1689 LBCF Chapter 7 "Of the Covenant" (Bible Study)

He's like, that's way more than two. Well, I'm going to set this bad boy right here.

Most definitely. Whoa, bud. Shepard, hey. Go back with mama now,

OK? Yeah.

It might get crazy, guys. OK. Have that open.

Just in case. It was only on one side.

It's all good. It's all good. Oh, it did? All right. Never mind. It's all gone.

It's all ruined. Well, we'll go ahead and get started with the word of prayer.

Does anybody want to volunteer to pray us in for the evening? I don't see any hands raised yet.

Come on. Go to mama. I will go ahead and pray us in.

How about that? I volunteer. She's crazy.

All right. Let's pray. Lord God, I thank you so much, Lord, for just the vastness that is your word,

Lord. We thank you just so much that every time, Lord, it seems that we come with a cup, Lord, it's hard to be filled.

It is overpouring with mercy and grace, Lord. God, I ask tonight that, especially in light of what we are studying,

Lord, that you would be glorified, you'd be recognized, that our theology would be conformed, shaped, driven, and taught by what your word has to say here for us tonight,

Lord. God, may you grant that our flesh would decrease and our humility would just flourish in recognizing tonight's text and its topic,

Lord. God, I ask this in your mighty name, Jesus Christ, amen. Well, again, it is a huge blessing to see everyone here tonight.

We are going to be in chapter 7 of the 1689 for our topical

Bible study for tonight. Chapter 7, which this chapter is

God's covenant or of the covenant, depending on what confession we have in front of us, but it is of God's covenant, chapter 7.

I think, personally, one of my most favorite topics to study is

God's covenant, especially that of the covenant of grace, the new covenant. I think there was a good majority of us that were here when we were in the book of Hebrews, and we went through Hebrews chapter 8, chapter 9, chapter 10, chapter 11, all the way to the end of Hebrews, and it just kept on having that same new covenant language that we had in there.

So, I feel like we're going to probably, most definitely, read some of Hebrews chapter 8 tonight, and maybe, hopefully dive down a little bit deeper into some of the implications of what the covenant of grace are.

But, all that being said, we're going to start out with paragraph 1 of the 1689, chapter 7.

Would anybody like to volunteer to read that for us tonight? Jonathan, please do.

Jonathan, please do. Thank you,

Jonathan. I appreciate you. I don't necessarily think we need to go and read a scriptural proof on this.

Just to just to chat maybe a little bit through these things What are some maybe of the things that when we read this paragraph because what this is teaching us or it's telling us that the people that wrote this all three of the

Confessions that we've talked about the Westminster the Savoy in the 1689 How what what do you see in here in paragraph one that it's teaching us as a

Christian as a church How they viewed what the Bible taught all even the animals obey

Christ, okay Okay, gotcha. I gotcha.

I would probably say that that's probably most likely talking though rational creatures

I think it's probably humans rational, right? So it's bringing up that image of God language in there

Yeah, yes Yep, I Appreciate you bring that one out

Patty So that's the the three so there's three things that there's theologian that would argue that on every single page of the

Bible there should be three things that we should see in every text and that is one how great

God is and then to how low man is and In seeing that you would see the chasm between the two right that God is infinitely out of reach for man man is is so so low and so The third thing is obviously what

Christ did and coming like us how you span that that chasm there That's the the three theological things that a lot of theologians would say on every page of your

Bible Seek those three things and it'll help it'll help you navigate even difficult texts in those ways

So I appreciate you bringing that up. So that's that is definitely something that they're teaching in this right? They're saying that here in paragraph one it says

The distance between God and these creatures are so great that they could never have attained the reward of life except by God's voluntary consent condensate condescension

What is that talking about Jonathan voluntary condescension, what do you think that that means in that there's a good question

Very good question, huh? Mario you got anything on that? What do you think that means?

Jake you got something. Yeah. Yeah, I think so.

I would say so and I think in particular it's talking about Through Christ in his incarnation, right?

Like that's that's that that voluntary condensation. So let's go real fast We'll look real quickly here at Philippians 2 on this topic

Philippians chapter 2 Teaches exactly what we're talking about right now

Philippians chapter 2 verse 5 and on And prior to this text it talks about how we should seek

To model our lives after Christ as he's given us this example in life And what it says here in verse 5 it says have this way of thinking in yourself

Which is also in Christ Jesus who although existing in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself by taking the form of Of a slave being made in the likeness of men being found in appearance as a man

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross Therefore God also highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name

So that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth

And every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father So what

I ask you just to take note of in that is it says in there that that God or Jesus Exists in the form of God so everything that God is

Jesus also has and is and then after that it says that he exists in the form of a slave of a bondservant of a

Human so everything that we are that makes us who we are Christ also had so that's the hypostatic union in there

And so that's part of God's Condense his his voluntary condescension that we just talked about in that paragraph, right?

So him becoming like us It's him being humbled in that sense, right humility, but it didn't end there, right?

it wasn't like he just became human and we worshiped him and he's still sitting on that wonderful throne that we set up there and Forever and ever on earth right there that didn't happen, right?

