An Agreement with God

An Agreement with God

2006015

Topic # 1117 (commitment)

Scripture Reference: Col. 2:9-12

Parts of this lesson based on David Chadwell's sermon.

Introduction:

A. Life is structured by and based on agreements. Basic to everyday life.

1. Marriage; jobs; property ownership; utilities; driver’s licenses; credit cards; bank loans; even citizenship is based upon an agreement.

B. When we intentionally or neglectfully reject the commitment of our agreements:

1. Marriages end in divorce; jobs are lost; utilities cut off; driver’s licenses revoked; bank loans recalled; lose rights of citizenship…

C. When honorable people make honorable agreements: life & relationships are blessed.

1. When agreements are ignored, violated, abused – life & relationships become miserable.

I. Would you make a serious commitment w/o an agreement?

A. No? Why?

B. Commitment w/o agreement leads to pain & suffering.

C. Commitment w/o agreement requires no mutual investment of self.

D. Commitment w/o agreement allows a person to walk out; walk away; disappear w/o conscience.

1. There is nothing to lose…

E. For an honest person – making an agreement is the act of taking the ownership of responsibility in commitment.

1. In it we say…I depend on you…you can depend on me.

2. I trust you…you can trust me.

3. In any successful relationship – that declaration has to be mutual.

II. God always commits to people who agree to commit to Him.

A. When God makes an agreement w/man it is called a covenant.

1. Covenants were common forms of agreements in the OT and NT world.

2. OT & NT record different kinds of covenants God has made w/mankind.

B. There were unconditional covenants.

1. Gen. 9:8-17 – God promises to never destroy earth w/a flood.

2. Gen. 12:1-3 – God promises to bless all of mankind through Abraham’s descendents.

3. 2 Sam. 11:10-17 – God promised that one of David’s descendants would always sit on Israel’s throne.

C. There were conditional covenants.

1. Ex. 19:3-6 – Israel’s relationship w/God was conditional.

2. Note: God would enter a relationship w/Israel – and Israel would become:

a) 19:5 – a people who belonged exclusively to God.

b) 19:6 – a kingdom of priests

c) 19:6 – a holy nation.

3. This would happen IF

a) 19:5 – they obeyed His voice.

b) 19:6 – they kept His covenant & maintained a relationship w/Him.

III. How did Israel accept God’s covenant? How did they commit?

A. God offers the relationship – they had to accept the relationship. It had to have a point of beginning.

1. They said yes by circumcising every male child born into the family.

2. God had established this condition of relationship w/Abraham – Gen. 17:9-14

B. Circumcision was important!

1. Ex. 12 – before partaking of the Passover meal one had to be circumcised. Not circumcised – no eating of Passover.

2. Fast forward 40 years – to just before people crossed over into Promised Land.

a) Josh. 5:2-9 – tells us children born in wilderness had not been circumcised. All but 2 of the adults who left Egypt had died in the wilderness.

b) Before entering the Promised Land – on one day – all males in Israel were circumcised.

c) 5:9 – God’s response after the circumcision.

C. Circumcision was not a mindless religious ritual.

1. Circumcision said “Yes” to God. It was Israel’s side of an agreement to accept the responsibilities of a relationship with God.

2. Deut. 10:12-16

3. Note in these verses what God required of them…

a) to fear God

b) to walk in His ways

c) to love Him

d) to serve Him with all your being

e) to keep His commandments

f) To circumcise your heart & refuse to be stubborn, rebellious, and arrogant.

IV. An Application for Christians Today:

A. Col. 2:9-12.

B. In specific ways – your baptism was a circumcision. A spiritual, unisex form of circumcision.

1. Could it be possible that w/all we’ve taught & emphasized about baptism that we’ve missed the basic point of baptism?

2. Have we missed the point that no knowledgeable Israelite would have missed?

C. What point?

1. Your baptism said “yes’ to God.

2. In baptism, you accepted a relationship w/God & you made an agreement w/God.

3. Baptism is not something your body did – it is something your heart did!

4. Do you understand you made an agreement w/God when you were baptized?

5. Do you understand you agreed to maintain a relationship w/God for the rest of your life?

D. We have a serious problem.

1. Americans are largely a people who break agreements & throw away commitments.

2. We abuse our marriages. Jobs; credit; driver’s license; government; rights as citizens.

3. And we often don’t understand that we agreed to maintain a relationship with God when we were baptized into Christ.

4. Can a people who abuse human relationships learn how to maintain their relationship w/God?

E. God calls us to:

1. To fear Him.

2. to walk in His ways

3. to love Him

4. to serve Him with all your being

5. to keep His commandments

6. To circumcise your heart & refuse to be stubborn, rebellious, and arrogant.

Conclusion:

A. God offers to make an agreement w/us for salvation. It is solely by His grace.

1. Often human to human agreements offer mutual benefit.

2. But...any agreement a human makes w/God is unique. Distinctly different from any agreement we would make w/a human.

B. How? When we enter into an agreement w/God it is impossible for us to create a benefit for God. By entering into an agreement, we cannot:

1. Improve God’s well being – if we never existed it would not affect God’s well being.

2. Reward God. Everything we have, even our life, is God’s gift.

3. Increase God’s comfort. God’s comfort does not depend on humans.

4. Meet God’s needs. God has no needs for humans to address.

5. Give God a blessing. We are dependent on God for blessings.

C. Our agreement is made possible solely because of His grace.

D. Have you responded to the terms of His grace?

E. I N V I T A T I O N



An Agreement with God 2006015 Topic # 1117 (commitment) Scripture Reference: Col. 2:9-12 Parts of this lesson based on David Chadwell's sermon. Introduction: A. Life is structured by and based on agreements. Basic to everyday life. 1. Marriage; jobs; property ownership; utilities; driver’s licenses; credit cards; bank loans; even citizenship is based upon an agreement. B. When we intentionally or neglectfully reject the commitment of our agreements: 1. Marriages end in divorce; jobs are lost; utilities cut off; driver’s licenses revoked; bank loans recalled; lose rights of citizenship… C. When honorable people make honorable agreements: life & relationships are blessed. 1. When agreements are ignored, violated, abused – life & relationships become miserable. I. Would you make a serious commitment w/o an agreement? A. No? Why? B. Commitment w/o agreement leads to pain & suffering. C. Commitment w/o agreement requires no mutual investment of self. D. Commitment w/o agreement allows a person to walk out; walk away; disappear w/o conscience. 1. There is nothing to lose… E. For an honest person – making an agreement is the act of taking the ownership of responsibility in commitment. 1. In it we say…I depend on you…you can depend on me. 2. I trust you…you can trust me. 3. In any successful relationship – that declaration has to be mutual. II. God always commits to people who agree to commit to Him. A. When God makes an agreement w/man it is called a covenant. 1. Covenants were common forms of agreements in the OT and NT world. 2. OT & NT record different kinds of covenants God has made w/mankind. B. There were unconditional covenants. 1. Gen. 9:8-17 – God promises to never destroy earth w/a flood. 2. Gen. 12:1-3 – God promises to bless all of mankind through Abraham’s descendents. 3. 2 Sam. 11:10-17 – God promised that one of David’s descendants would always sit on Israel’s throne. C. There were conditional covenants. 1. Ex. 19:3-6 – Israel’s relationship w/God was conditional. 2. Note: God would enter a relationship w/Israel – and Israel would become: a) 19:5 – a people who belonged exclusively to God. b) 19:6 – a kingdom of priests c) 19:6 – a holy nation. 3. This would happen IF a) 19:5 – they obeyed His voice. b) 19:6 – they kept His covenant & maintained a relationship w/Him. III. How did Israel accept God’s covenant? How did they commit? A. God offers the relationship – they had to accept the relationship. It had to have a point of beginning. 1. They said yes by circumcising every male child born into the family. 2. God had established this condition of relationship w/Abraham – Gen. 17:9-14 B. Circumcision was important! 1. Ex. 12 – before partaking of the Passover meal one had to be circumcised. Not circumcised – no eating of Passover. 2. Fast forward 40 years – to just before people crossed over into Promised Land. a) Josh. 5:2-9 – tells us children born in wilderness had not been circumcised. All but 2 of the adults who left Egypt had died in the wilderness. b) Before entering the Promised Land – on one day – all males in Israel were circumcised. c) 5:9 – God’s response after the circumcision. C. Circumcision was not a mindless religious ritual. 1. Circumcision said “Yes” to God. It was Israel’s side of an agreement to accept the responsibilities of a relationship with God. 2. Deut. 10:12-16 3. Note in these verses what God required of them… a) to fear God b) to walk in His ways c) to love Him d) to serve Him with all your being e) to keep His commandments f) To circumcise your heart & refuse to be stubborn, rebellious, and arrogant. IV. An Application for Christians Today: A. Col. 2:9-12. B. In specific ways – your baptism was a circumcision. A spiritual, unisex form of circumcision. 1. Could it be possible that w/all we’ve taught & emphasized about baptism that we’ve missed the basic point of baptism? 2. Have we missed the point that no knowledgeable Israelite would have missed? C. What point? 1. Your baptism said “yes’ to God. 2. In baptism, you accepted a relationship w/God & you made an agreement w/God. 3. Baptism is not something your body did – it is something your heart did! 4. Do you understand you made an agreement w/God when you were baptized? 5. Do you understand you agreed to maintain a relationship w/God for the rest of your life? D. We have a serious problem. 1. Americans are largely a people who break agreements & throw away commitments. 2. We abuse our marriages. Jobs; credit; driver’s license; government; rights as citizens. 3. And we often don’t understand that we agreed to maintain a relationship with God when we were baptized into Christ. 4. Can a people who abuse human relationships learn how to maintain their relationship w/God? E. God calls us to: 1. To fear Him. 2. to walk in His ways 3. to love Him 4. to serve Him with all your being 5. to keep His commandments 6. To circumcise your heart & refuse to be stubborn, rebellious, and arrogant. Conclusion: A. God offers to make an agreement w/us for salvation. It is solely by His grace. 1. Often human to human agreements offer mutual benefit. 2. But...any agreement a human makes w/God is unique. Distinctly different from any agreement we would make w/a human. B. How? When we enter into an agreement w/God it is impossible for us to create a benefit for God. By entering into an agreement, we cannot: 1. Improve God’s well being – if we never existed it would not affect God’s well being. 2. Reward God. Everything we have, even our life, is God’s gift. 3. Increase God’s comfort. God’s comfort does not depend on humans. 4. Meet God’s needs. God has no needs for humans to address. 5. Give God a blessing. We are dependent on God for blessings. C. Our agreement is made possible solely because of His grace. D. Have you responded to the terms of His grace? E. I N V I T A T I O N