I. Church covenant – what does it mean? Agreement.
1. Church covenant is a commitment that brings us believers into a special relationship with God and with each other.
2. God decides the terms of His covenant.
3. God does not negotiate with anyone concerning allegiance to Him.
B. God puts Himself under obligation to fulfill His covenant promises to us.
1. God makes a covenant with Noah, “I will establish my covenant with you never again will I flood the earth.” (Genesis 9:11)
2. God makes a covenant with Abraham saying that He is the Almighty God. He called Abraham to walk before Him and be faithful. God stated that He would make Abraham exceedingly fruitful, nations and kings would come from him. God established His covenant with Abraham and his seed. (Genesis 17:1-14)
3. Almighty God in the Hebrew is El Shaddai – God is the strong nourisher, the strength giver, the satisfier, the all bountiful, the supplier of your needs, the life giver.
4. God says to Moses, “Behold I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth.” (Exodus 34:10)
C. God fulfills His covenant in Abraham and Moses and makes a better one with us in Christ.
1. The first covenant created the nation of Israel and the New Covenant creates the church.
2. Christ is a mediator of a better covenant established upon better promises. “I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to Me a people.” (Hebrews 8:6, 10)
3. The difference between the old covenant and the new is now God is personally living inside of us, giving us a will and desire to do of His good pleasure.
4. “How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:14)
5. We are Christians today because of the mediator enforcing the New Covenant promises and power in us. He guarantees the gates of hell shall not prevail.
II. We believe in covenant community:
A. Christ has created us by covenant to be His people, not as individuals but together as His body.
1. What constitutes a church? A church is a group of believers in Jesus Christ who pledge their lives to each other.
2. We cherish Christ by accepting, loving, welcoming, honoring and blessing every person who is a new comer, old comer, no comer, use-to-be comer or invisible comer.
3. At Miracle Place Church (MPC) we believe in connection and discipleship.
4. We believe every member is a priest and a minister for God‘s kingdom. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
5. Together at MPC we worship God, connecting and experiencing His love, power and presence.
B. Why do we love, serve and believe in people?
1. The church is created by the New Covenant, I will be their God.
2. Think about the cup and the Lord’s Supper. We do this ordinance in remembrance of Jesus and the New Covenant in His blood.
3. The church is organized by the New Covenant, “I will write My laws on their hearts.”
4. The nature of the New Covenant forms and shapes the nature of the community it creates.
5. We are bought by the blood of Jesus who lives in us and this is why we desire to act like Him.
6. As the church, our heart is bound to God and to each other in covenant. We are committed to God and to each other.
7. At MPC we come together with common commitments, we pledge to be the church for Jesus, the church for people and the church for our community, all for the glory of God.