We know how the story goes the humility didn't stop at the incarnation It went all the way down to where he was crucified on the cross, right?

And so it's this ongoing humility ongoing humility But even in that one thing

I would also like you to pay attention to is is at the end of paragraph 1 It says he has been pleased to express this through a covenant framework

And so it's teaching to us that even in that God's condescension

God's humility it was expressed to us through a means of a covenantal framework

So we will see this I think in paragraph 2 in paragraph 3, but yes, go ahead Rick Yep Yeah Absolutely That's probably one of those examples where english

Has that has not the that word has not changed but our understanding Or what we view that word meaning probably has changed somewhat right or maybe in the

I think so Right Understandably on the children

Right, I like it That's a good analogy right there that's a really good analogy um

Appreciate you bringing that up brother So let's go ahead and is there anything else that we see here in paragraph one that you guys would want to take?

note of or mention of in this text For in this paragraph Okay So This like I said last week,

I think uh in chapter five of the 16 or chapter 6 of the 1689

And chapter 7 of the 1689 Is going to be different than the west minister and the savoy in some different ways, right?

so so we have to remember that there's some secondary doctrines that that Presbyterians and congregationalists

Would hold to that we would we would typically disagree with namely that of baptism and also the way that they would view the covenants

But here I just want to make note that in the other two confessions that we've made mention of They have five paragraphs in this chapter five paragraphs in this chapter

However, our paragraph three is completely different than any of their paragraphs so that should tell us that Everything that happens in in their other paragraphs that we don't have

The baptist saw this and said we need to express our view. And where do you think that view is going to be found at?

Probably a paragraph three, right? It's going to be that unique What was the baptist's view in the 1600s that differentiated them from presbyterians and congregationalists?

So we'll see that here in a little bit But paragraph two is going to be the same wording as paragraph three

In the 16 or in the west minister in the savoy with some minor changes But would anybody like to volunteer to read paragraph two for the night?

You want to get rick? And promises to give the holy spirit all who are on the table

Thank you rick appreciate it what are some things that you guys would see in this paragraph that would be

Important to take note of or important to to look at Okay Yeah And there's a lot of texts that we could look at for this.

I'm trying to think of a good one to go to right now Um just as an example of a covenant,

I think genesis 15 is a pretty clear example of a covenant Let's look at genesis 15 real fast. I appreciate you bring that up pyler the um a covenant

So this analogy does not even do it justice but uh, how many of us in here have a ring on our left finger

For our left our left hand on our on our ring finger, right? Right? Sorry left finger Right, you only got two fingers.

Yeah the left hand left your ring finger on your left hand, right? This is often called a covenantal sign you between your your spouse

Made a covenant with them. You said I will uh, love you as long as you live all those kind of words, right?

those things that we put in our uh vows and so the ring

Isn't the vow itself. It's the symbol That I made made those those vows with a woman right with my wife

Um, it shows the world those things so the covenant happened when emily and I got married the ring shows the world

It's a covenantal sign. And so we have that all throughout the bible. So clearly a really easy example of that was um

Where's lydia lydia? What did we dress up for halloween as or what did the trunks at the trunk retreat have?

Uh, what do we have a big big picture of that? We were uh doing at the trunk retreat Um noah's ark, what was above noah's ark in that A rainbow, that's right.

So in genesis chapter 11, this is all off the top of my head. So I might be misquoting where it's at but genesis 11

It says that the he the rainbows in the sky as a sign that will not destroy the earth again by water, right?

So that was a sign Of the noahic covenant. So every time we see a rainbow today

Whether or not that it's on somebody's flags or up in the sky It should remind us. Well, god's not going to destroy us even though he

You're totally right in doing so right, especially when it's the flags that remind us of that those symbols, right?

But that's that is god's Uh, the noahic covenant came with that sign was the rainbow, uh, but genesis 15

The reason I want to go here and it might be 17. So there's three chapters in which um

This covenant is really talked about with uh, abraham's I apologize if I Miss speak in a part of it, but in in genesis 12 15 and 17.

Um Abraham has some quite remarkable experiences And in one of these chapters,

I think it's chapter 15 Let's look at these uh verse 1 and on it says after these things the word of yahweh came to abram in a vision

Saying do not fear abram. I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great and abraham said oh lord.

Yahweh What will you give me as I go on being childless childless?

the in the air of my house elzezar of damascus And abraham said or abram said since you have given me no seed to uh, given no seed to me behold

One born in my house is my heir then behold the word of yahweh came to him saying

This one will not be your heir This one will not be your heir

But the one who comes first from your body. He shall be your heir And he bought brought him outside and said now look towards the heavens and the numbers of the stars

If you are able to number them He said to him so shall your seed be

Then he believed in yahweh and he was counted as righteous And he said to him

I am yahweh who brought you out of earth Of the chaldeans The chaldeans to give you this land to possess it and he said oh lord.

