The First Epistle of John--Study Notes

Lessons on 1 John

The purpose of these notes is to help and aid busy pastors, teachers, and Bible students as they study the Word of God. I will not deal with technical aspects, nor with questions such as authorship, provenance, etc., since there are ample scholarly resources available for the student to examine those aspects of Biblical study. What I will seek to do, by God’s Grace, is to delve deeply into the text, and bring out, in context, the full message and meaning of the Apostle John’s general letter.

By way of introduction, therefore, I will only state:

1. The human author of this epistle was the apostle John
2. It was written to

a. Comfort and encourage Christians
b. Provide Christians with tests for determining genuine faith from false faith
c. Provide Christians with ammunition with which to fight against the early false cults and heresies that were already arising in the first century church.






Lesson 1
The Eternal, Witnessed, Manifested, Proclaimed Word
1 John 1:1-4

Introductory Thoughts

· 1 John is a book about passing tests. The tests in 1 John include the following tests

2:3è obedience
2:15è allegiance
3:9-10èholiness
4:1-3èdoctrine
4:7-11èlove

· 1 John is a book about settled knowledge è 5:13-20 gives us a list of things we know, and the construction of the Greek in that passage shows that John is speaking of an absolute and settled knowledge, as we shall see when we get there.

· 1 John, written by the aged apostle to confront and challenge believers and protect against anti-Christian cults. The warnings are found throughout the book, some subtle, some very direct.

· The preface =è 1:1-4

Ø The central thought of the preface is found in the main verb è we declare, 1:3 present tense, which has the sense of continuity—we are declaring and continue to declare.

Ø What is the apostle declaring?

1. The Apostle is declaring that Jesus Christ is The Eternal Word – 1:1a, 1:2b—“…"That which was from the beginning,… concerning the Word of life;…2… that eternal life which was with the Father…”

a. Language

(1) The verb is in the imperfect tense—refers to continuous existence in a time before the time indicated
(2) But the time indicated is “from the beginning,”
(3) This, of course, means that the subject of this sentence is an eternal person or thing, with continuous existence before the beginning.

b. The Beginning: “That which was from the beginning…”

ü “…in the beginning, was the Word…” John 1:1
ü Micah 5:2 "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
ü John 8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."
ü Rev 22:13 "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."

(1) Christ has always been
(2) He had no beginning, there was never a time or any space before time when Christ was not.
(3) He was not made, created, or generated—He always was and always shall be.

c. There are two very significant words here: “beginning” and “was.” In the beginning WAS the Word…He already was! “Was” is in the imperfect tense in the original, in this tense, the verb indicates continual existence in the past, NOT AN ORIGIN, BUT A CONTINUAL PAST!

(1) What was before the beginning? Eternal glory, and nothing else! John 17:5, 24
(2) Contrast “was” in a different tense—

(a) John came into being (egeneto)—John 1:6
(b) The Word became flesh (egeneto)—Jesus always was, but He took on our flesh
(c) John 8:58—Abraham came into being (genesqai) but I AM—(eimi, present tense), shows continuous existence


d. Jesus Christ is an Eternal Being—no beginning, no end. He is Eternal—“…in the beginning, the Word already was….” Micah 5:2, Rev 22:13

e. In the beginning, the Word already was—He did not come to be in the beginning, He did not begin at the beginning, He was already.

f. Exo 3:14-15 "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations."

g. Thus it makes more sense when we read later that Jesus calls Himself the I AM, for He is self-existent, He had no beginning, He has no end.

h. He is a Separate Person From the Father, Yet One With Him. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God..” 2 The same was in the beginning with God.

(1) There are in our day heretics who try to make Christ and the Father to be the same person with a different mask—but Christ and His Father are separate persons.
(2) He was “face to face with” God
(3) He was “with God,” that was His natural state.

i. Jesus Christ Is God—John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

(1) He is not “a” God, He is The God— John 20:28 "And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God."
(2) He is not “god in the sense that all men are divine”—He is God.
(3) He is not “a man in whom God came to dwell”—He is God.
(4) He is not “the son of God only”—He is God
(5) He is not a man who became God—He IS God
(6) Christ is the eternal God, very God of very God, one with the Father and Spirit, yet distinct in His personality.
(7) If you examine the pages of scripture, you will find:

(a) He is called God.
(b) He is called God by men—( John 20:28)
(c) He is called God by the Father—Heb 1:8 "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom."
(d) He accepts worship from men and angels
(e) He does the works of God
(i) Creation—John 1:3
(ii) Preservation of the universe—Col 1:17
(iii) The forgiveness of sins –Mat 9:2
(iv) The giving of eternal life –John 5:24
(v) He demonstrated His power over nature, over disease, demon powers, even over death—Matt. chapter 8
(vi) He possesses divine attributes.
(i) Self existence –John 8:58
(ii) Eternity (see above)
(iii) Omniscience –John 1:45-47
(iv) Omnipresence –Mat 18:18-20
(v) Immutability –Heb 13:8
(vi) Omnipotence –Mat 28:18

(vii) He claims to be Jehovah God—John 8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."

2. The Eternal Word Comes Into History—“… which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled…2 the life was manifested, …”

a. The Words

(1) Heard—Perfect tense—this is settled in John’s mind. He heard Christ over a period of time, and the effect continues to the present.
(2) Seen with our own eyes—perfect tense—same effect as (1)
(3) Looked upon—different word from “seen”—the exact form as Jn 1:14, in aorist tense—the important thing here is that it happened.

(a) When John heard Him, that was one thing…
(b) When John saw Him with his own eyes, that was one thing…
(c) But when John really beheld Him in His glory—that was another thing altogether
(d) When did John behold Him thus?
(i) On the Mount of transfiguration (Mat 17)
(ii) On Calvary’s mountain
(iii) On the Mount of Olives
(iv) John did not just SEE Him, John BEHELD Him

(4) Handled with our own hands—Lk 24:39—also aorist—John did not just handle Him during His ministry, but John handled Him after His resurrection. The resurrection’s reality is no problem for John, He handled Him—John, with his own hands, handled Him.

b. The theological meaning—

(1) This is settled as far as John is concerned
(2) This is not talking about anything mystical. The absolute reality of the witnessed events and the witnessed Word is being stressed.
(3) The main point—God has entered history—the Son came.
(a) He lived for us
(b) He died for us
(c) He rose for us
(d) He ascended for us
(e) He intercedes for us
(f) He will return for us

3. The Eternal Word Declared—“…and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us; 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you…”

a. Declared what and Who He is
b. Declared what was witnessed
c. Declared the real message about the real God Man who was really seen, really heard, really handled
d. This is the apostolic Gospel, and so should we be declaring the Gospel—1 Cor 15:1-11

4. The Eternal Fellowship—“… that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ…”

a. Definition of Fellowship—Koinonia—Not just getting together to share fun and a meal, though that is certainly part of it--

Rom 15:26 For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution (Koinonia) for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem.

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

2 Cor 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion (Koinonia) has light with darkness?

Gal 2:9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship (Koinonia) , that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

Eph 3:9 ........the fellowship (Koinonia) of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;

Phil 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship (Koinonia) of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

b. Fellowship with us—

(1) The deeper koinonia, the fullness of koinonia, is when believers in Christ work together to fulfill the mission of a New Testament church by proclaiming Biblical Truth without compromise and loving people without reservation

(2) Koinonia occurs when believers follow Christ individually, and when the local church follows Christ corporately

(3) Koinonia occurs when the Glory of God is the supreme goal of the church individually and corporately
c. That—“...hina..” in order that—purpose clause

d. Verb “have” present tense, subjunctive—“…may keep on having fellowship…” (AT Robertson)

e. Fellowship—1 Pet 4:13—with meta, emphasizing mutual relationship (Acts 2:42) (AT Robertson)

f. Fellowship with the Father and the Son—John 17!

(1) Here we see the essence of salvation!
(2) The common view of salvation
(a) Salvation from the penalty of sin
(b) Salvation from Hell
(c) Salvation to Heaven
(3) The more mature view of salvation—all the above, plus
(a) Salvation from the power of sin
(b) Salvation to serve God
(c) Salvation to serve people
(4) The full view of salvation—all the above are just the side benefits! Salvation is about present, continuous, and everlasting fellowship with the Triune God!

(a) John 17:3—“should keep on knowing…” (AT Robertson)
(i) In the Greek, ginoskosin—experiential knowledge
(ii) The essence of eternal life is continual knowledge and fellowship with the One True God.

(b) John 10:27

g. The Trinitarian emphasis—see 2:22-23 and 4:1-3! If you do not believe who Jesus is, you will not be enjoying the fellowship.

5. The Eternal Joy Comes into Our Lives —“… 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full."

a. The message which leads to joy—
(1) These things—everything in the letter
(2) These things—everything John has witnessed and declared

b. The objects of the Joy—your joy (or our joy)—which one makes no difference!

c. The Fullness of Joy

(1) The verb stresses the state of completion—Robertson
(2) “Remain full..”
(3) John 16:24


John has introduced to us the concepts which lie behind his letter. Now it will be time to really state the problem, which he begins to do in the next lesson.

