Pastor-teacher Don Hargrove

Faith Bible Church

Sunday, Sept 27, 2009

Salvation ( Jn 3:18; 16:7-12); the spiritual life (Gal 5:16), spiritual maturity (Eph 4:11-13)

GOD’S COVENANTS – Part 8: Abraham’s Faith and the Abrahamic Covenant

(Messiah & A.C. #254)

A. Covenants and Dispensations.

1. Covenants (בְּרִית, διαθήκη), Rom 9:4.

2. Dispensations (οἰκονομία), Eph 3:2.

3. It is imperative for every CA believer to orient to the uniqueness of dispensation of the church age – its dynamics, privileges, mandates, and focus, Col 3:1; Col 1:27; Gal 2:20; Philip 2:5; 2 Cor 10:5; Eph 5:20; 1 Pet 2:9; 1 Thess 5:16-17; Jn 15:12; Acts 1:8.

B. The Eight Covenants of Scripture: 3 Gentile (Edenic, Adamic, Noahic) and 5 Jewish (Abrahamic, Jewish Real Estate, Mosaic, Davidic, and New).

#1: The Edenic/Creation Covenant (Gen 1:28-30; 2:15-23; Psa 8:3-9; Hos 6:7).

#2: Adamic/Redemptive Covenant (Gen 3:14-19).

#3: Noahic Covenant (Gen 8:20-9:17).

#4: Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 12:1-3, 7; 13:14-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-21; 22:15-18 26:2-5; 35:9-11; Ex 2:24; 6:1-8).

#5: Mosaic Covenant: God’s only conditional covenant - for believer and unbeliever. Ex 20:1-Dt 28:58. 9 Reasons the ML is no longer valid.

1. The Law of Moses was rendered inoperative with the death of Jesus Christ, Rom 7:1-6;

2. Christ is the end of the Law, 10:4; Gal 2:16; 3:19; Heb 7:19

3. The Mosaic Law was never meant to be permanent, Gal 3:19.

4. The Mosaic Law requires Levitical Priesthood, but Christ brought in a new order of priesthood according to the Order of Melchizedek, Heb 7:11-18.

5. The Mosaic Law was the middle wall of partition that was broken down with the death of Jesus Christ, Eph 2:14-15.

6. The Mosaic Law was designed merely to be a tutor or pedagogue over a minor to bring him to mature faith in the Messiah, Gal 3:23-25. Having become believers, we are no longer under this tutor, the Law of Moses.

7. The Mosaic Law brought a ministration of death and condemnation and has been done away with, 2 Cor 3:2-11.

8. The Mosaic Law with all of its 613 commands stands or falls together; it is a unit that cannot be divided, Js 2:10; Gal 5:3. All one has to do is break on commandment, like eat bacon, to break them all.

9. We are now under the Law of Christ, Gal 6:2; Rom 8:2; 1 Cor 9:21.

#6. Real Estate (AKA Palestinian) Covenant, Dt 29-30.

#7 Davidic Covenant, 2 Sam 7:8-17; Psa 89; Jer 23:5-8; 33:19-20; Luke 2:11-12; 1 Chron 17:10-14;

#8 New Covenant to Israel, Jer 31:31-34; Eze 16; 36:24-28; 37:21-28; Rom 11:26-27.

D. The 7 major dispensations fall within three broad categories (theocentric, Christocentric, and eschatological).

1. Theocentric

#1 - The Age of the Gentiles – Adam to Abraham.

#2 - The Age of the Jews – Abraham to Jesus Christ.

2. Christocentric.

#3 - Age of the Hypostatic Union – Jesus Christ to Pentecost

#4 - Church Age – Pentecost to Rapture, Rom 16:25.

3. Eschatological.

#5 - The Tribulation – 7 yrs., from signing of treaty to Second Advent.

#6 - The Millennium – 1,000 yrs. of Christ’s Kingdom on earth.

#7 - Eternal State.