Yahweh How may I make known that I will possess it? And then he talks about sacrificing an animal

Later on is it chapter 17? Yeah chapter 17. Let's look at Move your eyes over with me to chapter 17 here real fast

Now in first one now it happened that when abram was 99 years old Yahweh appeared to abram and said to him

I am god almighty Walk before me and be blameless so that I may confirm my covenant between me and you

And that I may multiply you exceedingly Then abram fell on his face and god spoke with him saying as for me behold

My covenant is with you and you will be a father of a multitude of nations and no longer shall your name be abram

But your name will be abraham For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations

And I will make you exceedingly fruitful and I will make a nation I will make nations of you and kings will go forth from you

And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after You throughout the general their generations for an everlasting covenant to be god to you and to your seed after you

And I will be it will give you and your seed after you the land of the sojournings all the land of cannon

For an everlasting possession I will be their god further on in this text it talks about Let's look at verse 10

This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your seed after you every male among you shall be

Circumcised and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you so I would

Pause here and take note that this language that we see in here is used all throughout the old testament

That's why in paragraph one It says the covenantal framework because this is something that we should see That we do see in every single chapter every single book of the old testament

Even to the new testament is this this covenantal framework this covenant language Uh, so some things that are different so marriage in our in that that analogy what's different between that is

Emily and I made the terms of our marriage, right? We said okay emily Will you marry me?

She said yes, and then we went on with making that covenant, right? The difference between god making a covenant with us and somebody like me making a covenant with my wife

Uh god's covenant. He doesn't ask abraham or adam in the garden or or anybody

He doesn't say okay. Here's the terms if you do this this this i'll make a covenant with you And then we say ah,

I want to do this but not that nor that and i'll do this, right? He doesn't he doesn't bargain with the the the outcome of what the covenant is, right?

He says I will make you this But you have to be blameless and you have to circumcise and you have to do this right to abraham uh to abram and so That that's a little bit of a difference between god's covenant and man's covenant

So god's covenant is one that he imposes upon his creatures And back to chapter two of this very confession.

Why can he why can he do that to us? He's god Right, he has all authority to do whatever he pleases right and so he has revealed himself again

What does paragraph one through a covenantal framework through a covenant framework? And so he imposes upon abraham do this

And you will have possession of the land and do this and your seed will be innumerable, right?

so Jonathan, is it great?

If I say do this and live you have to do x y or z things in order to live

Is that grace or is that a work? That's a work, right? And so that's where we see we'd look at this and we'd say this is not a covenant of grace.

Why? because god imposing this upon abraham and Meant and and Uh told abraham you had to do something in order to live

That's why when we look back at at abe adam and we didn't see the word covenant in it But what happened in the case of adam?

Do this you live do this you die, right? There was a covenant covenant language there doesn't say the word covenant, but it's the language is there and so that's why we would say

Ademic covenant all those things though always required man's obedience

Was has man ever Romans 3 10 no one's righteous.

No, not one Because we've fallen in adam Are we able to keep those covenant of works fully and totally and thoroughly?

No, right. I see jake shaking his head. No, we cannot and so Since humanity brought itself under the curse of the law that's speaking about adam falling

In paragraph 2 of the 1689 it says by its fall It pleased the lord to make a covenant of grace

In this covenant, he freely offers to sinners life and salvation through jesus christ on their part

He requires faith in him That they may be saved and promises to give his holy spirit to all

Who ordain to eternal life to make them willing and able to believe

I? Let's go and read hebrews chapter 8 now Um, so we understand god imposes a covenant and he has requirements that promise like like tyler said there's promises of Life or promises of land or promises of whatever god wants to promise to the peterson that he's making a covenant with He promises a reward and he also promises a curse if people break it

But it's always a covenant of works that we see this way hebrews chapter 8 A chapter let's let's read

Would somebody like to volunteer to read verse 6? Through 13 anybody want to read verse 6 through 13 in hebrews chapter 8 any volunteers?

Yeah. Thank you When I am making you

Um Thank you patty

So I want to I want to remind us of just some contextual keys the book of hebrews would have been written before 70 ad

Right and so so imagine that that second temple is standing there And they're they're these hebrews as we talked about in the book of hebrew

They're they're being encouraged to not go back to the city of jerusalem to stay as christians to keep on being in the church

Don't go back Why is that so important? Well, the temple's right there. And so the author of hebrews is saying

That's ready to disappear. That's going to go away Christ promised that every stone will be toppled down on that mount right and that's exactly what happened

And so that that's one contextual thing in verse 13 I like to make mention of Um that will help us see these things.

So so in the prior, uh in this in chapter 8 It talks about moses.

What was some of the things that moses is known for doing? in his ministry

No, not quite That almost got me right there That almost got me Brought the ten commandments.

I appreciate you starting there. So Then that's where I was hoping to talk about Okay, he brings the ten commandments down.

He also has an explanation for the law that he gives. Um afterwards too, right? Uh, what?

Does he find the people the covenant people of god doing the children of abraham doing when he comes down off that mountain?

So are they being obedient? Right exactly and what does god do with those those those those two tablets?