Covenants 12, The Last Covenant

The Covenants, 12
The New Covenant
Texts: Jer 31:31-34
Mat 26:20-29
Mat 27:50-51
Introductory Thoughts

· In a way, this is the culmination of our study of God’s Covenants with man.

· In another sense, this is just the beginning of the end, for every part of Christian ministry and teaching is about the New Covenant.

§ Every doctrine that applies to the belief and life of a Christian is New Covenant doctrine.

§ Every life rule and guideline for living that applies to the life of a Christian is a New Covenant rule or guideline.

§ One of the keys to living the Christian life successfully and to following Christ, glorifying God, and carrying out the great commission is for believers to understand that they are New Covenant believers.

§ I must state again what I have said before, that if you or I apply an Old Covenant Law or rule of practice directly to a Christian, we are committing heresy.

§ If we teach that any part of the Law, as Law is still binding on a Christian, we teach heresy.

¨ Now, many of the same moral laws are taught in both Covenants, so much of the old covenant is a commentary on New Covenant truth.

¨ Nine of the Ten commandments are expanded and added to the New Covenant (the Sabbath is not carried forward to the New Covenant).

¨ The ceremonies of the Old Covenant were types of Christ, that foreshadowed His ministry, and we can learn from those.

¨ But the vast majority of the judgments and all of the ordinances of the Old Covenant are dead as a stone, and they have neither place nor part in the New Covenant.

¨ And to put a New Covenant believer under the Law is to commit heresy. Paul calls it “another gospel.”


Gal 1:8-9 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

¨ If you would apply the Law, you must apply the whole Law.

Gal 3:10 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

¨ Christ has fulfilled the Law—Mat 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."

¨ In the lesson today, we will introduce the New Covenant, and the rest of what you learn as a Christian, will be filling out the frame of Truth I leave with you today. Today you will begin to learn what it is like to be a New Covenant believer, and the rest of your discipleship on this earth will be spent in learning to grow and walk in New Covenant Truth.

Rom 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."




1. God Promised He Would Bring in the New Covenant—Jer 31:31

a. God is the Actor, God Will Fulfill His Promises—"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will…” God is Sovereign, God is in Control—Dan 2:20 "…wisdom and might are his: 21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings…”

b. God Had Set The Time— Behold, the days come [are coming], saith the LORD, that [when]…”

(1) God sent forth His Son at His time—Gal 4:4 “… when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

(2) Christ Himself announced this in His ministry—Mark 1:15 "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

c. God Will Cut the New Covenant— “…that I will make [cut] a new covenant…”

2. The New Covenant is With Israel and Judah—Jer 31:31 "…I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:"

a. God has chosen to work through Abraham and his children—Gen 12:1-3

b. Just as with the other covenants, the New Covenant is with Abraham’s Seed, that is Christ, and all who are His—Gal 3:16 "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."

c. Those who are truly saved are part of the spiritual seed of Abraham—Gal 3:29 "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

d. Implications and conclusions

(1) Salvation is of the Jews—John 4:22 "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews."

(2) The Gentiles, as a people, are cut off from the covenants of promise—Eph 2:11-12

(3) It is only by being grafted in to Israel (Romans 11) that Gentiles are saved, and we are grafted in through the Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ—Eph 2:13-14

3. The New Covenant is not like the Old Covenant of Law—Jer 31:32

a. Review—the meaning and purpose of the Law.

(1) The Law was added because of the sinfulness of Israel, to govern Israel until the Messiah came—Gal 3:19 "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; …”

(2) The Law was a schoolmaster—Gal 3:24 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."

(3) The Law convicts and convinces men of their sin—Rom 3:19-20

b. Israel and the Law— “…which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD…”

(1) Israel never kept the Law.

(2) There were periods of revival, but the Law was never totally kept.

(3) Even the Pharisees abused the Law by ignoring portions that they did not like and by adding to it things which were not right—Mat 15:7-9, Mat 23:23

c. The New Covenant is Not Like the Law— Jer 31:32 "…Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers …”

(1) The New Covenant is not a covenant of works. The Law was a covenant of works— Luke 10:28 "… this do, and thou shalt live."

(2) The New Covenant is not conditional

(a) The Mosaic Law was conditional.
(b) If the provisions were not followed, the nation could be cut off.

(3) The New Covenant is not of the letter, but of the Spirit

4. The Nature of the New Covenant—Jer 31:33-34

a. The New Covenant is internal, not external— “…I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people…”

(1) The Old Covenant was an external covenant

(a) Ceremonies, rituals, festivals—these dominated the life and calendar
(b) Laws and regulations controlled life, from cradle to grave.
(c) Every Hebrew citizen belonged to the Old Covenant by birth

(2) The New Covenant is internal, not external— “…I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts…”

(a) “The New Covenant is internal, not external.” What this does not mean

(i) It does not mean that there are no rules of life for the New Covenant believer—the New Covenant has a higher standard of ethical behavior than the old.
(ii) It does not mean that there is no authoritative teaching or discipline in the body of believers. In fact, one of the things that is distinct about the ministry of Christ and His preachers is that they have more authority in the Word than the Old Covenant had.
(iii) It does not mean that doctrine, beliefs and practices in the New Covenant are up to each believer. The Word of God makes plain what our doctrine, beliefs, and practices are to be.

(b) “The New Covenant is internal, not external.” What it does mean—

(i) The New Covenant is about changing internal condition, not forcing external compliance.
(ii) In the Law, it was cut and dried, obey or perish.
(iii) In the New Covenant, we are not standing around keeping records and looking at performance in a critical way.
(iv) In the New Covenant, we are seeking to teach and lead and help people understand and be discipled so they can grow in Grace. 2 Pet 3:18

(c) The Old Covenant was external—

(i) The Law had no grace, no mercy, no compassion
(ii) There was no freedom, no peace, no release—Heb 9:9 "…in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;"

Heb 10:1 "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect."

(3) The New Covenant Way of Forgiveness—1 John 1:9 "… If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

(a) This is a promise written to believers, not unbelievers.
(b) This is the promise of instant forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration with the Lord Jesus.
(c) This is about grace, restoration, and peace with God after sin.

(4) The New Covenant way of growth in Grace is not about doing the external things, but about internal changes that are seen in external fruit. “…I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;…”

(a) In the Law, in the Old Covenant, life is all about what you do, and one negative thing can overthrow a thousand positive things.

James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

(b) In the New Covenant—Your growth in Grace is about what God does IN you, and about your submitting to His working in your life.

Rom 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

(i) New Covenant Life is about a relationship with Christ that grows through discipleship, prayer, Bible Reading, Fellowship, and worship. As we do these things with a pure heart, from pure motives, Christ manifests Himself to our hearts, and in our lives, more every day.

“…I will …be their God, and they shall be my people…”

(ii) And as we participate in discipleship through prayer, Bible Reading, Fellowship, and worship, we are changed.

2 Cor 3:18 “…But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord…”

(iii) Christ’s prayer for us is: John 17:17 "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."

(iv) As the Holy Spirit works in our life, we are transformed.

Gal 5:22-24 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."

b. The New Covenant is unconditional

(1) God Will do What God will Do!— I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

(a) God will perform what He has promised for His people.

(b) Who are His people? The Bible says His people are those He has chosen and called, and the Bible also says His people are those who come to Him in faith, as in:

John 6:37 "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

(c) Gallons of ink have been spilled by theologians over the years trying to make heads of tails of those truths, usually by choosing one truth over the other. I find both taught in the Bible, so I teach both!

(d) You are not saved unless God calls you and saves you—That’s God’s business.

(e) You are also not saved unless you, of your own volition, come to Christ in repentance and faith. That is your business.

(f) God never tells us to sweat the stuff that belongs to Him, but He makes a great deal of fuss about our being responsible to repent and believe.

Acts 17:30 "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:"

(2) We will be His people!— I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

(a) We don’t belong to someone else, we are God’s Property.
(b) We are His People, the Sheep of His pastures.

c. The New Covenant’s Final Form—“…34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

(1) This is still future
(2) The Future Shape of the Covenant

(a) Teaching will not be required, at least by us—God will be our teacher then.

(b) Evangelism will not be required, for all of the Covenant people will be gathered in.

(c) All will know as they are known.


1 John 3:2 “… Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

1 Cor 13:12 "… then shall I know even as also I am known."

(3) All of His people will be fully discipled! “…for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD…”

(4) The Blessedness of being forgiven— I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

5. The New Covenant Inaugurated—Mat 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

Mat 27:50-51 "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;"

a. The Covenant Meal—Mat 26:20-29

(1) The disciples eat the Covenant Meal with the Maker of the Covenant.

(2) After the false disciple leaves, there is detailed teaching (John 13-17)

b. The Covenant Presented— Mat 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

(1) Testament = diatheke, which is “covenant.”
(2) Christ Himself is the Covenant Sacrifice to be made.

c. The Covenant Cut— Mat 27:50-51

(1) In this moment the Law is fulfilled—

Gal 3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"

Rom 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

Luke 24:44-49
(1) In this moment, the veil in the temple is torn asunder, showing that the way to God is open, and that the Law and its ordinances are done forever.

