Stone around the room and you've given hearts of flesh. Thank you, father. Thank you for that we pray in Christ's name. Amen.

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