Right right so the beauty in this I really

I love this is we need to remember all those things because What's happening in hebrews 8 is it's comparing christ to moses.

Okay Okay, that's really important to remember So moses was the mediator of that covenant in the old testament.

Okay. He was the mediator That's why christ is called the better mediator of a better covenant, which is enacted on better promises

For if the first covenant had been faultless There would have been no occasion sought for a second.

What? Why was the first covenant full of fault? That's an interesting question, right?

Because if it had been faultless there would have been no occasion sought for a second. Why was the first one full of fault?

Is god's law unjust No, it's just Is man just So the covenant members

Were the ones that were bringing fault in the covenant That's why it was full of fault. Why was it full of fault because it required my obedience and I failed to keep it so that's why the first covenant

If it had been faultless there would have been no occasion sought for a second in other words. It would be like saying uh

Uh I will use my wife emily. She's not in the room emily If you were born perfect and you have not sinned today, there would be no use for christ

There would be no need for christ, right? That's essentially what's going on in here The first covenant if you could have obeyed it

There would have been no sense or need for a second covenant a new covenant to come about also pay attention in this

Notice how many times in this chapter it's talking about it being a new covenant And not just a re -administration or redoing of the old covenant why why do

I say that what again The old covenant required me to do something

Is that needed in the new covenant? Yes, like is there something needed in this new covenant of grace that I need to do in this

What is it? Have faith right? That's what the paragraph said right now notice though.

Where was the law of god written? In the covenant of works In the old covenant, yep

Stone right. What is our heart compared to before regeneration? Okay Let's read here again

Let's look here at this verse 10 of chapter 8 for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of israel after those days says

Says the the lord yahweh I will put my laws Into their minds and I will write it upon their hearts

So the heart of stone becomes a heart of flesh Romans chapter 2 says that those that are circumcised of the flesh

They aren't really jews the ones that are the jews are the ones that are circumcised of the heart speaking for regeneration

John chapter 3 jesus looks at nicodemus a child of abraham and tells him you must be born again

Right. There's so many examples of this over and over and over and over and over again

God's law that was external to us that we sought to try to keep to earn our own salvation

We couldn't keep we broke it and we still sought after it because we were dead in our works and trespasses

When we're circumcised that very law that was external to us now becomes inside of us

Regeneration that's what this covenant's talking about in this text And notice notice in this text too

In what abraham or moses or any of the old covenant individuals? It was You have to be obedient to it who was obedient so that this new covenant could be made

Jesus right It's jesus who is righteous. He was the mediator of this. He's he's the one it's in his perfection

That now that's that's what covers me. So look at this I I want to read 8 through 12 again.

This is I I love this chapter if there was Uh any chapter I could just take and not have any of the bible if that was my only option just to have one chapter

This would be it For finding fault with them speaking of individuals. He says

Behold days are coming says the lord when I will complete in the old covenant

That would in the old testament. That would be I will cut A new covenant with the house of israel and with the house of judah not

Like the covenant I made with their fathers In the days when I took them by their hand to lead them out of the land of egypt for they did not continue in my covenant

And I did not care for them says the lord I want to pause here before we read verse 10 and on Look at this in verse 9 again

In the days when I took them by their hands and it's not like the covenant when I did that That text is talking about exodus

God taking his people away From pharaoh and leading them to freedom Why is that text being reminded to us in this text?

Christ Has is has ransomed the captives you and I were the captives christ has ransomed us

He led us out of that land in that way. That's why it's being used in this this this language is saying that historical event

Was picturing and pointing to what happens in regeneration what happened in christ dying for our sins

He was leading us out of the land of egypt. He was leading us out of captivity I just read this.

I I just say hallelujah over and over and over again For they did not continue in this my covenant says lord and I did not care for them

Verse 10 for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of israel And after those days says the lord I will put my laws into their minds and upon their hearts

I will write them. I will be their god and they shall be my people That that's talking about a relationship, right?

That's saying that that that is it is our god. He's we are his people. We're his church And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen and everyone his brother saying no the lord

This is one of the reasons that this covenant is superior than all the old covenants

So in the old covenant How many times did we see them get taken into captivity? Let's let's use the example of daniel and babylon.

How many righteous men were in babylon when daniel was there? believers in yahweh

Very few it says that the whole nation left, right?

It says that it was only daniel and his three friends and you might be able to argue for a couple more here or there right

Right Yeah, so so Was there only four people in the nation back then?

No Thousands, right? And so there were thousands of covenant members that didn't actually have faith in yahweh

And so put your feet your shoes on put your daniel shoes on right you're you're daniel Could you go to your fellow israelite and tell them that repent and believe in yahweh?

You could you should daniel did do that. You kept on telling the people who have faith remember the promises, right?

Now think about that for us today in our church in any church that actually believes in christ.