(2) This began the New Covenant. We are in the New Covenant, we are seeing its ourworking continue, and Our Covenant God guides us in working it out in our lives.

Covenants 11

Chapter 11
The Davidic Covenant
Readings 1 Chr. 17:1-14
Luke 1:26-33


Introductory Thoughts

· We are looking at the covenants of God, especially those covenants that have to do with the promise.
· The Covenants of Promise


1. The Davidic Covenant—that the Messiah, the King, would come from David’s line, and that there would be an eternal throne with this Seed of David ruling upon it.

a. Characteristics
(1) A Covenant of Grace
(2) An unconditional Covenant
(3) A covenant made with David and his descendants
(4) A covenant to be fulfilled in Christ

b. In the Covenant of David, God promised that a Son of David would inherit the throne of David and would establish that throne forever. Christ Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise.

2. Development

a. God began by narrowing the promise to the children of Abraham, then to the descendents of Issac, then to the descendents of Jacob.

b. Judah Selected from the sons of Jacob—Gen 49:8-10

c. David Selected from the sons of Judah—1 Sam 16:1-13

d. The Covenant made (1 Chr. 17:1-15)

(1) The Covenant was God’s idea
(2) The Covenant will be established
(3) As it worked out, the place of individual kings in the Covenant was conditional, but the totality of the Covenant is not conditional.
(4) The eternal nature of the throne promised tells us that the immediate physical descendents of David are not in view, but a future King, descended from David who will establish an eternal throne.

b. The Bible’s interpretation of the Davidic covenant—

(1) 2 Sam 23:1-5 "Now these be the last words of David. …. 5 Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: …”
(2) Psa 89:3-4 “…3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah."
(3) Psa 132:11-18 " The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne… 17 There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed. 18 His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish."

b. Some of the Prophecies about Christ being Davidic

(1) Is 9:6-7
(2) Is 11:1-12
(3) Jer 23:5-6
(4) Micah 5:2

3. The Annunciation to Mary

a. O, Thou Son of David— “…and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:"

(1) The Giver of the Throne—this makes the fulfillment of the Covenant a certainty.
(2) The Davidic Covenant— “…the throne of his father David:"

b. The Identification of Christ as David’s Son.

(1) The New Testament begins by tying both Covenants of promise to Christ Jesus—Mat 1:1 "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

(2) Many people so recognized Him as the Son of David, and Jesus never contradicted that identification.

Mat 9:27 "And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us."

Mat 12:23 "And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?"

Mat 15:22 "And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil."

Mat 20:30-31, Mat 21:9, 15-16

(3) Peter, in his Pentecost sermon, establishes Christ as David’s Son—Acts 2:22-31


4. The Final Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant— Luke 1:33 "And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

a. He Shall Reign

(1) The house of Jacob—the continuation of the Abrahamic Covenant—Eph 2:11-20, Rom 2:28-29
(2) His future Reign is a certainty
(3) A Day has been appointed for His Reign to begin

b. The characteristics of the reign

(1) Israel will be converted in the last days

Zec 12:10 "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."

Rom 11:25-26 "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:"

(2) Jacob will turn to the Messiah!

c. He Shall Reign forever, with an endless kingdom.

Rev 19:6 "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."

Rev 19:11-16 "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

Covenants 9

The Covenants of God
Part 9

The Abrahamic Covenant,
Part b—The Salvation of Abram

Readings: Gen 15:1-6

Introductory Thoughts

* A great and persistent heresy in the world concerns the way of salvation.

* This is an old heresy, dating back to the days immediately after the Garden of Eden, when Cain wanted salvation his way—by his efforts.

* There are always those who want salvation their way, though the way varies.

** Many in our day assume that salvation belongs to anyone and everyone, except perhaps a few “really bad” people.

** Others in our day see salvation in almost equally broad terms—if you have any kind of faith in any kind of God, you are safe, heaven will be your home.

** Still others have some degree of works salvation. You do certain things, you jump through certain hoops, and God saves you as a result of what you have earned from Him.

** Then there is the persistent heresy that a person can state certain words, go through certain ceremonies, and the result is salvation. There is no commitment, no confession (in the Biblical meaning of confession), and no change of life.

** The simple Truth is that God’s way of salvation, which has always been the same, is misunderstood, untaught in many circles, and it is ignored by the vast majority of religious people, as well as by all others who are not religious.

* The text today is the first explanation in the Bible of the way of salvation; it is the first time that a person is saved and we are really told why and how.



1. The Context of the Text—"After these things…”

a. Abram made a detour to Egypt—Gen 12:10 "

(1) Famine—There was famine in the land, and Abram did not know what to do.

(2) Failure of Faith—He did not depend upon God for provision, nor wait on God, he took matters in his own hands.

(3) Lied about Sarai—He did not depend upon God for his protection.

(4) Picked up Hagar in Egypt—probably

b. Abram returned to the land— Gen 12:20

(1) The famine is not said to be over, but God’s Providence put Abram back where God wanted him.

(2) First, Abram went to the South—it is a dry place.

(3) Then Abram traveled to and worshipped at Bethel—upon returning to the Land, upon recovery from his backsliding, Abram worshipped.

(4) There was strife between Abram’s men and Lot’s men.

(5) Lot was allured by Sodom: Sodom was on the border of the Land, but not in the Land, and Sodom was a wicked place:

c. After Lot’s voluntary separation, God made yet another land promise to Abram:
(Gen 13:14-18)

d. Abram rescued Lot and the kings of the cities from the army that had captured them.

e. Abram met with Melchizedek.

f. The Amazing Thing: Abram is, at this point, still a lost man.

(1) He is going to be saved—but only God knows that at this time.

(2) He has done many wonderful things in the service of God, and has dedicated his life to that service.

(3) But he has never believed in the Messiah to come. Because his justification before God is not certified until 15:6, we know the amazing truth that Abram, at this point, and after all these trials and victories, was as yet an unjustified man!

(4) Faith in the Messiah of God is all-important! It matters not what you have done, what you have achieved, how “good” you have been in human terms. If you have not been to Calvary for the Saving Power, if you are not washed in the Blood, you are lost, lost, lost!

2. Abram Sees A Vision— Gen 15

a. God had communicated with Abram before:

(1) Following the call, God appeared to Abram.

Gen 12:7 "And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him."

(2) The incident with Melchizedek—possibly a theopany

(3) God had spoken to Abram before, on several occasions.

(4) And now, God sends His Word in a vision— Gen 15:1 "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."

“…Christ, the essential Word appeared to Abram in a human form, visible to him, and with an articulate voice spoke unto him…” [1]

b. The exhortation to Abram—“…Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."

(1) Fear Not—Abram had feared before, when he went to Egypt.

(a) He had feared the famine—that is why he went to Egypt.

(b) He had feared the Pharaoh, that is why he lied about Sarah.

(c) God tells Abram not to fear.

(2) I am thy shield

(a) Jehovah God will protect Abram—He is pledging to personally be the shield of Abram.

(b) The attacks may and will come, but Jehovah’s protection will not change—because He will not change, and He IS the protection.

(3) And thy exceeding great reward…

“…Though he had generously refused taking any reward for the service he had done in pursuing the kings…and bringing back the persons and goods they had taken away; yet he should be no loser by it, the Lord would reward him in a way of grace with greater and better things; nay, He himself would be his reward, and which must be a great one, an exceeding great one; as Christ is to all His people in His person, offices, and grace, all being theirs and he all and all to them; all the blessings of grace and glory coming along with him, and he being their portion here and herafter, to all eternity; for since He is theirs, all are theirs, all things…pertaining to life and godliness, and eternal life itself. [2]

(4) Abram had honored God.

(5) Abram would not accept reward for what God had done.

(6) Abram had refused earthly benefit—he had stayed in the land when Lot chose the fairer fields of Sodom.

(7) And God HIMSELF is Abram’s reward.

* It was Christ Himself who lived for us.

* It was Christ Himself who died for us.

* It was Christ Himself who rose for us.

* It was Christ Himself who ascended for us and now intercedes for us.

* It is Christ Himself who lives in us through the Holy Spirit.

* It is Christ Himself who will return for us.

Christ Himself is our reward!

3. Abram’s Need— 2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

a. The honest expression of Abram

(1) He didn’t try to kid God—Abram had a problem with the way things were, and he did not understand what God was doing.

(2) Abram saw the most important thing to be children to come. He thought perhaps that God would work through Eliezer, his trusted servant.

(3) There is a note of disappointment in his voice, perhaps, but perhaps also a sign to God that Abram can accept this, if it is God’s will.

b. The situation of Abram

(1) God had not promised that someone from Abram’s house would be made into many nations.

(2) God had promised that Abram would be the father of many nations.

(3) Abram was perhaps thinking that God would not literally fulfill His promises, but only figuratively, or spiritually.

