Sermon Notes
Covenant:
A relationship between two partners who make binding promises to each other and work together to reach a common goal.
Noahic Covenant:
An unconditional promise to never destroy all earthly life with a natural catastrophe.
Genesis 9:8–11 NIV
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you — the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you — every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
Abrahamic Covenant:
A. Here is the land, your new garden
B. You will be my people who will build back the world the way it was intended
Genesis 17:1–8 NIV
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 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. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
Mosaic Covenant:
A set of conditions God decreed to Moses that were to be placed on the nation of Israel. God spoke the Mosaic Covenant to Moses on Mount Sinai and outlined the Ten Commandments the Israelites were to follow to be blessed by God.
Exodus 40:34–35 NIV
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
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Series Resources
Dive deeper into our Advent series with additional resources from our teaching team.
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Discussion Igniters
(1) Read Genesis 5:28-32 and Genesis 9:8-17.
What was the covenant that God established with Noah, and what stands out to you about God’s pursuit of restoring His creation?
(2) Read Genesis 17:1-8.
What is significant about God inviting Abram into partnership?
(3) Over and over again in Scripture, we see God’s heart for His people and His desire to be with them.
How does knowing God is pursuing you impact how you live and how you love others?
(4) We have a good God who is restoring his creation.
What opportunities is God giving you in this season to partner with him in restoration?