Covenant

So it is with the Bible. If we want to understand the teachings of Christ, we must start by understanding the faith of the people to whom he was teaching. This was the covenant community of Jews.

Engage

Settle for good…when great is available?

Focus on the wrong thing???

Wanting longevity instead of legacy.

Tension

Desire to survive, prevents us from thriving

Truth

Exodus - sequel to Genesis.

Covenant is vital to understanding the Bible.

A Covenant is more than an agreement, it is a relationship.

Covenant was God’s ongoing agreement with Israel:

1 Peter 2:10 NIV84

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

“And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; / Then I will say to those who were not My people, “You are My people!” / And they shall say, “‘You are my God!’ ”

Covenant is key to understanding God's relationship with the people he has chosen, no matter how imperfect they are. And God seems to like using imperfect people.

It all started in the garden. Adam and eve were created to be in relationship with God…they were a living covenant. But the fall disrupted that relationship.

Then Noah was promised a covenant after he was delivered in the ark. Rebellion had brought about a deliverance and a new covenant.

Genesis 12:1–2 NIV84

1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

Then we have Abraham who God told: Get out of your country, / From your family / And from your father’s house, / To a land that I will show you. / I will make you a great nation; / I will bless you / And make your name great; / And you shall be a blessing’

What did Abraham do? he left.

Genesis 17:1–2 NIV84

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. 2 I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

He was faithful to God…but still no children. Then when he was 99, God came to him and promised him again.

Genesis 17:4–5 NIV84

4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.

“Behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram; but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations”

Absurd? Yes, Abraham thought so. When the angel told Abraham this, he fell down on the ground laughing. The angel came to announce it a second time, and Sarah laughed. Responding to her laughter, the angel says, “Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return … and Sarah shall have a son” (). And He did, and she did. Scripture puts it cryptically, “The Lord did to Sarah as He had promised” (, RSV). A son through whom He would continue to fulfill His covenant was born. His name was Isaac. Isaac had a son named Jacob, and Jacob had a son named Joseph. It was this favored son of Jacob—Joseph—-who was sold into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers. God continued to move in a mysterious way. By the time famine arose in the land of Jacob and all his family was starving, Joseph had gained favor in Egypt. In fact, he had become a kind of prime minister of the nation. Pharaoh, through Joseph, invited Jacob and his people to come to Egypt and enjoy the “best of all the land” ().

His name was Isaac. Isaac had a son named Jacob, and Jacob had a son named Joseph. It was this favored son of Jacob—Joseph—-who was sold into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers. God continued to move in a mysterious way. By the time famine arose in the land of Jacob and all his family was starving, Joseph had gained favor in Egypt. In fact, he had become a kind of prime minister of the nation. Pharaoh, through Joseph, invited Jacob and his people to come to Egypt and enjoy the “best of all the land” ().

Joseph saw God at work in this and invited his brothers to come, so they did. OF course they had to because there was a Drought in the land and they had no food. But Joseph saw God at work in this. Hear what he said:

Genesis 45:4–7 NIV84

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

Gen 4

‘I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life … to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance’

Genesis 46:3 NIV84

3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.

Then in the next chapter of Genesis, Jacob prays and receives a vision from God to not fear Egypt, that God would make him a great nation there.

Look what happened in our text today. God had answered the promise.

It is expected that what began as a group of 70, 400 years later, had become some 2 million Jews in Egypt. Truly a great nation.

Exodus 1:1–7 NIV84

1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.

This is the first thing I want us to see in the text today. God was working to bring about the fulfilment of his promise, regardless of the situation his people found themselves.

God can work through seemingly impossible situations to accomplish his will.

Yesterday we celebrated Rev Dore’s life. We know him as a compassionate pastor. But did you know that he didn’t even know his parents? He never knew who they were. Normally when a child never knows his parents, he doesn’t have much hope, but God saw to it that Bill Dore would be much more than what was expected.

There are some of you here today who are in situations that don’t seem to be very hope giving.

It may not be a famine, or you may not be an orphan, but regardless of your situation, God is at work seeking to bring about the best for you, that you might know him and bring glory to his name.