(4) But God’s promises are always fulfilled, and they are always fulfilled literally.

c. The extent of the need that Abram was aware of: his physical need.

(1) His need was absolute—without a physical heir, his hopes would be forever dashed.

(2) His need was desperate; no substitutes would suffice. If he had no heir, he had no heir.

(3) His need was immediate—he did not know how long he had.

(4) His need was beyond his ability to fulfill on his own.

d. The extent of the need that Abram was NOT aware of: justification before God.

(1) His need was absolute—without salvation, all his works would mean nothing.

(2) His need was desperate; no substitutes would suffice. There was only one way of salvation.

(3) His need was immediate—he did not know how long he had to live, and he did not realize he even had the need.

(4) His need was beyond his ability to fulfill on his own.


4. God’s Promise Renewed—4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

a. Eliezer would not be the heir, there would be a physical heir.

b. There would be a numberless seed.

(1) I believe this includes all of the four seeds of Abram.

(2) But by far the greatest number will be found in the multitude no man can number, singing around the throne.

Gal 3:29 "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Rev 7:9 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands…“

d. But most importantly, this includes the Messiah.

(1) The previously-promised universal Blessing.

(a) Gen 12:3 "…in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

(b) All families—the saved come from every nation, kindred, and tongue.

(2) Preeminently, the Unique Seed, Christ, singular—Gal 3:16 "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."

(3) The Gospel had been preached to Abram long before:

Gal 3:6-17 "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham… 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect."



5. Abram Justified By Faith—6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

a. What is the situation—

(1) God has appeared to Abram

(2) This is most likely Christ in His pre-incarnate form

(3) He has told Abram the wonderful news that HE is Abram’s reward.

(4) He answers Abram’s need with a marvelous prophecy that includes His own incarnation as our Savior.

b. And Abraham Believed!

(1) In what Jehovah said

(2) But also in God Himself—He believed in Jehovah God.

(a) His Faith is in the Person of the LORD, the I AM.

(b) His Faith is in the Promise of the LORD, the I AM.

(c) His Faith is in the LORD, the I AM, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Seed to come.

(d) He looks forward to the future work of Christ.

(e) But in the present, He knows Christ!

John 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad."

c. And Abram is Justified by Faith in Christ!

Gen 15:6 "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."

d. This is the same as New Testament Justification.

(1) The Bible plainly declares it

Rom 4:1-3 "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

(2) There can be no other way to save lost men!

(3) The roll call of Hebrews 11 plainly lists the OT saints as “in the faith…”

(4) Some have erroneously taught that OT salvation was different, that it had to do with animal sacrifices, rituals, and works.

(5) But the Truth is, that OT salvation was by Grace through Faith in the Christ to come, just as NT salvation is by Grace through Faith in the Christ who has come.

Job 19:25-26 "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:"

e. What did NOT happen here:

(1) God did not take Abram’s self-generated faith as a substitute for righteousness.

(2) God did not just arbitrarily declare Abram was righteous; God did not just forgive.

(3) God knew that He would work a way of salvation through the sacrifice of His Son.

(4) God did not just forgive Abram’s sins—Abram’s sins were seen as paid for by the sacrifice of Christ, who had not yet even come.

Rom 4:17 "…God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."

(5) God did not just see Abram as righteous; in God’s eyes, Abram was righteous, through the righteousness of Christ Jesus, the Messiah to come.




6. Abram’s Justification Applied Today—6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

a. The Need—whoever you are, you need salvation.

(1) Your need is absolute—without salvation, you lose everything.

(2) Your need is desperate—no substitutes will do.

(3) Your need is immediate—you did not know how long you have.

(4) Your need is beyond your ability to fulfill on your own.

b. The Promise

(1) A simple way of salvation is given to us in the Bible, but it is often ignored in favor of human-inspired ways.

(2) Killing some sacred cows—salvation is not:

(a) Salvation is not “Accepting Christ as personal Savior…” If that statement offends you, then show me one verse of the Bible that mentions either of these terms: “accepting Christ,” or “personal Savior.” You can’t—the words do not appear.

(i) There is not a single verse of the Bible that says anything about “…accepting Christ.”

(ii) One accepts things that are inevitable, whether one identifies with them or not.

(iii) If you pull a gun on me and have the drop on me, I must accept that fact.

(iv) The Devil accepts Christ—he has no choice.

(b) We are told that people “receive” Christ, in John 1:12 but receive and accept are vastly different words, and no one is ever told to “receive Him,” we are only told that people do receive Him.

(c) The Bible NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, says that we should “ask Christ into our hearts…” I know that is a sacred cow, but it is no more Biblical than worshipping Mary.

(d) The Bible NEVER tells us to “open our hearts to Christ.” The only verse in the Bible that speaks of the heart being opened is Acts 16:14, which says that God opened Lydia’s heart.

(e) Why make the point? Because the Bible is very specific about the way of salvation, and I believe we should be strictly Biblical.

(3) The way Given by the Bible:

Acts 16:30-31 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

(4) There is a misconception here as well—everyone believes. I commonly hear the excuse from obviously lost people, “well, I believe in God…” So what if you believe in the obvious fact that there is a God—that only proves you are not a total fool. Remember, on the list of all the creatures in the universe who believe in God are all the hosts of Satan! James tells us:

James 2:19 "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."

c. What is saving faith? What is this faith that Abram had which justified him? What is salvation? Salvation is centered in two words: confess, and believe.

Rom 10:8-10 "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

(1)



c. Justification by Faith

(1) If you believe in Christ, if you confess Him as Lord and Savior, you will be saved, you will be justified.

(2) Your record of sins will be wiped away, the righteousness of Christ will be put to your account, and the account is closed!

Rom 4:5-8 "… to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."

d. Identification with Christ—

(1) He is our Protection

(2) He is our Reward

(3) He is our Lord.


[1] John Gill, Gill’s Commentary, Volume 1, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1980 reprint from the 1852 edition by William Hill, London, UK, page 87
[2] Ibid.

Covenants 10

Chapter 10
The Mosaic Covenant
Readings: Ex 19:1-8, 24:1-8

Message: God made a covenant with Israel on Mount Sinai, the Old Covenant, which established Israel as a nation; the Old Covenant is dead and gone, and is no longer in effect, having been fulfilled by Christ, who instituted the New Covenant.

v Short Version: Moses is Dead, but Jesus Lives!

v Introductory Thoughts

v The churches today, as in days of old in the New Testament, are often caught between two opposing viewpoints, both of which are wrong.

· Antinomianism—

Ø This is the idea that there is no law for the Christian, no ethical standard, no code of conduct.

Ø People say, “I’m under grace now, you can’t judge me, how I act is between God and me.”

Ø People imagine that you can claim to be a Christian and live any way you want to live.

Ø These are false teachings. It is evident from The New Covenant Scriptures that Christians have a moral code, in fact, they have a far stricter moral code than the Old Covenant believers had.

· Legalism—Two Forms

Ø Imposing upon Christians, the Old Covenant, or (more commonly) parts of the Old Covenant.

Ø Devising lists of rules for Christian behavior that add to the Bible’s rule—Col 2:20-22

Ø Legalism is a false teaching, whatever form it takes. This is the doctrine of the Pharisee.

v Those who follow either of the heresies mentioned above have the same root problems—

· They do not understand the New Covenant
· They don’t really understand the Old Covenant
· They do not understand the relationship between the Old and New Covenants.

v Today, we are going to do an overview of the Mosaic Covenant, also called the Old Covenant, also (sometimes) called “The Law” or the “Law of Moses,” or sometimes, just “Moses.”

· In the Bible, it is often called the Old Covenant, in distinction from the New Covenant, as in Hebrews.
· The Old Covenant was a works oriented covenant—it is about doing, not about faith.

· The Old Covenant was a conditional covenant—“this do, and thou shalt live.” The requirement under the Law was obedience, perfect obedience, unrelenting obedience.

§ Luke 10:28, Gal 3:10

· The Old Covenant was not a Covenant of salvation. It was a national covenant made with the Physical nation of Israel, mostly lost people.

Ø The Old Covenant was not a Covenant intended to save, but was a covenant designed to convict and rule a stiffnecked and unruly people.

1. The Context of the Old Covenant

a. After Abraham died, God then reaffirmed the Abrahamic covenant with Isaac.

b. Isaac's wife, Rebecca, before her twin sons were even born, received from God a revelation that the eldest twin would not inherit the blessing, but the younger twin would be the recipient of the blessing.


c. And in a valley full of stones, named Luz, God came to Jacob. This, then, was where Jacob saw the ladder ascending into heaven with angels upon it. And at the top of the ladder was the Lord God Himself, and here the Abrahamic covenant was passed on to Jacob.

d. And in the last chapter of Genesis, the family of Jacob, approximately 70 people, entered into Egypt and received the Land of Goshen. And these 70 people comprised the future of what would become Israel; and with them they had the promises and the God of covenant.

e. Then Joseph, because he remembered and believed in the promise of God, refused to be buried in Egypt. And his casket was carried for hundreds of years.

f. Pharaoh of Egypt feared the Hebrews, and made them slaves.

g. Then in bondage, the Hebrews remembered God—though He had never forgotten them.