Jesus If we have the law of god written inside of our hearts

Can I go up to any one of us and tell us to know the lord Because we're covenant members in the same way that those covenant members didn't know the lord

No, if you're a covenant member, you know him That's the superiority of this new covenant is that the covenant members the ones whom christ died for actually know him

And we don't get to go to each other and say know the lord like they did in the old covenants It's explicit it's going to be done everyone who christ died for will know him is what this is teaching to us

Everyone and they shall teach Not teach everyone his fellow citizen and everyone sent his brother saying know the lord for all

Will know me from the least to the greatest of them For I will be merciful to their iniquities and I'll remember their sins no more.

Is there a single covenant? When it's a covenant of works that talks about the removal of our sins in the old covenant there isn't

Forgiveness of sins anytime that we see anybody forgiven. What covenant are they forgiven under?

The covenant that's spoken of right here the covenant of grace. That's the beauty of this covenant again,

I would argue that that covenant was instituted began at when christ died right he says at the table before he is crucified this is the blood of My everlasting covenant, right?

That's why we we drink, uh the wine and eat the the bread is to memorialize that covenant action that christ did there on the cross

Um, I I hope you can see the passion. I love this chapter. This is remarkable

Because does this depend on jake being obedient for him to be upon in this covenant of grace? No Um, does it depend on how fast?

Rick can run to the church versus brayden can run to church. He'll probably still beat me even though I live closer Does it depend on that?

Nope, it depends on what christ accomplished for us on our behalf That word grace that covenant of grace the covenant of grace that is talked about in this is the unmerited favor of god

It's a covenant that we are undeserving of it doesn't require our obedience. It requires faith requires faith

Is there anything that you guys want to say about paragraph two, I know I went on a long spree there hebrews eight but paragraph two in chapter seven

Since humanity brought itself under the curse of the law by its fall it pleased the lord to make a covenant of grace

In this covenant, he freely offers the sinner's life and salvation through jesus christ on their part

He requires faith in them That they may be saved and promises to give the holy his holy spirit to all

Who are ordained to eternal life to make them willing and able to believe?

Anything in there that somebody wants to make mention of? Paragraph three would anybody like to volunteer to read paragraph three?

This is again. This is the paragraph that is a hundred percent unique To the 1689 it's not in the savoy or the west minister.

And so when we read this we should be expecting Language that fits with a baptistic church, right?

And so let me let me read this for us. I'll volunteer to read paragraph three this covenant

Is revealed in the gospel It was revealed first of all to adam in the promise of salvation through the seed of the woman

After that it was revealed step by step Until the full revelation of it was completed in the new testament

This covenant is based on the eternal covenant transaction between the father and the son concerning the redemption of the elect only through this covenant only through the grace of this covenant have

Those saved from among the descendants of fallen adam obtain life and blessedness or blessed

Immortality humanity is now utterly Incapable of being accepted by god on the same terms on which adam was accepted in a state of innocence

There's a lot to unpack on this paragraph a lot Is it true that only adam

Could say I saw the face of god It's a great question. I I so I think

I think that the the when we talk about the trinity, right? Jesus and it says in john 1 18.

No one has seen god. No, not one in first timothy Uh, it says that god dwells

Well, first of all it talks about both the father and son in that text. It says that the god exists in Unapproachable light that no man has seen or can see and in john chapter 14

Jesus before philip or not philip. Is it philip? It is philip philip asked jesus

He says show us the father and it would suffice us It'll satisfy our pleading to see god and jesus says have

I not been so long with you philip If you've seen me you've seen the father, right?

And so hebrews chapter 1 there's a there's a whole line of these verses that we can go through but hebrews chapter 1 1 It says that he is the exact representation of God and so I would argue that when adam was in the garden

When he was seeing god He wasn't seeing the father. He was seeing god, but it was the pre -incarnate son.

I think he was seeing jesus there in the garden Exactly.

Yep, and that that's so I that's where I would think so like moses even the example of moses in exodus 34 where he

I think it's exodus 34 or maybe it's 28 Uh where he hides in the cliff of the rock and he sees the backside the the train leaving

Uh, there's some theologians that would say that he saw the father there would be some that would still say he saw the sun but he just saw the glory of the backside of the sun, it's

It's it's difficult. I would say no one has seen the father in my opinion Face to face.

Yeah If you regard jesus as a man then the man jesus has seen the father.

Yep That is true. Yeah That is. Yep Which is remarkable to think about with With Adam and jesus, right because adam was in communion with god and then here's jesus saying i've seen the father, right?

So that i've never even thought about that. That is that is remarkable to think about um

Right Right, so we would say that jesus is god so we've seen jesus so we like I haven't but people in the old testament

He says to philip philip. You've seen me. You've seen the father, right? And so in that sense, they've seen god

But not in the sense because jesus was also veiled in some ways with his flesh, right?

Um, even in the mount of transfiguration where uh, they see jesus transfigured

They they speak of it as this this bright Light, right? And so I would say that even in they were seeing him face to face

That was the representation of the father that was if you saw jesus you could say aqua and say

I saw the very image of god there um, it still was veiled to The fullness of god because I think that's where in first timothy.

It says that that no one no one has seen god Uh, no one can see god.

