SUNNY THOUGHTS FROM SUNSET By Rev. Vance Drum 2-9
On Sunday the Sunset pastor began a new series, “Covenant Life, Covenant Duties, Covenant Blessings,” with a message, “Our Covenant-Making God—Rainbow Edition.” The text was from Genesis 9:13: “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Today I want us to begin thinking about a concept that runs all through the Bible—that of covenant, which is an agreement between two parties.
The purpose of a covenant is to help define the relationship between the two parties. Covenants happen because God’s human creation are relational beings: we love to relate. We can relate positively to each other—in loving relationships; or we can relate in negative ways—in hatred and murders.
All of this seems self-evident and normal. But relating in a positive manner to God and each other is easier said than done, and we humans have not done a very good job of it.
So, God has made a number of covenants with us over the centuries. Most well-known are the Old Covenant, called the Old Testament, and the New Covenant, called the New Testament. God also made a covenant with Noah, with Abraham, Moses, and the new covenant embodied in Jesus.
The pastor made three points: (1) A Covenant of Grace; (2) A Covenant of Duty; (3) A Covenant of Blessing.
(1) A Covenant of Grace. When God makes a covenant with humanity, it is for our good. In the days of Noah, the Bible says that “the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and full of violence….” So, after much longsuffering with wickedness on God’s part, the Lord decided to judge the earth with a flood of water.
But God, in an act of grace, decided not to destroy everybody and everything, because (6:8), “Noah—a righteous man who walked with God—found favor [grace] in the eyes of the Lord.”
Every time God makes a covenant, it is to bless us. If God decides to judge the wicked in the world, he has made a covenant his people to look out for, save and protect those who are living for Him.
(2) A Covenant of Duty. God told Noah to build an ark, and invite whoever wished to come into the boat to be saved from the impending flood. It took Noah 100 years to build the ark, and he preached salvation while he built it.
God gave Noah an obligation—a duty to perform—as part of the covenant. No one would have been saved in the boat if the boat had not been built. In a similar way, no one will go to heaven without accessing by faith God’s great gift of grace.
Hebrews 11:6: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” God did not save Noah and his family with no effort on Noah’s part. Noah built the boat, and he preached salvation to the lost souls of his day.
In the same way, God has provided for our salvation, but he expects us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”
He will not save us — or force us to do right — against our will. We must cooperate with him, following His gracious direction.
(3) Covenant Blessings. When we do that, God is faithful to bless us more than we can ask or imagine. He gave the rainbow in the sky as a pledge that He would never again destroy the earth with water.
When we come to him in faith, he forgives us of all our sins, brings us into his family, gives us loving fellowship in his big house, fills us with His Holy Spirit who gives us strength and power every day to do his will, and opens wide heaven’s gates for us after this life is over. What awesome blessings!
“The Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.” [Psalm 95:3-4]
May we all recognize the greatness of our Creator God—his wonders and works—this week. It is our prayer for you from your friends at Sunset Christian Church.