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Ilam SDA Church

Daniel Pel

The Two Covenants

Alright, I'm happy to be here together with you and we're going to study our Bibles this morning.

As I've traveled as a speaker, as an evangelist, If there's a topic that is misunderstood in Christianity today, it's this topic.

I believe that we need to go back to God's word and to study more closely what those 2 covenants are.

And I believe that even as Adventists we need to sharpen our minds and our understanding of the Covenant.

So this is the topic that I've chosen for this morning.

And this message I have actually been, had the privilege to deliver in different countries.

And actually of most of the sermons, of all the sermons I have preached, this is probably the sermon that I've got most response to with people coming to me and saying, now that was helpful.

And that's not any glory to me, but that's glory to God that wants us to understand such great themes.

And so it is my prayer this morning that as we study together the topic of the 2 covenants, that God's Holy Spirit will truly make this subject clear for us.

And not only that we may theoretically grasp it and understand it but that we will also be drawn into that covenant with Him.

Hold them up for me please or your iPads or iPhones or whatever it may be.

Most of you have Bibles here, that's good, because the preacher likes to hear 2 things, the turning of pages and then now and then an Amen.

Alright, so and nowadays Sometimes when I preach to younger congregations, you don't always get the turning of the pages because people are reading the Bible on their iPhones.

But I see a lot of you have Bibles here, so I'm happy for that.

All right, turn with me in your Bible to Galatians, the book of Galatians chapter 3 and verse 15.

We're gonna begin our journey in the book of Galatians chapter 3 and verse 15.

Now before we read this, we're gonna have another word of prayer.

And I just want to invite God's Holy Spirit to be with us as we engage in this Bible study.

So if you would bow your heads together with me, let's pray once more.

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the privilege of gathering in your house, in your presence.

And we pray this morning that your Holy Spirit may speak to us and give us an understanding of the covenant relationship that you want with each 1 of us.

I pray that you will tailor make this message to our individual lives and that it may apply to the very needs that we have.

For this I pray in Jesus name, amen, amen.

The book of Galatians chapter 3 and verse 15, we read the following, brethren, I speak in the manner of men, though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no 1 annuls or adds to it.

Here we find the first principle of a covenant and that is once a covenant is established, can it be changed?

It cannot come on a little bit participation here this morning.

You cannot add to it, you cannot take away from it.

Once it is established, it cannot be changed.

Now Paul here is actually talking about a man's covenant.

How much more so if we talk about the covenant with God himself?

The covenant with God once it's established it cannot be changed.

Let's look at another text the book of Hebrews.

I invite you to turn to the book of Hebrews and chapter 9.

Now interesting, the word covenant in Greek is the word diathike.

And I don't know if I'm pronouncing that right by the way I'm not a theologian and so excuse me if I'm pronouncing that wrong but the word diathike is synonymous or the word covenant rather is the word diathike and the word covenant is synonymous to the word testament And this is a word we encounter here several times in the book of Hebrews.

And I want you to take notice of Hebrews chapter 9, Hebrews chapter 9 beginning in verse 16.

And here we're going to find our second principle about the covenant or the second principle regarding the testament.

Let's read it in Hebrews chapter 9 verse 16.

For where there is a testament there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

For a testament is in force after men are dead since it has no power at all while the testator lives." So the word testament here is synonymous to the word covenant.

It's interesting, let me use an illustration here to to show these 2 principles.

If a parent, a father has 3 children and writes a testament regarding how his wealth is to be spread amongst his children, when is that testament going to be enforced?

If the testament is enforced before he dies, well that would be kind of horrible, wouldn't it be?

I mean that would be breaking this covenant.

The testament, the covenant is that after the testator dies, then the testament is enforced.

Now the first principle that we looked at in the book of Galatians told us that once the covenant is established, it cannot be changed.

So if we go back to our illustration, if the father dies and the Testament is there for the children to look at, to divide the wealth according to the wishes of the father, if they would change that covenant, if they would not divide the wealth according to what the Father has laid down in the Testament, that would be breaking the covenant.

First principle, a covenant cannot be changed when it's established.

Nothing can be taken away from it number 2 principle number 2 a covenant or a testament synonymous words is established when at the death of the Testator At the death of the testator.

Okay, with that in mind, I would like to invite you to turn to the book of Timothy.

Now 2nd Timothy is by many regarded to be the testament of Paul to young Timothy.

Timothy was a co-laborer in the proclamation of the gospel.

He was a gospel worker and Paul was his mentor.

And here he writes to young Timothy from Rome where he is imprisoned and he knows that he is about to lose his life.

Paul understands that his end is very near.

And he lost his life there in Rome as a martyr.

And the last letter that he wrote was the letter to second Timothy.

Of all that Paul wrote, the last letter is sent to this young man.

And in this letter Paul is basically looking back on his life.

And he is looking back, and not only looking back, he's also looking forward to what Timothy is going to do.

It is like Paul is placing the baton in the hands of Timothy.

Paul is coming to the end of his life and now he is charging Timothy to continue the good work.

It is like a testament that is handed down to Timothy.

Take notice of the words in 2 Timothy chapter 4 beginning in verse 6.

2 Timothy chapter 4 beginning in verse 6.

2nd Timothy chapter 4 beginning in verse 6.

These are the words of Paul to young Timothy.

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

Here you sense very well that Paul knew what was coming.

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The Two Covenants

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