That’s God’s desire for bringing us through the difficulties, to bring Glory to his name. That’s the way Jesus described it in the NT when the blind man was healed.

Have you had a circumstance that you shouldn’t have gotten through, but before you knew it, it all worked out? Often times we want take credit for it, credit it to our craftiness or our abilities, when it reality it was God’s grace.

Jesus opened the door for us to enter into relationship with God. His promise to us now is to never leave us nor forsake us; to work all things for the good of those who love him; to continue to seek out the lost, the least, and the broken.

That brings up the second thing I want us to see today. As God continues to seek out the lost, the least, and the broken; he restores us, bringing us into a relationship with him.

So often times,

God uses imperfect people to accomplish his purpose as they answer his call.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, which says a lot about their character, but there was more. Reuben, the oldest was guilty of incest. Simeon and Levi were two of the cruelest men of the time, Judah had questionable morals.

In fact Joseph seems to be the one bright spot, with the rest being violent, compromised men, capable of selling their brother into slavery and to hide their offence, by imposing a gruesome lie on their father. This was a unlikely collection of men who would end up being exalted to patriarch heads of a covenant nation.

But that’s just how God works, he uses the most unlikeliest imperfect characters to accomplish his plan....when they respond to his call.

Look even in the NT, a bunch of teenage fishermen become the Apostles. Paul, a murderer of Christians, becomes the greatest church planter in history.

God called them, they responded. There wasn’t an application process. There were not qualifications to meet, other than the call of God.

Every one of them could have said, you know, I’m sure I should follow him, I should answer the call, but there is too much at risk here. If I go, I’ll lose what I have here. They were willing to give up what they had to pursue what God wanted.

That applies to us to. Often times we don’t feel worthy to be used by God. We don’t think we know enough to lead others.

God can use imperfect people to accomplish his purpose, when they answer his call.

God can work through seemingly impossible situations to accomplish his will.

No difficulty, persecution, or suffering will prevent God’s promise from being fulfilled.

But all it takes is a heart willing to be used by God.

We leave the outcome to God.

That's what happened here. Jacob trusted God when he went to Egypt. He didn’t know what would happen, but he knew he trusted God.

Jacob could have been walking his family into destruction, but he trusted God was at work. He chose to lead his family into a legacy.

Application

The same thing is happening right here around us. God wants to do something in the people in Rock Hall and he is calling us to follow him into being a part of that transformation.

IT’s the same thing God wants in communities all around the world. Communities with churches just like ours. The problem is, in those communities, members just want to get together and build themselves up. Making sure they are doing the things that their members like. They focus on taking care of each other, without listening to God's call for them to be a part of what he wants to do in their community.

They are caught up in providing for their own longevity instead of God’s legacy.

But we aren’t like that. Or we are going to strive to break out of that trap.

We will strive for God’s legacy not our own longevity.

IT’s a trap, because just like that first generation in Exodus, we aren’t going o be around forever. But for us to move forward into God’s plan, for us to be a part of what God is trying to do, we have to be willing to put down what we think is most important and pick up that which God is calling us to.

We took a survey a few weeks before Christmas. I have made available portion of the report from your responses. This week, the leaders of your church are going to begin gathering to discuss our next steps as a church. I ask you to be praying for them, for us.

Inspiration

The great part about this step we are preparing to take, we can’t fail because it’s not ours. It is God’s mission we are on. This is God's work we are going to seek to accomplish. And the end of the story is, God wins.

Action

I am no longer my own but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

*****

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you,

Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

Before the mountains were brought forth, or you had formed the earth, from everlasting to everlasting, you alone are God.

You created light out of darkness and brought forth life on the earth.

You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life.

When we turned away, and our love failed, your love remained steadfast.

You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our sovereign God, and spoke to us through your prophets.

And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ, in whom you have revealed yourself, our light and our salvation.

In his baptism and in fellowship he took his place with sinners.

Your Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to announce that the time had come when you would save your people.

By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:

"Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me."

When the supper was over he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:

"Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us,

as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine.

Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.

By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father (God ), now and for ever.