It says that he dwells in that inapproachable light Um, which all that all that being said there's a lot of conjecture on this

But it talks about so if he approached if he exists in an approachable light Jesus says that he is the light right?

um, and it also talks about how um, The the the son will or the uh, the the father will draw us to himself

And so there there's some debate there, right? Will we ever see the father? Will we not ever see the father?

Will we only see the son? At the end of the day I would walk away and say We will see jesus because that's a scene in revelation

And if that's the only person in the trinity that we see that's fully god right there, right? That is fine, right?

But other than that, I think it's a little bit of conjecture on exactly what we will see in future glory a little bit a little bit so Anything else in this paragraph that you guys saw in this this paragraph three

So maybe I I kind of want to walk through this language a little bit too here So this covenant is revealed in the gospel

Okay, what what is the gospel? Is probably the very first thing that we should define and what is the gospel?

I I would argue in very short words. It's the life death burial and resurrection of jesus, right? Jesus that's very quick.

That is the gospel. That's the good news Jesus christ became flesh lived the life. I could not live

Live died in my place in a in an atonement fashion

Propitiation and then he rose again on the third day. That is the gospel So the covenant is revealed in that that act so it's revealed to us in that act this covenant of grace that we just read

In hebrews chapter 8 it's revealed to us in the life death burial and resurrection of jesus

And then it says it was first revealed to adam In the promise of salvation through the seat of a woman.

Let's turn to that chapter. Let's go to genesis 3 genesis 3

I get ditty about this like I honestly like If we were ever to rename our church, I would fight tooth and nail to have it be renamed to covenant

Grace or something like that like just just super hardcore Covenant of grace in this like I I love this topic

Um We're not going to rename our church, but i'm just saying that's how much I love it I'm thinking about getting like a mike tyson tattoo right here that just says covenant of grace

You ready for sunday so Anyway genesis 3 verse

Let's look at verse 15 here just for time sakes I will put an enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed

He shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel Okay, so we have a promise in this first of all, who is this being told to this is being told to the serpent

This is god looking at the serpent and he's saying You will be crushed.

That's what he's essentially saying to this you you will be crushed Okay So you can imagine eve is next to the serpent and then adam is next to eve and so they just heard

There will be a seed you will be crushed and then he looks to the woman and he says I will greatly multiply your pain

Child bearing is what's talked about there, right child bearing to you and then he looks to adam he says

You will uh, it says in uh, let's look here thorns and thistles shall grow for you by the sweat of your face

You eat bread till you to return to the ground because you were taken from it for dust For you are of dust and to dust you shall return first of all notice in there

Is this? This This is not a covenant because who is god speaking to he's speaking to the serpent at first This is just a promise of what's going to come about there's and the reason

I make mention of this is that there's presbyterians that would say this is a covenant of grace in this chapter and I say I don't see that in here.

This is him talking to satan. God doesn't make a covenant with satan Right. He's promising a covenant to come about And how what is the promise telling seed will crush you?

Woman You're gonna bear a seed Man, you're gonna work and you're gonna die.

You won't be able to do what I just told you to This is remarkable because this is telling us to look forward to what who what?

A seed will come through the woman and he will live a perfect life like anybody else It's this beautiful picture that's happening here as he's talking from serpent to woman to man

That we see and then how much more does he even reveal this covenant the future covenant that we have in the gospel

So imagine so don asked a great question. Didn't adam see the face of god? I would say yes I think he's looking and he's he's adam's looking up to jesus pre -incarnate.

Jesus. I think the word before he became flesh And here he says to the serpent.

I a seed will crush you one day Come here lamb And he splits it slow and he takes the skin off of it and he covers both adam and eve right there right this is a promise a future telling that Who is going to make this sacrifice?

Well who made it in the garden god? What was covering them a perfect lamb?

right like that that's exactly what we see in the covenant of grace I Like I said, my mind is blown every time

I talk about this. I think it's beautiful I think it's absolutely beautiful So it was revealed to adam in the promise of salvation to the seed after that it was revealed step by step

Now this is important language step by step until the full revelation Of it was completed in the new covenant.

So meaning that in every covenant in every old testament book that came about after and after and after you

Imagine so again job, right? We're in the book of job and he knows probably the promise of adam, right? Does he know of the rest of the books of the old testament yet?

Well, no, he hasn't lived yet, right? So he has a very vague very blurry picture, right?

He doesn't have the fullness that we would have Well, you would say well, okay Isaiah isaiah had a great picture right in isaiah 53

He has this perfect this this this suffering servant that is talked about in isaiah 53.

His picture is a lot more clear But it still wasn't clear enough because what happens?

700 years in the future for isaiah The very jews that received these covenants crucified jesus christ

Thus fulfilling the beautiful picture that we have there But we see that it was it was almost like every time that a covenant came or a page on the bible gets turned

God is adding another brushstroke to this picture of what will come about And then when it's all the way done is when he painted the blood on there on the cross, right?

