Bible Readings:
John 17:1 – 19, Ephesians 1:1 – 14
Sermon Outline:
Ephesians 1:3–6 (NKJV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
John 17:1–5 (NKJV)
1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
I What do we mean by the covenant of redemption?
II THe Scriptural basis of the covenant of redemption.
III Practical observations.
1. Praise and adoration.
2. Comfort and confidence.
3. Come and be welcome.
Matthew 11:28 (NKJV)
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Acts 17:30 (NKJV)
30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
John 6:37 (NKJV)
37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
John 10:7 (NKJV)
7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
John 10:9 (NKJV)
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Man in the Covenant of Grace
For the sake of clearness we distinguish between the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace. The two are so closely related that they can be and sometimes are, considered as one. The former is the eternal foundation of the latter.
1. The Covenant of Redemption. This is also called “the counsel of peace,” a name derived from Zech. 6:13. It is a covenant between the Father, representing the Trinity, and the Son as the representative of the elect.
a. The scriptural basis for it. It is clear that the plan of redemption was included in God’s eternal decree, Eph. 1:4 ff.; 3:11; 2 Tim. 1:9. Christ speaks of promises made to Him be-for He came into the world, and repeatedly refers to a commission which He received from the Father, John 5:30, 43; 6:38–40; 17:4–12. He is evidently a covenant head, Rom. 5:12–21; 1 Cor. 15:22. In Ps. 2:7–9 the parties of the covenant are mentioned and a promise is indicated, and in Ps. 40:7, 8 the Messiah expresses His readiness to do the Father’s will in becoming a sacrifice for sin.
b. The Son in the covenant of redemption. Christ is not only the Head but also the Surety of the covenant of redemption, Heb. 7:22. A surety is one who takes upon himself the legal obligations of another. Christ took the place of the sinner, to bear the penalty of sin and to meet the demands of the law for His people. By so doing He became the last Adam, a life-giving spirit, 1 Cor. 15:45. For Christ this covenant was a covenant of works, in which He met the requirements of the original covenant, but for us it is the eternal foundation of the covenant of grace. Its benefits are limited to the elect. They only obtain the redemption and inherit the glory which Christ merited for sinners.
c. Requirements and promises in the covenant of redemption. (1) The Father required of the Son that He should assume human nature with its present infirmities, though without sin, Gal. 4:4, 5; Heb. 2:10, 11, 14, 15; 4:15; that He should place Himself under the law to pay the penalty and to merit eternal life for the elect, Ps. 40:8; John 10:11; Gal. 1:4; 4:4, 5; and that He should apply His merits to His people by the renewing operation of the Holy Spirit, thus securing the consecration of their lives to God, John 10:28; 17:19–22; Heb. 5:7–9. (2) And the Father promised the Son that He would prepare for Him a body, Heb. 10:5, would anoint Him with the Holy Spirit, Isa. 42:1; 61:1; John 3:34, would support Him in His work, Isa. 42:6, 7; Luke 22:43, would deliver Him from the power of death and place Him at His own right hand, Ps. 16:8–11; Phil. 2:9–11, would enable Him to end the Spirit for the formation of the Church, John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13, 14, would draw and preserve the elect, John 6:37, 39, 40, 44, 45, and would grant Him a numerous seed, Ps. 22:27; 72:17.
Berkhof, L. (1938). Summary of Christian doctrine (pp. 80–81). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co.