(1) “… The covenant had been in effect all along from God's point of view; God has not stopped saying, 'I will never leave you, I will never forsake you.' …” (R. Radic, ThD)

(2) And this is where Moses entered history. For Moses was, in effect, a contract or covenant attorney. God sent his attorney to the Pharaoh of Egypt to declare that the Hebrews were His people, that a covenant existed. And the attorney, Moses, provided Pharaoh with a warning.

(3) And as an attorney, Moses began his legal presentation with, 'Let my people go.' Moses was not giving a dissertation on slavery; he was citing the terms of a covenant. For 'my people' is a covenant phrase which delineates a blood covenant, i.e., a contract based upon blood that cannot be abrogated for any reason.

(4) Then followed the ten plagues, the first nine of which exhibited the patience and long-suffering of God; for nine times God allowed Pharaoh to 'harden his heart;' and then came the final plague, the judgment of the firstborn.

(5) And it should be noted that the judgment of the firstborn was forestalled only by the grace of God, for the judgment should have been immediate.

(6) Each plague involved an Egyptian false “god”.

(a) Egyptians worshipped the River Nile

(b) Egyptians worshipped the Crocodile god—that is why they threw the babies in the water, as a sacrifice.

(c) Egyptians worshipped the Nile Frog.

“…And at the conclusion of the nine plagues, the only god left was Pharaoh himself, for he believed that he was the incarnation of light. That is why Ra is the medial infix of the word Pharaoh. For Ra was the deity of light. And the Pharaoh of the Exodus was Ra-amses; and his very name spoke of his deity. And the ninth plague, the supernatural darkness that enveloped Egypt demonstrated that the last remaining god, the god of light, Raamses, was also impotent. For Raamses was impotent in the face of this darkness. Thus, the idols were dethroned….” (R. Radic)

h. After the Passover, after the Exodus, then Israel met with God at Mount Sinai.


2. The Old Covenant—God made a covenant with Israel on Mount Sinai, the Old Covenant, which established Israel as a nation; the Old Covenant is dead and gone, and is no longer in effect, having been fulfilled by Christ, who instituted the New Covenant.

a. The Covenant Proposed—Exo 19:3-6

(1) This was a national covenant
(2) This was a national covenant for Israel only.
(3) It was a covenant imposed by God.
(4) Unlike the Abrahamic Covenant, it was conditional—“…this do and live…”, there were a lot of “ifs.”

b. The Covenant Accepted—19:7-8

(1) The people pledged to follow all the words of God.
(2) This was an impossible pledge, but they made it anyway.

c. The words of the Covenant—Exo 20:1-3

(1) The Ten Commandments were the covenant—Exo 34:28, Deu 4:13, Deu 10:4

(2) What about the Other Laws? There were three other types of commands associated with the Old Covenant, spread throughout Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.

(a) The “judgments,” which applied the ten basic laws— Exo 21:1
(i) These “judgments” were like our administrative regulations in some respects.
(ii) These judgments were like case law in other respects.
(iii) These judgments are moral in nature, and are explanations and reflections of one or more of the Ten Commandments.
(iv) Examples

(i) Exo 21:11-14— This is what we could call in our culture the difference between premeditated murder and voluntary or involuntary manslaughter.
(ii) Exo 22:2—In our system, we would call this justifiable homicide.

(b) The second general category of supplementary laws in the Old Covenant are the regulations of the tabernacle services and the priesthood—Heb 9:1-5
(c) The third general category of supplementary laws in the Old Covenant are the Dietary and sanitary laws—Deu 14:9-10
(d) Deu 22:9-11
(e) But these various laws were NOT the covenant: The ten commandments were the covenant.

d. The Covenant Made—Exo 24:3-8

e. The Covenant, and the Administration of the Covenant summed up.

(1) The Tablets of Stone—the Covenant
(2) The judgments—the commands that implemented the Covenant.
(3) Leviticus—the priesthood manual of the Aaronic priesthood.

f. Observations, category 1—the Law

(1) Every part of the Hebrew citizen’s life was regulated.
(2) The Law had no grace in it—a man who broke the Sabbath by picking up sticks was stoned to death!

Gal 4:21 "Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?"

(3) The Hebrew people were rebellious about following the Law—they never really followed it.
(4) The Law was not selective—you were required to follow every little point of it—Gal 3:10 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."
(5) Those today who want to put Christians under the Old Covenant always do it partially, picking out this law or that law—the Bible knows nothing of that method.
(6) You cannot pick out a rule from the Old Covenant and willy-nilly apply that rule in the New Covenant, unless you want to go back under the whole Old Covenant.
(7) The Old Covenant is not for the church.
(8) With the Old Covenant, it was all or nothing. If you want to go back under the Old Covenant, you must go all the way.

ü Build a stone altar
ü Don’t eat pork and catfish
ü Worship on the Sabbath (Saturday), and do absolutely nothing else on the Sabbath, even if it means your boss fires you.
ü Let your sideburns and beard grow long.
ü Wear a hat at all times.
ü Tithe 27%.
ü No blended cloth in your clothes—pure cotton or wool only.
ü Don’t mix types of grass seed.
ü Have only unleavened bread for Passover.
ü No cheeseburgers—you cannot mix cheese and meat under the Law.

Gal 4:21 "Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?"

(9) The Old Covenant was for the nation of Israel of that time, not for the gentile nations at any time, and not even for Israel today!

(10) The church is under the New Covenant, and it is the New Covenant’s rules which we must learn and follow.

3. The Old Covenant Today—

a. The Law has been fulfilled—God made a covenant with Israel on Mount Sinai, the Old Covenant, which established and governed Israel as a nation; the Old Covenant is dead and gone, and is no longer in effect, having been fulfilled by Christ, who instituted the New Covenant.

b. Why Did God Cut The Old Covenant?

(1) Because of the sin and transgressions of stiffnecked Israel, God gave them the Law to govern them until the Messiah came. Gal 3:19-24

(2) The Law convinced and convicted men of their sins—Rom 3:19-20

c. The Old Covenant Was Never A Covenant of Salvation.

(1) It did not supersede the Abrahamic Covenant, which was the Covenant of Promise.

(2) It did not offer a viable way of salvation.

(3) The only way to salvation is through faith in Christ, and that is the only way of salvation there has ever been! Gal 3:21-22

d. The Old Covenant Was Fulfilled by Christ on the Cross.

(1) He said He would do—Mat 5:17
(2) He did what He said— Rom 10:4
(3) Heb 8:6-13 , Heb 9:11-14

e. The Church is not under the Old Covenant, the Church is under the New Covenant—Mat 26:28, Heb 9:15

f. What does the Old Covenant have to say to the church?

(1) The Old Covenant helps us understand God’s view of morality and Law. Much of our secular law in the Anglo-Saxon legal tradition comes directly from the Law of Moses.

(2) Nine of the ten commandments of the Old Covenant are repeated in the New Covenant. (The Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ—we do not worship on the Sabbath, we worship on the Lord’s day.)

(3) The Old Covenant rules can be used for applications: To apply Old Covenant rules today:

(a) Show that a particular rule has not been openly superseded.
(b) Examples: the laws of clean and unclean foods have been superseded. The laws against murder and adultery have not been superseded.
(c) Show that the rule is part of an eternal moral principle—that is, it was in effect in the Old Covenant, and it is specifically made part of the New Covenant.
(d) Example: the laws against homosexuality are re-iterated in the New Covenant, so the Old Covenant rules still apply.
(e) Example: the principle of tithing (giving God a tenth) goes back before the Old Covenant. It goes all the way back to Abram, so it is a valid idea. However, the rules and regulations specifically regarding the tithe in the Old Covenant are not for the New Covenant (the Old Covenant tithes added up to 27%!).

(4) The types and shadows of the Tabernacle and the sacrificial system are pictures of Christ.

(5) In the Old Covenant, we see how God dealt with sinful, rebellious, Israel.

(a) Paul tells us that the things that happened to Israel are for our example—1 Cor 10:5-12
(b) Hebrews uses the judgments against Israel as a warning to professing believers who ignore God’s Word and rebel against Him—Heb 3:8-12


g. What does the apostle say about the Law and the New Testament church? Law is a dead covenant—to go under the Law is to throw off freedom and return to a yoke of slavery—Gal 5:1

Applications—the Law and You

1. If you are a born again believer, the Law can inform you, but the Law does not govern you.

2. If you are lost, the Law can tell you your sin, tell you your sinfulness, and it can tell you your need of Christ, but it cannot save you.

3. Christ fulfilled the Law on the Cross.

4. The Law is a dead covenant, good for information, but not a rule of Life for anyone living today.

God made a covenant with Israel on Mount Sinai, the Old Covenant, which established and governed Israel as a nation; the Old Covenant is dead and gone, and is no longer in effect, having been fulfilled by Christ, who instituted the New Covenant.