That analogy type of language that is when it was fully revealed. That's when it was instituted was there in christ in the new testament

I want to go back. I keep on making mention of you patty because I appreciate you bringing this up in in hebrews chapter 13

Uh, we talked about the covenant of uh, or the eternal covenant, right the everlasting covenant now again, this is a language that's used in hebrews chapter, uh 13 with With the eternal covenant, but it's not necessarily explicitly talked about but there's some good logical reasons to come to these conclusions

This covenant. So what is this covenant referencing the covenant of grace from paragraph two? This covenant is based on the eternal covenant transaction

Between the father and the son concerning the redemption of the elect So what this is doing is it's talking about what what patty brought up many many bible studies ago now on Is that before creation ever happened?

It not that In today when we think about this the father he did not become incarnate, right?

The spirit did not become incarnate the son was the one that did that The son isn't the one that mourns us again.

It's the spirit that does that It's it's not we we see these rules that are within the trinity that each one of them partakes in And so what the idea the thinking on this is is since each one of these persons is fully god and there's only one god

It had to be before creation ever took place That there was a covenant that was made between the three persons saying the father will predestine

The son will redeem and the holy spirit will apply that redemption to us the believers

And so that's what this is talking about in there and it's only through the grace of this covenant have

Those saved from among the descendants of fallen adam obtained life and blessed immortality humanity is now

Incapable of being accepted by god on the same terms on which adam was accepted in a state of innocence

And so what happens there at the very end of that paragraph is it's trying to Trying to show to us how adam before the fall he was in a state that is unlike our own, right?

It's different for us than it was for adam. It is and How is it different We thought looked at this text from last week, but ephesians chapter 2, right?

Ephesians 2 and you were dead in your sins and trespasses and were by nature children of wrath So the reason that it's different is adam was able to walk around and he had life

Right. He had the ability to please god. He had the ability to commune with god. He had the ability. All right

Do we have that ability now post fall? No, we are children of wrath even as the rest

We do not have the ability to please god without what? Verse 5 in ephesians chapter 2 he made us alive together with him and has seated us in the heavenly places

Parentheses by grace you have been saved So how how do we have life? We have to be in christ

How do we receive that life? being born again Which how did you enter into the old covenants?

Through the birth canal of adam not of adam, but or not of adam, but of abraham, excuse me Not even abraham, but through the birth canal, right?

through the family of Family of abraham. That's how you entered into it. You were born physically

And then what did you do you were born and then on the eighth day? What what came around emily on the eighth day for the children of israel?

circumcision, okay You've gotten to see two of our boys circumcised, right? So that was the sign of the old covenant in the old days old covenant days, right?

So you were born physically and then you received the sign and as you were growing up You then partook in the the meal passover, right all these covenantal signs.

So now what do we see in the new covenant? How do we how how? What did jesus tell nicodemus?

Do we remember john? What what did jesus tell nicodemus? You must be Oh, i'm putting on the spot.

I know Born again, right?

You must be born again So you're good. So john 3 he says to nicodemus.

You must be born again So a person that was born physically out of the womb born physically Into the seed of abraham.

He's being told you have to be born again, okay So you have to be born again?

And then after you were born again, what are the signs that we take in this new covenant that you and I are in? What are the signs of the new covenant?

Humanity is now Utterly incapable of being accepted by god on the same terms. We just saw Brothers totally loving each other right there

Are the signs that you're supposed to receive in the new covenant Baptism and communion

You receive the sign of baptism And then you partake in the table Right. It's this consistent story all the way throughout and it's not that baptism replaces circumcision

Why because they're two different covenants. They don't replace It's a two different covenants

Circumcision was always pointing forward even to christ dying on the cross according to colossians chapter 2 verse 11 through 14 but regardless of those things

Baptism and communion are the signs of the covenant um Any questions on this paragraph or on this chapter?

I love this chapter. I love the covenant this is where truly like Covenants are a word that I think is it can be very scary in some baptist circles to even talk about covenants

I think if you understand covenants in a baptistic framework It is far more beautiful than what presbyterians and Those that are the congregationalists that all which are pato baptism

I think this is more beautiful than what it's trying to paint for us I think it's more adequate to what the bible teaches because in order to partake in the old covenants

It was through physical birth and then he received a sign How do you partake in the signs in the in the new covenant being born again?

And then the sign right? It's this continual this this this continuity and discontinuity between the old and the new and I think

That's where pato baptism fails because it's putting

The sign before the new birth. You see what i'm saying? Logically, that's how I would say that and so I think baptist theology is more robust when it comes to covenants

Anyway any thoughts questions concerns on this chapter Yeah It's on their part

So the first part of that is that So yeah, yep, absolutely

Right so If I have a little bit more time we would maybe go on to something yeah now we got to go drop that bomb

I love it. So there's in christianity. There's two There's two lines of thinking when it comes to being born again

Okay, and i'll be just up front and blunt with you guys on this There's either the thinking that regeneration precedes faith

Or faith precedes regeneration which comes first? Okay, the new birth or faith

I would be absolutely under the the understanding That regeneration the new birth precedes faith.

And why do I say that? Well ephesians chapter 2 it says that that i'm dead. I cannot do anything.