Covenants 8

Chapter 8
The Abrahamic Covenant,
Part 2—The Salvation of Abram

Readings: Gen 15:1-6

v This morning, we will see the salvation of Abram—we will examine how God worked this in his life.

v This time, we will examine the way of Abram’s salvation—this is very important, because the way Abram was saved is the only way of salvation, the only way there has ever been, and the only way there ever will be.

v We have a lot of ideas and paradigms about salvation in our minds that we need to be rid of.

· Because of the influence of Arminianism, many misunderstand the eternal plan of God and the watchcare He takes over His people throughout their life.

· God had worked in Abram’s life for many years, and had done marvelous things for Abram, through Abram, and in Abram, but as we look at 15:1-5, God has not yet saved Abram. Abram is, until 15:6 an unjustified, unsaved man. We will say more about that in a minute.

· I can look back now over my life, and I can see God’s Hand at work in my life many years before He saved me, as He gently drew me, worked in my life, slowly revealed Himself to me.

· I was not aware of what was going on, and the casual Christian observer would think I was just another lost person, and based on what I knew at the time, I might have been just another lost person, but God had His hand on my life.

v Gal 1:13-16

· In the same way, what we see this morning is the final stage of God’s drawing ministry to Abram, as Abram becomes truly a child of God, and, in Abram’s case, the father of the faithful.

1. The Context of the Text—"After these things…”

a. Abram made a detour to Egypt—Gen 12:10
(1) Famine—There was famine in the land, and Abram did not know what to do.
(2) Abram had a failure of faith—He did not depend upon God for provision, nor wait on God, he took matters in his own hands, and left the Holy Land to go to Egypt.

(3) While in Egypt, out of fear, Abram lied about Sarai—He did not depend upon God for his protection, but upon his wiles.

(4) Picked up Hagar in Egypt—(probably)


b. Abram returned to the land— Gen 12:20-Gen 13:1

(1) The famine is not said to be over, but God’s Providence put Abram back where God wanted him.
(2) First, Abram went to the South—it is a dry place.
(3) Then Abram traveled to and worshipped at Bethel—upon returning to the Land, upon recovery from his backsliding, Abram worshipped.
(4) There was strife between Abram’s men and Lot’s men.
(5) Lot was allured by Sodom, Lot chose Sodom.

Gen 13:10 "And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar." :

(6) Sodom was on the border of the Land, but not in the Land. Sodom was out of the place of blessing, and Sodom was a wicked place: Gen 13:11-13
c. After Lot’s voluntary separation, God made yet another land promise to Abram: (Gen 13:14-18)
d. Abram rescued Lot and the kings of the cities from the army that had captured them.
e. Abram met with Melchizedek.
f. The Amazing Thing: Abram is, at this point, still a lost man.

(1) He is going to be saved—but only God knows that at this time.
(2) He has done many wonderful things in the service of God, and has dedicated his life to that service.
(3) But he has never believed in the Messiah to come. Because his justification before God is not certified until 15:6, we know the amazing truth that Abram, at this point, and after all these trials and victories, was as yet an unjustified man!
(4) Faith in the Messiah of God is all-important!

(5) It matters not what you have done, what you have achieved, how “good” you have been in human terms.

(6) If you have not been to Calvary for the Saving Power, if you are not washed in the Blood, you are lost, lost, lost!

2. Abram Sees A Vision— Gen 15 "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

a. God had communicated with Abram before:

(1) Following the call, God appeared to Abram.

(i) Gen 12:7 "And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him."

(2) The incident with Melchizedek—possibly a theopany
(3) God had spoken to Abram before, on several occasions.
(4) And now, God sends His Word in a vision— Gen 15:1 "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."

1. “…Christ, the essential Word appeared to Abram in a human form, visible to him, and with an articulate voice spoke unto him…” [1]

b. The exhortation to Abram—“…Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."

(1) Fear Not—Abram had feared before, when he went to Egypt.
(a) He had feared the famine—that is why he went to Egypt.
(b) He had feared the Pharaoh, that is why he lied about Sarah.
(c) God tells Abram not to fear.
(d) Abram has won a military victory against five kings, but he has not wiped them out. They are still a potential danger—but God tells Abram not to fear.
(e) Abram is a small fish in a spiritually hostile environment—But God tells him not to fear.

(2) I am thy shield
(a) Jehovah God will protect Abram—He is pledging to personally be the shield of Abram.

(b) The attacks may and will come, but Jehovah’s protection will not change—because He will not change, and He IS the protection.

(3) And thy exceeding great reward…

“…Though he had generously refused taking any reward for the service he had done in pursuing the kings…and bringing back the persons and goods they had taken away; yet he should be no loser by it, the Lord would reward him in a way of grace with greater and better things; nay, He himself would be his reward, and which must be a great one, an exceeding great one; as Christ is to all His people in His person, offices, and grace, all being theirs and he all and all to them; all the blessings of grace and glory coming along with him, and he being their portion here and herafter, to all eternity; for since He is theirs, all are theirs, all things…pertaining to life and godliness, and eternal life itself. [2]

(1) Abram had honored God.
(2) Abram would not accept reward for what God had done.
(3) Abram had refused earthly benefit—he had stayed in the land when Lot chose the fairer fields of Sodom.

(4) And God HIMSELF is Abram’s reward.

(a) It was Christ Himself who lived for us.

(b) It was Christ Himself who died for us.
(c) It was Christ Himself who rose for us.
(d) It was Christ Himself who ascended for us and now intercedes for us.
(e) It is Christ Himself who lives in us through the Holy Spirit.
(f) It is Christ Himself who will return for us.
(g) Christ Himself is our reward!

3. Abram’s Need— 2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

a. The honest expression of Abram

(1) He didn’t try to kid God—Abram had a problem with the way things were, and he did not understand what God was doing.

(2) Abram saw the most important thing to be children to come. He thought perhaps that God would work through Eliezer, his trusted servant.

(3) There is a note of disappointment in his voice, perhaps, but perhaps also a sign to God that Abram can accept this, if it is God’s will.

b. The situation of Abram

(1) God had not promised that someone from Abram’s house would be made into many nations.
(2) God had promised that Abram would be the father of many nations.
(3) Abram was perhaps thinking that God would not literally fulfill His promises, but only figuratively, or spiritually.
(4) But God’s promises are always fulfilled, and they are always fulfilled literally.

c. The extent of the need that Abram was aware of: his physical need.

(1) His need was absolute—without a physical heir, his hopes would be forever dashed.
(2) His need was desperate; no substitutes would suffice. If he had no heir, he had no heir.
(3) His need was immediate—he did not know how long he had.
(4) His need was beyond his ability to fulfill on his own.

d. The extent of the need that Abram was NOT aware of: justification before God.

(1) His need was absolute—without salvation, all his works would mean nothing.
(2) His need was desperate; no substitutes would suffice. There was only one way of salvation.
(3) His need was immediate—he did not know how long he had to live, and he did not realize he even had the need.
(4) His need was beyond his ability to fulfill on his own.

4. God’s Promise Renewed—4-5

a. Eliezer would not be the heir, there would be a physical heir.
b. There would be a numberless seed.

(1) I believe this includes all of the four seeds of Abram.
(2) But by far the greatest number will be found in the multitude no man can number, singing around the throne.
(a) Gal 3:29 "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
(b) Rev 7:9 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands…“

c. But most importantly, this includes the Messiah.

(1) The previously-promised universal Blessing.

(a) Gen 12:3 "…in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
(b) All families—the saved come from every nation, kindred, and tongue.

(2) Preeminently, the Unique Seed, Christ, singular—Gal 3:16 "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."
(3) The Gospel had been preached to Abram long before: Gal 3:6-17

5. Abram Justified By Faith—6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

a. What is the situation—

(1) God has appeared to Abram
(2) This is most likely Christ in His pre-incarnate form
(3) He has told Abram the wonderful news that HE is Abram’s reward.
(4) He answers Abram’s need with a marvelous prophecy that includes His own incarnation as our Savior.

b. And Abraham Believed!

(1) In what Jehovah said

(2) But also in God Himself—He believed in Jehovah God.
(a) His Faith is in the Person of the LORD, the I AM.
(b) His Faith is in the Promise of the LORD, the I AM.
(c) His Faith is in the LORD, the I AM, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Seed to come.
(d) He looks forward to the future work of Christ.
(e) But in the present, He knows Christ!

John 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad."

c. And Abram is Justified by Faith in Christ!

Gen 15:6 "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."

d. This is the same as New Testament Justification.

(1) The Bible plainly declares it—Rom 4:1-3 "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
(2) There can be no other way to save lost men!
(3) The roll call of Hebrews 11 plainly lists the OT saints as “in the faith…” Heb 11:8-13
(4) Some have erroneously taught that OT salvation was different, that it had to do with animal sacrifices, rituals, and works.
(5) But the Truth is, that OT salvation was by Grace through Faith in the Christ to come, just as NT salvation is by Grace through Faith in the Christ who has come—Job 19:25-26 "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:"

e. What did NOT happen in the justification of Abram.

(1) God did not take Abram’s self-generated faith as a substitute for righteousness.

(a) This is an important point, because there are many who teach and believe this sort of thing.
(b) In this idea, God tried the Law, and it was too hard, so he said, “OK, there is only one law now, just believe and we will call it even. Your faith equals righteousness.”
(c) Like many heresies, this sounds right on the surface, this seems plausible, but it is a demonic false teaching.

(d) Abram, and all the rest of us who are saved, are saved because of the Person and the Works of Christ. He fulfilled righteousness for us, and it is because faith is in HIM that we are saved.
(e) And furthermore, that faith is not self-generated; it is a gift of God.
(f) Jesus paid it ALL.

(2) Also, God did not just arbitrarily declare Abram was righteous; God did not just forgive.
(3) God knew that He would work a way of salvation through the sacrifice of His Son.
(4) God did not just forgive Abram’s sins—Abram’s sins were seen as paid for by the sacrifice of Christ, who had not yet even come—Rom 4:17
(5) God did not just see Abram as righteous; by faith, Abram was righteous, through the righteousness of Christ Jesus, the Messiah to come.

f. What did happen in Abram’s justification:

(1) Abram was awakened to the realization that he could do nothing to make the promise happen.
(2) Abram saw his own inadequacy.
(3) Abram looked to Jehovah God and saw in Him the answer for every need.

(4) Abram was granted the gift of faith, and in faith, he looked to Jehovah God alone for all things.
(5) God took Abram’s sin and applied it to the account of Christ.
(6) God took Christ’s righteousness and applied it to the account of Abram.
(7) Then God closed the account—Rom 4:8 "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."


[1] John Gill, Gill’s Commentary, Volume 1, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1980 reprint from the 1852 edition by William Hill, London, UK, page 87
[2] Ibid.

Covenants 7

The Covenants of God
Part 7 The Abrahamic Covenant
Part 1—The Promise Prior to The Covenant
Readings: Gen 12:1-8

Introductory Thoughts

1. We are going to spend a lot of time on the Abrahamic Covenant, for several reasons.

(1) Abraham is one of the great heroes and characters of the faith.
(2) The Bible has a lot of information about Abraham.
(3) The Abrahamic Covenant was the precursor to the New Covenant; the Abrahamic Covenant was the Covenant of Promise, and we who are believers in Christ are one with faithful Abraham.
(4) So, God’s dealings with Abraham are a significant part of God’s self-revelation throughout history.
(5) The Abrahamic Covenant: a Covenant of Grace
(a) The first covenant, with Noah was a covenant of grace as well, but this was an individual covenant with an individual man, though the benefits would flow to a multitude.
(b) The covenant with Noah was about earthly benefits and responsibilities. The Covenant with Abraham has earthly aspects, but its essence is primarily spiritual.
(6) An unconditional Covenant—there are no conditions; if you are in the Covenant, you are in the Covenant.
(7) Part of the New Covenant revelation
(a) This covenant with Abraham is the Covenant that begins the chain of covenants and events that lead to Calvary and the New Covenant.
(b) The Abrahamic Covenant is the promise, the New Covenant is the fulfillment.
(8) The Abrahamic Covenant and the Law of Moses—
(a) The Old Covenant (Moses) is a covenant of a completely different type.
(b) Nothing in the Law can contradict the Abrahamic.
(c) The Law is NOT a way of salvation: it does not supersede the Abrahamic Covenant.
(d) The Law is a covenant brought in to help.
(9) Three Aspects to the Covenant
(a) Earthly Kingdoms for the Natural Seed, all who come from Abram.
(i) We see that in the Arabic nations, who are all descended from this one man.
(b) An Earthly Land for the Special Natural Seed, Israel
(i) This was partially fulfilled during the ancient kingdom of Israel, but has never been completely fulfilled.
(ii) There is an argument among theologians as to whether or not there is still a land promise, or if the land promise has been “spiritualized” into spiritual promises realized in the church.
(iii) I believe this land promise is yet to be fulfilled.
(10) A heavenly land and kingdom for the Unique Seed, that is, Christ, and the Spiritual Seed, Christ’s People
(11) In looking at the Abramic Covenant, we must break it up into parts, as it covers an amazing amount of scripture.

(a) The Abrahamic Covenant, Part 1—The Promise Prior to The Covenant: Gen 12:1-3
(b) The Abrahamic Covenant, Part 2—The Salvation of Abram: Gen 15:1-6
(c) The Abrahamic Covenant, Part 3—God Cuts the Covenant: Gen 15:7-20

The name of the man—at this point, until much later in the story, his name is Abram, pronounced ab-rawm’.



1. The Call of Abram— Gen 12:1 "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:”

a. Who was Abram, and from whom and where did he come?

(1) Ten generations from Shem
(2) A citizen of Ur, a pagan idol-worshipper.

b. The Earlier False Start and halfway trip— Gen 12:1

(1) God had called him from Ur, and they only went as far as Haran—Gen 11:31

(a) God had called Abram to leave country, kindred, and his father’s house. Abram tried to bring all the above with him.
(b) “Terah took…” We don’t know what conversations Abram had with his father, or how his father got involved. Terah was not called—Abram was.
(c) They got halfway to Canaan, and stopped.

(2) He stayed in Haran until his father died, and his brother, Nahor, stayed in Haran when Abram left.

c. The Call—God called Abram out—Gen 12:1 "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:"

(1) Leave your country
(2) Leave your family
(3) Leave your father’s house
(4) Go into a land far away.
(5) Put this in modern terms.

(a) A city dweller in late mid life.
(b) A businessman, perhaps, not a country boy at all.
(c) The Call:

(i) Sell the BMW, the condo, and the yacht.
(ii) Give your notice down at the office
(iii) Cash in the 401K and the mutual funds.
(iv) Leave your kin and friends behind (except for your wife and servants).
(v) Depart for parts unknown; I will show you on the way.

d. What this call meant to a man of Abram’s day.
(1) It was more like going to another galaxy than to another country.
(2) It meant going, with a very small bad of relatives and servants, into a dangerous and unknown area.
(3) It meant leaving all support, family, financial, and otherwise, far behind.
(4) It meant a city man (Abram), used to being in one place, used to having the conveniences of city life, adopting the Bedouin lifestyle.

e. Why did God Call Abram?

(1) Not of works—Rom 4:1-3 "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
(2) Not because he was anything special in UR—we have no indications of that.
(3) Not because of youth.
(4) Not because of natural character—we see several character flaws in Abram the man.
(5) The Call was because of Grace—Rom 4:16



2. The Promises to Abram

a. The First Promise—2 And I will make of thee a great nation,

(1) This man was going to be the father of a nation.
(a) Not as Washington, the military and political father of America.
(b) But literally, the physical father of the Nation of Israel.
(2) Note, God did not say he would help Abram conquer a nation, or any such thing. God said, “…I will make of thee a great nation…”

b. The Second Promise—”…and I will bless thee,

(1) To Bless – Barak—“To bless in the OT means, ‘to endue with power for success, prosperity, decundity, longevity, etc.’ it is frequently contrasted with qalal, ‘to curse.’” [1]

(2) Truly God did bless Abram in every way.

c. The Third Promise— ”…and make thy name great;”

(1) How greatly this was fulfilled!
(2) Abram is revered by three of the world’s major religions. Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike look to Abram as a patriarch.

d. The Fourth Promise— “…and thou shalt be a blessing:”

(1) He was a blessing to his neighbors
(2) He was a blessing to his family
(3) His example of faith is a blessing to all who believe in Christ

e. The Fifth Promise— 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:

(1) A key promise—to oppose Abram is to oppose God.
(2) To curse Abram’s people is to invite the curse of God.

(a) True Christians
(b) Jews
(c) Israel

f. The Sixth Promise— and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

(1) The promise of the Messiah
(2) There will be people saved from every nation, kindred, and tongue—Rev 5:9-10, 7:9-14

3. Abram’s Obedience—12:4-6

a. Consider the obstacles to this obedience

(1) Distance— and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
(2) Danger
(3) Abram’s Age— Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
(4) There is the family to consider—5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and
(5) Great possessions at risk—all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; 6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land…”

b. In spite of all the obstacles, Abram obeyed!

4. Abram’s Encounter With God: 12:7-8

a. The Encounter With God—12:7

(1) God could have spoken, but He appeared to Abram.
(2) This is a theopany, an appearance of God.
(3) By the revelation given to us in the New Testament, we know that this was a pre-incarnate appearance of the Son—John 1:18 "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."
(4) This was not a full manifestation of the Glory of God, because no man (still in the flesh) can behold that Glory

b. Abram’s Other encounters with God

(1) God spoke to him many times
(2) Gen 15:1—God appeared in a vision
(3) Gen 15:17—the furnace and the lamp.
(4) Gen 17:1—when Abram was 99.
(5) Gen 18—the three men visit.
(6) The Angel of the Lord on Mt. Moriah

5. The Confirmation of the Promise of Land—12:7

a. The Promise of Land—12:7

(1) This is an unconditional promise
(2) There is no time limit set

b. The Continuing Worship—12:8

c. Questions

(1) Has the land promise been fulfilled?