That's pleasing to god And how do I do things that are pleasing to god that? Ephesians chapter 2

First 10 says that you've been predestined to walk in before the foundations of the world It doesn't say that exactly but that you can uh, the work that was

Predestined for you to take in what has to happen first You have to be made alive In the body of christ is what it says that's being born again

And so and then it says by grace you've been saved right after that, right? so faith And regeneration, they're they're very close to each other right and there's an analogy of a light bulb news first.

So What comes first in a light bulb light or the electricity? They're spontaneous, right but logically we could cut that down It would appear that it would seem like you would need the electricity first there in order for the life

And so i'm saying faith is is is Simultaneous with that new birth but by logic and why

I would argue is from scripture, too You have to be born again first and then you believe right?

You have to accept that christ is the son of god you have to accept

That christ is the son of god. You can't approach god without accepting

That christ is the son of god. Yeah, and I believe I believe in christ

Yep Then you can approach Right, so in john, uh, john, it's john 14 again

He says that i'm the way the truth and the life no one comes to the father, but by me right by through me and that's

Brother, i'm happy you bring that up because that's exactly what I think Ephesians 2 is exactly talking about in that right?

Uh, i'll read verse 1 i'm gonna read verse 1 all the way to 10 Because I think it just makes so much sense in all these things, right?

And you were dead in your transgressions and sins before you knew jesus christ were you guys ever dead were you

Well physically no, but what it's talking about in this it doesn't even say spiritually It says dead in your sins and transgressions what

I would again last week I said I would define this as a permanent cessation of ability to please god.

We we cannot in our own Flourishing in our own dirty rags in our own dead nature.

We cannot appease god In which you formally walk so meaning you used to walk like this

You don't anymore You formally walked according to the course of this world according to the ruler of the power of the air The spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

I think that's the serpent that we just talked about But anyway among whom we also formally conducted ourselves

In the lusts of our flesh doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind And were by nature children of wrath even as the rest

And Where is the law of god written at on our flesh heart and on our mind? it says that we used to do the desires of our flesh and our mind, but now that we're

Born again it totally it's all interconnected guys. Like this is amazing when you consider all that's going on But god being rich in mercy because of his great love which which he loved us

Even when we were dead, we were not able to appease god dead in our transgressions

Made us alive together with christ by grace you have been saved i'm saying that that's the new birth right there

That's when we're in christ. We now know he's the son of god and now we can approach the father, right? And it says after that ha and raised us up with him and seated us in the heavenly places with christ jesus

So now we can approach the father. We're in heaven with christ So then in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace

And kindness toward us in christ jesus by grace you've been saved through faith and this not of yourselves it is a gift of god

Let no one not of works so that no one may boast For we are his workmanship created in christ jesus for good works

For which he prepared before him that we would walk in them And what are those good works the law of god written on our heart and on our mind?

We're gonna do them now, right? We're gonna now be wanting to be obedient with god and not only that well

We've now been made alive where we can now commune with god So now imagine before you were before you were born again

If you came to a church and you worshiped were you ever communing and communing with god in a in a in an acceptable means?

No, but now you come to church and you worship him and you can do so in an acceptable way like Again this is mind -blowing when we consider all the implications of all that this type teaches

Yep, exactly The reality is it it is it is it's real.

Yep I love it. I I like I said, I get jazzed and excited about this stuff

So that's the two what rick just brought up rick. You got another one Yes Enoch gosh, dang it.

We have to go there next week Enoch, uh, what chapter in the bible are we where that be from?

I think he was born again. He walked with god. That's what Is that What's that?

Oh, he's Yeah, okay.

I'm tracking you. I was like christine. That's that's crazy question right there. Okay, you see his god

That's a great question Yeah, well, um

Like in a sense like I walk with shepherd like or is it talking about living a righteous life walking with god

I don't know What do you think? I'm, looking to your husband on this one

What's that? You think god was walking there along with him? What's that?

I think it would be being born again And then if that law was written on his heart then he's walking in those like that's

I think that's pretty consistent when we see That in the anywhere in the anywhere that it says that somebody's righteous like job

I think it's because he says it has fear of Yahweh So I think born again He now walks in those statutes and that's that's what it's a lot of times

Like even abraham had talked in 15 that he was counted righteousness, right? um

But I think that's what's happening with enoch right like being born again I don't know No Was that just because of proximity like like with how close it was to them being cast out of the garden

Or do you think that's something that could happen today? I don't know. No That's unfair though, that's unfair

Oh, that's gonna sorry christine that's gonna be rough Good luck rick

I'm excited for you. I'm hoping that Thank you very much, okay

At least text me or call me before you leave like I want to I want to know what it was like walking with god

Why you did? um Anyway, all right. Would anybody like to volunteer to pray us out for the evening?

Don, would you mind praying us out this this evening? God we we thank you.

We thank you so much for your son For what he brought to us, thank you for your constant love

For you protect us And we ask you to bless our lives that we can glorify you through our lives and Bless each of us in our endeavors to serve you

Thank you for all you do in christ's name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you don

Well, there's a blessing seeing you guys all tonight if any of you walk with god, let me know With my stumbling feet,