(a) No. At no time has Israel possessed the land promised to them.

(2) Has the land promise been abrogated?

(a) No—the Abrahamic Covenant is not conditional, and there are no scriptures which say that God has abrogated the land promise.

(3) Has the land promise been spiritualized?

(a) There is a spiritual dimension to the Abrahamic Covenant, but there is no Biblical teaching that the land promise has been fulfilled non-literally in a “spiritual” way.

d. Unusual observations

(1) God is the initiator, God is the prime actor, in everything we see here. Abram is the recipient of God’s Grace, not the cause of it.
(2) God has much yet to reveal to Abram.
(3) Abram was not yet converted (see Gen 15:6).

(a) The fact that Abram was a worshipper of God did not mean that he was saved.
(b) The fact that Abram had seen God did not mean he was saved.
(c) The fact that Abram had sacrificed did not mean he was saved.



Applications

1. God has only begun to work in Abram’s life—and he is already a senior citizen. Even making allowances for his longer lifespan, he is at midlife.

2. Abram has answered the call, has had God appear to him, and he is not yet saved!

3. This should be an encouragement for the senior citizen—God might just have some things for you to accomplish yet.

4. This should be a lesson for the religious but lost. Unless you have been to Calvary for the cleansing power, you are not God’s child.
[1] TWOT, Moody Press, Chicago, IL, 1980, page 132.

Covenants 6

The Covenants of God
Part 6—The Noahic Covenant

Reading: Gen 8:20-9:17

* Todayt, we look at the Noahic Covenant—promised before the flood, consummated after the flood.

* Finally, is this a Covenant?

“…A covenant is an unchangeable, divinely-imposed, legal agreement between God and man that stipulates the conditions of their relationship…”[1]

*Criteria

(1) A Covenant is something conceived and established by God Himself, with a man, a family, a nation, or creation—This is a covenant established by God Himself, with Noah’s family and with all the creatures who survived the flood.

(2) The scope of a covenant is defined by God—this covenant has a universal scope.

(3) A Covenant may be conditional (a works covenant) or unconditional (a Grace covenant). This is unconditional—God will do what God will do, regardless.

(4) A Covenant is monergistic, one-sided, dictatorial—God is the ruler and judge of every covenant He makes with man. That is certainly the case here.

(5) The times for a covenant are established by God—this covenant is called “everlasting.”

(6) Covenants always involve blood and cutting. Noah makes a sacrifice.

(7) Covenants have rules and regulations of administration and enforcement. God gives very definite rules about human conduct.

(8) Covenants are so named by God—this is the first named covenant.

1. The Noahic Covenant

a. The Covenant Promised (quym beryth)—18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.

b. The Noahic Covenant Consummated

(1) The Participants

(a) God
(b) Noah and his sons and their families and descendants—Gen 9:8-9
(c) All living creatures! 8:10
(d) The sign of the covenant—8:12

(2) The duration of the Covenant—8:15-17. The Sacrifice of the Covenant—Gen 8:20-21

c. The provisions of the Noahic Covenant

(1) The Command to multiply and replenish is repeated here—Gen 9:1
(2) Man is given different food—9:2-4

(a) Man was not authorized to eat meat before this.
(b) It may be that in the violent, pre-flood world, meat was eaten, but it was not legal.
(c) Now, God institutes the eating of meat.

(3) Murder is Forbidden, and Capital Punishment for murder is mandated—9:5-6

(a) Capital punishment is legalized.
(b) God had set a mark on Cain to protect him, but now capital punishment is mandated for murderers.

(c) The opponents of capital punishment accuse the government of murder—that is not the Biblical definition of murder. The Biblical definition of murder is when an individual consciously, purposely, and deliberately kills another human being.

(d) Capital punishment is not murder—it is God’s ordained way of dealing with murderers.

(4) Multiplication is contrasted with murder—7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

(a) God loves people; God loves life; God loves babies.
(b) The murder of the unborn stinks in God’s nostrils, and is a rebellion against every covenant, every instruction, every Law, that God ever ordained.
(c) How curious that the pagans who oppose God, the liberals, are usually for abortion, but against capital punishment (and they want to save the whales and the sand fleas too).

(d) The life of a murderer is too sacred to take; the life of a whale must be protected; the life of a sand flea is precious beyond measure, and the government should protect all of them, but the life of an unborn baby is nobody’s business but the mother’s? That is so idiotic that I fail to understand how intelligent people can buy that horse manure!

(5) The key promise: God will not again destroy the Earth with a flood—Gen 9:8-18
(6) The warning implicit in the promise: He will destroy it in another way!

2. Similarities and Differences With What Has Gone Before

a. Similarities

(1) The command to dominion—this has never changed.
(2) The command to multiplication—this has never changed.
(3) The command to overspread the Earth—this has never changed.
(a) Note, man’s desire to gather in cities and leave the countryside barren and deserted seems to be a natural rebellion against this command.
(b) Cain founded a city, Nimrod founded a city and an empire.

b. Differences with what had gone before.

(1) Meat may be eaten, and Capital punishment is legalized.
(2) This is a covenant—this is the first covenant.

c. Observations

(1) Worship not regulated—God gave no laws, regulations, or ordinances for worship. This was a primitive, rudimentary Covenant with no development of a priesthood, etc.
(2) Few written laws except for murder.
(3) The way of salvation is not specified.
(4) But, as with Adam and his first descendants, the people left alive after the flood start with a basic knowledge of God, and as before, civilization declines rapidly, along with knowledge of God—* Rom 1:18-25

3. Criteria for a Covenant

a. Was the Noahic Covenant conceived and established by God Himself?

(1) Yes, it wasn’t anyone else’s idea.
(2) Noah did not propose it!
(3) Noah would not even have known about the need had God not told him.

b. What was the scope of the Noahic Covenant?

(1) All humanity
(2) All other living creatures

c. Was it conditional or unconditional?
(1) It was unconditional
(2) Was it monergistic, that is, was the Covenant with Noah totally God-dominated?
(3) Yes

d. What were the times established by God?

(1) “Everlasting”
(2) God’s definition of “everlasting” for this covenant: Gen 8:22 "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

e. Did the Noahic involve blood and cutting?
(1) Yes—Noah made a sacrifice

f. Did the Covenant have rules and regulations of administration and enforcement?

(1) Yes
(2) They were mainly the same as the ones in God’s instructions to Adam, with some things added.

4. Did Man Obey God’s Instructions?

a. In a word—NO—Gen 11:1-4

b. Man was told to overspread the Earth, and man gathered in one place a built a city— Gen 11:8-9

(1) God confused the languages
(2) The overspreading of the earth began again.

5. Applications—“As it was in the Days of Noah…”

a. Is the Noahic Covenant Still in Effect?

(1) First, note the time frame—it is an everlasting covenant. That makes it not time limited by any other factors except by the existence of the earth. Gen 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

(2) None of the provisions of the Noahic covenant are fulfilled, superseded, abrogated, or changed by subsequent covenants. (Note, this will be the case when the present earth no longer exists.)

(3) Therefore all of the provisions of the Noahic Covenant are still in place. If you are a living creature of any kind you are under this covenant right now.

b. The specific provisions of the Covenant today.

(1) The Command to multiply and replenish is still in effect. Carried through from the first instructions given to Adam and here included in the first Covenant, we are to multiply and fill the earth.

(a) Note that one of the great pagan movements which we must fight is the movement to kill children through abortion.
(b) Too many kids, too many kids! Where are our priorities?

(2) The family, established by God, is still the basic building block of society— Gen 9:8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

(a) The pagans attack here as well:
(b) Fornication
(c) “Alternative lifestyles,” homosexuality, lesbianism, etc.
(d) The destruction of the family through the seduction of materialism, etc.
(e) Free and easy divorce, adultery, etc.

(3) Man is still the dominant creature—we are the stewards of the earth. The pagan animal rights movement challenges this continually.

(4) Man may still eat meat.

(a) Again, note that this is one of the areas that the pagans revel in attacking.
(b) Animal rights, vegetarianism, etc.

(5) Murder is Forbidden, and Capital Punishment for murder is mandated—

(a) The same Law of God that says that individuals are not to murder, is the Law that requires the government to enforce that law with the ultimate punishment.
(b) The Liberal left, with their opposition to capital punishment, again flies in the face of God.

(6) Multiplication is contrasted with murder— Gen 9:6-7

(7) God will not again destroy the Earth with a flood—Gen 9:8-18

(8) Note, in our day, mankind seeks to overthrow The judgment of God with respect to man’s violation of this covenant, which was the division of the nations.

(a) Leading American politicians of both political parties are speaking openly of doing away with nations, of having one world government.
(b) Students of Bible prophecy know that this will happen—it will happen when the “man of sin,” or Antichrist is revealed and sets up his one world government.

c. The warning implicit in the promise—God did not say He would not destroy the Earth, only that He would not destroy it with a flood.

d. The warning is actually made quite direct in the New Testament—

(1) Mat 24:37-38
(2) Luke 17:26-27
(3) 2 Pet 3:10-11
[1] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1994, page 515.